Bill in Spanish Morocco - CEUTA

Ceuta is in a unique position like Gibraltar, which is attached to Spain on its Mediterranean coast but "belongs" to Great Britain. Ceuta lies at a northern tip of Morocco, but is considered to be part of Spain. Once you cross the border, you really feel that you have left exotic Morocco and landed back into cosmopolitan Europe. Gibraltar is essentially the southern tip of Spain (and Europe) while on the opposite side Ceuta is the northern tip of Morocco (and Africa), about 22 kilometers from the shoreline of Spain. Ceuta is a narrow peninsula surrounded by the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. On a map, it looks like the right arm extending from the "body" of Morocco. The shoulder and fist are mountainous, while the level center of town is at the "elbow" of the peninsula that is only about three blocks wide at its narrowest point.

The Ceuta tourism bureau's slogan is "Four Worlds to Discover", referring to its blend of Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu cultures.

Quick Tips:

For travelers Ceuta is seen as a transitional point between Morocco and Spain, as opposed to being an actual destination in itself. Some consider a ferry from Ceuta to be less stressful than a ferry from Tangier. A bleak frontier separates the edge of Morocco from Ceuta, so entering Ceuta may be nominally more pleasant than exiting Ceuta.

There are modern supermarkets and shops across the street from the ferry terminal, if you are staying a bit in Ceuta. There is also an information booth between the ferry terminal and the city center, but it was unmanned when I passed by it.

Best Way To Get Around:

A local bus runs from the Ceuta border to the center of town at the Plaza de la Constitucion and the Centro Mercado. Once you are in Ceuta proper, it is fine to just walk about town.

There are several companies running fast ferries between Ceuta and Algeciras. You can always purchase a ticket at the modern port before departure, as there seems to be at least one run an hour. The ride is advertised as being 45 minutes long, but due to docking time it takes about an hour. The one-way cost is about 21 euros. The passport control at the Ceuta port seems to be meticulous with foreign passports. I was detained in the police office for a few minutes while they checked my passport history (also look at the section "The road through Ceuta").

The coasts of Europe and Africa are so close at this region that there is also regular helicopter service between Ceuta and Malaga.

This fine business hotel, part of a Spanish hotel chain with a good reputation, is centrally located in Ceuta next door to the 19th-century neo-classical Palacio de la Asamblea (Assembly or Municipal Palace). Enter the hotel through the turreted glass corner, which seems to be in rhythm with the palace's own domed corner element with its clock and flags.

The hotel lobby is bright and spacious, with a cozy lobby bar and decent washrooms to the side. The front desk area has a handy assortment of tourism brochures and local newspapers. The front desk personnel are very helpful (speaking both Spanish and English). There is a slick glass elevator that complements its modern exterior facades.

The moderately sized property has five floors and 121 comfortable guest rooms with the usual amenities like TV, in-room safe, hairdryer, minibar and trouser press (who actually uses a trouser press?). There is an outdoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and workout room at the hotel for guests. The restaurant serves a breakfast buffet, and you can also get snacks at the lobby bar.

The location of the Melia Confort Ceuta is excellent, as it seems to be near everything in town (the Catedral, Centro Mercado, Ceuta Gran Casino, the ferry terminal, beaches, Mediterranean Maritime Park, etc). The hotel is on a prominent street that has many restaurants, shops, and bars.

The central market of Ceuta is a good place to hang out with the locals. Living up to its name, the building is centrally located in the heart of Ceuta near the Plaza de la Constitucion. On its two levels there are plenty of stalls selling an interesting selection of local produce and goodies.

As long as you have a few euros or cents in your pocket, you will not go hungry in the Centro Mercado. There are grocers peddling fresh fruit and vegetables, while butchers tend to their meats and sausages. You can get freshly baked bread, pastries, candies, and all sorts of colorful and aromatic edibles. If you want things a bit more pre-packaged, there is also a regular grocery store in the market. Stock up on food and have a picnic lunch by the sea, on the beach, or in one of the pleasant parks (as long as it is not raining outside!).

There are several bars in the building selling a variety of tapas and drinks to wash them down. A few of the establishments have seats or stools, but most of them are of the stand-up variety for folks who just want a quick bite to eat before running back to the office. There is an underground parking lot below that packs the cars in.

City planners are considering a plan to demolish (and hopefully relocate) the Centro Mercado and build an ancient moat in its location. This is all in the name of remodeling and rediscovering the historic city core of Ceuta.

This old stronghold of colossal "royal walls" forms an interesting landmark in central Ceuta. The external walls of the former fortress are framed on one side by a waterway (Foso de San Felipe) that acts as a moat. The sturdy walls date back to the Portuguese and Spanish periods from the 16th to 18th centuries. The ensemble of thick walls continues to undergo a restoration program.

The complex, which includes the Museo Revellin de San Ignacio, is now part of the Museum of Ceuta. The flag of Spain flies at the corner point, a good spot to take a photograph. The modern Plaza de Armas is a pleasant promenade that passes adjacent to the Foso de San Felipe.

Many other relics dot Ceuta today. There are the archaeological remains of a late Roman basilica and necropolis dating from the 4th century. The Arab Baths are from the 13th century. The military fortifications of Monte Hacho, constructed from the 17th to 19th centuries, are majestically positioned on the hill.

Wander around town and you may run into other old remnants as well. These may not be the greatest ruins in the world, but they are still interesting to see, especially if you are not expecting much.

After riding the "Marrakesh Express" from Fez to Marrakesh (see "Bill in MARRAKESH"), my friend and I dared to ride the rails again! After all, one cannot expect another nine-hour ride to be stretched out to 18, right? This time, it would be a scheduled nine-hour night journey from Marrakesh to Tangier. Flooding due to heavy rains had affected train service throughout Morocco for several days, but we were assured that service had returned to normal. Our first-class tickets with couchettes (four berths in a compartment) were cheaper than second-class seats with no couchette, go figure. The engineer said the two of us would have this room all to ourselves, so we occupied the more stable lower berths. The train started on time at 9pm. Soon I succumbed to sleep, with ambitions to hit several destinations the next day. Everything had to fall specifically into place for me to visit Ceuta and Gibraltar before arriving for my rest stop in Cadiz the following night, which would be Thanksgiving Day in the States.

After a good night's sleep (my friend had to shake me awake), we each had a light breakfast. It was raining outside when the train arrived into Tangier at 7am, an hour behind schedule. The train station in Tangier is actually a few kilometers south of the town center, so we took a petit taxi to the port area. My friend wanted to stick around and see more of Tangier, but I was heading to Ceuta right away. We planned to meet in Cadiz later that evening.

Instead of taking a bus to Ceuta, I splurged on a taxi. For longer distances, you need to share a ride in a grand taxi, a vehicle that can squeeze in about six passengers. The ride to Ceuta is supposed to be around 25 dirham a head (about US$2.50). Not many drivers wanted to head to Ceuta on this rainy morning though. I finally departed in a grand taxi after I "bargained" my driver's initial rate of 200 dirham down to 100. This is still four times the going rate, but I had Moroccan money to burn and I needed to get the ball rolling lest I remain standing in a Tangier downpour. The driver spoke Arabic and some French but no English. He was a good driver; fast but not reckless, perfect qualities for a taxi driver. I sat comfortably in the front passenger seat while at times the back seat was stuffed with up to four people. Despite the blanket of rain clouds, the vistas from Tangier to Ceuta were gorgeous, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and alternately lush green and jagged mountains on the other side.

After about an hour, my taxi driver dropped me off in this muddy parking lot at the border crossing. This patch of Moroccan frontier is bleak, a place you wanted to leave as soon as you entered it. One fellow wanted to sell me a customs form, but I charged past him. The customs form is provided free of charge at the passport control counter. There were just a few non-Moroccans crossing the border here, and we were served promptly and courteously. The border crossing into Ceuta is seemingly stricter for Moroccans, some of whom are trying to cross the border illegally into a more hospitable economic situation. There was a frantic crush of Moroccans waiting and wailing to walk across the border. Stern border patrol guards carried small belts, and they did not hesitate to flog the more unruly Moroccans into submission. This was a shocking sight, but this bit of discipline seemed to cause more embarrassment than pain for the recipient.

Ceuta is considered to be an enclave under the jurisdiction of Spain, sort of like a city province, and not an autonomous region. Ceuta definitely feels like Spain and not Morocco. I lost an hour due to the time change from Morocco to Spain time, where does the time go? A bus picks up passengers near the border and heads into the center of Ceuta, ending at the Plaza de la Constitucion near the Centro Mercado. I wandered into the Melia hotel and spent precious minutes freshening up in the men's room. My pant legs and shoes were unbelievably muddy after the border crossing. I had only a few hours in Ceuta, which is an interesting town though not an essential place to visit. The locals here are laid back--a welcome relief after a week of intense traveling in Morocco. The constant drizzle made it difficult for the historic buildings and the maritime scenery to come to life. It was already early afternoon by the time I ate some lunchtime tapas and bought some snacks for the next leg of my journey.

There is at least one ferry every hour between Ceuta and Algeciras, so there is no need to buy a ticket ahead of time. Once I reached passport control at the Ceuta port terminal, I was directed into what appeared to be a detention room. The officer did not reappear with my passport for about ten minutes, an eternity to be without your passport. A Moroccan fellow was having a more difficult time, as the officer was really grilling him. I managed to board the "fast ferry," a good-sized ship with plenty of indoor seating, for the 1:45pm departure. I spent my entire time on board at the outside deck. I enjoyed staring at Africa receding from view and Europe gently approaching, with the sunshine winning the battle of elements against the rain clouds. Gibraltar is a small "rock" indeed as the ferry passed by. The listed time of the trip is 45 minutes, but the ferry spends countless minutes docking at Algeciras.

The Comes bus terminal is on a side street several blocks from the port terminal of Algeciras. I stared at the large bus schedule on the wall and I had to make a snap decision. Do I take a bus east to La Linea (the Spanish border town across from Gibraltar), or do I head west to my pit stop in Cadiz? Both buses were scheduled to leave Algeciras at 3:30pm. As much as I actually wanted to visit Gibraltar, I felt that I would not have enough quality time to spend there. I took the bus to Cadiz. As a consolation, the sun-kissed ride from Algeciras to Cadiz was even more scenic and colorful than the ride from Tangier to Ceuta across the Mediterranean. White modern three-finned windmills and lots of cows decorate the rolling landscape. I arrived at the Quo Qadis hostel as dusk settled in on old Cadiz. Another "Happy Thanksgiving" for me, as this journey continues my annual tradition (since 1994) of being outside the USA on Thanksgiving Day.

Incidentally, my friend took the ferry from Tangier to Tarifa, but he was denied entry because Tarifa is a smaller port that accepts only EU passports. The ferry then sailed to Algeciras, where he stayed overnight. We missed meeting each other in Cadiz and Sevilla, but we finally caught up with each other in Lisbon the day after Thanksgiving. Ah, the memories!