On Thursday morning, after an early breakfast, we were taken by coach to a small [unmarked] town at the southernmost point of the European mainland near the Parque Natural del Estrecho. Given its proximity to the Moroccan coast was an important early point for the trading of goods. It got its name, Tarifa, after the attack of Tarif ibn Malik in 710, a Berber military commander. The English word, tariff, is derived from the Arabic, تعريف (or Ta'rif), meaning "notification" or "inventory of fees to be paid".
After a brief wait, our group boarded the jet foil for the one-hour trip to Tangiers in Morocco.
After clearing customs and immigration we were met by Samir, our local guide.
Once on our coach, we were taken on a tour of Tangiers and it's surroundings. After driving out of the older city by the port, we made our way through the downtown traffic and on to the outskirts of the city. Along the way we passed the palatial estates of the King of Saudi Arabia and the Emir of Kuwait. It seems evident that they like the cooler summer climate of northern Morocco to the blistering heat of the Arabian desert. Our bus continued to climb until we reached Cap Spartel, the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean.
As you can see, from this picture, this has been the only day since we arrived where it was overcast with some light rain.