Morocco, day seven: Tangier

Thursdays are generally my busy day, for some reason, and today was no exception.

This left me time in the afternoon for a little potter about and a spot of lunch at the Bistrot de Petit Socco – harira is my new go-to – before having a final-for-now wander around looking at shiny things and smelly things in the market.

As I didn't end up at the Syrian place, I went for a different walk, and found myself in the fish market – completely intentionally this time, as I'd walked up the rue Siaghine to the Grand Socco and then taken myself off down some little side street through a covered market.

There were all sorts of tasty things to be gawped at and I continued my slow wander until I noticed people walking around in white wellies, a sign that I was approaching either a pathology lab or some kind of fish-gutting experience.

It turned out to be a little bit of both, a huge hall with blue and white tiled walls along which people were shovelling ice into and out of buckets and onto slabs covered with a vast array of fish.

In the middle was a big fishy island upon which all sorts of multi-coloured delights were piled and, of course, the obligatory kitties waiting patiently for the humans to execute their Allah-ordained kitty-treating responsibilities. Outside, post-treat kitties were lying languidly in the sun, occasionally licking a paw or watching the world go by, some observing the drains closely, in case an errant piece of fish might be carried unto them upon the water.

After a cup of tea on the terrace – and a friendly nod and a smile from the man in the room opposite – I set out in the evening for a final look around and explored some more parts of the Medina, where a young man presented a list of things I could have were I just to "nip to his house and ask him for them." I had a look around a lovely riad into which I was invited/ushered, then took mint tea on the terrace of the Café Tingis, watching the world go about its evening business.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to eat for my last evening in Tangier, and after much faffing settled on a pizza – of all things – in Kanzaman.

I was late back to the hotel and the doors were locked, but once back in my room at around midnight, I found a riad in Fès for 20€ a night which I booked. I looked at my packing – and wondered how long it would take me to do it in the morning.