Bustling Tangiers is a sophisticated city

WHILE waiting to move into our long-term rented house in the Alpujarras mountains, south of Granada, we left Spain and went to Africa, arriving at midnight in Tangiers with no arrangements made.

Later, from a fifth floor hotel room, I watched the harbour lights shimmer on the moving sea, as does light on water everywhere. It reminded me of the single light at the end of the pier at home. Here, below me, fronting the sea was a long beach of pure white sand 200 metres wide, with a broad cornice running along the landward side, palm trees on the central reservation and two lanes of traffic each way.

Even at 2am on Friday morning, traffic was still moving.