We went shopping in the Medina and experienced some high-pressure selling. We could tell they were used to a steady stream of European tourists. Things were priced accordingly, and they didn’t really take ‘no’ for an answer. The hard sell wore on us after a while – but what drove us out more than anything was our visit to a mosaic seller. He had nice stuff, and we

hadn’t seen mosaics elsewhere. We were tempted, until he pulled out a photo album showing them being made by young children. I kid you not. He proudly informed us that children make excellent workers because of their small hands. We’d had enough, and we wandered around the town and walked to the port.

The fishing port is a short walk from town. There are thousands of terracotta pots littered about (they look like ancient Greek amphora). They are used by local octopus fisherman in a traditional

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technique called gargoulette. The pots are tied together and sunk to the ocean floor. They make great hiding places, so the octopus crawl in, and are lifted to the surface. We bought one from a fisherman for $1. (we’re not sure it was actually his, but our karma was intact). Now that’s a souvenir with a good price.

Next, we hired a taxi for a few hours ($20) and headed out to Erriadh. It used to be a Jewish

settlement, but now is mainly Muslim. This is the site of the most important synagogue, El-Ghriba (the Stranger). Security is pretty high, as there was a bombing here a few years ago. The inside was unlike any synagogue we’d ever seen – and a great break from all the austere Mosques! We visited an olive oil factory on our way back to town.