TANGIER, HISTORIC PORT AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN: Guest Post by Lucas Gutierrez-Arnold

Tangier, Morocco.

My grandson Lucas, a student at Skidmore College, spent a semester abroad last spring in Madrid, Spain. While there, he and some other students went on a weekend trip to Morocco, flying on RyanAir to Tangier. (It is easy to forget that Spain is just across the Strait of Gibraltar from North Africa!) Tangier is a port city, bordering both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. It has an ancient history dating from Phoenician times in the 10th century BCE. 

Typical white-washed buildings in Tangier.

While in Tangier, Lucas did a day-trip to Chefchaouen, the famous blue city where the cobblestone streets are lined with houses painted a bright shade of blue. (Look for his post about Chefchaouen next week.) Many thanks to Lucas for sharing his photos. Here are his pictures of Tangier.

Map of the Medina (historical center) of Tangier.

View of Tangier at night from the beach.

POINT FERMIN LIGHTHOUSE, San Pedro, California

Point Fermin Lighthouse, San Pedro, California, Historic Site and Museum

Like a well-dressed Victorian lady, the Point Fermin Lighthouse stands proudly on a bluff above San Pedro Bay in Southern California. Built in 1874, its light guided ships on their way into the busy harbor of Los Angeles for the next sixty-seven years. Then, on December 6, 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the light went dark, never to be lit again.

Guided  tours of the lighthouse are available in the afternoon, Tuesday through Sunday

Today, now restored and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is open to visitors who come to learn what it was like when lighthouse families lived in the house and operated the light at the top of the narrow stairs that lead to the lantern room in the lighthouse tower.

A fourth order Fresnel lens like this one shone from the lighthouse tower (photo from postcard)

On a recent Saturday afternoon I visited the Point Fermin Lighthouse and took the guided tour. Tours are free, but limited to nine people–due to the steep narrow stairs and the limited space at the top.

Narrow stairway to the top of the lighthouse

We met the docent who was our tour leader in the office/gift shop (the former barn and carriage house) where I bought post cards and a book about the lighthouse’s history. (No photos are allowed inside the house.) We then proceeded through the beautiful flower garden to the house entrance.

View of the lighthouse kitchen with period furnishings (from postcard)

Rooms are furnished with items typical of the late nineteenth century–a coal burning stove, ice chest for refrigeration, beds covered with patchwork quilts and with frames strung with ropes to support the mattress. Keepers of the lighthouse included several families, the last being that of William Austin, who came to the lighthouse in 1917 with his wife and eight children.

 

View toward Palos Verdes and the Point Vicente Lighthouse from the Point Fermin lighthouse tower

In the early days of the lighthouse, there was no greenery–just a bleak expanse of dry land. Rainwater was collected during the winter and stored in cisterns. The first keepers of the lighthouse, sisters Mary and Ella Smith, had to go to San Pedro, the nearest town five miles away,  by horse and buggy to get supplies, Today, the lighthouse sits in Point Fermin Park, a popular picnic area filled with trees and grassy lawns and the city of San Pedro has expanded to the neighboring streets. A visit to the the Point Fermin lighthouse is a fascinating glimpse of California history and the unique life of the families that lived there.
Point Fermin Lighthouse Historic Site and Museum
807 W. Paseo Del Mar
San Pedro, CA 90731
For information about visiting the Point Fermin Lighthouse, click HERE.

Book by Henrietta Mosley about the keepers of the Point Fermin lighthouse and their families.

EUREKA, CALIFORNIA: The Heart of Humboldt County

Bald Eagle at the Sequoia Park Zoo, Eureka, CA. 

Every two years in October, I go to Eureka, California, in Humboldt County, for a children's book author festival. While my focus is work, there is also time to enjoy the beautiful northern California coast, the surrounding hills and forests, and to explore the shops, parks and restaurants of historic Eureka.

Coast near Trinidad, CA, north of Eureka in Humboldt County

Eureka is Humboldt's county seat and has a population of about 27,000. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was a booming port city, transporting lumber from the surrounding forests all over the world. Many of the downtown buildings date from that time. A number of them are covered with colorful murals painted more recently.

Mural on building in historic downtown Eureka

During my visit I stayed at the historic Eureka Inn, originally built in 1922. (The rooms have recently been renovated.) The walls of the spacious lobby are lined with portraits of some of its famous visitors through the years such as Sir Winston Churchill and past president Ronald Reagan making one feel a part of history. The hotel is a short walk from downtown Eureka, which is filled with restaurants, craft shops, a bookstore, an art and historical museum and more. One of my favorite restaurants is the Waterfront Cafe, featuring fresh seafood caught locally, across the street from the boardwalk by the water.

Boardwalk in Eureka

From the boardwalk one can view the boats moored in Woodley Marina, which include both fishing and pleasure boats as well as commercial vessels.

Woodley Marina, Eureka

Not far from the center of town, in a beautiful redwood grove, is The Sequoia Park Zoo. It has a small but interesting and varied collection of animals, including a rescued bald eagle, red pandas, orangutans, musk oxen, ostriches and much more.

Red Panda, Sequoia Park Zoo

Arcata, California, just north of Eureka, is home to Humboldt State University and a variety of businesses including  Fire and Light Handmade Glass, a company that makes colorful glassware from recycled bottles. I came home with one of their beautiful glass redwood trees, now propped in a window to let the light shine through and remind me of my trip.

I always enjoy my visit to Eureka, discovering something new each time!

Tree from Fire and Light Handmade Glass