492- Jardin des amoureux, Tetouan, Morocco

Card no 492 - Eva 

Cajigas gardens, Tetouan 

Country Card Sent From: Morocco 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Tetouan 

Date Received: 13th April 2013 

Distance Travelled: 1,234 miles 

Time Taken: 17 days 

Built in 1929 these gardens were closed for many years but then restored and opened to the public again around 5 or 6 years ago. Eva says it’s always crowded, especially in the summer and is known as ‘Lovers’ Garden’.

 Tetouan (from the Berber Tiṭṭawin, Arabic: تطوان, Spanish: Tetuán, French: Tétouan) is a city in northern Morocco. The Berber name means literally "the eyes" and figuratively "the water springs". Tetouan is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea. It lies a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about 40 mi (60 km) E.S.E. of Tangier. In 2004 the city had 320,539 inhabitants (census figure).

Arabic is the official language but it is not used for everyday dialogue. The city has its own dialect. However, Jebli Arabic is predominant since people from the neighboring rural areas settled in the city during the 20th century. The use of Spanish and French is still widespread especially by the businessmen and intellectual elites. Its main religion is Islam. A small Christian minority lives in the city.

The city is situated about 60 km east of the city of Tangier and 40 km south of the Spanish exclave of Ceuta (Sebta) and the Strait of Gibraltar. It is in the far north of the Rif Mountains. To the south and west of the city there are mountains.

This is my first card from Morocco and takes my list of countries to  41

The stamp shows Mohammed VI (Arabic: محمد السادس‎, born 21 August 1963) is the current King of Morocco. He acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.