Morocco, seen from Europe

Language, first. French is used across business, government and the big cities, so French speakers will rarely be lost; in the north, around Tangier and Tetouan, many people speak Spanish, a legacy of the protectorate and of being so close to Spain. English is spreading fast among the young.

Café terraces, Mediterranean food, long lunches, a Sunday by the sea. And people: Morocco's diaspora in Europe numbers in the millions, over a million in France alone and hundreds of thousands in Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, so the person who sells you a scarf may have a cousin in your town.

Being approached. In the medinas of Marrakech and Fes, people will offer directions, a shop, a guide. Many European visitors find this the hardest part of the first day. A smile and a firm la, shukran (no, thank you) while you keep walking usually ends it.

Haggling. It is expected, not rude, and visitors who don't haggle often pay several times the price on the first day. It's a conversation, not a fight.

Time and faith. The day follows the five prayers, Friday midday is quiet, and in Ramadan the rhythm turns upside down. None of it asks anything of you except a little respect.

The hospitality: many European visitors say the warmth of people, especially away from the busiest medina streets, is what they remember most. The light that drew Delacroix and Matisse. The riads, quiet courtyards behind a plain door. And that so different a world is so close to home.

Europe is close and familiar here, through family, work, football and television. Many Moroccans have lived or studied there or have relatives who do. That makes conversations easy: expect questions about your city, your club, and whether it's cold.

From Spain, take the ferry and arrive slowly: Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, then the train south. From further north, a city break in Marrakech with two nights at Essaouira by the sea is the gentlest first taste.