It took us four hours by bus to get from Fes to Chefchaouen. Overall, the trip was easy. We stopped midway at a restaurant stop, had a quick bite and continued onwards to our destination.
Once in Chefchaouen we took a taxi to the town’s center. Our riad, once again, was not too far into the Medina, so it was easy to get to it. Our host, Said, welcomed us to the Dar Soleiman. He gave us a nice rundown on places to see, places to eat and cafes. Breakfast, which we always looked forward to, started at 8:30.
Chefchaouen, known as the “blue city” was indeed blue. Incidentally, we found out that the “blue” phenomenon actually was a recent movement that occurred within the last twenty years.
For whatever reason they decided to paint the town blue, it worked. The camera shots are irresistible at every little passage way. Light blues, dark blues, some mixed earth tones - and all juxtaposed to the wares being sold. An incredible feast of colors for the eyes.
Above, is a photo of Tetouan, a city we visited for the day that lies north between Chefchaouen and Tangier. We spent the day walking through it’s market (souk) and then went back home to Chefchaouen.
Below, a photo of our Aussie traveling buddies (Joan and Stephen), who we kept running into in several places. We had a great time together, even though I didn’t understand what they were saying half the time. :-)
Our final destination in Morocco was Tangier. An enormous city (over 2 million in population), bridging Europe and Africa, with a history dating back to the Phoenicians. And today, Morocco’s king is concentrating to make Tangier a stop-over for cruise ships and a destination for the super yachts.
In Tangier, for once, we gave in to one of the local folks who wanted to show us around. We were glad we capitulated because he showed us areas we likely would have missed. In the Kasbah, he showed us beautifully painted passages. These were much different from Chefchaouen, in that they were more artistic and mural style paintings - not just a hue of blue paint spread on.
Besides its long history, Tangier has a marvelous boardwalk along the beach that stretches for miles. Friday’s, Saturday’s, and Sunday’s are particularly busy with family and lovers walking down the boardwalk.
One of the favorite things we enjoyed in Morocco was the coffee. So strong and so fragrante. One of the few times when I actually added either a little sugar or a little water. Man, was it good.
After a couple of days in Tangier, we flew to Rotterdam and returned to Amsterdam.
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