Chefchaouen - Dreaming Inwards Blue

There is a identify inwards the foothills of the Rif mountains of northern Kingdom of Morocco that has enchanted independent travellers for decades. It is Chefchaouen, locally called precisely Chaouen, a modest town amongst houses painted bluish together with the verdant hills all roughly it.

I arrived inwards Chefchaouen on a Tuesday afternoon after a four-and-a-half autobus journeying from Fez (it costs 75 dirhams, which is roughly 7€): it was the terminate of March, and the atmospheric condition was miserable. With 3 nights booked at Riad Baraka, I hoped that it would acquire better, hence that I could relish my rest properly, together with perchance practice a piffling hiking inwards the mountains every bit well. Since it was raining hard, I spent the firstly nighttime inwards the hostel, warming upwards against the electrical stove together with chatting amongst the other guests, every bit if nosotros were on a ski holiday. It was a prissy evening: we were all travelling lone inwards Morocco, nosotros came from many unlike countries together with had previous experiences of independent travel.

A truthful cat inwards the streets of Chefchaouen

It was during that first evening of pelting that I learned close the history of the town. Chefchaouen was founded past times Berbers of the Ghomara tribe, together with it was afterwards resettled past times the Moriscos together with Jews expelled from Espana inwards 1492. The entrance to the urban marrow was forbidden to all foreigners, together with peculiarly to Christians, until 1920. The few travellers who managed to acquire into dorsum together with hence institute Jews nonetheless speaking 15th-century Andalucian Spanish. The houses were painted bluish inwards the 1930s past times the Jewish inhabitants of the town, who receive got since left for State of Israel or other parts of the world.

 



A street inwards the medina



In Chefchaouen the men all apparel the djellaba amongst the hood on, every bit if they were Moroccan wizards, together with some of the women apparel a traditional costume that includes a straw hat.





A homo amongst a djellaba



 





A wall inwards the medina of Chefchaouen

 

Luckily, the next morning time the pelting had stopped, fifty-fifty though it was nonetheless chilly together with cloudy. In spite of relying to a greater extent than ofttimes than non on tourism, I institute Chefchaouen to endure authentic together with charming. The selection of nutrient to sweat seemed to endure to a greater extent than varied hither than inwards other parts of Morocco, including Fez together with Marrakesh. I tried anchovy tagine, home-made yogurt, squid, sardines, together with of class the harira soup that you're offered at the starting fourth dimension of most Moroccan meals. A dinner at Bab Ssour - a real friendly, inexpensive and traditional restaurant nosotros institute hidden inwards a corner of the medina - only cost me 65 dirhams (6€).

Selling fruit inwards the medina of Marrakesh

 

In the primary foursquare of the town, Place Uta el-Hammam, in that location is a Kasbah that yous tin laissez passer notice see for a few dirhams, amongst peachy views of the hills from the top of the tower together with a skillful exhibition on history, traditions together with customs inwards the area. I also hiked to the Castilian Mosque, which is worth non hence much for the edifice itself, but for the views.

View of Chefchaouen piece hiking to the Castilian mosque

On the means to the mosque yous function past times past Ras-el Maa, a small waterfall where women practice the laundry together with locals come upwards to accept a walk. The hills, when they are surrounded past times clouds, laissez passer a rather mysterious aura to the place. At times, I idea I was inwards a Central American modest town.

 

A sentiment of Chefchaoen together with its hills

Once nosotros arrived to the top of the hill,  where the Castilian mosque stands, nosotros institute a relaxed atmosphere, together with sat in that location for a while, observing the women who were looking after sheep together with goats.

Grazing sheep inwards Chefchaouen

 

 

People come to Chefchaouen to relax, to acquire close Moroccan culture, or to hike. Most likely, yous volition non detect annoying tourists who shout or demeanour inwards inappropriate ways. Even though Chefchaouen is inwards the middle of an expanse which is famous for the production of kief together with for the tardily access to marijuana, I institute that the form of people that make their means to Chafchaouen do not care every bit good much close it. I didn't run across anybody who wanted to acquire stoned all the time, or that was actually interested inwards touring the illegal plantations.  

 

 

The rooftop of Riad Baraka

The medina of Chefchaouen is small, build clean together with non at all smelly. What a alter from the aggressiveness of the medina inwards Fez amongst its smells and its touts! Nobody volition bother yous here, except the occasional man who unconvincingly tries to sell yous hashish or Pb yous to your riad. It is a relaxing sense if compared to a walk inwards the medina inwards Fez or Marrakesh. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few days inwards this town volition innovate yous to the civilization of northern Morocco, amongst its mish-mash of Andalusian together with Berber influences.

 



A door inwards the medina

 

A corner of the medina

Selling dry out fruits inwards the medina

When strolling roughly town, amid bluish doors together with colourful pots amongst plants of all kinds, gear upwards for an array of pleasant surprises. During my wandering through the narrow streets I found  a local fine art gallery, a hole inwards the wall selling samosa-like pastries for v dirhams (0,40 €) and an improvised marketplace stall (in the motion-picture demo below).

 

An improvised market stall inwards Chefchaouen

 

An fine art gallery inwards the medina of Chefchaouen



I did accept a hike on Thursday. Together amongst other v guests from the riad, nosotros made our means to Parc National de Talassemtane, close one-half an hr away amongst a grand taxi. The provide trip toll us 400€ (€37,50), the half dozen of us squeezed in an erstwhile Mercedes. There are several possibilities here: either yous brand your means to God's Bridge, or to Oued El Kelaa waterfall. We chose the latter, ii hours together with a one-half away. The hike was overall I fleck to a greater extent than hard than nosotros expected: it had rained a lot, together with because yous receive got to cross the river several times past times jumping on some rocks, it was impossible non to acquire wet.

 



The canyon inwards Parc National de Talassemtane

The landscape, amongst canyons, clear bodies of water, together with wooden huts with refreshments, reminded me of my hike inwards the Samaria Gorge inwards Crete. On the means to the waterfall nosotros encountered real few people, most of them Moroccans. At the terminate of the hike, nosotros in conclusion institute the waterfall. It is a beautiful sight, inwards peaceful surroundings, together with nosotros were the alone 1 exploring the area.



Oued El Kelaa waterfall

We were told that in that location was going to endure food, but in all probability because it was non high season, nosotros institute the bar unprepared. We managed to order a few fried eggs, served without cutlery, a pot of tea together with some biscuits.

We speedily made our means dorsum to the entrance of the green together with nosotros institute a local restaurant, where nosotros ate a delicious kefta tagine together with a plate total of grilled sardines. This was 1 of the best meals I had inwards Morocco, together with non alone because I was hungry.

My 3 days inwards Chefchaouen ended amongst warmer atmospheric condition together with in conclusion some existent sun.

View from the Kasbah

 

 

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