Chefchaouen nestles in the hollow of two mountains – ech-Chaoua, meaning the horns – from which it takes it’s name. It is commonly known as the blue city with its Andulucian style colour and architecture. We arrive before 6pm and stop at a viewpoint before climbing (by bus) up the hill.
There is another climb (by foot) to reach our riad which is called Riad Jasmine.
It is fairly high up and offers beautiful views of the town especially as the sun is setting.
After the obligatory mint tea welcome and checking out our beautiful rooms Shane and I take a walk towards town to have a look around.
The narrow streets and painted blue walls are very picturesque.
There are pretty blue narrow streets around every corner….
And great looking doors!!
Having climbed back up to our riad, we are roasting so we decide to have a quick dip in the pool… initially cold but so refreshing once we’re in.
Dinner tonight is on a terrace overlooking town and it is just beautiful. There is no alcohol at this riad so we are delighted to get the chance to drink what we carted from Fez. We have a white, a rosé (or Gris as they call it) and a couple of reds which are particularly good… all local Moroccan wines and all averaging approx €5 at the Carrefour! The waiter insists on opening and serving them to us as if we were in a fine dining establishment. We are served a mix of delicious starters and lemon and olive chicken tagine.
The temperature has gone down significantly so it is really pleasant sitting outside looking over the somewhat blue town.
Next morning we have a very fancy breakfast where we have a choice of eggs. I go for the eggshouka which has peppers and lots of oil with two eggs.
Only one night here unfortunately so we get packed up and are ready to explore all that is blue.
So many pretty photo opportunities. It’s hard not to keep snapping.
We seem to be ahead of the hordes …
A couple of group shots before we go….
And one more for good measure… it’s just such a nice setting for a photo, it’s hard not to click!!
Having maxed out somewhat on the blue photos we head downward to the main square. At the centre is the Alcazaba. This fortress was built by Moulay Ali Ben Musa, the founder of Chefchaouen, in 1471.
We also see the Great mosque which was built by Prince Mohammed Ben Ali Ben Rashed during his reign (1540 – 1560).
We see the Bab El-Sour gate built during the reign of Prince Moulay Ali Ben Rashid 1471 – 1511.
The Bab El-Ain Gate located along the walls leads us out to the street where we’ll pick up the bus.
First there’s time to taste some prickly pear which tastes very refreshing – like a pear with a lot of seeds! Another beautiful water fountain along the side of the road
We’re on the bus again and have a journey of about 4 hours ahead of us. We pass some salt pans and Hocine tells us this is where the majority of Moroccan salt comes from. [side bar: we see a lot of Dacia Dusters on the roads and I see a lot of these at home too. Apparently they’re made in Morocco]
We pass olive farms and fields of wheat and barley and spot a few lambs… or sheep.
Shortly after seeing said lambs we stop for lunch at a town called El Arba Du Rharb and are served up lamb chops!! It’s 32 degrees (i.e. roasting) and we are served enough meat for about ten people – kofta, chicken and lamb all grilled on the roadside.
Seriously good food which by the way included salad, bread and chips, in a humble roadside cafe with the most hospitable locals serving us. So so nice but I may now have meat sweats!!
We arrive to Rabat, the capital city by the late afternoon and get straight to seeing the key sites. First off the mausoleum of King Mohammed V (that’s the current kings grandfather). It is indeed very grand.
We go inside and see the tomb which is guarded at each side.
In general you’re not allowed to photograph any military or police but at the mausoleum the guards actually pose for a shot with visitors!! Rav and I reckon we’ll take the opportunity although we don’t get too close.
The mausoleum is located opposite Hassan Tower, the minaret of an incomplete mosque which was commissioned near the end of the 12th century and intended to be the largest mosque in the world but the mosque was never finished. The minaret which would have been the tallest was damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Many pillars were brought from Volubilis (where we visited yesterday) to build the mosque that never was.
There’s a great view of the Mohammed VI Tower which is a 55 storey, 250m skyscraper and one of the tallest buildings in Africa.
As is the norm in pretty much every town we’ve visited we walk through some gates and admire the walls.
Some small streets with craft shops lead us to an ocean view.
We check in to our accommodation for the night – another lovely place in the old medina called Dar Shaan. We are all on the first floor.
Time for a dip… decent enough size pool on the rooftop that I can actually swim in!
Nobody is keen on a big dinner after the magnificent lunch earlier so after a couple of g&t’s by the pool, we take a walk around the medina.
We do need a little something so we go into a very local restaurant for a small bite. We finally get to try the harira soup which is like minestrone – grand but nothing to get too excited about. Mind you everyone in the restaurant is eating it. It’s a very cheap meal…. I ordered an omelette which was less than €1.
We take a walk before breakfast along the coast the next morning. It’s quite misty and there are a handful of people out running and doing various exercises along the way some even taking a dip!
We continue to the lighthouse.
From there we cross the road and do a loop back to the medina passing the graveyard which is huge and covers both sides of the road.
As we leave Rabat we drive along the Atlantic coastline and there’s a beautiful long stretch of flat pathway lined with trees. There’s also a huge rock pool which would rival any rock pool in Australia, if there was actual water in it! I’d love to have my runners on here and run the length of the pathway….. flat and straight with a sea breeze.
We arrive in Casablanca and visit the mosque of Hassain II. This is the third biggest mosque in the world. Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia) being the other biggest and it has the highest minaret in the world. It was started in 1987 and taking 7 years finished in 1993.
It sits on the Atlantic and is really stunning inside and out. In total it fits more than 100,000 worshipers in the overall complex – 85,000 outside and 25,000 in the inside prayer hall. It’s like a a massive football stadium!
The ablution room is particularly impressive.
When you get up close the detail is magnificent. There is marble everywhere most of it from Agadir but a small piece of white brought in from Italy. The woodwork is cedar wood all local to Morocco. The ceilings, doors and columns are all magnificent.
It’s one of the few mosques in the world and the only one in Morocco where non Muslims can visit.
We walk along the coast to get a view of the mosque from the sea but the tide is out so not quite as dramatic a view. Still striking though.
It’s lunchtime now and so that means seafood. We get dropped at a seafront restaurant called Tropicana Space. It’s a bit chaotic as there are a lot of tour groups arriving and Hocine is insisting on finding us a good table where we can look out at the ocean. We eventually get to order and while the fish is ok the drinks are terrible (we ordered virgin mojitos but they are made with some awful mint syrup that tastes like mouth wash). I have “beignet calamari” but it’s not a type of calamari donut, it’s fried calamari! Of course I knew that but a little part of me was hoping for a beignet!!
Back on board the bus we have about a four hour journey to Marrakech. It might be time for a nap! I hope this truck makes it under this bridge… they carry very wide and high loads!!
The scenery continues to impress…
We arrive in Marrakesh and we’re staying in the same riad as our first night. We have some drinks on the terrace and an amazing final meal together.
Goodbye to our friends and safe onward travels. A few more days in Marrakesh for me and Shane in the final instalment coming soon.
odohertyelaine 