Dear friends and family,
There is something magical about a city blanketed in blue. The white wash buildings covered in various shares of blue are truly special. I’ve never been to a place so calming and intensely captivating.
We started our morning with another traditional breakfast with various breads, some yogurt with dates, fruit salad, mint tea and orange juice. While eating bread for breakfast is something I only like to do on Sunday, I’m thoroughly enjoying the mix of flat bread, semolina bread, Moroccan style pancakes light as air and Berber bread. The goat cheese and honey combination make a nice pair.
Chefchaouen is not a very large town but we found enough to do to keep us busy. We began the day with the goal of visiting the town’s natural spring. The spring is the reason this town was formed. The natural water source is in abundance, so that many years ago people settled here. Today because so many tourists visit the spring a small building was built above it for people to photograph. It has a sort of holy presence, water coming from the earth is always incredible. We saw the water bring pumped through various hoses which isn’t that pleasing to look at, but knowing the importance of this water source was meaningful.
Before the financial crisis in 2008 Chefchaouen had been a wildly popular place for Spanish tourists from Spain to visit. The Spanish made up 90% of the tourist industry. Since the crisis that number dropped significantly and now it’s a much smaller percentage and the tourist industry is approximately 80% international. This was evident on many of the signs we saw, the languages were Arabic, French and Spanish.
At the site of the natural spring there is a walking/hiking loop around a small mountain which is 30km long. Obi and I were not prepared for the whole loop walk but we did venture out along a very picturesque section to a Spanish mosque. The mosque was built for the Spanish population in the 1920’s but has long since been abandoned and more recently renovated. While it’s not an active mosque is boats the best views of the blue city. Obi and I took a leisurely pace to the top which allowed for the beautiful breeze to keep us cool. It was approaching the hottest part of the day so the sun was heavy. My back was drenched in sweat but I don’t mind these things. The air had an unfamiliar odor, which I found pleasant. There were goats in the distance along a dry path. We stopped to take some pictures along the way but were truly impressed by the view from the top. One can see the whole city with the backdrop of the mountains in the distance. Eventually we were the only people up there and used that opportunity to enjoy the view and take a photo sphere with Obi’s phone camera. A neat 360 degree image which brings you into a virtual reality type feeling. We really had a nice time even though Obi joked I tricked him into walking UP so much:) The funny thing is that yesterday evening I spotted this mosque high on the hill and said I want to go there, Obi gave be that look of, “No way.” I just smiled. Ha, so when today’s opportunity presented itself I casually kept waking:) No tricks here, just luck.
We then decided to head deeper into the Medina towards the towns oldest square. At this location, where all the Medina streets converge is the cities oldest historical building, the Kasbah. This Kasbah was built in 1471. The Kasbah served as a governor palace through the 17th century. The building was used to house a prison, animal barn, horses, garden and princely residence. The Kasbah is also like a castle is some ways with 13 towers and a defensive rampart. The material is a rich brown gravel type cement so it feels medieval. In the center is a garden with orange trees, palm trees and other local plants. We were able to climb into the tallest tower from which we had a great view from within the Medina. Obi and I were again the only two people there and decided with a four way breeze it’d be a nice spot for a snack. As we snacked a few other people trekked through and I took their photos for them;)
We both observed pretty quickly how clean this small city is. While there are certainly areas for trash to accumulate, the piles are tiny and seem to be swept up quickly by city employees. You’ll see cat litter often because there is a tremendously high number of stray cats, everywhere. Kittens lay on almost every street some in groups and many as single cats. They are so tiny it’s hard to spot them, but people place food outside and raw fish scraps for them to eat. There also seems to be a high level of priority from the residents to keep the city clean. It feels like everyone acknowledges the importance and maintains a high standard.
Obi and I spent a little over an hour at the hotel in the late afternoon which was perfect for me to take a swim. The pool is by reservation only so when you reserve it, you have the whole space to your self. It’s not very large but just big enough that I could do about seven breast strokes in one direction. Back and forth I went but also incorporated many of my water exercises which got me truly breathless and hungry for dinner. This was my first workout since being on our trip, see how relaxed I am;)
Speaking of relaxing, Obi and I have been offered on numerous occasions to purchase hashish, which is the dried resin from the plant. It seems to be in abundance here and because we look young (I guess) so many men come up to us and say things like, “You want to buy some good hashish?” or, “You want to relax tonight with your lady?” or, “You want to have fun tonight?” Obi learned that Morocco is the largest hashish producer globally. That explains the quantity, but with the persistent men trying to sell to us we have to be equally as persistent in saying NO!
Earlier we’d seen an area at the Kasbah which had many restaurants to choose from. Certainly a tourist location but one with some more vegetarian options. Obi ate pizza! I had a traditional Moroccan soup which had a light tumeric taste in a cream sauce, paired with vegetable tagine. Tonight’s Berber bread was made from a dark grain, it was more rustic and hearty.
Our day ended with a long evening stroll through the Medina and outskirts of the city.
Our walk tonight let us to the outdoor produce market. It can drop into the low 50s here at night so the air is very cool and this is when everyone comes out to shop. Even though it was dark outside the market was packed with people. Farmers yelling so loudly over each other the names of their products and prices. The streets were covered in the flaky onion skin, excess green leaves from corn and other squash, damaged apples littered the streets along with abandoned melons. I could’ve watched the scene unfold for an hour. Women with bags full to the brim with every vegetable and fruit they need.
We only glanced at the gps once. I really feel so relaxed here and trust that which ever path we take, I have the inner gut feeling it’ll get us back. While the Medina here is like the other Medinas with narrow streets, steep steps and twists and turns, I can always see the sky, and the mountains serve as a great geographic landmark. Even if I can’t see them, my bones can feel them and this has somehow let us to exactly where we’ve needed to go every time. Obi and I were joking about this… Because everywhere else we go or have been together such as any place in NYC, his hometown in St.Louis or Belgium, my directional gut is always wrong. Without fail, I’m somehow turned around and want to walk in the wrong direction. You put me on a mountain though and I could practically go blind. I use the natural landmarks as they are intended and have always known this is an area of strength for me. Little did I know, the disorganized style of these Medina streets are no match for me. The stroll through the dark with street lights thoughtfully placed allowed for a meditative walk. Hand in hand we meandered along without a moment of worry. And like a magician’s trick the final street we took lead us directly to the foot of our hotel. Voila! I will also say that walking through the medina at night was special because we could sneak little glanceo into the windows of the homes to catch home life in action. Kids crying, women washing dishes, men chatting with their children or friends, cooking or some doing laundry.
I was successful in calling the car company today and reported the tire issue. They need a picture of the dashboard symbol so tomorrow when we arrive in Tangier we’ll send them one. We’ll fill the tires up with air tomorrow again and cross our fingers the 2.5 hour drive will be smooth and without a speeding ticket!
I’ll keep you all posted;) I’m eager to see the ocean again.
Here is a picture of us being absorbed into the blue magic.
With care, Franziska
thefranimal.travel.blog 