There were two disappointments this weekend – one small and one large. The small disappointment was the weather. Our sunny, warm Moroccan spring turned cool (high 40’s, low 50’s) and rainy (all day Saturday). The big disappointment was not having enough time in Chefchaouen!
But, let me start at the beginning. After lunch on Friday, we took a taxi to the bus station (which was a little confusing as there are several and we did not know that). We had to take a bus because no trains go to Chefchauen unfortunately. Our bus arrived at the station over an hour late. Then, we were on our way for the five plus hour ride north to and through the Rif Mountains. A taxi took us to Dar Dalia – a house bought by a French woman in 2006 and converted into a charming B&B. We settled in our room, then headed out for some dinner, ending up at a wonderful pizza restaurant. This is the first non-Moroccan food we’ve eaten in four weeks.
Saturday morning, we heard the rain so we didn’t rush down to breakfast. When we arrived downstairs, we met two other families staying in the Dar. It is amazing how easily most people here slip and slide from Arabic to French to English to (here close to Spain) to Spanish. No one misses a beat as they (even the children) easily and fluently speak so many languages. Puts Americans to shame!
Here’s a little about this city, Chefchauen. Until the arrival of Spanish troops in the 1920’s, the town banned foreigners and had been visited by just three Westerners. Two were missionary explorers: the first disguised himself as a rabbi and spent only one hour here, the second, an American, was poisoned by the townsfolk in 1892. The third, in 1889, was a British journalist. The town had its origins in 1471 and over the centuries, acquired a reputation for Muslim pilgrimages. Later, the population was boosted by Muslim and Jewish refugees from Spain. These days, Chefchaouen, with a population of about 42,000, is a relaxed town with some of the friendliest Medina souks in Morocco. It is beautifully situated beneath the peaks of the Rif Mountains and is one of the prettiest towns in Morocco – an artsy village filled with white and bright blue buildings. It has long been known to backpackers for the easy availability of kif (marijuana) although Harold was offered kif only once and I not at all.
So, after donning our raincoats and most of the clothes we brought, we ventured out and spent the day seeing the sights. We mostly wandered through the Medina, then climbed to an unused Spanish Mosque for a spectacular view of the city. We had a wonderful tajine dinner and headed back to the Dar at about 5:30 PM to dry out and rest up in front of the fireplace with a glass of mint tea. At about 8:30, we decided to go out again and came upon a bakery where we downed three pastries.
We were up very early this morning for our 7 AM bus ride back to Rabat. The owner of the Dar got up, fixed us coffee and some breakfast and drove us to the bus terminal. The bus ride back was uneventful.
Upon arriving back at the home base, we met the six new volunteers (four left while we were gone). And, once again, we need to start learning new names, new hometowns, etc. But that’s always fun!
Here are some photos of Chefchaouen:
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| The white and bright blue houses |
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| Selling produce in the medina |
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| More blue and white |
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| A baby goat got into the handbags - looking for his mother perhaps? |
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| View of the medina from the mosque |
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