Posts Tagged ‘Rif Mountains’

Morocco Weather, Best Time for a Private Tour

Saturday, June 13th, 2015
Morocco Weather, Best Time to Visit

Morocco Weather, Best Time to Visit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morocco is well situated on the far northwestern corner of Africa and has an expansive shoreline that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Straight of Gibraltar. Morocco’s weather is temperate year round. The Best Time to visit Morocco on a Private Tour is spring and fall. With its dramatic landscapes such as the High Atlas and Sahara Desert Morocco is ideal for couples, families and small group travel. Morocco’s weather makes the country a perfect destination for a variety of activities ranging from camel trekking to hiking, biking, horseback riding and sunbathing. “Morocco’s weather” also enables travelers to enjoy site seeing year round at architectural sites, monuments, gardens and mosques.

Seasons and weather in Morocco take on a whole new meaning as the country is divided into two climatic zones by the High Atlas Mountains. To the north of the High Atlas, the western winds from the Atlantic contribute to the cooler temperatures of the north. South of the High Atlas, the weather is influenced in this region by the Sahara Desert.

For those not comfortable traveling in very hot weather, it is advisable to avoid visiting Morocco during July through August because these are the hottest times of the year. Also, certain cities such as Marrakech may continue to be hot until the last weeks of September. When considering a Private Morocco Tour during July and August, it’s a wonderful time to head for the coast, while in the mountains there are no set rules.

When preparing to visit Morocco, keep in mind that the country is separated into five regions: the Rif Mountains, the Middle Atlas, High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, and the Sahara desert.

The poetically red Rif Mountains, which are surrounded by plateaus, valleys, and costal plains, parallel the Mediterranean coast. Northern cities by such as Cueta, Tangier, Tetouan, Melilla, and Cala Iris enjoy Mediterranean conditions. The coastal cities by the Mediterranean are generally mild and pleasant all year long; even wintertime is enjoyable at temperatures staying at 50 degrees. Autumn and spring time in Morocco’s weather can be a little frustrating with rain spells falling for days at a time. Summer weather in Morocco is usually picture perfect with temperatures averaging 77 degrees.

If your Morocco Private Tour itinerary moves you down the coast of the Atlantic, passing cities such as Moulay Bousselham, Rabat, Casablanca, and Essaouira, expect to enjoy cool wet winters, and dry and moderately hot summers.

Beyond central Morocco lie the High Atlas Mountains, running diagonally across Morocco from the Agadir’s Atlantic beaches to northern Algeria. Southern Morocco is divided into three areas: the Souss Valley, the Anti-Atlas, and the Western Sahara desert. Winters are popular times to visit any of the three regions, especially the desert, as the south is semi-tropical with a hot and humid climate; temperatures rise more than 100 degrees.

Ultimately, Morocco’s weather is like few others. In one day, it is possible to have a snowstorm in the mountains, warm weather by the Mediterranean coast, and a day of unbearable heat in the Sahara followed by sub-zero night temperatures.

For More Information about Morocco’s Weather and the Best Time to Visit Morocco

Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration
Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or + 1 (212) 618882681 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

Mohammed Choukri, A Post War Moroccan Author

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
Mohamed Choukri, Tangier

Mohamed Choukri, Tangier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Few Moroccan authors have achieved international recognition beyond the Francophone world because of the lack of translations of their works. The international acclaim of writer Mohammed Choukri and the fact that not only his works, but his remarkable life story, are known beyond the Arabic and French-speaking worlds is largely due to the support he received from globally acclaimed authors Paul Bowles and Tahar Ben Jelloun along with his own, incredible determination.

The man who was to become one of Morocco’s most well-known and controversial writers had inauspicious beginnings. He was born in 1935, in Beni Chiker (also known as Aït Chiker), a small village in Nador province, in the Rif mountains of north east Morocco, near the Algerian border. Life in such remote northern villages at this time – under the Spanish Protectorate (the French governed the area further south) – was harsh. The young Mohammed’s family was desperately poor and his father was a tyrant. Several of his siblings died of hunger, negligence or – in the case of his brother Abdelkader – murder at their father’s hands. The family moved to the cities of Tetouan and Tangier (at that time an International Zone) in search of economic security. Mohammed fled the family aged 11 to make his own life and adopted the name Choukri, a derivation of his home village.

Mohamed Choukri, For Bread Alone

Mohamed Choukri, For Bread Alone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a child, Choukri survived on his wits. Homeless and starving, he took small jobs to get by, but resorted to theft and prostitution to survive. He used drugs and alcohol and mixed with prostitutes, beggars and street dwellers, the existence of whom most wealthy Tangerois preferred not to acknowledge. His meals often came from the garbage – he found the trash of the International Zone far more nourishing than those of his Moroccan neighbors. This grim and desperate period of his life was the inspiration for three autobiographical works, the most well-known of which is his novel, For Bread Alone. The title is a reference to the lengths he had to go to just to get dry, stale bread to eat.

At the age of 20, in an exceptional demonstration of determination and foresight, Choukri took himself off to school. In the year of Moroccan independence from France and Spain, 1956, he left Tangiers for the quieter fishing town of Larache and at 21 began primary school for the first time. He eventually finished his schooling able to write in classical Arabic (which was neither his mother tongue nor the Moroccan dialect used in daily life) and became a school teacher himself.

Back in Tangiers in the swinging 60s, he continued to document his early life, often writing in cafes and bars, where he found himself brushing shoulders with European and American literati and liberals. It was a friendship and collaboration with the US writer, Paul Bowles, which facilitated the publication of For Bread Alone in 1973 in England.
Choukri’s shocking story was out there. Although it drew explicitly on the reality of his life, it was controversial and was condemned by conservative and religious commentators in Morocco. The French translation by Tahar Ben Jelloun, a Moroccan author well-known in his own right, ensured a broader audience on its publication in 1981. Although printed in Arabic in 1982, For Bread Alone was banned in Morocco until 2000. It was as if the educated – those who could actually read his work in a country with high illiteracy – could not accept the reality of poverty in their own, newly, independent country.

Choukri published several full-length works and short stories, often printed in English before Arabic. He was still writing in the late 1990s. He died from cancer in 2003 and was buried in Tangier. In a final recognition of his contribution to Moroccan and Arabic literature, his funeral was attended by the Minister of Culture, numerous government officials, personalities and the spokesman of the King of Morocco.
During his life, Mohammed Choukri claimed that he could not put a false veneer on his work, his writing was “a protest, not a parade.” He wrote in an attempt to expose and to criticize those people and the circumstances that he felt had stolen his childhood and his teenage years. US playwright Tennessee Williams described For Bread Alone as “A true document of human desperation, shattering in its impact”.

Written by Lynn Sheppard 

Lynn Sheppard has lived in Essaouira, on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast for more than 2 years, supporting local non-profits, writing and becoming an expert on all things Swiri (ie. Essaouiran). She blogs at Maroc-phile.com and for other travel industry clients.

For more information about Mohammed Choukri and Tangier

Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara Desert,Berber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.  We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or + 1 (212) 618882681 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

Explore beyond Chefchaouen, Day Trips from the Blue City

Sunday, April 5th, 2015
Chefchaouen, Woman in Medina

Chefchaouen, Woman in Medina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chefchaouen, in the Rif Mountains of Morocco’s North, is a popular destination for visitors. Nestling in a valley beneath the “horns” of the mountains to which its name alludes (Ichawen means goat’s horns in the local Berber dialect), Chefchaouen is famous for the blue-painted houses in the steep and winding alleyways of the medina. This northern area of Morocco was once a Spanish Protectorate and there are many elements of Spanish culture and language still in evidence.

The city of Chefchaouen is well worth exploring for a day or two; the medina is attractive and small enough to navigate easily and you will find shops and artisans offering many local crafts. Near the river, you can see women washing laundry in the way they have for centuries, in their colorful striped aprons which are typical of the region.

Talassemtane National Park, Chefchaouen Region

Talassemtane National Park, Chefchaouen Region

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, if you have a little longer in the north of Morocco, the region around Chefchaouen is easily accessible and deserves some exploration. The city sits right on the border of the Talassemtane National Park. The park was designated in 1989 and covers some 145,000 hectares (358,000 acres). It is a great location for hiking and trekking and a number of routes are available for short half-day or day hikes as well as longer trekking and camping excursions. The park has a Mediterranean ecosystem including Rif Monkeys, native bird varieties and more than 239 plant species, many of which are endangered, such as the black pine, the Atlas cedar and the Elbow Tree (abbies marrocana), which grows only here in the whole of Africa.

Akchour Falls, Chefchaouen Region

Akchour Falls, Chefchaouen Region

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A great day hike takes visitors to the Akchour Falls and/or the Bridge of God. The starting point is a short journey (around 40 minutes by car) outside Chefchaouen. From the same starting point at the small hydro-electric dam, paths run right and left. The easier hike is up to the right, to God’s Bridge, a steep cavern traversed by a wooden bridge with the river flowing far beneath it. The track is hilly but not too challenging and it takes less than one hour from the start to the bridge. In the tourist season, there are small cafes along the river bank offering cans of soda chilled in the river and tajines cooked on charcoal burners.

Either from the starting point, or from God’s Bridge (creating a large loop back to the start), the path to the stunning Akchour waterfalls – known as the Blue Pearl Falls – is more challenging, but very rewarding. To reach the falls from the starting point (or vice versa), it is necessary to cross the river several times. The ease of doing this depends on the season – after the spring snowmelts the river can be high and fast-flowing. A local guide can offer advice on the safest routes and times of year. Take a picnic with you from your hotel, or stop off on the way at one of the riverside cafes or roadside restaurants.

Another worthwhile excursion heads south out of Chefchaouen to Auberge Dardara. The Auberge is run by Jaber Elhababi, a charismatic Tanjoui (native of Tangiers), who has returned to his roots and the land of his forefathers to establish his business and social enterprise. The small complex features a restaurant, simple accommodation and a pool in summer. The trip is worth it for the restaurant alone, which uses local recipes and techniques and sources many of the ingredients from the Dardara market garden. A meal on the outside terrace with views of the surrounding Rif Mountains takes some beating!

If you feel like something more active, Dardara offers a number of activities such as local trekking in the Talassemtane National Park, cookery classes and mule riding. The emphasis is very much on sustainability and a respect for local communities and their traditions. Dardara also serves up daily three course lunches which and is noted for the best gastronomic farm-fresh cuisine in the region.

The city of Chefchaouen is a not-to-be-missed element of any tour of northern Morocco. However, a well-planned itinerary will also include time to get out of the city and into the stunning surrounding area of dramatic hills, wild rivers, rich agriculture and centuries of tradition.

Written by Lynn Sheppard 

Lynn Sheppard has lived in Essaouira, on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast for more than 2 years, supporting local non-profits, writing and becoming an expert on all things Swiri (ie. Essaouiran). She blogs at Maroc-phile.com and for other travel industry clients.

For more information about Morocco Tours beyond Chefchaouen

Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara Desert,Berber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration
Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.  We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or + 1 (212) 618882681 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

 

Chefchaouen, Holidays in the Rif Mountains of Morocco, Your Morocco Travel Guide

Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Woman Walking in Chefchaouen

Woman Walking in Chefchaouen

Isolated in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen is one of Morocco’s hidden treasures. Chefchaouen is situated in the Rif Mountains, just inland from Tangier and Tetouan making it the perfect Rif Mountain holiday adventure. The city was founded in 1471, as a small fortress which still exists to this day, by Moorish exiles from Spain ed by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Radhed El Alami to fight the Portuguese invasions of northern Morocco. Chefchaouen was known as one of the main concentrations of Moriscos and Jews who sought refuge in this mountainous city after the Spanish Reconquista in medieval times.

Chefchaouen at Sunset

Chefchaouen at Sunset

This small mountain village sweeps you away into a state of calm with its color scheme that embraces every imaginable shade of blue and is the perfect place to spend a holiday in the Rif Mountains. Bold splashes of cobalt, turquoise, teal, white and starlit blue surround each corner and cobbled alley. Dreamlike and peaceful during the day this blue and white washed city has breathtaking sunsets and offers up a variety of charming Riads, outdoor restaurants with views of the Rif Mountains and is the perfect two or three day excursion from Tangier or Fes.

Chefchaouen Rif Mountain View

Chefchaouen Rif Mountain View

Chefchaouen offers plenty of time to explore its laid-back Medina (old city), drink mint tea or freshly squeezed orange juice, and watch the world go by from one of the cafes in the main square.  Chefchaouen is also a great place for long walks, treks and hikes. Trekking in the Rif Mountains is different then trekking in the High Atlas Mountains of Toukbal for example because the altitudes are lower in the Rif and the mountain ranges tend to be longer and wider with less steep, making it accessible for Moroccan travelers of all ages.

Kasbah in Chefchaouen

Kasbah in Chefchaouen

Must-see destinations include the Central Mosque and the wonderful Kasbah in Chefchaouen, built by the legendary ruler Moulay Ismail near Place Outa el Hammam in the early 18th century. The Kasbah encloses a quiet garden and houses a small museum of ancient pottery and photographs of the traditional dress of Berber tribes. 

Although this lovely haven of Chefchaouen is located just a couple hundred kilometers from the European border, until 1920 Chefchaouen received only three European guests. It was founded in the 15th century and populated by Jewish and Muslim refugees from the Inquisition in Spain and remained an isolated city until the early 20th century.

Chefchaouen Arched Doorway

Chefchaouen Arched Doorway

Chefchaouen has preserved a way of life that flourished in Moorish Spain more than 500 years ago. While the locals are far more reserved then those in larger cities, they are quite friendly and warm. Chefchaouen is one of the main producers of cannabis in Morocco, and the weed is sold all over town. It is essentially legal and smoked by many of the locals, which helps account for this village’s slow pace. It is an intrinsic part of the city life and sold together with herbs, spices and vegetables in the local markets.

Colored Pigment for Sale In Winding Streets of Chaouen

Colored Pigment for Sale In Winding Streets of Chaouen

During a four-day trip from Fes Moroccan travelers explore the Medina in great detail. The entire Medina comes alive in the evening when everybody is shopping or selling goods in the narrow winding streets. On a leisurely stroll throughout the Medina the first thing that can catch anyone’s eyes are the man selling pigment in shades of blue, yellow, pink and orange. The pigment is the same that is used on the walls of the city.

There are shoe cobblers hand making the white and yellow fine leather pointed slippers  (baboosh) worn by the locals along with many beautiful jalabbas sewn with finely embroidered seams and carpenters carving tables and chairs made of fragrant cedar wood. Also available are beautifully hand painted crafts in Chefchaouen such as mirrors with inlaid flowers and a wide variety of furniture displaying delicate Islamic designs. 

One of the most intimate things to do in Chefchaouen is to drop in on a local Berber weaver at his loom and watch while he produces a local style of red and white blankets.

Chefchaouen Wash Basin For Women, Reminiscent Japanese Rock Garden

Chefchaouen Wash Basin For Women, Reminiscent Japanese Rock Garden

If Moroccan travelers continue their exploration to the bottom of the hill in Chefchaouen, they will find women washing laundry in an area that resembles a Japanese garden filled with a variety of stones as well as miniature white open structures surrounded by a number of wide stairs that leads to a dam. 

For a panoramic view, you can hike to the top of Chefchaouen and, as you glide along the small streets, peer downward in search of the stone-carved Hand of Fatima that seems to reappear again and again throughout this blue city.

For more information about traveling to Chefchaouen

For more information about Travel and Tours to Morocco plus highlights on Moroccan culture visit Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara DesertBerber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration

Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or 1 (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

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Bread Baking Tour To Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains With A Berber Family

Friday, March 27th, 2009

bread-cooking-on-rocks-with-fire

Akin to Spain, bread  in Morocco is a key component of any Moroccan diet. There is an ancient proverb, “manage with bread and butter until God sends honey”. This ancient saying affirms that there is availability of bread to all groups in Morocco. For example, the Berbers of the Rif Mountains sustained themselves with bread made from Barely. While present times afford more variety in Moroccan’s diets and bread can be supplemented with potatoes, tomatoes, pepper, fruit or nuts, bread still plays an important role in the lives of Moroccans.  In cities, Moroccans can be spotted daily in the early parts of the morning carrying bags of assorted breads that they picked up at the market. In villages women can be found baking bread from scratch in earthen ovens.

Lunch

Traditionally, Moroccans eat three meals a day, with lunchtime remaining the most important as all family members still come home from school or work to eat together.At each of these meals, one person is designated to distribute the bread. 

Community Ovens

Historically, bread has played such an important role in the life of Moroccans. Until the 1980’s, almost all Moroccan families made their own bread. The Moroccan child wearing a padded hat would walk to the Fran, carrying a gssa or a red pan filled with yeast on top of their heads. Frans, strategically located community ovens, were found in every neighborhood, and baked dozens of loafs at once. These Frans can still be found and are utilized by the Fassis (local people) in the old Medina of Fes. As there were so many breads baking together, anything placed in the oven was marked with a rubber stamp.

Buying Bread

Today, a faster paced lifestyle in Morocco and an increasing number of households having two working parents has resulted in less use of the Fran. Regardless, if you find yourself being one of the lucky visitors to receive a dinner invitation from a native Moroccan, rest assured that the bread you try will be delicious. Enter any souk during the morning (a Moroccan shopping street in the medina) and you will surely feel a longing to come face to face with the mouthwatering aromas traveling through the air and playing flirtatiously with your sense of smell.  

Bread Types 

Upon entering a bakery, you will be confronted with many choices of breads usually made from coarse barely, flour, wheat, sorghum, or millet. The bread bakers are usually women who are expert in kneading the dough until it is evenly distributed and enriched with herbs, spices, proteins, and other goodies. The breads come in many shapes, sizes, and forms. Some are leavened and others are flat and thin, being shaped into long and crispy donuts or Therfist -unleavened bread in sheets. The most common breads are heavy, spicy, soft crusted and highly absorbent as they are meant to be dipped into a Tajine or Tagine, a traditional stew or sauce. Examples of such breads include Tagella, a special bread made by the Tuaregs of the Sahara or ‘Blue people’. The bread is baked on hot sand. Also popular is Khboz Milka-a flattened circular dough cooked until brown on both sides. If you would like to enjoy an everyday bread, try your hand at Batbout. This tasty bread, best described as a soft chewy bagel or a thick pita, is eaten everyday expect during Ramadan. Some of the most exotic bread making experiences can be found in Morrocco’s Middle Atas Mountains with Berber families.

Baking

There is an ancient tradition of bread baking on rocks that dates back centuries and is still common among Berber families today. The process begins with the kneading of dough until it is brick-thick and then stuffing it with fresh herbs, fat, spices and chilies. Once the bread has been stuffed, it is placed on a round, short stack of rocks that have been heated evenly by brush fire. The bread is then covered with brush which is burned. Within 20 minutes after it is completely cooked, the brush is cleared off. The bread is then cooled with a whisk and served amidst mountain views and clear skies. This type of thick and wonderfully hearty dish – Berber Mountain bread- is akin to the taste of stuffed pizza.

Bakers

The bread is traditionally made by those Berbers of the Middle and High Atlas, who still retain a Nomadic lifestyle. For those who want to participate in this unique bread making experience it can be included as part of a tour in Southern Morocco whereby one discovers ancient Kasbahs, the Draaa Valley and life in a Berber village through Travel Exploration. 

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Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Google on call Travel Exploration at (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

Tour The Rif Mountains in Chefchaouen Morocco

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

Chefchaouen

Isolated in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen  is one of Morocco’s great treasures. This small mountain village sweeps you away into a state of calm with its color scheme that embraces every imaginable shade of blue. Bold splashes of cobalt, turquoise, teal, white and starlit blue surround each corner and cobbled alley. Dreamlike and peaceful, the days and nights pass slowly in this intriguing city. Chefchaouen offers plenty of time to explore its laid-back Medina (old city), drink mint tea or freshly squeezed orange juice, and watch the world go by from one of the cafes in the main square. 

Chefchaouen is also a great place for long walks and hikes. Must-see destinations include the Central Mosque and the wonderful Kasbah, built by the legendary ruler Moulay Ismail near Place Outa el Hammam in the early 18th century. The Kasbah encloses a quiet garden and houses a small museum of ancient pottery and photographs of the traditional dress of Berber tribes.

Although this lovely haven is less than 100 km from Europe, until 1920 Chefchaouen received only three European guests. It was founded in the 15th century and populated by Jewish and Muslim refugees from the Inquisition in Spain. Isolated until the early 20th century, Chefchaouen has preserved a way of life that flourished in Moorish Spain more than 500 years ago. While the locals are far more reserved then those in larger cities, they are quite friendly and warm. Chefchaouen is one of the main producers of cannabis in Morocco, and the weed is sold all over town. It is essentially legal and smoked by many of the locals, which helps account for this village’s slow pace. It is an intrinsic part of the city life and sold together with herbs, spices and vegetables in the local markets.

During my four-day trip I had an opportunity to explore the Medina in great detail. The entire Medina comes alive in the evening when everybody is shopping or selling goods in the narrow winding streets. On a leisurely stroll throughout the Medina the first thing that caught my eyes was a man selling pigment in shades of blue, yellow, pink and orange. The pigment is the same that is used on the walls of the city. I also saw cobblers hand making the white and yellow fine leather pointed slippers worn by the locals, many beautiful jalabbas sewn with finely embroidered seams and carpenters carving tables and chairs made of fragrant cedar wood. There are beautifully ordained mirrors with hand-painted flowers and a wide variety of furniture displaying delicate Islamic designs.

One of my favorite moments was watching a Berber weaver at his loom producing a local style of red and white blanket. I also felt nostalgic as I secretly caught a glimpse of women washing laundry in an area which resembled a Japanese garden. It was filled with a variety of stones and pebbles as well as miniature white open structures surrounded by a number of wide stairs that led to a dam.

For a panoramic view, you can hike to the top of Chefchaouen and, as you glide along the small streets, peer downward in search of the stone-carved Hand of Fatima that seems to reappear again and again throughout. 

PLACES TO STAY
Casa Hassan 22 rue Targhi, Chefchaouen. There are seven individually decorated rooms with en-suite bathrooms and an excellent restaurant; it is a gem. Phone: 212 (0)39 98 61 53 Fax:+212 (0)39 98 81 96 ($60-$100 a day for dinner, bed and breakfast. 

The Casbah Operates as a pension and restaurant located north of the main gate of the Medina. ($10 for a single & $20 for a double) 

Dar Terrae Av Hassan I, 070-75-86-87 


PLACES TO EAT 

Restaurant Aladin at Casa Hassan (which also houses an art gallery. A three-course menu will run you $6.00.) 

Patisserie Magou Excellent French croissants and pain au chocolat. Located outside the Medina just below the gate to Bab el Ain. 

Restaurant Alladin, Zenkat el Targui. 

Restaurant el Baraka Rue Sidi Salem 

TRANSPORTATION 

Chefchaouen can be reached by bus or a taxi from Tetuan and Fez. The bus station is at the lower edge of the town, a half-hour uphill walk to the Medina.

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Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Google on call Travel Exploration at (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.