Chefchaouen: Morocco's Blue City

Chefchaouen is a city in the Rif Mountains that is known for the blue color of many of the buildings in its Medina. Although Chefchaouen has a long history (founded in 1471), there is not really a lot to see there other than the city itself. We decided on a short stop, and given the beauty of the city and the surrounding mountains, we were glad we did, even though the weather was rainy and gray.

The main square of the Medina, which is surrounded by the Kasbah (the original fortress of the town) and the great Mosque, is beautiful and a popular place to hang out.

As usual for Moroccco, the fountains in the city are impressive (note the unusual octagonal minaret in the background).

The best part of the city is seen just walking through the narrow lanes and stairs of the Medina, where various forms of art (both for sale and not) proliferate.

We can only imagine how different it would be on a sunny day.

This may be our favorite picture from Chefchaouen, taken from the window of our adorable riad. These three young boys were clearly using the riad's wifi to play video games on their devices. They were there for hours.

Coming next, a post about the history of Judaism in Morocco, which we found to be fascinating.

Ciao,

Jeff and Shana