Chefchaouen, Morocco.

This charming mountain village is well known for its’ white and blue colour scheme. Whitewashed walls with bright blue windows and doors, it sounds a bit much, but it really is pretty and lends a welcome sense of cleanness that was last seen in Europe. The medina is small and vibrant, the streets press up the mountainside, and the mountains loom over it all. There are dozens of small riads to choose from, some really nice ones, a lot that are pretty basic, cheap accommodation. The river tumbles down through town, and provides a public laundry site where the local women assemble to meet and wash clothes together.

When I got off the bus in Chefchaouen, I shared a taxi to the centre with a couple from France. Josee was about 65 or so, and her husband Guy was in his early 80’s. They were travelling Morocco for about 3 weeks, by bus and staying in budget accommodation, just like backpackers. They were so sweet, and fortunately we bumped into each other several more times, including in Fez.

It was fun finding my way through the winding streets lined by blue and white homes, eventually arriving at the river crossing. From there it was a pleasant walk along the trail that lead up into the mountains. Cherry and almond trees were in bloom, which seemed incredible to me, since it was only mid-February, and at quite a high elevation. There seems to be some sport climbing opportunities along this route, about 20 minutes from town, and sure enough I noticed evidence of such on the steep rock faces.

I met another young woman from Australia, while we were both checking out the Kasbah in Chefchaouen. We got to chatting, extensively comparing notes on travelling in Morocco as solo female travellers, and found that we shared a lot of similar types of experiences. We realised that we were each going in the same direction and so I proposed that we do it together, which Cath was heartily in favour of. So, although I was planning on spending more than one night in Chefchaouen, we departed by bus, next day in the early afternoon for Fez.