We started quite early the next morning as we had a long day ahead of us. We decided that we were going to be too tired to go out after our return that evening and hence would grab dinner in house itself. To this end, we met with the manager at the front desk so I could request a vegetarian version of the harira (lentil soup, that is normally made with lamb) for dinner.
After a hearty breakfast, served in the same restaurant that we had dinner in, we grabbed our daypack and walked out of the Riad, back to the square where we had left the car, and met up with Ibrahim, for our day trip to Chefchaouen.
We stopped enroute a couple of times, here, where Ibrahim bought some delicious oranges for a mid morning snack.....
.....and here for a photo-op overlooking a lake.
The drive to Chefchaouen took longer than the expected 3 hours and it was lunchtime by the time we got the first glimpse of the village.
We drove up to the entrance of the main square into the medina, and ditched the car. From here on, it was on foot to explore.
The tiny village of Chefchaouen has been called the most beautiful village in Morocco and it is easy to see why. Its winding narrow streets feature a riot of colour, with exotic and colourful produce and craft embellishing the limestone walls in every shade of blue.
We decided to walk around the village before finding a place for lunch. It was difficult not to keep clicking away as every turn brought forth a picture postcard composition. Here are some of the noteworthy ones
As we walked around, we saw many doors embellished with "baraka", good luck symbols in the Berber culture.
We finally found our way to the Casa Hassan for lunch. Our original itinerary had called for spending the night in Chefchaouen, at this very hotel, so we were happy to have a meal here. In keeping with the local colours, the walls are a deep indigo blue. After a veggie tagine for me and a chicken one for Gordon, with some fresh warm bread and salad, we were suitably fortified.
We retraced our steps to the main square, and walked around the little shops and small eating joints. It was a lovely day, and there were many other tourists enjoying the afternoon sun.
By late afternoon, we found Ibrahim wandering around with his own camera, he had been to Chefchaouen many years ago and was clicking away like any other tourist ! Given the driving time, we decided to head out and back to Fes.
The journey back was uneventful, except for Ibrahim being caught for speeding slightly over the limit and let off with a warning. We got back to Fes just after dark. After freshening up, we headed for dinner where I throughly enjoyed my vegetarian harira and Gordon tried the lamb tagine.
Back from dinner, we caught up on some news on the tele before hitting the sack. Our second night in Fes, and we were going to unlock her secrets tomorrow.
