Nov 22 – Tetouan and Chefchaouen

Now that the rains have stopped we can at least get a good look at the lovely courtyard at our Riad.  From our bedroom window.

Breakfast proved to be as bread heavy as the breakfast in Rabat. 

The Riad has a pretty lobby where we had breakfast.  We had good views from the balcony above.

It sits down a pretty long lane.

Today we had a fairly lengthy drive through the countryside.

 and through the Rif Mountains. There were some good views…

and we had a short break at a restaurant that had great views of the surrounding valley and lake…

and it had a couple of Christmas trees up. 

Our mid-day stop was the town of Tetouan.  It was still pretty damp but we headed out for a tour of the medina.  More narrow, windy streets.

Because the lanes are so narrow they cars and small trucks can't get in to deliver materials to the shops so most vendors use donkeys. 

And there are a lot of interesting shops. 

The display in one shop had a huge pile of butter and something that they described as preserved meat with the preservatives being salt and massive amounts of fat.

We found another shop with huge baskets that were filled with white rocks.  Mohammed said it was lime and is used to whitewash buildings. 

We had a fun stop at a shop that sold dates, figs and nuts.  The owner gave us samples and we bought a small amount to snack on.

While wondering the streets we came across a man who was likely carrying dinner home (two live roosters).  He was happy to stop for a photo opportunity.

We also saw an internet "cafe" (of sorts).

In the main square there were buckets, boxes and other containers holding various tools.  The handymen display the tools of their trade and you can hire them if you want work done.  We way displays for painters, plumbers and general repair work.

We also stopped by the Royal Palace.  The entire square was cordoned off but we could easily see the palace. 

We also stopped and did a tour of the Archaeological Museum.  It was interesting but no photos were allowed inside.  There was a bit of a garden/courtyard outside that we all enjoyed wandering through.

Then it was on to Chefchaouen, The Blue Pearl of Morocco.  We got there before dark and we stopped just outside the city at the city's most famous backdrop for photos, a blue door in the ruins of a wall.

Tara got into the swing of things when a local woman outfitted her with local clothing (for a tip of course). 

On the way into the city we ran into a major traffic jam cause by a large number of men in the street.  Turns out they were taking a body to a cemetery to be buried.

Before going to the hotel the bus stopped at an overlook that had a good view of the city.  It was still dreary and overcast but not rainy.

Our awesome hillside hotel also had good views of the city.

After settling into our rooms a number of us wandered up (and then down) through the streets to the main square for dinner.  It is a very interesting and blue town.  The kasbah was lit...

and there were the usual interesting objects to be photographed.

We took a taxi back to the hotel.  Many things are pretty cheap here.  The 10 or 15 minute drive was 20 Dirhams or about $2.