Chefchaouen: Mint Tea and Ice-Blue Alleyways

A nice breakfast during which we chatted to an Australian couple from Perth. Then we went through all our little ‘getting ready’ rituals (I think I’ve been wearing the same shirt for four or five days now though) and headed out into the bright and sunny day. The medina is just beautiful, little steep alleys a fascinating geometry of smoothed angles that is so interesting to the eye. Little shops hang their brightly coloured fabrics on the white and blue walls, sharply contrasting like the sacks of coloured dyes. Poor skinny little kittens meow from doorways. Little kids run screaming and shouting past the browsing European tourists.

We headed for the Plaza and the casbah, an old restored fortress with a small museum in it. Then we sat and drank more mint tea, wandered some more, then chose a cafe where we could have lunch and watch people going by.

It was after the middle of the day and getting very hot so we headed back to Dar Meziana. We’re on the roof terrace now, while I finally update this diary. Then, a lovely rest and read – sometimes it feels strange to stop and just relax, you can fall prey to the ‘just always be seeing something’ obsession.

Then I decided to go for a little walk on my own, and set off up steep alleys – pausing to calm my hammering heart at one stage – to a small northern medina gate and out onto the rocky hillside beyond. I found a rock to sit on and contemplated the spectacular view of the city below me. A wonderful ‘I’m travelling again’ moment. Back in the medina I strolled through some of the back ‘streets’ – offered hash on the way – and back to the Meziana.  

We showered and changed and walked back down to the main plaza and the cafe at the end where we’ve been several times now for sweet mint tea, packed with fresh mint, in tall glasses. Unfortunately I’d forgotten my ATM card and we needed cash to settle the bill, so another walk back to the Meziana for that, then back again for cash. Through the alleys of the medina, there are always hordes of little kids running around at top speed shouting to each other.

A strange slow procession went through the square, traditional instruments playing. Quite a few tourists walked around, locals strode back and forth or loitered chatting on benches.

We had another good dinner (we both had very fluffy, flavourful couscous) at Casa Hassani, then headed back to our room, exhausted, buying water and chips and biscuits for the journey tomorrow.