Day 8 - I am going to kick things off today by showcasing some serious blue. The city is entirely famous because of it; who am I to stand in the way of international expectation? We only had a single full day to tackle Chefchaouen, and we have already arranged for a taxi to spirit us away tomorrow. Naturally, we started our morning by actively attempting not to seek out the defining color. That proved utterly futile. Therefore, let us just get a generous portion of the cyan scenery out of the way right now.
A few folks back home are wondering whether this blue wash actually seems more effective at reflecting heat than the blinding white of a place like Santorini. That thermal trickery happens to be one of the three main theories explaining why this became the "Blue City" in the first place. In all likelihood, the real reason has much more to do with a few generations of local tradition, deep civic pride, and an incredibly astute business sense. Anyway, let us do some blue before we continue with the rest of today's entry!
The blue is down, now let's get to other parts of our day in the city. Right after our hotel breakfast, one of our first orders of business was to head straight to the Plaza Uta el-Hammam. You simply cannot miss the most imposing building anchoring the square: the Chefchaouen Kasbah. It is a massive red-brown fortress that aggressively interrupts all the surrounding blue.
This formidable structure was actually the birthplace of the city. A local leader named Moulay Ali ibn Rashid ordered it built back in 1471. He needed a sturdy military base to fend off the Portuguese who were busy launching attacks across northern Morocco at the time. Over the centuries, it evolved from a rugged military garrison into a governor's residence and even served a stint as a prison. Today, the space functions primarily as an ethnographic museum and a rather tranquil Andalusian garden. The complex itself is surprisingly large and is completely enclosed by thick mud-brick walls topped with crenellated towers.
We happily handed over the 80 MAD entry fee to get inside. The small museum exhibits are pleasant enough, but the real highlight is the architecture itself. We made a point to walk all the way up to the roof of the main ten-sided tower. The climb is absolutely worth the effort. From that elevated vantage point, you are rewarded with sweeping, unobstructed panoramic views of the entire blue medina spilling out below and the rugged Rif Mountains rising up in the distance.
One of the primary goals of our morning walk was to track down the absolute lifeblood of the town. We wanted to see the initial source of water that made Chefchaouen possible in the first place. A formidable mountain fortification is completely useless without a reliable water supply. In a very literal sense, this specific mountain stream allowed an entire city to spring into existence right here.
We navigated to the eastern gate of the city, known as Bab el Ansar, to find the Ras el Maa. The name translates to the head of the water. Traditionally, this is the communal spot where local women would gather to scrub laundry and carpets on the smooth stones. The scene is slightly altered for the tourist crowd these days. The area is currently occupied by highly opportunistic orange sellers. The mountain water is brutally cold. The vendors simply use the rushing stream as a natural refrigerator to chill massive piles of fruit. Jay and I figured it was worth a try. We handed over 10 MAD, which is about $1.50 CAD, to a father and son team. In exchange, we received two exceptionally cold glasses of freshly squeezed juice.
