In The Moroccan Blue City, Chefchaouen

For the past three hours, we have been in the car on the roads’ ups and downs. My friends were fast asleep from the start of the trip, but I was wide awake awaiting all the blue I was promised. My patience was running low, but then the driver yelled as we took a turning in excitement: “It is over there!” “Can you see it?” My friends jumped awake to spot it.

It took my eyes a minute to adjust to the brightness of the sun and then it was there. Blue buildings in the midst of white and brown ones. I was instantly disappointed. That amount of blue was simply unacceptable. As the road folded and we got closer, more blue started to emerge. When we left the car, we followed the trail of blue. It was not until we walked up a little that we were enveloped in blue. Sky blue doors, half painted Majorelle blue walls, powder blue paintings, sapphire blue windowsills and even children dressed in Persian blue. That moment, I was satisfied that the ride from Fez to Chefchaouen was worth it.

Walking around the different hues of blues took two hours. It was mostly a clam walk without any loud voices, shouting or disturbances until we arrived to the big square and all the aggressive sellers materialized. We turned around quickly and went back to the peaceful violet blues in the inner part of the town. The stone staircases were many and scattered around. Going on the stairs, whether up or down, held a new gem to uncover. From the quaint painting shop that mostly stocked canvases adorned with every shade of blue to the hidden blue restaurant.

The driver suggested a restaurant called Casa Hassan. Finding it was a challenge. It was tucked away in a small alley. When we asked around they told us it is the one with the “blue” door not like the whole city was immersed in that colour. They were right though, that electric blue door was striking and popped up more than the rest. It came to no surprise when the interior was baby blue as well. We ordered the Moroccan classic, Tajeen and it was tasty and filling. It fuelled us to go around the town yet another time.

At the end of the trip my friend turned to me and said: “Just paint it all blue and it will be beautiful.” I nodded in agreement and inhaled the last bits of blues before we set off back to Fez.