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The mountains grow bigger, and details previously blurred on the horizon sharpen into rugged peaks that take large bites out of the visible sky. You spot a village in the distance hidden in the trees. The GPS says you’re twenty-five minutes away.
Maybe that’s it? you say, pointing.
It is not. When you finally round the corner that brings Chefchaouen into view, there is no doubt in your mind that you’ve arrived. Even from a distance, the blue houses connect the rest of the earth-bound city to the sky. It seems to expand like a chest breathing in clean air.
And you find you’ve inhaled deeply too. Gone are stale city smells and the scent of too much stress and impatience. Work and problems seem far behind you. Perhaps gravity pulled them to less-loftier places than here.
As you approach the city, the seduction begins. Cascading water spills over rocks, and visitors sip juices or Moroccan tea at small tables that dot the stream. You slip off your sandal and dip your foot. It’s icy—the kind of cold that only comes from mountain streams—but the summer day calls for a cool off, and this is the perfect fit.
A short while later, you set out to wonder the streets and are soon lost in the blues of Chefchaouen. Sky blue, cobalt, azure…you would need your child’s giant box of crayons (or a color chart) to name them all. Climbing stairs lined with colorful flower pots, you’re reminded that Chefchaouen is in the foothills of the Rif Mountains. You remember stories of the Amazigh people (or Berbers) of the Rif and Atlas Mountains, and how they were unconquerable throughout the ages. But everyone you see today is friendly and welcoming, and you have a hard time picturing the voluptuous lady surrounded by a fountain of oranges as a fierce warrior.
It’s a glorious sunny day, and the blue skies seem like they’ve been painted overhead. You spend the afternoon suspended somewhere between the sky and the earth. Sinking into your bed that night, you are thankful for the “blue pearl” that has been placed in your hand for this single day. Tomorrow will bring hiking to the Akchour waterfalls and the magnificent God’s Bridge, but could you be any closer to heaven than here?
To start planning your visit to Chefchaouen click here!
