Kasbah…Alhambra…ahhhh…..
We caught a bus from Fez to a town called Chefchaouen. About 10km from town, we are told to get off the bus and get a cab...seven people, including the driver are piled into the taxi and make our way into town.
Chefchaouen is the sweetest little town full of white-washed homes with beautiful blue accents. The town is surrounded by mountains and the view from our hotel is picturesque with an abandoned little mosque perched on top of a green hill. The town has little river and waterfall where the local woman gather to do their laundry and wash their carpets in the river. Chefchaouen is the embodiment of almost every Moroccan cliche...
Chefchaouen medina
The highlight of our stay was when we met Guido and Emma from Amsterdam. They invited us to join them for a BBQ on the river. We found a perfect little spot beside the waterfall and built a fire pit and fire. We made salads, grilled eggplant, kebab and lamb. It was perfect. We ended the day by drinking mint tea on a terrace in the main square, over-looking the kasbah. Ahhh.
BBQ in the mountains
It was time to make our way back to Spain and we spent the next day traveling. We took a bus from Chefchaouen to Tetouan. From there we took a shared taxi to the Spanish frontier, got our passports stamped and walked onto Spanish territory. We were in the EU, in northern Africa with a two hour time difference! We took a public bus into the town of Cueta and caught a ferry across the Straight of Gibraltar to the city of Algeciras. What a day!
We finally made it to Granada, considered the single most worthwhile city in Spain for a tourist. We spent time walking around town, drinking sangria and eating tapas. The Alhambra, part fortress, part palace is remarkable to visit. The gardens and water fountains are beautiful; the carvings and tiles are mesmerizing.
Alhambra Garden
I do believe that Granada was worth the effort to visit and would recommend it to everyone.