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Around the cat, the woman, and the man, everything is blue because their lives unfold in Chefchaouen. Visitors from around the world come to see the old city, or medina, drawn by the blue that dominates its buildings, but they also encounter something equally valuable: everyday life itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike some tourist destinations designed solely for travelers, Chefchaouen\u2019s blue walls belong to shops and homes inhabited by people who trade, live, work, celebrate, fall in love, feel moved, arrive and depart, miss loved ones, cry, and laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is easy to understand why, in one corner of the medina, someone painted a polite public request in elegant letters asking people to keep their voices down. Someone is trying to sleep\u2014or soothe a baby to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tour guide Aladin Boukhajjou explains that the city does not start its day particularly early, with most activities getting underway around 10 a.m. As part of that vibrant daily scene, Boukhajjou greets acquaintances\u2014sometimes warmly, sometimes more formally\u2014as he walks through the medina, introducing it to visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Blue houses can be found throughout Chefchaouen, but the color predominates within the city\u2019s historic walled quarter. In the medina, a central square called Uta El-Hammam brings together a mosque, a fortress, caf\u00e9s, restaurants, and several hotels, serving as the hub from which visitors access the narrow streets lined with shops and homes painted in varying shades of blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A stroll through the medina\u2019s narrow alleys is a unique experience. A resident may invite visitors to peek inside their home, and shopkeepers will certainly encourage passersby to step inside, offering ceramics, shoes, bags, clothing, souvenirs, spices, scarves, tableware, and countless other items\u2014most of them handcrafted by local artisans. Chefchaouen\u2019s medina is a paradise for those who love shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At one corner, spotting a group of Brazilians, the owner of a shop selling football-themed textiles smiles and recalls that Morocco and Brazil will face each other in the FIFA World Cup on June 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another store, while searching the stockroom for a pair of leather sandals in the requested size, the shopkeeper remarks that he enjoys being there, at the back of the long shop. \u201cIt\u2019s quiet here,\u201d he confides to the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through a tiny doorway, another Moroccan painstakingly crafts refrigerator magnets and beautiful paintings by hand, all while warmly attending to customers\u2014a blend of artisan and shopkeeper in one.<\/p>\n\n\n
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There are several theories about how blue arrived in and became established throughout Chefchaouen. But guide Boukhajjou says tourism led residents to paint virtually everything in the color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tourism, however, did not drive locals away. On the contrary, local residents and Europeans live side by side among the shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany Europeans, especially Spaniards, have decided to move here. Some rent houses and turn them into hotels. But there are also many retirees, because it\u2019s cheaper than Europe, and at the same time, very close to Ceuta,\u201d says the Moroccan guide, referring to the Spanish autonomous city located on the African coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Surrounded by the Rif Mountains, which add to the charm of its landscape, Chefchaouen was founded in the 15th<\/sup> century as a stronghold against Portuguese incursions. The different nationalities, ethnic groups, and religions that shaped life in the medina over the centuries left their marks, some of which can still be explored at the historic sites around the central square, including the Kasbah, or fortress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the guide, tourism first emerged in the city in the early 20th<\/sup> century, when Spain took control of northern Morocco, and it has continued to thrive ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chefchaouen is in northern Morocco, about 100 kilometers from Tangier, 240 kilometers from Rabat, 340 kilometers from Casablanca, and nearly 600 kilometers from Marrakesh. Royal Air Maroc operates direct flights between Casablanca and S\u00e3o Paulo and, in the second half of next year, will also launch a direct route to Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n