Tetouan to Chefchouan

Imagine waking up in a strange city to dead calm. I'm not referring to a small town either...the city I'm referring to has a population almost reaching half a million. We woke up yesterday in Tetouan, which for the prior days had been filled with people and merchants everywhere we went, but not a soul was visible out of our window. 10am, no cars or trucks passing by on their way to the Medina...more than a bit strange for a Tuesday mid-morning.
Haim decided to investigate....and try to get a cup of tea. Leaving me back in the room with still-sleeping Maya, off he went. He came back about an hour later reporting 1 open tea shop, streets with rivers of blood, and occasional men walking around with large knives, also covered in blood. At this point we were pretty sure of 2 things...the sheep festival that we had been hearing about in the souks had begun....though not much of a party for the sheep...and that it would probably be a very hungry day for us, with most everything closed and no one appearing to invite us home to share sheep!


In any case, we had decided to leave that day for Chefchouan...and hoped that on the road or in another town we might find something open. Packed and ready, we loaded up the car, set Maya up with Mulan (the Disney movie) in the back...which I think she has watched 6 or 7 times in the last couple of days, and we left in search of Chefchouan and hopefully some food too!

Driving the streets before we left, we did begin to see groups of teenage boys in the residential areas burning sheep heads over open flames....not sure the exact significance, but at very least an easy way to de-flesh and preserve the skull i imagine. We also drove by the Jewish Cemetery on our way out of town, which we would have liked to have visited, but was padlocked, and we were not in the mood (or felt it appropriate) to be scaling fences...

In any case, on our way our of town we did find a gas station convenience store where we were able to purchase some "emergency" provisions...a couple of cans of tuna, chips, chocolate, water, some yogurt, and some cheese, and some very dry bread....but at least we wouldn't go hungry, and I wouldn't turn into a raging lunatic, which I tend to do without regular food.

We had decided on a driving route down the coast, and then cutting back up an unpaved road to arrive at Chefchouan. The coastal road was amazingly beautiful, along pristine inlets and beach towns, and then up into the mountains, with sheer drop offs overlooking the Mediterranean. The terrain, was rather lush and forested, much more so than I had expected. The day was cool and rainy, and admiring the red dirt and rocks crumbling onto the highway from the mountains above, Haim and I decided that an unpaved road, without another 4x4 to accompany us, may not be the most prudent of choices. Instead, we cut in on a small paved road that followed a river through the mountains, and arriving to Chefchouan from the east. It was a great decision...what a beautiful drive, and the hair pin turns high in the mountains, accompanied by rain, gave Haim all of the "excitement" that he may have been looking for! We arrived to town around 4, and chose a hotel based on parking proximity rather than charm, as it was still raining and Maya was asleep.

Thankfully, a couple of places were open in the evening, because we were starving. With a choice between a couple of empty tourist restaurants or the local pizza parlor/ teenage hangout, we opted for the latter. The pizza was passable and almost filling, and we enjoyed a delicious fruit salad covered in a mildly sweet, thin green custard, and topped with crushed walnuts and whipped cream...clearly the house specialty, as almost each kid was enjoying one.

As we wandered the city afterward, we were quite taken by it's apparent beauty, and are much looking forward to a more thorough ramble today...so far it's crisp and sunny, so it should be a perfect day!