Chefchaouen - first rest day

April 15 - Good Friday,,,

...and a welcome first rest day after five days on the bikes. First task every day, including leaving Casablanca was getting the bags to the van before breakfast. 

Then a group ride along the sea for the group photo, then past the Casablanca mosque, third largest in the world we're told. 

 

Sunday morning - quiet in town, little traffic. The streets are unbelievably clean. The photo below is on the north side of Casablanca. Just around the bend in the photo below were immaculate lawns, playing fields, and playgrounds.

It has been a tough 5 riding days. Tough on our bottoms not used to hours in the saddle, and tough just to get re-acclimatized to being on the bikes after hardly any riding during the winter. First day was 110 km north along the coast to Rabat. Years ago in the 50s, Canada had an RCAF station in Rabat supporting the air defense wings deployed to France and Germany when NATO formed. Lots of agriculture along the way, not as clean as the cities, sadly most of the woods beside our route were full of garbage. The fields were largely worked by hand.

Day two, cool riding out of Rabat - 146 km today along the Atlantic to a pretty rough field for the night. A few showers during the day and again at night to wet tents to pack up. We began to discover that the glue holding bits and pieces together on tents, that after eight years, it starts to come apart, Good that we have duct tape, but we suspect that the tent will not make the return trip to Canada.. 

Dat three - nearly 150 km to Tangiers - 90 km to lunch was enough for us. Highlight of this day was one town where is seemed as if every tall amp standard was topped with an enormous stork nest. 

The last 2 days were in the hills with lots of steep climbs and descents, strong gusting winds but gorgeous scenery, Day four was 110 km around the north tip of Morocco where Spain and Gibraltar and in view.

...and then south to Tetouan where we camp behind a gas station in howling winds that lasted all night..

Day 5 south and inland to Chefchaouen. We and four other riders decided that legs are too tired and sore to do the whole day and still say we were enjoying it, so we took a ride on the support van until the lunch stop, then rode the last 35 km some brutal climbs (average speed 11 km/hr compared to our normal 19-20)...  

Some beautiful scenery along the coast and then inland,..

...to arrive here in the blue city of Chefchaouen.

Our hotel is a gem with typical Moroccan delicately carved or painted woods, clay pottery and stone works. we have a beautiful suite with a balcony with the view above. Great to dry out our camping gear and do some repairs. And oh how wonderful it was to have a hot shower and an ensuite bathroom. 

Today is about getting some rest, getting the blog done, some small laundry - we've used the hotel laundry for the rest - and time to walk around the blue streets in the medina (old town). 

Chefchaouen's blue walls are a popular subject of interest. There are several theories as to why the walls were painted blue. Some attribute it to Muslim and Jewish immigrants fleeing from Spain in the 1500s Reconquista of Granada. Others say the blue is to repel mosquitos, and yet others say it is to attract tourism. 

We have been very lucky so far with the weather. It only rained once during the night when we all were snug in our tents. Mind either the wind, rain, crowing roosters, barking dogs or call to prayers or as now during Ramadan the call at 3 am to remind everybody to eat at 4 am! Enroute all the restaurants and shops were closed during the day - no coke stops. Here in Chefchaouen some were open, tourist area, until 7 when a siren sounded just after sundown - sounded like an air raid! But of course it was to call that the fasting time had ended for the day. In an instant, all the shops closed, the outside merchandise disappeared inside, and all local people disappeared inside to pray and eat. The old city became a ghost town.

We'll close with a night photo of the medina from our balcony. Tomorrow it will be back in the tent, but only two riding days before our next rest day in Fes. Sounds too easy, but the riding will again be long and togh with steep grades to climb and temperatures that will be much higher than along the coast.