We paused for a picture before leaving for the UNESCO World Heritage city of Tetouan, looking rested and ready to tackle new adventures. I didn’t take a photo at the end of our journey, as we straggled out of the bus Thank goodness for air conditioned buses
We saw an Andulusian white village, a modern city with the Royal Palace, and a market with artisans honing their crafts and a Jewish synagogue..all in one place.
This first city view could be in Andalucia, in southern Spain, but it not. Many Spaniards came here in the 1500s to reconstruct their lives.
We strolled the streets of the modern city, passed the Royal Palace, on our way to the winding streets of the medina, where vendors were selling foods and services.
This store sells the modest school uniforms you see here, in different colors.
We tasted prickly pears, which was a real treat, as we’re only allowed peeled or cooked fruits or veggies
We visit a small synagogue, visit the Jewish Moroccan husband and wife caretakers and discuss the life of a Jewish Moroccan in a Muslim country. We’re told that the two cultures work side by side without conflict, having lived together in peace for 500 years, and that there’s a strong sense of community within the two cultures. There is a police presence on the street to guard against any unforeseen occurence. Unfortunately the population of Jews doesn’t support a congregation Why? As with all religions in the States, attendance is down. This couple showed us the torah and the oven for making matzo.
We wandered along the alleyways once more, on our way to a most unusual school.
As you can see, the buildings in Morocco are decorated with elaborate designs.To keep the arts alive, students are instructed how to craft these intricate designs in different media. Even though school started last week, the students aren’t yet ready to show us their work, so Mostafa showed us examples from past student work.
The work of the instructors is displayed in one of the exhibit rooms The school buildings are a work of art
After all this activity, we were tired and hungry, so we had a fish lunch at a restaurant with a view of the sea, and took the scenic route back to Chefchaouen.
There was time for a swim in the pool and we had our final dinner at our beautiful riad. I will miss this place!
Linda from Florida wishes you a good night!
Today was a long travel day. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Tangier, we heard the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Even though it is sad, it was plain that she was failing. I’m listening to the TV coverage on France24, which seems like the only channel available.
I’ll try to catch up tomorrow morning. It’ll be a quiet day.