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April 28, 2024
Tangier, Morocco


What little we saw of Tangier

Today’s port was Tangier, Morocco. Tangier is the African point on the Strait of Gibraltar. It has the rare distinction of straddling the coasts of both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

However, we did not visit Tangier today. Instead, both Gail and Russell were able to accompany the 8.5-hour “Shades of Blue in Chaouen” excursion. The bus drove us two hours into the mountains southeast of Tangier.

Chefchaouen, nicknamed the “Blue City,” is famous for its many buildings in various shades of blue. If you have ever been to Venice in Italy, or Mont St. Michel in France, they would remind you of Chefchaouen. The city is a maze of narrow, winding streets that are easy to get lost in. These narrow cobblestone streets are made up of steep inclines and many, many steps.


In the middle of our two-hour bus ride, we stopped for snacks. Gail got a handmade crepe that she filled with almond butter and cream.


You wouldn’t expect to find such greenery in the middle of Morocco. But our rest stop was at Chefchaouen Dam, which creates a lush oasis.


Chefchaouen is in the mountains


In Chefchaouen, even the taxis are blue. We were also greeted by a bright blue mural.

There were many challenges to today’s excursion. First was the fact that many older and less-mobile guests were completely unprepared for the difficulty of navigating the streets. That delayed us.

When we first arrived in Chefchaouen, we were immediately greeted by one of the city elders. He insisted on helping to guide the group. Unfortunately, our guide decided he had to respect an elder, and let the man accompany us. For the rest of the excursion, the two men argued about which way to go and what to say. That further delayed us.

One result was that our guide, in order to make up for lost time, ended up almost racing through the streets. Gail and Russell spent most of our time acting as unofficial direction-pointers, letting guests at the back know which way the guide at the front had gone. If we had not done this, guests would have gotten completely lost.


The city elder (left) and our Viking-assigned guide (right). The elder draped himself in a Moroccan flag.

The other result was that we basically had 1.5 hours in one of the greatest shopping areas in the world… with absolutely no time to shop. Gail was one of the fortunate few – during a bathroom break, she and Russell raced to a nearby shop to purchase a mobile for Gail’s collection.

In the end, this was a frustrating day in a city that deserved a slower pace just to gaze at the jaw-dropping scenery. Our 8.5-hour tour turned into a 9.5-hour tour, but we spent most of the time chasing after the guide. If we make it back here again in the future, we will skip any guides and just explore this amazing place on our own.


Chefchaouen is a maze of narrow streets filled with street vendors


Here is a map of the Medina (Old Town)



By ducking into side streets, we were able to enjoy some less crowded, quieter parts of the blue city


Even the souvenirs are blue! And here’s a little boy with the Moroccan equivalent of a lemonade stand.


The young Muslim girls were surprisingly friendly. One girl beamed at Russell and exclaimed, “Do you love Morocco?”


Some locals look like they are preparing for a celebration. The woman in the center wears a traditional Moroccan agricultural hat.


This used to be the public laundry. It is now used as a souvenir stand.


The Casbah is the citadelle of the city


Gail loved the many stray cats roaming around. We always bring cat treats when we travel. Some local cats are unclear on the concept of a “cat treat.”


Our excursion ended with lunch at a local restaurant


The World Trippers in the blue city of Chefchaouen

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