Chefchaouen: four ways to explore Morocco's blue city

 

Chefchaouen is an otherworldly escape nestled in Morocco’s Rif Mountains. As well as its distinctive palette of blue and white buildings, a striking contrast with the arid setting, this popular tourist town has plenty to offer. Embark on strenuous hillside hikes or idle strolls; bathe in mountain streams; or embrace the culinary scene and excellent shopping. Here's how to tailor a trip to Chefchaouen to four different travel styles.

For history buffs

Founded in 1471 by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami, Chefchaouen served as a Moorish fortress for exiles from Spain. Over the centuries, the city grew and welcomed Jews and Christian converts alike.

Chefchaouen's powder-blue buildings mirror the cloudless Moroccan sky - but religious rather than stylistic reasons are behind the design choice. Jewish teachings suggest that by dyeing thread with tekhelel (an ancient natural dye) and weaving it into prayer shawls, people would be reminded of God’s power. The memory of this tradition lives on in the regularly repainted blue buildings.

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Traditional blue-painted doors and walls in Chefchaouen's old town. Image by David Sutherland / Photographer's Choice / Getty Images.

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Nowadays Chefchaouen is a rich cultural tapestry of Berber tribespeople, Muslims and Jews, along with descendants of the Moorish exiles from Spain who lived there in the 1400s. Berber tribespeople can be seen wearing distinctive cotton clothing paired with woven hats that are decorated with brightly coloured threads.

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Peering through a powder-blue archway in Chefchaouen. Image by Jean-François Gornet / CC BY-SA 2.0.

For explorers

Tucked away in Africa’s northernmost mountain range, the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen has plenty to offer fitness fanatics and those looking for adventure. Valleys, gorges and picturesque peaks are in abundance where arid landscapes meet trickling mountain streams. Both multi-day treks and day trips are available, all of which start in Chefchaouen. Some routes pass the nearby village of Jevel el Kelaa, a little north of the city, through Afeska, passing through lush green forests and offering with views of the Mediterranean Sea.

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Chefchaouen's jumble of houses meets the waterfront. Image by Agnieszka Spieszny / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Nights are spent under cloudless skies speckled with constellations unobstructed by light pollution. Alternatively, accommodations are available in some villages, ranging from budget backpacker hostels to luxury hotels.

A two-day trek with Journey Beyond Travel (journeybeyondtravel.com) starts in Chefchaouen, passing a natural spring on the way to a small village in the Talasemtane National Park. A night spent in a small mountain lodge is followed by a visit to the Farda River and God’s Bridge before a picnic lunch, a stop off at Akchour and a transfer back to the blue city. With Tours By Locals (toursbylocals.com), visitors can explore on mule-back.

Whatever the season, visitors are guaranteed incredible views. April to June is a popular time of year for trekkers. Chefchaouen is prone to dustings of snow in winter and may be more challenging for hikers (experience recommended).

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Some experienced mountaineers overlooking the Rif Mountains. Image by Agnieszka Spieszny / CC BY-SA 2.0.

For foodies

Your taste buds wont know what’s hit them after a few days in the city, what with the hundreds of spices, aromatic herbs, variety of textures and tantalising smells. Kick off your day with a bakery trip: bread is baked in a traditional wood-fired oven, giving it a distinctive taste and crunchy outer layer.

For lunch, try the town’s signature tagine: a typical Moroccan-style dish made with fish, vegetables, spices and oil served on a bed of fluffy couscous. Tagine, a dish for lunch or dinner, has many variations but most commonly consists of meat or fish, a mixture of vegetables and a selection of spices. The dish often includes ras-el-hanout, a tangy blend of around 30 spices including turmeric, paprika, cardamom, chilli, cumin, cinnamon and more.

Try one of these tagines, grilled meats or succulent fish dishes at Casa Hassan’s Tissemlal Restuarant (casahassan.com/en/tissemlal-restaurant).  A guesthouse-cum-restaurant, the eatery is popular with both locals and tourists, and many return again and again. Its open-plan kitchen allows a sneak peek into the preparation of the many dishes on offer.

Polish off each meal with a refreshing mint tea, made by boiling green tea leaves and adding fresh mint and a generous helping of sugar. The tea is reputedly great for your health and is an important part of Moroccan life, as many locals meet for daily discussions over a steaming pot in one of the many cafes that line the higgledy-piggledy alleyways.

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A glistening plate of olives, the perfect appetiser for a Moroccan feast. Image by Gabriel Rodríguez / CC BY-SA 2.0.

For retail junkies

Quaint and colourful, Chefchaouen’s medina is like stepping into another world. Nestled in the crooked hillside streets, the medina is an addictive emporium for those looking to burn a hole in their pocket. Brass teapots and plates glint from the shadows. Handwoven blankets and shawls conceal walls and tables. Tortoises scramble for lettuce leaves in blue plastic baskets. Aztec-patterned bags and Moroccan slippers lie in haphazard piles, spilling from sacks into the streets.

For silver plates and jewellery, stop at the sheltered trove along Hassan 1 where trinkets balance in precarious stacks and line the walls. A little further along the cobbled path you'll find cardigans, shawls and blankets made from sheep’s wool or camel hair are draped from rafters. Follow the hillside down to the Kasbah to an organised scattering of handmade tagine clay pots, decorated with delicate artistry and piled high for the taking.

Before you get too carried away filing your bags with gems and jewels, carpets and spices, it’s best to learn the art of haggling. In Morocco you’ll be expected to barter for your wares, battling for the best price possible. Ask the vendor his price before making your offer, then swiftly halve his request.  Gently edge higher until you meet a compromise, and always end with a smile and a shukran to thank them.

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China becomes the first source market for tourism in the world

According to the World Tourism Organization, China spent, which became the first tourist market in the world in terms of the transmission 0.102 billion dollars to travel abroad in 2012.
This confirms the strong renaissance of China, and the transformation of society, which last year became the first in the market sending the global tourism arena,. According to the statement, the World Tourism Organization. Chinese spent 102 billion dollars to travel abroad. This figure makes China comes at the forefront of the markets in the world in terms of the transmission in terms of expenditures.
And announced that the World Tourism Organization that in 2012, China was the tourist market sender, which saw the highest growth in the world over the past decade, due to the expansion of cities, rapid urbanization, and to ease restrictions on travel abroad and to increase the income available, as well as strengthen its currency recently.
Thus, the number of Chinese international flights from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012 either for the expenses of Chinese tourists abroad, thereby increasing eight-fold. The year 2012 was another record year with this total, which reached 102 billion dollars, or 40% more than in 2011.
This is allowed China to take precedence over the United States and Germany, which were at the forefront in 2011, knowing that the total expenditures for each country from these two countries were close to the 84 billion dollars respectively in the last year.
In addition, other markets have emerged over the past decade, according to the World Tourism Organization, such as Russia and Brazil. Russia occupies now ranked fifth in the world, with total expenses came in last year to 42.8 billion dollars. Brazil also moved from ninth place to the twenty-second century, between 2005 and 2012, with total expenses came in last year to 22.2 billion dollars, or five times more than in 2005 (4.7 billion).
Said Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization: "emerging economies still control the growth of the demand for tourism." He also added: "reflects the significant growth in expenses spent by China and Russia in tourism and the arrival of a middle class increasingly important in those countries to the tourism market, which will certainly continue transforming the global tourism attractions."
With respect to the major traditional markets in terms of transmission, they are still growing more moderate pace. I knew France and Italy, a decline in tourist expenses spent by tourists, the French and the Italians, 6.4% and -1%, respectively, and occupied respectively ranked sixth in the world with a total value of $ 38.1 billion and ranked tenth globally with total amounted to 26.2 billion dollars. Germany has seen the United States increase in expenses to travel abroad amounted respectively 5.8% and 6.4% in 2012 compared with 2011.

10 cities more attractive to tourists during 2014

Tourism is an activity in order to travel or entertainment-medication or the discovery, and the provision of services related to this activity. The tourist is a person who is moving for the purpose of tourism for a distance of at least eighty miles from his home. Depending on the definition of the World Tourism Organization affiliated to the United Nations Below is a list over 10 cities attractive to tourists during 2014

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Tenth place Barcelona Spanish

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Ninth place Hong Kong Chinese

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Eighth place Kuala Lumpur

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Seventh place Dubai

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Sixth place Istanbul

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Fifth place New York

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Fourth place Singapore

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Third place Paris

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Second place to London

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First place Bangkok

the most beautiful cities in 2014

Do you want to identify the parameters of tourism in 2014? Would you like to visit the best tourist cities , which is worth a visit in 2014? Do not know where you will eliminate your holiday in this world and would like to know the most beautiful tourist cities and tourism attractions it? Today we put the world in your hands and take you in the next lines in the tourist trip into a beautiful beautiful tourist cities in the world, which is worth a visit in 2014 to identify the tourism offerings of these cities and see pictures tourist cities in the magnificent 2014.

1 Riga in Latvia RIGA, LATVIA: The Riga is one of the grandest and most beautiful tourist cities in the world, the capital of Latvia, is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea and was crowned this year's Cultural Capital of Europe in order for its Riga in the field of culture and tourism, making it one of the most beautiful tourist cities in the world with its museums and tourist attractions are many listed User on the UNESCO World Heritage Therefore Do not Miss in 2014, visiting the city of Riga and enjoy the wonderful tourism attractions there.

Riga

Riga

Riga

2 Glasgow in Scotland GLASGOW, SCOTLAND: If you Thbut all tourist cities, which is worth a visit in 2014 Vlataatrdd visit Glasgow in Scotland and that will be where the cycle Games Commonwealth this year, there are many parks, museums, historical sites and relics, making it one of the best tourist cities in the world and offers its visitors the most beautiful shapes and colors tourism.

Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow

3 Trinidad in Cuba TRINIDAD, CUBA: This place is wonderful runway in User UNESCO World Heritage is one of the best debtor tourism in the world and dates back to 1500 AD, one of the most tourist cities submerged in the culture, history and tourism is also where the cobbled streets, the market and the cathedral so it is Trinidad and one of the nicest shield tourism, which must be included Tourism in 2014.

Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad

4 in Zurich, Switzerland ZURICH, SWITZERLAND: The Zurich from Walker cities Switzerland Tourism, one of the most beautiful tourist cities in the world, along with its significant role in the economy, the global to the presence of bigger and better bank accounts in the world it has been rated Zurich as the best quality of life on the planet and is characterized by Zurich in 2014 Jonah from the rest tourist cities to provide the European Championships in August, so it is important during 2014 to travel to Switzerland and enjoy to one of the most beautiful tourist cities by the world at large.

Zurich

Zurich

Zurich

5-Marseille in France MARSEILLE, FRANCE: This charming city which has a history of Amer culture, literature, art, and tourism is one of the hallmarks of Tourism France along with it one of the best tourist cities in the world, not only in 2014 but in all the years where progress this city overeat of archeology, history, culture, tourism and art galleries, making it the most beautiful tourist cities in the world.

Marseille

Marseille

Marseille

More cities in the world to visit in 2013

The travel enthusiasts who are planning to go to the new tourism destination, will find useful information to them in the index (MasterCard) to the views of tourists in the year 2013 for the first time since the release of the company for this indicator in 2011, ranked Asian city Bangkok, ranked first in the list of more than 20 cities to visit in the world, surpassed London difference is very simple. With all came from Madrid, Frankfurt and Beijing from the list, and entered the Riyadh and Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Part of the disparity that the criteria used in the classification has changed; In the past year, the city was a popular classification depends on the rate of visitor spending, but this year is based on the number of visitors from other countries. Perhaps this partly explains why the rise in New York City this year to fifth place, after it was in thirteenth place, with Los Angeles, which became a wholly absent in the last year from the list, ranked twentieth currently.

Although Paris may be the first favorite cities when many tourists, but they fell from second place to third place, as it saw a decline of 0.7% in the number of visitors. With regard to spending, occupied the city of New York to the forefront in 2013, as much as the size of the tourists spend about 18.59 billion dollars, followed by the size of London's visitors spent 16.032 billion dollars.

According to a study conducted recently, continues to both Istanbul and Dubai to achieve more than the tourist boom. And if you keep the 10 best tourist cities on the current rates of growth during the next few years, you'll excel in Istanbul in 2016, all from Singapore, New York and Paris regarding the number of visitors from other countries. While overtake Singapore and Dubai to New York in 2016 and Paris in 2017.

Here is a list of the world more cities to visit in 2013:

1.     Bangkok: This is the first time you reach the city center for the first Asian in the list since the release of the index in 2011.

2.     London: London visitors a furnace of New York, whether for business or tourism, they are cut from a longer distance to reach them and they are spending more visitors there.

3.     Paris: Despite the low number of visitors from other states, is still favored by the city of Paris many tourists.

4.     Singapore has a population of less than five million people, but expects to receive 11.75 million visitors this year. Despite being a melting pot of various cultures, including: Indian, Chinese, Malay, English remains the dominant language is, therefore, Western tourists are not exposed to culture shock there, contrary to what happens in other parts of the region.

5.     New York: The city ranked first in terms of visitor spending it, which amounted to 18.59 billion dollars.

6.     Istanbul: Istanbul star shine day after day as a tourist destination distinct. And if you keep the 10 best tourist cities on the current rates of growth during the next few years, you'll excel Istanbul by 2016 on Singapore, New York and Paris, where the number of visitors from other countries.

7.     Dubai is sometimes called the shopping capital of the Middle East. Bangkok is also involved with the progress in the highest growth rate in the number of visitors increased by 10.9%.

City of Dreams, Disneyland in California

Disneyland Park and Mdevinh amusement park located in Anaheim, California, which created and supervised by the Walt Disney Company in 1955.

Although many different cities Disneyland in many of the country but the first ones that have been established in California is the most famous and the visit of tourists as the number of visitors to the city since it opened more than 650 million visits !

Disneyland California is the land of magic for children and young people alike . Distinctive in that city, which makes the experience of more happiness it with has extensions numerous recent and re-planning where you find the divisions of different castles characters cartoon beloved provided by Disney Pixar in films and stories you will find every castle and every village in the movies transmitted in the city in all its details, as well as the characters! !

Sleeping Beauty personal transportation within the city and her portrayal of the cartoon to reality

This is what impresses the tourist attractions of the city!

In another area within the city of Disney specifically in the Downtown Disney Downtown is available for visitors trip dragging its feet unique, you can buy clothes for Disney princesses or tools Authentic by Disney characters and everything you imagine mixed with the spirit of Disney, you can buy it from there, this is in addition to eat in restaurants similar to Restaurants for Disney movies! , As well as the entertainment, outside the downtown area of Disney's best hotels that you can reside there.

These multiple images from inside the Downtown area, as well as restaurants and department stores, hotels and resorts

In front of a hotel

Two of the area restaurants and eat with the presence of Disney characters

A copy of the stores that allow children to buy tools from the original Disney characters beloved by all for them

A copy of the Disney resorts and the beauty of nature, where you will find yourself at the site next to the natural treasures

Another picture navigate spectacular waterfalls in Disneyland Resorts

And through a guided tour at Disney you can discover the power of plants and how they turned the area into a tourist city wide and wonderful how they were horticulture and convert all those lands in Disneyland to nearly 260 acres of orange groves and various plants.

These are several pictures of a variety of flowers and plants within the city and how Disney has been beautified and cut to resemble each associated with the world of Disney

Find parks already been remodeled to resemble Disney World

It is one of the features provided by Disneyland It allows all people weddings, birthdays and also graduated, to enjoy those Almasbh differently with family and friends ... life is full of special moments and milestones beautiful and this is what interested him Disney Vtsna you celebrate the unique Months with the participation of Disney characters and may also allow you to parade a special cake for you and great Ahtphalk.

This is a picture of one of those celebrations

Image celebration of famous singer Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon on the occasion of the passage of several years of their marriage and the celebration took the form of a body celebrate Cinderella Pfstanha White

It offers a distinctive within the city is a Disney offers water that bind from which display using water mixed with lights and Disney characters that show you through the manipulation of water and lights, and some of these images have.

As already mentioned the most important and what the city is offering to transfer her character actually you will find with each step in the circus inside the city figure what welcomes you and start a private conversation with you, as well as allow you to imaging with it and this is evident from the following pictures .

Courtesy and interesting interview between children and Tinker Bell a heroes of the movie Peter Pan

Special Offer and wonderful for the first appearance of personal Rabnzel The heroine of the film Tangeld

Gorgeous pool in Special offer for all the Disney princesses

Moulin

Bella from the movie and the beautiful beast

Showing a picture of the first show in which the heroine of the film brave

A meeting between the visitors and the city Chksat Disney film up

And complete with you a wonderful view of the embodiment of Disney characters and move them from mere cartoon to the fact

It is one of the services offered by Disney is offering visitors to the theaters where each period of the animated film personalities and the fact Tatert fantastic with wheelchairs during the sit to live with it like you would in an atmosphere of film , And amazing humanitarian and so that the city did not forget the children with deaf! It allows them During the presentation, in the days of dedicated translation signals in order to allow them enjoying a little .

It is one of those Alemsrihat show you clips from the movie Aladdin when the transfer from film to just the embodiment of a real, and these several pictures of it.

And there's more .. Yes! We did not speak or offer a theme park and amusement games after !

Finally this world who quoted you today, do not match the real beauty of the city, and this is only the first Disney created, there are many of them as I mentioned in the beginning of the article I wish I could have won the admiration article

Now, you told us dream to visit this place ? What is your comment and it?