September 24, 2017
Our second stop in Morocco was the blue city of Chefchaoen. A small city located up on a hill, wandering thru the medina surrounded by so many shades of blue was quite a different experience from Tangier. We stayed at Casa Perleta, a small bed and breakfast recommended by our friend. It was perfectly located within the upper hill area of the medina. The blue hues of the walls of Chefchaoen are believed to have originated when the Jews came while escaping Hilter in the 1930s. The blue is said to serve as a reminder to lead a spiritual life while symbolizing the sky and heaven.
During our visit we happened upon a Trip Advisor series of reviews about shopping for rugs citing a small shop that was different from others. We had previously chosen to avoid most of the vendors due to the pressure to buy was quite high and we didn't want to deal with that type of stress while shopping. We experienced exactly what the reviews said we would, a pleasant shopping experience without any pressure to buy. The Local Berbere Artisanal experience ended in us purchasing three rugs. Thankfully we negotiated the price to include the shipping back to the USA so we didn't have to carry them around with us the rest of the trip.
