First Stop: Chefchaouen

Bonjour,

Alas, I've slipped again -- fallen behind on my posts due to our many adventures. But to fill you in, for the last week, we've been zooming around northern Morocco with Nana, PopPop, Karla, Gary and Grace.

First, after a little recovery and sightseeing time in Rabat, our group headed off to the Rif Mountains to visit the quaint city of Chefchaouen. Bob says it may get his vote for prettiest city in Morocco.

We stayed for a couple of nights at a hotel with a rooftop terrace overlooking the city, where we watched the sunsets, listened to the calls to prayer and had some pleasant meals.

Here's Nana giving a jaunty wave as she goes into the hotel.

And Gracie getting some kisses from her Daddy as she leaves the hotel.

Meanwhile, here's Anna having some fun with PopPop.

On Thursday, we cruised through the medina, checking out the town and visiting the stream where women wash the clothes.

Some of us then hiked to a nearby mosque with a great view of the medina (see photo at top), taking time to scale some rocks en route.

While some of us hung out in a cafe or relaxed on the hotel terrace...

And, lest you fear that I missed a prime shopping opportunity, rest easy... some of us also did some power shopping.

In fact, as you can ask Karla, power shopping is a competitive sport in this family. You either snatch up things as soon as you arrive at the store, or you stand by and watch while your mother and sister do. No mercy.

You'll have to ask her what happened at this store (got her to smile for the camera anyway).

Here's a the shop run by our favorite "Hat Man." He was happy to pose for a picture by the time we finished shopping at his place.

One of the paint stores. The powders in the bags are paints that are mixed up for use at home.

Not sure what some of this stuff is. Maybe someone else knows... (Livy?)?

And more cute shops....

One added plus of being in hilly Chefchaouen: Great places to run and jump, especially if you are a nine or ten-year old boy.

Here, a local boy catches some serious air in the uphill walkway leading to our hotel. (I didn't capture him airborne on the first shot and made him go up and do it again. He was happy to oblige.)

Tommy, not to be outdone by a local kid, gets ready to catch some serious air of his own just before we headed out of town. See below (I didn't capture him at his peak, but I think Tommy may have bested the local kid).

A bientot,

Kim