16 April Chefchaouen

This is so far from Fez, from everywhere else we have been in Morocco. Spanish seems to be the spoken language. It's some time since I've used my Spanish but it comes so much more easily than the French. It gives me a warm feeling, just hearing it. We have spent a lot of time in France, but I'm never really comfortable there, whereas Guatemala and Cuba were some of the best times. Both countries were amazing, Cuba will always be special, they were so good about my Guatemalan Spanish and helping me with a Cuban accent. I kept thinking how Greek Chaouen seems, until I realised of course, that it is Spanish, well that's close.
The journey out of Fez was easy. The scenery changed almost immediately, we were into rolling hills of intensive cultivation, green and lush with cereals and vegetables. It seemed to me that slowly, slowly the people became lighter skinned and more westernised in their dress. We were surprised to see so many house with corrugated tin roofs, and wondered why. Wood was in abundance, and bricks, so why not tiles. We have both lived in houses with corrugated tin roofs in sub-Saharan Africa and they are hot and noisy.
As the road turned and Chefchaouen came into view, sprayed onto the hillside, and looking for all the world like a Greek island village, it was such a surprise. Without too much difficulty we made our way to the hotel we had booked ahead. We left the car on a low road and walked up the steps. It is very nice, everyone is so friendly and we are getting by with a mixture of English/French/Spanish as my Spanish slowly returns. It feels good here, we intend to stay for a couple of nights.

Last night in Fez:
Boy, did it rain, or rather hail. The noise on the roof was deafening. After a nice meal we returned to the house and settled in for the last night. It was a good stay, the house was very nice and an excellent bolt-hole, it made a lot of difference to the comfort of our stay there. Fez, we will reserve judgement on. I'm not sure if it is the sort of place we would return to, we both need a bit more open spaces, a bit more green. It was a wonderful experience, much more authentic than Marrakesh, but maybe a bit claustrophobic for us. The winding alleys and souls were lovely, maybe we weren't there long enough to discover what else. For me personally, living in the City of Norwich is a bit of a challenge. When we returned from Greece, from our lovely rural surroundings, and had to decide where we would make our last home, I know that in the City was a good choice. My allotment is my salvation, when the bricks and mortar, the concrete, becomes too much, I can go and sit on the step outside my shed, and breathe. I love travelling, but the best times have usually been in wide, open spaces. Perhaps that's why I liked the desert so much.