In my last post about Morocco, I wrote about a vivid moment from my week in Chefchaouen, one that has stuck with me ever since. I also wanted to share more of the photos. As always, each of them tells their own story, though less elaborately (for me) as with prose. I’m a writer first and foremost, but as I’ve travelled I’ve tried to improve my photography as much as possible. Chefchaouen is such a photogenic place that it was a pleasure to spend my days wandering and writing and taking photos.
As I said in the prior piece, the town isn’t all awash in blue, regardless of what this photoessay would suggest. Outside the medina the town is like many others, with neon signs and banks and straight roads. I spent most of my time inside the medina, however, lost in a reverie of colour and texture.
Here are some of my favourite photos from my time in Chefchaouen.
Cobblestones.
One of the first things that stood out in Chefchaouen: the grey cobblestones against the bright walls.
So much so that I wanted to see what the city looked like in monochrome
Blotting out the colour, the cobblestones that stand out.
In colour, the walls are the first thing you notice, shadows of a mosque reflected upon them in the sun.
But stepping back a few steps pushes the cobblestones and the walls back to the forefront.
Even when sheep skins are involved.
Cats.
Not all of the cats were healthy. Many fought for food in the twisted alleyways, hoping for leftovers from Eid.
Cat vs. boy in a toy-off.
Cat sleeping the day away.
Until I woke him up, that is….
Cats begging for food, the norm at any of the town’s restaurants.
A kitten outside the furn (the community bakery) in Chefchaouen
Doorways and alleyways.
One of the many doorways that beckoned.
Shades of blue.
Every corner led to a new alley or courtyard to discover.
Brass detailing on the doors.
Another, less brassy but just as beautiful.
Tiny hotels tucked into alleys.
Loved the green against the blue.
Quiet alleys.
Only jalabas and cobblestones to be seen.
One of my favourite doors in Morocco.
Errant goat.
Errant goat came meandering into the alleyways, only to be chased out by a frantic boy about 5 minutes later.
Colours.
The pigment is what makes these buildings as memorable as they are; sold at many of the shops along the main streets.
Pigment for painting.
The downside to visiting Morocco? People keep offering you olives. Yuck.
Markets and movement in one of the main intersections.
Moroccan tiles in one of the many colourful doorways.
Running through the alleys of Chefchaouen’s medina
Dried peppers.
Black pepper.
Scented musk tablets, used as perfume in many parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
A wider city outside the Medina’s gates.
Chefchaouen in miniature.
A clear blue sky.
Chefchaouen as seen from “The Source”, a waterfall above the city.
A final sunset.
Sky over Chefchaouen, a promising start to my last night in town.
Sunset from Riad Baraka’s rooftop.
A perfect end to my week.
I am a former lawyer from Montreal currently eating my way around the world, one country at a time. Traveling since April 1, 2008. See the 
I can’t get over how gorgeous these blues are! What a photogenic place, and your pictures of it are wonderful.
Superb! This is a town I’ve never been to in Morocco, and this reportage is truly tempting (the olives contributed). I won’t miss this place next time – thanks for these wonderful images!
Would love to go to Morocco some day. Great photos. For some reason the black peppers look like dark cocoa puffs. =P
As much as I love Spain’s whitewashed towns, the pops of blue are just beautiful. And the kitties!
No olives for you, huh? I used to feel that way and then one day, it just changed and I tried them again and have loved them ever since. That’s why I keep trying things I dislike, I never know when the feeling might change. Except for lima beans. I don’t think I’ll ever like those.
You know, I felt that way about tomatoes for many years, and then on my 31st birthday – magic! – I liked them. I’m all for an olive-revolution in my tastebuds, but thus far I’m in the same place as before: that they are, in my view, disgusting :) Hope things will change! (I do love lima beans though.)
I love that shade of blue that’s all over town as well as the photos of the tiles and spices… how beautiful. And just out of curiosity, how did you take that shot of the town in miniature? What a cool effect!
Wow! Beautiful & colorful shots Jodi. No photo essay is complete without a dash of kitteh either. :D
Definitely! A worthwhile addition, no? Adorable, though very sad to see how malnourished many of them were. Fed a lot of kittehs in my week in Morocco.
I’m not sure why you’re so modest about your photography, Jodi. These photos are spectacular! Especially the olive one. :) But my other favourite shots include the cityscape ones, and the blue buildings (they remind me of a similar preponderance of that colour in the medina in Rabat).
Mmmm…olives. :P Great photos. This summoned a “le sigh” from me.
JUST SAY NO TO OLIVES! Seriously.
Aw the colors! Stunning shots Jodi!
Beautiful blues! I love how this town looks!
i’m wondering why they chose the color blue to paint their houses…
your photos are amazing Jodi. it’s as if I was travelling with you by looking at those photos. really charming town!
Thanks Doi! I’ve been told by numerous people in Morocco that it had to do with ancient Jewish tradition. From http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/chefchaouen-the-blue-city-of-morocco.html –> “One of Morocco’s most popular tourist destinations, Chefchaouen is most known for its blue-rinsed buildings and alleys, an old tradition leftover from the city’s Jewish population… After the Spanish Reconquista, the small mountain town became one of the largest Jewish refugee sites, and during their stay they managed to leave their mark on it, one that makes the modern city so special.”
Beautiful set. You photographed some of the very same alleys and doorways I did :)
I find myself unsurprised to know we loved it equally. However, I am envious of your entire week there. 1 day and 2 nights was not even close to enough for me. I will have to go back, hopefully in 2013.
The blue, the other colors, the shopping, the quiet way of the people (in comparison to towns like Casablanca and Marrakech that is) makes me long for Chefchaouen all over again. And I’ve only been away since this morning.
WOW, amazing photos, thanks for sharing them with us!
These colors are really inspiring me. And of course I like the cat pictures (though I wish they were healthier!)
Wow – breath taking. Looks absolutly beautiful! Great photos.
I would love to wander through these alleys for hours on end!
Stunning photos! The colors are so amazing!
Great photos – you have a great eye for detail & capturing the essence of daily life. Can’t wait to visit.
The blue keeps standing out. It’s so beautiful. Yet I wonder why they paint everything blue until a certain height and then just seem to stop, as if they’d ran out of paint.
Really nice photos, love how you made an effort to capture certain themes, but also to create a cultural portrait of the place. I’m going to be leading a photo tour to Morocco in April 2013 and Chefchaouen is on our itinerary, so I’m looking forward to shooting in this amazing place.
Fabulous. Optical Orgasm.
Oh Jodi. You make me feel like such an amateur photographer. My point and shoot just can’t measure up.
Love the kitties!
It can! Just change the aperture levels and go to town. You can put it on a manual setting, right? Thanks for the kind words either way. Good luck with Chile!
I was just in Chefchaouen this week, and absolutely loved it. My photos aren’t nearly as pretty as yours however!
It looks a lot like Cinque Terre Italy, especially Cornigilia. You would love it there!
Just from the top, but actually quite different in feel from Cinque Terre. I’ve been there in 2001, walked the trail between the villages.Gorgeous place.
Jodi, I’m browsing these in my grad school cafe, in the middle of a grey New England winter. It makes me want to pack a bag and a camera and ingest all the color in the world… Thank you for this stunning photo-essay!
Thank you Roxanne! I’ve enjoyed your Instagram feed as a compliment to your terrific writing. Good luck with school and here’s to meeting somewhere, sometime soon where colour and soup abounds!
Love the colors Jodi! Stunning!
It made me thinking of visiting the country instead of Algeria, what do you think?
Awesome post! Can’t wait to go there this coming 2013!
I’m deciding between Portugal and Spain or Portugal and Morocco for this summer. I think this post and your spectacular photographs helped the decision.
Love all the shades of blue, what a beautiful way to colour a town.
Amazing photographs. Thanks for bringing colors to my rather dreary New York day.
Really nice group of photos. You have successfully given me a very clear image of the town. I will include Chefchaouen in my future tour itinerary as well.
Never found ‘blue’ to be so beautiful, it looks gorgeous and mesmerizing. An interesting ‘color heritage’ left by their ancestors and so beautifully captured by you Jodi!
wow, really awesome shots here Jodi! I’ve never been to Morocco but it’s certainly on my “must visit” list. Chefchaouen reminds me so much of Bundi, India. Have you ever been there? Nearly identical alleys, doorways, and that very same blue. It’s a bit uncanny how similar the towns are. Anyway, you have a cool blog that I’ll be checking out on a regular basis.
Thank you Andy! No, I have not yet travelled to India – though I will hopefully visit in 2013. So much to see, so little time :)
What beautiful photos. I’d usually comment on my favs, but I can’t choose.
Even though there are better photos in the set, there is something I like about the boy with the cat. It is a genuine moment captured on camera.
Stunning photos. Love the colour, and can’t wait to go to Morocco!
Great. I need to ban myself from your site – everytime I look at another page, I find another place that goes up on my bucket list of places I want to visit!!!! gorgeous colors/photos – inspirational!
Gorgeous pictures, Jodi!
Have to say though that Riad Baraka is the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. I’ve lived in Morocco for over a month in 2012 and owners of Baraka are the most rudest I have ever met.
Let there always be a road.
love & light
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