MOROCCO

Location - North Africa; Capital - Rabat; Population - 32 million; Currency - Morocco Dirham MORE MOROCCO

Some of the Spanish peñones, or military rock fortresses, are a couple of hours drive from Melilla near the Moroccan resort of Al-Hoceima - October 2011. I revisited Al-Hoceima and environs in December 2013 to complete my stakeout of the Spanish territories.

The Moroccan Dirham

A view of Al-Hoceima from the the hill above the bus station

A portrait of the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI - Al-Hoceima

Hotel Villa Florido on Place du Rif - Al-Hoceima

The gardens of the Espace Miramar, a restaurant overlooking Plage Quemado - Al-Hoceima

Plage Quemado is the town's main beach - Al-Hoceima

What I presume are fishing boats set out for their catch - Al-Hoceima

The steep walls surrounding Plage Quemado - Al-Hoceima

Three islands are clearly visible from the Moroccan resort of Al-Hoceima. But they're not Moroccan, they're Spanish. On the left is Peñón de Alhucemas, in the middle Isla de Mar and on the right Isla de Tierra.

A short taxi ride to the Moroccan beach Plage Asfiha provides a good look at the islands. The main one is Peñon de Alhucemas.

At its longest point, Peñon de Alhucemas measures 220 metres

The military fortress is crammed with buildings, including a church, houses and helicopter landing area - Peñon de Alhucemas

Spanish military personnel exit the helicopter, next to the church. And yes, Peñon de Alhucemas is off-limits to visitors.

The Spanish military helicopter circles Peñon de Alhucemas

Walking along the Moroccan beach Plage Asfiha

A few hundred metres from the military fortress are the uninhabited Spanish islands of Isla de Tierra and Isla del Mar

Isla de Tierra is so close to the Moroccan coast - weird! The islands are a legacy of Spain's influence in Morocco, which extended down to Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara).

'No entry. Grounds of the Spanish Ministry of Defence' - a sign in Spanish, French and Arabic on the uninhabited island of Isla de Tierra

Heading west of Al-Hoceima is the small coastl town, Torres de Alcala

The area has a beautiful rugged coastline. The hilltop ruins in the foreground are Spanish miltary watchtowers - Torres de Alcala

But again the reason for my visit was to track down another Spanish military fortress, this one being Penon de Velez de la Gomera

A slightly bored Moroccan soldier looks across the waters to Penon de Velez de la Gomera.
He looked surprised when I appeared, walking down the rough hillside tracks, and asked me why I was there. After saying I wanted to see the penon he let me carry on down to the beach

It takes about an hour's walk from Torres de Alcala to reach the Spanish military fortress of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, a magnificent structure linked to the Moroccan mainland by a narrow stretch of sand

The tiny fishing village of Bades lies opposite the penon

The beach at Bades

The most bizarre international border I've come across! The thin blue rope just after the fishing boats marks the border between Morocco and Spain. Until 1934 it was an island but a storm washed up rocks and sand, creating the weirdest frontier... As I walked towards it soldiers from both Morocco and Spain began shouting at me - Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Several hours by bus from Al-Hoceima, along winding roads, is the lovely hillside town of Chefchaouen

From a distance it seems only a few of the buildings are painted blue.
When walking around the medina it feels like there's no other colour - Chefchaouen

The previous photos were taken from here, the Spanish Mosque, situated on a hilltop above town - Chefchaouen

Goats are herded along the trail to the Spanish Mosque - Chefchaouen

The Rif Mountains surround the Spanish Mosque - Chefchaouen

Ras el-Maa Falls are on the way to the mosque, but somehow I don't think this is them.
Doh! Missed them.. Chefchaouen

A Moroccan woman heads home - Chefchaouen

At the outskirts of town - Chefchaouen

Blue and white buildings abound in Chefchaouen

Beautiful decoration, typical of houses in Chefchaouen

Father and daughter wander through Chefchaouen's medina

There's plenty of lanes and alleyways in which to lose yourself, though the medina is sufficiently compact that you'll get your bearings soon enough - Chefchaouen

An entrance to a medina street - Chefchaouen

An elderly couple walk past a medina clothing shop - Chefchaouen

A painting just off the central Plaza Uta el-Hammam - Chefchaouen

The heart of Chefchaouen is Plaza Uta el-Hammam

On the edge of the plaza is the Grand Mosque - Chefchaouen

The 15th century Grand Mosque - Chefchaouen

The plaza is very touristy but a great place to relax in the evening - Chefchaouen

Dine alfresco and sip mint tea, fruit juice or coffee - Chefchaouen

Also on Plaza Uta el-Hammam is the Kasbah - Chefchaouen

The walled fortress of the Kasbah - Chefchaouen

Local men take a rest at the entrance to the Kasbah - Chefchaouen

The Kasbah has a small garden and museum - Chefchaouen

Climb the stairs to the top of the Kasbah tower - Chefchaouen

The Kasbah tower lookout - Chefchaouen

Get a good view of the mosque and the Rif Mountains from the Kasbah - Chefchaouen

There's a café-restaurant just off Plaza Uta el-Hammam which has a roof terrace - Chefchaouen

A great place for a drink providing you can hide from a scorching sun - Chefchaouen

Plaza Uta el-Hammam, with the Kasbah on the left and the Grand Mosque further back - Chefchaouen

The Rif Mountains from the roof terrace - Chefchaouen

Thatching looks a pretty precarious job to me - Chefchaouen

Buildings on the slopes of Chefchaouen

In the narrow lanes a moped and/or donkey are useful modes of transprt - Chefchaouen

Are these natural dyes? Outside a shop in the medina - Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen, also known as Chaouen, translates to 'Look at the Peaks'

Blue became the town's prevalent colour in the 1930s - Chefchaouen

A very colourful and welcoming entrance - Chefchaouen

And so is this one. Keeping up with the Jones's in Chefchaouen

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LINKS

www.tourism-in-morocco.com

www.muchmorocco.com - Morocco tourist board

www.oncf.ma - Moroccan train timetables, fares, info etc

www.ctm.ma - download timetable under Telechargement - 'Horaires & Tarifs CTM'

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