Essaouira, Morocco – the blue city

Seawall emoticon

If you are in Morocco, Essaouira (the closest I can pronounce it is es-whehr-a) is a really nice Atlantic coast seaside town to visit for a day or two. The name means “little picture” in Arabic, and you can see why.
 
The citadel you can tour has great views of the harbor and the water and there are many cute shops and restaurants and a large beach in the surrounding area.
There is a large waterfront area, with hoards of blue boats that often match the blue of the sky, and fisherman hawking their catch in a seagull filled sky.

Boats by the Citadel

 
There is also a fish market in the village that is covered by a multicolored open roof that puts splashes of color over the floor and counters.
If you like seafood, just stop in any of the restaurants in town for the fresh catch.  Each outdoor restaurant seems to have been assigned at least one cat, that lives in the street and is taken care of by the people of the street.
 

Fish at the market