Some distance south of the city centre, after blocks of drab apartments and offices, things suddenly perk up a little bit. A stone mosque with what looks like a village green out the front, narrow backstreets with low rise attractive houses, whitewashed archways, decorative fountains, a cluster of souvenir shops in a mock-up of a genuine souk, outdoor cafes and bookstores. This is the Quartier Habbous, a neighbourhood built by the French originally to solve a housing crisis, and the aim was for it to look like a typical Moroccan medina, which they have partly succeeded in doing. It's a nice enough place to wander around, just all a bit odd...a bit too soulless, a bit too twee. But it is relaxed as far as hassle is concerned. Despite a few rows of shops selling souvenirs (who comes here? I have no idea...), nobody seemed overly bothered about trying to sell me anything.
To get here, my guidebook managed to get me lost. Helpfully, the Quartier Habous was just off the map, and the guidebook's directions told me to follow Avenue Mers Sultan to the very end. Well, it neglected to mention that at some point you need to make a left turn and continue for a kilometre, so I ended up miles away. I didn't mind...in doing so, I stumbled across the Notre Dame de Lourdes church, and another former church now used as a primary school...but had I been in a rush, I would have been a little cross. Maybe the best bet is to take a taxi.
