Let's Paint the Town Blue



I can't imagine living in a city where every paintable surface is the same color, even this lovely blue. But that's how they roll in Chefchaoen, Morocco; the city's buildings, walls, stairs, railings, flowerpots, doors--everything, all blue. Founded in 1471, the entire city was painted with tekhelel, a natural dye made of shellfish.
In the bible, Israelites are commanded to use this dye to color one of the threads of their prayer shawl.

Though tekhelel is no longer available and the city’s population of Jews has diminished, the tradition has carried on through the centuries. Blue pigment is sold in pots and bags throughout the city, and residents faithfully refresh the paint on their homes, flower pots, balcony railings, doors and practically everywhere else in the community. Even the interiors of many of these buildings are painted blue.

The pigments may vary in color now, ranging from periwinkle to aqua, but the effect is no less spectacular, providing a monochromatic stage from which every other color dazzles, particularly the merchandise hung on walls outside of markets and shops.

It's pretty and I understand the symbolism, but I think I'd go with a clean white wall inside--or anything but blue, actually.

via WebUrbanist

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I think you mean 'techelet' or 'techeles', not techelel. That's the blue dye mentioned in the bible. It was used to dye the fringes on the prayer-shawls (now the fringes are white, because there's no more techelet).
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Try Swedish houses, especially in Dalarna.

The red paint all came from the Falun copper mines, but the origin is a royal decree, allegedly.

http://egc2008.eu/img/Leksand/BFS/Ullvi_roda_stugor_k.jpg
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I have been there in 2005 and hope to return maybe next year.
Only the "Old Town" (the part that sits more or less inside the old walls and surrounding the its medina) is painted blue.
The first picture is not in fact from Chefchaouen.
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I have friends that lived there! They would share beautiful pics and even better stories every time they returned "home" from being in 'Chaoen. Unfortunately for them (and for Chaoen, as they went to help out with some social aid programs there) they can't return, but they enjoyed their time there.
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