Ifrane

Ifrane is the weirdest place in all Morocco, partly because it looks as though it's on a different continent. It is set in the centre of the cedar forest and is very upmarket. It is the home of a private university, the most prestigous in Morocco, and thus is home to the youth of the nation's elite. In the winter it is also a fashionable ski resort and the King has a home there but more importantly it is a winter weekend hub for courtiers out from Rabat.
With their steeply pitched roofs against the snow the buildings look very un-moroccan. The guidebooks describe them as resembling Swiss chalets. The most striking aspect of the town is its cleanliness and complete lack of litter. Neither are there any market stalls,donkeys, street vendors, porters, beggers or other poor people hanging round. There are parking attendants and street cleaners in uniform but you get the feeling they don't live there and are just brought in to work.There are hotels (including out of centre an amazingly expensive Spa ), restaurants , souvenir shops and some small "mini" supermarkets. The buildings are not higgledy-piggley but built to an overall design and style by the old King's favourite archetect.  The symbol of the town is the oversized lion apparently carved by an italian POW which is guarded during the day by armed soldiers.
The overall impression is like something out of the Trueman show and really it more truly resembles an american gated community than switzerland, and when I go to the  pizzeria they proudly tell me that they sell not italian food but New York food. The upshot being that the pizzas are rubbish but the  burgers are wonderful.