CASABLANCA

The flight from Frankfurt to Casablanca was 3.5 hours long – at least 2 hours longer than most of us anticipated. On the plus side, there is a -1 hour time difference so although we got in at 2am, it was actually just 1am local time.

We passed through customs fairly easily. However, on the way out of customs there was one final passport check. My guard quickly assessed my dazed and confused status and proposed marriage. I politely declined but another guard came over to extol the virtues of his friend. I said I’d have to think about it and that I’d be back in two weeks. I sincerely hope my suitor is on another shift.

It was a quick drive to the hotel, thank the gods, and the hotel staff processed us very efficiently, knowing that we were on our last legs. I squeezed in a shower before bed to wash off the travel and airplane sweat. Then, I laid down in the dark and embraced oblivion.

We got to sleep in a bit the next day, meaning we didn’t leave until 10am. Our first stop was the central market, a small souk where locals buy and sell fresh meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruits. It reminded me of the souks in Tunisia, as well as the local markets in Cuba.

Our next stop was Mohamed V Square, a large square with a fountain and about 10,000 pigeons flying about. The locals buy what looks like popcorn and feed it to the pigeons. Families bring their small kids to the square, hand them a bunch of corn, and then laugh their asses off as their kids get swarmed by hungry pigeons.

From there we drove to the Royal Palace which was originally built by the French so their top officials had somewhere to wine and dine dignitaries. It was taken over by the Moroccans after independence and the King made it his palace in Casablanca.. For me, the most impressive part of the mosque was the Royal Door which is wood with brass and aluminum inlay. The doors are so huge that I couldn’t even reach the door knocker.

Our final stop before lunch was the Hassan II Mosque. It has an indoor prayer hall that can accommodate 25,000 worshipers, and many thousands more can worship outside in the huge square. It is the second largest mosque in Africa after Mecca. It was a stunning complex with the mosque in the center and buildings along the outside of the square dedicated to learning and training. The noon prayer service was about to start so we saw many people entering the mosque, and, as we left, we could hear the imam start the prayer service.

Our first lunch was at a restaurant on the seaside that specialized in fish. Our guide, Ibrahim, had called ahead and ordered a set menu of salad and white fish. It was delicious and the view was quite nice, though not spectacular because of the McDonald’s across the street.

After that we drove to Rabat. Most of us passed out in the bus and snoozed for the trip, which couldn’t have been more than an hour and a half.

In Rabat our first stop was another Royal Palace. We could only take photos from 50 meters away from the entrance, but we were allowed to take photos of the soldiers and guards, which is usually strictly forbidden.

Our next stop was the Mohamed V Mausoleum. Our guide had arranged for us to arrive just before 5pm, when the guards of the mausoleum take down the flag. The ceremony was much like any flag lowering ceremony, except the bugler was horrendous. Either that or our ears aren’t trained to recognize the mellifluous tones of Moroccan bugling.

The mausoleum was a very somber place with lots of Moroccans praying and giving thanks to the former king. We were told to use hushed tones to show respect. It was quite a beautiful place, in part because there are prayer rooms to the side where family members still come to pray.

Outside the mausoleum is the Hassan Tower, the only remaining part of a mosque that was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1700s. The builders were intending to make it the largest mosque in the world but sadly it was destroyed and now the only parts standing are the tower and some adobe walls.

Our final stop of the day was the Oudaya Kasbah, which used to be a prison or stronghold but is now a largely residential district with a few merchants. We went first to a Moorish café that our guide assured us had been operating since the 1200s. He said it was the last Moorish café in operation in Morocco. After sampling some cookies and making a “technical stop” – our guide’s way to describe a pee break – we walked through the twisting Kasbah to our bus.

We were very glad to arrive at our hotel, which was very beautiful. We were all so tired that we made a half-hearted effort to have dinner and then we all shuffled off to bed.