After a month exploring European ports in the Mediterranean Sea we’re back out in the Atlantic Ocean and making a two-day encore visit to Africa, this time to Morocco. Day one is in the books, and it was great, primarily because of a single stop on our itinerary
Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city, a lot larger than I thought it was, with a population approaching four million inhabitants. It’s also Morocco’s bustling economic center, so I was quickly disabused of any notion that I would be visiting a romantic outpost of souks, camels, and Rick’s Café. Actually, there are still souks and a Rick’s, the latter inspired by the movie, but no Bogie or Bergman.
Our first stop of the day was at the Moroccan Jewish Museum, perhaps surprising considering that the five pointed star on the country’s flag represents the five points of Islam. However, our guide made quite a bit of effort during the day to emphasize Morocco’s religious tolerance, pointing out Jewish neighborhoods and synagogues as our bus wound through the city. Still, he also said that the Jewish population in Casablanca is just a fraction of what it was thirty or forty years ago, so I think this subject gets added to my research list after we get home. In any case, the museum was small, and we didn’t stay long, but it was interesting and I took quite a few photos.
Our next stops weren’t anything special, and I’d recommend skipping them if you’re ever here. We stood outside the city hall for a few minutes, admiring an admittedly cool wooden door, before walking to the King’s Palace, which we couldn’t enter and which was completely hidden behind a plain, cream colored wall. From the palace we walked to the New Medina, which I understood to be a more modern version of the city’s legendary habous, or shopping area. The Old Medina has quite a reputation as a colorful warren, where you can find almost anything and easily get lost. However, the New Medina was…nothing. And I mean nothing, just a single row of lonely, open air shops and no customers. Like I said, don’t bother.
From there things looked up, though. Our tour included lunch, and it was terrific. We ate at an upscale restaurant called Manaos, just a block from the beach, and the food was as good as the view. I’m not good at describing food dishes, but there was a hummus course, followed by a chicken course, with cheesecake for dessert, and they were all delicious.
And it was our first stop after lunch that made the whole day worthwhile. The Hassan II Mosque is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the fourteenth largest in the world. Its towering minaret is 60 stories high and is the second tallest on the planet. The mosque has room for 25,000 worshippers inside and another 80,000 outside. Oh, and did I mention that it’s beautiful?
I’ve commented in a couple recent posts that really large cathedrals we visited in Barcelona and Granada were cavernous inside, but they don’t hold a candle to the Hassan II Mosque, often called the Grand Mosque. The Mosque is unbelievably large, or maybe I should say it’s unbelievably long. However long you can imagine it to be, it’s longer. I don’t have any measurements, but they would just be numbers. When you look at my photos below, remember that I wasn’t standing against the wall when I took them. There was space behind me too.
Other than lunch, the Mosque was the only place we visited today where we really had time to look around and soak in what we were seeing. Our ship was an hour late in docking this morning, as we had to idle outside the harbor waiting for a Moroccan naval vessel to sail out. Adding to that, the Moroccan customs process was cumbersome, subtracting another half hour from our time on shore, with the result that our scheduled full day tour had to be compressed by 90 minutes.
We still had two destinations to squeeze in after the Mosque, but fortunately neither was of much significance. We made a brief stop at the city’s main square, where we had a chance to do a little shopping, and then bused to a beachfront cafe, where we had the opportunity to sample traditional Moroccan spearmint tea.
Then it was back to the ship, where we didn’t quite make the all aboard deadline of 6:00 pm. Fortunately, we were on a Royal Caribbean tour, and the ship always waits for late returnees if they’re on one of the ship’s own excursions. That would not be the case if passengers are off on their own and are late returning to the ship. When that happens the ship is under no obligation to wait, and those passengers are left behind, hopefully to find a way to meet the ship at its next port of call.
Tomorrow we’re in Agadir, another Moroccan city, where hopefully we can dock on time and move through customs expeditiously, because we have another all day excursion booked. I can’t wait, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it when we get back, so stay tuned.
Our first stop was at the small Moroccan Jewish Museum, where we saw exhibits relating to Jewish history in Morocco.
Another exh. Several, like this one, had no explanation, at least none that I saw.
One more exhibit at the Jewish Museum.
They certainly go big on doors here. This is the entrance to Casablanca’s City Hall.
The exciting view of the King’s Palace.
An even more exciting view of the official entrance to the Palace.
The equally exciting view of the New Medina.
I found an angel at the restaurant where we had lunch.
The minaret of a mosque. What’s significant here is the number of balls on the top. Three balls means it’s a regular mosque.
Note that there are five balls on top of the minaret in the background of this photo. We were told that the two extra balls mean that the mosque has some connection to the king.
Can’t quite make out what he was delivering.
If you see a small hand on a door, it means good luck or good fortune.
At the Grand Mosque. 80,000 worshippers can fit into the plaza outside the mosque.
A closer up view of the towering minaret.
My favorite view of the minaret.
The closer you get the more impressive it is.
Inside the Grand Mosque. It’s as beautiful as it is large.
Shooting in the opposite direction. It really is large.
The craftsmanship is fantastic.
A lot of open space for worshippers.
There were a few trainees chairs along the side of the main floor. This is where Imam trainees can meet with small groups of worshippers and hone their skills.
The was downstairs.
Under the main floor. This is where worshippers cleanse themselves before going upstairs to worship.
Now that’s a door.
Back outside. The Grand Mosque is the one thing you absolutely must see if you’re ever in Casablanca.
Drove past Rick’s Cafe, inspired by the movie.
We made a brief stop at the central plaza before returning to the ship.
Michele bought a postcard, stepped outside, and look what we saw.
Zoom in. This isn’t even the most crowded beach we saw. The water is rough, not the best for swimming, but the locals love it and they come anyway.
Komentarze