Morocco day 2: Casablanca

As our Intrepid Travel ‘Best of Morocco’ tour didn’t officially begin until our first group meeting at 6pm on Sunday 22 June we had the whole of Sunday to explore Casablanca further.

And what better way to start the day than with breakfast at a sidewalk café just across the road from the old medina, where we could enjoy our omelettes and orange juice, olives and bread and mint tea, while indulging in some very entertaining people-watching. “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

I can’t help but think of the Bogart movie when I hear the name Casablanca so it seems appropriate to stir a quote or two from the movie into the mix. The one that seems most appropriate to me is: “I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship” – and here’s why.

After breakfast, we headed into the hustle and bustle of the old medina, with its narrow passageways and winding alleys, to discover another world – a world of intoxicating smells: exotic spices and smelly fish guts, refreshing mint and newly tanned leather; a world of vibrant colours: bright yellow turmeric and lipstick pink slippers, multi-coloured robes and brightly painted doors; a world of friendly faces and beaming smiles.

Julie and Andrea make friends with the locals

To be perfectly honest, I was surprised at how open and friendly the local men were, as I had expected some reluctance to communicate in a Muslim country. It seems, however, that Morocco has always shown a high level of tolerance for other religions and cultures, which, combined with the country’s strong Western connections and its King’s progressive attitude, is reflected in the warmth and friendliness of its people and their willing interaction with foreigners.

Though the women were mostly reluctant, the men happily posed for us, even asking to be photographed and for us to snap their sons and workmates, then laughing and poking fun at each other when they saw the results. I suspect they also enjoyed the banter and the hint of flirting with my two younger companions though Julie and Andrea weren’t the only ones to get an expected hug and harmless peck on the cheek that day!

After a couple of hours, we moved on, via a local taxi, to the Habous area and the new medina that had called out to our shopping genes the day before. We lunched first, curb side, under the welcome shade of a huge tree, with half the local male population also enjoying the shade and a cup of tea and a gossip. How is it that men have so much time to just sit and chew the fat while the women are nowhere to be seen?

Amazingly, none of us bought much in the new medina – I bought nothing at all! This was, rather, a good chance to see what things we might buy at some point in the following couple of weeks: rugs and lanterns, clothing and scarves, ceramics and jewellery, woodwork and mirrors, as well as all sorts of touristy souvenirs.

Andrea became fascinated by the local bakery and made friends with the man who was carrying the freshly baked goods from the bakery to the shop across the alley, which resulted in us being given some still-hot and mouth-wateringly good cookies to try. We couldn’t resist buying a selection to take back to the hotel as they were divine!

It was soon time to head back to meet the other Intrepid travellers and our team leader, Issam. We were a group of 15, hailing from New Zealand, Australia, England, the USA and Singapore, ranging in age from a 15-year-old travelling with his parents to a 60-something woman, and seemed a merry, well-travelled bunch.

After Issam briefed us on what to expect during the coming two weeks and what would be happening the following day, most of the team headed off to dinner together. However, Julie, Andrea and I had already decided on a meal in the famous Rick’s Café, so we taxied off to enjoy a superb dinner (my swordfish was exquisite!) with excellent entertainment by a world-renowned jazz player. What better way to bring our brief stay in Casablanca to a close!

Morocco day 1: Casablanca

The flight from Madrid to Casablanca on Saturday 21 June took just 1 hour 50 minutes, the wait to get through immigration 30 minutes – I think North African time is a little like ‘island time’, and the taxi ride into Casablanca about 30 minutes, so I was safely ensconced in my hotel by about 2pm local time.

My cousin Julie and her friend and workmate Andrea had arrived from Singapore, where they live, not long before me so, after a quick catch up and time to refresh, we headed out to explore. The streets were just coming to life after the long lunch and siesta break, so sensible in a hot country. First impressions were of shabby early-20th-century-style buildings, with some lovely snippets of Art Deco and Islamic influences in their architecture; a local love of icecream, judging by the number of gelato vendors and people queuing to buy; mad traffic with many truly ancient cars, some literally held together with duct tape and string; and extremely friendly people.

We were thirsty and a bit peckish so found a restaurant, Tucked away upstairs in a rather non-descript building was our first taste of the beautiful interior decoration we would discover all over Morocco, with gorgeous mosaic, tile and stucco work, and colourfully painted ceilings, lit by intricately patterned lanterns. Our host was happy for us to photograph his place, interrupting lunch with his family to turn lights on and off for us, and giving us advice about Casablanca and his cell phone number in case we needed any help during our visit.

Wandering on from there we were soon taken under the wing of a delightful taxi driver who persuaded us to let him give us a tour of the city for the next 90 minutes for a very small charge, so we proceeded to whizz round to the old Sacre Coeur Catholic Church, the former cathedral, which is now just empty space inside and used for exhibitions rather than religious services; the Notre Dame Church, the largest active Catholic church in the city; the new medina near the royal palace at Habous, which was overflowing with delights to tempt the shopper so we vowed to return there the next day; past the port, for a quick look at all the large container ships and small fishing boats moored there; then to the highlight of the day, the Hassan II Mosque.

This mosque can only be described in superlatives! It’s the largest in Morocco, the largest in Africa, the seventh largest in the world, and the tower is the tallest religious tower in the world. The mosque has an internal capacity of 25,000 people, with room for 80,000 more on the outside courtyards – gigantic! And it has all the mod-cons: a laser light shines from the tower towards Mecca and the huge pavilion roof opens up, to name just a couple. It also sits in a beautiful location, on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. As men strolled deep in discussion, women sat chatting under the cloisters while their children played tag and football, and students sat quietly reading, the late afternoon light made the buildings glow, creating an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. It was a magical place!

We wanted to dine watching the sun go down so our taxi man whisked us off to a wonderful cliff-top restaurant close to the local lighthouse, where we enjoyed our first taste of the tagine and couscous dishes this country is famous for – and they were delicious! It was the perfect end to a perfect first day in Morocco.