Casablanca, Morocco
January 28, 2008
Well, I have to say that those expecting romance or adventure here in Casablanca will be sorely disappointed. Humphrey Bogart never came here, and the flim Casablanca was filmed entirely in Hollywood. “Casa”, as the Moroccans call it, is actually Africa’s second-largest city after Cairo with a popultation between 3 and 4 million. It’s a very modern city compared to Marrakech and is also home to Africa’s largest port.
When I arrived at the train station last night just after dusk, I was greeting by a throng of people and about 100 taxis all hustling for a fare. Much more crazed than my arrival in Marrakech. Once I secured a taxi, the first thing he did was try to talk me out of my hotel because it was “very expensive” and of course he knew of a hotel that would be much better for me. Thanks buddy, but I think I can decide where I want to stay. He gave in and took me the Le Royal Monsour Meridien, my hotel for the one night I will be in Casablanca (and I’m starting to thik that will be plenty).
I was exhausted and starving as I hadn’t really had a meal since the race, the chicken sandwich I had on the train wasn’t holding me anymore. I had read that the hotel had an excellent Moroccan restaurant so I decided to try a real Moroccan meal. It turrned out to be a great idea as it was a terrific meal and I was back in my room and sound asleep by 9pm.
The next morning, after a great night’s sleep (finally), I planned to check out Casablanca’s biggest attraction and Morocco’s major landmark, the Hassan II Mosque. Proclaimed as a triumph of faith and craftsmanship, King Hassan’s mosque on the shores of the Atlantic was finally opened in 1993 after 6 years of contruction. It is the second-largest mosque in the world, after Mecca, and possesses the tallest minaret (656ft high). The mosque’s beautiful setting on the coast with breakers crashing at its base was apparently inspired by the Koranic verse: ‘the throne of God being on the water’. The prayer hall inside can accommodate 100,000 worshippers. It was beautiful and worth the stopover in Casa.
The nearby “beaches” however were another story. Not much to see there but a bunch of rocks. And since there were a number of persistant men who kept trying to talk to me as I walked down the shore, I gave up on my wandering and headed back to the hotel for my 3pm flight to Madrid. Morocco has been nice but I’m ready to get back to the European continent for a few days.
