Morocco Day 13

 

Hi Everyone

We left the beautiful town of Essaouira this morning. I was sad to leave such a beautiful place and could have easily spent another day there. Essaouira is a special place ands I will always remember being there. Now onto Casablanca.

We drove over local roads until we finally hit a highway. During our trip the guide put on the movie “Casablanca”. Olivia had never seen it from start to finish. I have seen it over twenty times and can pick out when the famous lines will be spoken before they are. Stopped for lunch at a nice place called “The Oasis Cafe”. Had Kufta and coffee. Did not disappoint.

We finally entered the outskirts of Casablanca. Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco with a population of five million. Passed by some horrible looking slum areas and finally hit downtown. You can see the French influence in the architecture and names of some of the streets. The traffic was almost bumper to bumper. Thirty percent of all cars in Morocco are in Casablanca. Casablanca is also the economic center of Morocco. Large buildings and some skyscrapers. We made one stop. At about three o’clock we pulled up in front of the second largest mosque in the world. The mosque is named “Hassan II Mosque”. During Ramadan there are 105,000 worshippers here. Twenty five thousand fit inside and eighty thousand pray on the plaza outside. Looks like St Peters Square in Rome. I went inside. The mosque was built in 1993 and is half over the water with pillars holding it up. There is also a retractable roof when the mosque is full. I was very impressed by the inside. There were lots of carvings on the ceilings made from the wood of the Atlas Mountains. Downstairs were lots of marble fountains where the people wash themselves. Of course, you have to take your shoes off before entering and pictures were allowed. Women sections were separate from the men. Very impressive.

We finally arrived in our hotel. A large five star hotel. Olivia and myself took a short walk and what we saw was a dirty city full of traffic and people. It seems like the only reason why we are here is to get on the plane tomorrow morning. We also drove by “Rick’s Cafe”. Was opened in 2004 and we did not have time to stop.

Now for my wrap up. Morocco is a beautiful country and is a destination I would strongly recommend. The country is so diverse. From the beautiful sands of the Sahara to the ocean resort of Essaouira. You need two weeks to do it justice, but any destination its all about the people. They are beautiful and of course, the food is great. What I will miss the most is spending two weeks with my wife enjoying this amazing country. Her being on a camel and sleeping in a Bedouin Camp was an experience that will stay with me. Picking fresh dates from date trees at our Casbah is another jewel. On could go on and on, but go to Morocco. You will not be disappointed.

Love
Larry

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