After two 8 hour back to back flights with a break in Dubai, we arrived at Casablanca. The arrival area in the airport needs a major facelift and certainly does not present the best first impression, but we retrieve our luggage fairly quickly. After that its a long line to clear customs and almost everyone is being made to open their luggage. When our turn came, we braced ourselves, but were pleasantly surprised when the custom official beamed upon us "oh, Indian ! I love Indian movies !", and waved us through. A good start. We were met at arrival by Ibrahim, our driver, arranged through Authentic Morocco, changed money into Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) at the exchange counter, and were all set.
We stepped outside into 22 degree fresh air, bliss after 16 plus hours of recycled aircon. Ibrahim quickly drove us into town, and we picked up our guide for that afternoon, Meryem. We decided to go dump our luggage first at our hotel - the Barcelo, and freshen up before setting out.
The Barcelo was a good quiet hotel in a city not known for very good quality hotels for some reason. We checked in and went up to the room, freshened up, I grabbed a wrap from my bag as after all, being decorously covered from here on would be the norm, and we rejoined Ibrahim and Meryem in the car.
Meryem's first stop was an unscheduled one. She decided to take us to City Hall, which is not often on most people's sightseeing list, but which is an absolutely beautiful building, and a great introduction to traditional Moroccan architecture.
Moroccan architecture is the beautiful amalgamation of four features. An intricately carved cedarwood ceiling, elaborate alabaster or stucco work on the upper walls, beautifully coloured mosaic work or "zellij" on the lower walls, and marble columns and fountains. The City Hall is truly a very good representation of what happens when all these come together in a magical way.
The inner courtyard of this amazing government administrative office space is taken up by an Andalusian garden.
After that wonderful surprise of a sight, we discovered that another sight that actually was on the itinerary, the Royal Palace doors, would have to be missed, since the King had just arrived and was in residence, and the palace was hence off limits. We managed to sneak this picture of the door before being shooed off by the guards.
It was on to the Quartier Habous, built by the French during their occupation to try and ease some of the crowding of the old medina. We walked around the residential area before coming upon the souk.
Meryem took us to a traditional bakery. In Morocco all residential neighborhoods have five things - a mosque, a fountain for ablutions, a medersa or school, a bakery and a souk for spices. We bought some treats including the famous Gazelle horns filled with sweet almond paste.
We left the Quartier Habous and drove to the heart of the city - Place Mohamed V. A bustling square made even more so as families thronged around enjoying the afternoon sunshine.
Our first instance of paying for a photograph - with the water seller. Instantly identified by their trademark colourful "chapeau", they carry around water in goatskins.
Meryem told us that we would be visiting the Hassan II mosque on a official tour,which is the only way to see it, the next day. But we would spend some time looking at the outsides of the mosque today, so as not to take up much time tomorrow. We got out and were confronted by a huge expansive space. The wind had also picked up and it had suddenly turned very cold, so I was more than happy to have my wrap with me.
The Hassan II mosque is the second largest in the world, after the mosque in Mecca. Itcan accommodate up to 25000 people for prayer at a time. It covers an area of 9 hectares, with more than half being built over the sea, and it is said that the laser beams that shine from on top of the minaret facing Mecca can be seen 30 miles away.
What immediately stands out about the mosque is that it is a very successful modern conceptualisation of all the traditional Moroccan architectural elements and craftmanship. I fell in love with the huge titanium and bronze doors, truly the most beautiful I have ever seen.
We walked around the outside, taking pictures and marvelling over the size and detail of the workmanship. There were many families, with children running around in the vast plaza, and it made for a very happy space.
We drove to a viewpoint from where we got a really nice picture of the entire complex, after which we drove around the beachside area of the city.
We passed the Marabout of Sidi Abdurrehman, dedicated to a holy man, and a site purported to host many miracles. One can only visit at low tide, when you can walk over the sea bed.
It was time to thank and say good bye to Meryem for giving us a good introduction to both Caza and Morocco. We returned to the hotel and freshened up for dinner.
Ibrahim drove us to Rick's Cafe. Inspired by its namesake from the move Casablanca, it is run by an American woman, and comes with all the decadence, charm and even a pianist, a la the film version.
We sat at a wonderful table near the piano and enjoyed the great food and ambience. Jet lag was setting in, giving us that slightly heady feeling of knowing that we were far from home, at the start of a great adventure.
After dinner, Ibrahim drove us back to the hotel and we tumbled into bed. Our tryst with Morocco had begun.
