Play it, Sam
Casablanca.
No signs of Bogart or Bergman, but there is a Rick´s Bar (although no one who goes looking for it seems to be able to find it!)
Casablanca is not the romantic city that it´s reputation would have you believe. It was probably the only city in Morocco where we didn´t feel entirely safe at night. It also isn´t a large tourist destination, but more of a business city. This meant that because of Ramadan it was really hard to find food here - during the day everything was closed, and at night everywhere was full with people breaking their fast. We ate digestive biscuits for lunch and Halal McDonalds for dinner!!
The highlight of Casa for us was the Hassan II Mosque. It is the biggest religious monument in the world after Mecca, and can accomodate 25,000 worshippers inside the building. We were told that during Ramadan the mosque fills up every day! It has an enormous roof which splits in the centre to open up to the sky, and underground it has steam rooms which are open to all - both muslims and non-muslims. This mosque was the only one we found in Morocco which allowed non-Mulsims to enter.
posted by Emily @ 9:56 pm
1 comments
1 Comments:
Casablanca is one of the biggest cities in Morocco. It is to be quite frank, a city, nothing special about it. As all cities it offers its western comforts, McDonalds and other fast food chains can be found. A cosmopolitan city where houses prices are cheaper than Europe has fuelled a drive in demand for Morocco property due to such a big amount of tourists and foreigners. It is a business centre, and reflects appropriately the living standards of Moroccans, the out skirts of the city is lined with make shift shacks, plastic bags and other rubbish surrounds the squats, as does the scent of death. All in all Casablanca was an experience; I don't think I will return. It's a shame because the surrounding areas are quite special; beaches that line the coast are very clean, warm water and great surf, up to 5m in winter. Keep your wits when traveling in Casablanca, I would not recommend single girls traveling alone, or in groups of girls, it is also advised to dress appropriately and wear a wedding band.
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