We slid into Casablanca on Mothers Day, a misty Sunday morning. It was warm and the haze gradually yielded without ever completely doing so. Our first of two days back in Morocco would take us beyond a strange day trip many years ago from Gibraltar to Tangier. Ports around the world are remarkably similar and only when you leave the harbour area can you begin to see the individual characteristics of a new place. My first impression from our balcony had already been that it looked a bit more salubrious than Cairo or even Alexandria. And indeed it was with even the poorest accommodation apparently sporting a satellite dish. We did not see the carelessly disposed trash which was prevalent in Egypt.
A highlights tour chosen as much for its relative brevity as anything can be a bit mundane and thus it was except that taken as a whole, it painted a picture of a quite interesting and not unattractive city. This is a country whose official language is Arabic but is not Arab – 70% Berber in fact – and our guide, a man with an extraordinary accent, was at pains to point out that Morocco’s inhabitants are not like those of Middle Eastern countries. In truth the European influence was there to behold. For all that Arabic might be the official language, French was prominently displayed everywhere and lent a certain comfort to our perambulations.
Socially, it was rather strange. Although a predominantly Moslem country, Morocco observes the weekend on Saturday and Sunday so many aspects today were fairly quiet. It is not clear how the Friday prayers of the faithful are accommodated.
We had been told in Egypt that the numerals I recognise as Arabic and are used for example on Egyptian licence plates are in fact “Indian” and that Arabic numerals are the very ones we use in our daily lives. This was underlined by the Moroccan licence plates which have a mix of “European” numerals (true Arabic) and a single Arabic letter. I elicited an explanation of the local licence plate system as a matter of interest to me.
We saw the facade of Rick’s Cafe but having never seen “Casablanca” I was neither enlightened nor especially impressed. The guide was not impressed with the accuracy of the movie which was shot largely if not entirely in Hollywood. The King Hassan II mosque is the third largest in the world. I do enjoy mosques for their architecture and the workmanship in cedar and marble is to be admired. The decoration is pleasing to the eye without any religious context at all.
There is a great deal of construction going on in Casablanca so a city already rather more attractive than some we have been to even on this trip is taking pains to be even better. Projects start soon for tramway and metro and are slated for completion in 2013. A royal palace was of some interest but, in the manner of the region, is one of only 14 available to King Muhammed VI. The monarchy in this country is revered and long established and adds to the stability of a peaceful and reasonably democratic nation.
I avoided a multi-purpose bazaar until my return to the coach when I bought a belt for a remarkable €6. I chose instead to go for a short but illuminating walk. Our tour proper ended with a visit to food market. I must say, flies notwithstanding, it was a very nice market where freshness was very much in evidence. This was most obvious at the fish stalls which frankly smelt a lot more pleasant than would their equivalent in England.
A highlights tour chosen as much for its relative brevity as anything can be a bit mundane and thus it was except that taken as a whole, it painted a picture of a quite interesting and not unattractive city. This is a country whose official language is Arabic but is not Arab – 70% Berber in fact – and our guide, a man with an extraordinary accent, was at pains to point out that Morocco’s inhabitants are not like those of Middle Eastern countries. In truth the European influence was there to behold. For all that Arabic might be the official language, French was prominently displayed everywhere and lent a certain comfort to our perambulations.
Socially, it was rather strange. Although a predominantly Moslem country, Morocco observes the weekend on Saturday and Sunday so many aspects today were fairly quiet. It is not clear how the Friday prayers of the faithful are accommodated.
We had been told in Egypt that the numerals I recognise as Arabic and are used for example on Egyptian licence plates are in fact “Indian” and that Arabic numerals are the very ones we use in our daily lives. This was underlined by the Moroccan licence plates which have a mix of “European” numerals (true Arabic) and a single Arabic letter. I elicited an explanation of the local licence plate system as a matter of interest to me.
We saw the facade of Rick’s Cafe but having never seen “Casablanca” I was neither enlightened nor especially impressed. The guide was not impressed with the accuracy of the movie which was shot largely if not entirely in Hollywood. The King Hassan II mosque is the third largest in the world. I do enjoy mosques for their architecture and the workmanship in cedar and marble is to be admired. The decoration is pleasing to the eye without any religious context at all.
There is a great deal of construction going on in Casablanca so a city already rather more attractive than some we have been to even on this trip is taking pains to be even better. Projects start soon for tramway and metro and are slated for completion in 2013. A royal palace was of some interest but, in the manner of the region, is one of only 14 available to King Muhammed VI. The monarchy in this country is revered and long established and adds to the stability of a peaceful and reasonably democratic nation.
I avoided a multi-purpose bazaar until my return to the coach when I bought a belt for a remarkable €6. I chose instead to go for a short but illuminating walk. Our tour proper ended with a visit to food market. I must say, flies notwithstanding, it was a very nice market where freshness was very much in evidence. This was most obvious at the fish stalls which frankly smelt a lot more pleasant than would their equivalent in England.
We understand that Casablanca, fourth largest city in Africa, is not the most interesting place in Morocco for the tourist – we shall see in Agadir tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am glad I visited and would like to see it again with its enhanced transport infrastructure.
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