Not sure if it was the heat or the onset of ennui from being
on the road for 7 days but sadly, we found Casablanca a bit wanting. After Fez,
Quarzazate and Marrakech, Casablanca was definitely less shiny and new, it seemed older
and a little more industrial. Perhaps it was our lack of time. Arriving in
the late morning, we only had the balance of the day to explore all the things
that Casablanca had to offer.
The cab ride from the train station to our hotel set the tone.
The station was old and not the grand stations that we had grown accustomed. It was on the edge of town in an area that obviously had not been
visited by the King in a few years. The
streets were crowded and under construction. The cab driver was nice but you
could sense his frustration as we spent as much time stopped as we did
going. Time is money for these guys. The taxi’s air conditioning did not work and
we were cooking by the time we were a block from the station so we joined him in
his frustration.
The hotel was nice and we were able to occupy our room right
away. We dumped our luggage, enjoyed the air conditioning and the view for a few minutes
then headed back out to see as much of Casablanca as the day and our stamina
would allow.
The medina was not on our hit list. We had experienced Fez
and Marrakech; two of the best so did not feel the need spend most of our
limited time lost in another medina. Our first stop was the Mosque of Hassan II, a
highly recommended visit by our cab driver.
The Mosque of Hassan II can accommodate 25,000 worshippers
and is second in size only to the mosque in Mecca. With the assistance of over
35,000 craftsmen, the mosque was completed in 1993. The minaret stands over 200
metres (656 feet) and is called the lighthouse of Islam as the tower and a
large portion of the mosque is built over the water. No time to stop, so we just did a walk by.
Our route took us along the edge of the medina and through
some decidedly poor neighbourhoods. The smell of urine and excrement left by
humans kept us on our toes and moving fast. Public washrooms were non-existent
so the street became one. Keeping an eye on where we stepped, we made our way
to Boulevard de Mohammed V in good time. It was a beautiful palm lined boulevard but
sadly palms do not provide much shade so we did not spend much time enjoying
the view.
The Place des Nations Unie was very different from the one
in Marrakech. Here the Place was surrounded by some very cool art deco
buildings, mostly hotels; the Place was deserted in the full heat of the day. Only
similarly stupid tourists were out and about.
Moving quickly down Boulevard Mohammed V, we headed to Place Mohammed V and the Parc de la Ligue Arabe. We somehow missed the Place Mohammed V. I am sure we walked by it but somehow were not drawn to it. If it didn’t have any shady spots, we tended to avoid large open spaces.
The Parc de la Ligue Arabe .....
has seen some better days. We
found it poorly maintained and little used by anyone except for, according to
what I read, hookers, exhibitionist and fighting dogs. At one time there was a huge amusement park
but it had been shut down for some time and was in a very dilapidated and dirty
condition. It might have been quite a
place in its time.
Running out of shady
spots we headed back to the hotel and the blessed air conditioning. Tomorrow we
catch a flight to Malaga and then a quick train to Fuengirola. If all went well
we would meet up with Nonie’s sister.
We probably did not give Casablanca enough of our time, to
truly appreciate it, so don’t pass it up if you get the chance. See you all in Spain.
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