We were unsure what to think of Casablanca due to its online reputation. It is generally regarded as a seedy city with very few tourist destinations. So few that TripAdvisor ranks the Hassan II Mosque as the #1 and #2 stop in their list of top attractions. My first impression of Casablanca was quite different than I expected. It is a large modern city with more character than it is given credit for.
Due to its popularity, our first stop of the day was the aforementioned mosque.
The Hassan II Mosque is the 7th largest mosque in the world and is one of the few in Morocco that allows Non-Muslims inside its doors. The whole complex was very impressive. The exterior courtyard was decorated with elaborate fountains and archways.
Upon closer inspection of the tower we found they favor one side over the other.
Colossal steel doors gave way to the spectacular architecture inside. At this point we were only permitted to take photographs from the threshold of the door but it did not disappoint.
While in the area we decided to take a stroll across the dazzling 50 meter long beach.
The sand was unique and fine grained.
We decided to stop at a nearby cafe for some lunch. It was at this point I decided it would be interesting to try an avocado smoothie. To my surprise it was very tasty and salvaged the bland cheese pizza that accompanied it.
Chock-full of dairy we headed down the walkway next to the mosque that lined the ocean. By this point the beach had given way to a fortress of geometric concrete objects.
While we climbed around this concrete playground I started to feel a little heavy in the stomach. The overload of lactose turned out too be too much for me and my delicate stomach. I returned to the land what my stomach had taken. I am not sure if this is a result of my questionable lunch choices or my continued sickness but either way I felt considerably better after the incident. I was just thankful it did not occur anywhere near the mosque grounds.
Thus far Casablanca had exceeded our expectations. With the Medina around the corner this would prove to be the final test. We entered it expecting a myriad of scumbags approaching us to feast upon our white tourist flesh. To our surprise we were met with no harassment of any type (other than a hash dealer). The Medina roads were also wider, easily navigable, and clear of asshole motorbikes.
All in all we give Casablanca 4 thumbs up. All we can figure is that other travelers must love the filth and constant harassment other cities offer. I wouldn't spend multiple days here but its worth a stop.
Tim needed a suitcase to transport his stash of African goods so we entered the first bag shop we saw. The shop owner had a weird pricing scheme where bags were priced based on how many wheels they had. After some haggling Tim got a 4 wheel bag for a 2 wheel price. With not much time left in our trip we decided to finish our shopping at the medina. It took some scavenging but after a while we were able to find everything we needed.
Following our final chucking of cash we needed to reclaim the various relics from our trip so we could do our final packing. We went to collect these items from the trunk of the prestigious Dacia Logan. Outside we found it parked next to some questionable cars. I think we really classed up the place compared to these clunkers.
When we first left our car with the valet we were instructed to park in front of a large elevator. We wishfully thought that this was an elevator for cars. When we were instructed to just leave the car in front of it we didn't think much more about it. This time our suspicions were confirmed as the large doors opened.
Christmas came early in the room as we unpacked the artifacts from our journey. Behold the magical genie camel lamp that Tim purchased. Part of his catastrophic deal.
After some down time we headed out for dinner. The city was abuzz as we strolled down the busy streets. We eventually came upon our last tourist site, the twin towers of Casablanca.
Not feeling terribly adventurous we went for an authentic Moroccan dinner.
It was almost as authentic as this option:
