Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
After stopping at a couple of coastal holiday towns on the drive up the coast which were pretty basic, we arrived in Casablanca on a Sunday morning. We were driving around looking for the campsite and as in Fes someone drove up at the side on a moped indicating to us to follow him to the campsite. This time it was an oldish guy with what looked like his grandson on the back aged about 5. It was lucky that he did as otherwise we may have struggled to find it. We offerred him a few coins but he wouldn't take it. One of the rreasons why Moroccans are so friendly and helpful is that according to Islamic teaching, Allah is sometimes embodied as a stranger, so for this rreason unkown visitors enjoy a certain status and people are constantly welcoming you to their country and putting a hand on their heart which is a gesture to show they are sincere.
We parked the van and got a taxit dow to the Blvd de la Corniche, a trendy (by Moroccan standards) oceonfront neighbourhood lined with restaurants and hotels. It was buzzing with people strolling along in the Sunday afternoon sunshine and was reminiscent of Blackpool promenade it its heyday! There are 2 McDonalds along the promenade both packed to the brink with families and the drive through clogged with cars at both of them.Â
It is hard to describe Casablance as it is very much a mix of old and new. The largest sight is the Hassan II mosque built in 1993 holding 25,000 worshippers and up to 80,000 more can be accommodated in the esplanades around it. The 210 meter minaret is the highest in the world and is visible for miles around.
Not one scene for the famous film that made Casablance famous was shot within thousands of miles of the city. The nearest hint of the film that a visitor will find is at a bar by the name of Rick's care. This piano bar has re-constructed the film;s Hollywood set and we went for dinner. It was amazing. We sat in the coctail bar watching the old black and white film with G & T's and couldn't believe we were sitting in the same set. Everything was there right down to the bar exactly the same and the pianist playing the piano. We kept expecting Humphrey Bogart to walk in smoking a cigarette!! The service and food were fantastic and it was really a great night to finish off our stay in Casablanca.
- comments