December 2018 itinerary link
I Googled Casablanca, and this is what came up first, not the city. The movie is considered to be one of the best ever made, but the city is not really a major stop for over 12 million tourists to Morocco (population: 36 million) each year. This made me rather curious.”Why is the biggest city in Morocco with the famous name that reminds people of one of the most beloved films of all time not popular for visitors?” I could not stop wondering.
Casablanca was the last stop during our 13 day tour of Morocco. We had hired a transportation service from Marrakesh, and the 3.5 hour drive went smoothly till we were on the street where the Airbnb apartment was located and could not find the number. Our driver had to call the owner of the apartment to meet up with his representative who led us to the place. By the time we settled into our 3 bedroom Airbnb apartment, it was way past lunch time, and the only lunch we could get in the neighborhood was pizza/chicken fast food. Then we started walking toward what appeared to be the center of town on the map.
A striking white structure caught our eye. It turned out to be the old Cathedral, which was under renovation. Luckily, a very nice gentleman let us in, and we could look around. Stained glass windows were stunning inside the church.
Colonial era buildings lined the street that led to their main square shown below.
Place (Plaza) Mohamed V (V here stands for 5, not an alphabet letter). Various government buildings filled up the square.
Heading back, we stopped at the Arab League Park. The streets in this neighborhood were lined with big exotic trees as shown below.
We noticed a pan-Asian restaurant near our apartment, and we decided to give it a try. It had signature dishes from Japan, Korea, China, Thailand etc. The food was actually not bad at all. We were happy that we went there.
The most famous structure in the city is Hassan II Mosque, and it graced the night sky from our apartment.
The first thing we noticed in the morning was: yes, Hassan II Mosque.
It was a 5 minute cab ride from our place, and it did live up to all the hype.
The admission ticket included a guided tour, and we were asked to take off our shoes before going inside. The mosque can hold 25,000 people. Another 80,000 people can gather outside for prayers. 12 million people donated money to build this 585 million euro building.
Completed in 1993, it is the second largest mosque in Africa and the 7th in the world. It took 7 years to finish the ambitious project commissioned by King Hasan II. His intention was:
I wish Casablanca to be endowed with a large, fine building of which it can be proud until the end of time … I want to build this mosque on the water, because God’s throne is on the water. Therefore, the faithful who go there to pray, to praise the creator on firm soil, can contemplate God’s sky and ocean.
After visiting the mosque, we walked to our next destination, Rick’s Cafe. We had no reservations, but they allowed us in for lunch provided we would stay no more than an hour.
The movie was actually shot at Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, California. An American expat decided to recreate Rick’s Cafe in the city of Casablanca, and the restaurant’s been there since 2004. They really did a good job of recreating the atmosphere, and there seemed to be no shortage of people wanting to eat there.
We were at one end of the Old Medina of Casablanca as we came out of the restaurant, thus, we walked into the medina just to see. Compared to Fez or Marrakesh, the one here was much smaller and more spacious and not as attention grabbing. We must have taken some photos, but, I can’t find them.
I had a mission given by a friend back home: go take some pictures of the cafe where Saint-Exupery frequented while he was living in the city in 1930’s. Petit Pouscet of those years attracted likes of Albert Camus and Edith Piaf, however, it is now a rather sad looking old bar. We sat down on the chairs outside and tried to imagine what it was like 80 – 90 years ago.
Some people say Petit Paucet might have been the inspiration for Rick’s Cafe in the movie. Looking out to the street from where we were sitting, the view captured below showed some possibility of an old colonial town where philosophers and writers and artists having heated discussions over gin drinks in a smoke filled bar. Just might have happened.
Then we walked over to the Central Market where one could buy fresh fish to be cooked right on the spot for a satisfying lunch. We got there too late to see that, though.
We could have grabbed a cab and gone a bit south from there to Habbous quarter, which is known as the New Medina of Casablanca. But we were tired, and we had seen enough medinas by then. So we went back and had a rest till dinner time. We tried a little Italian cafe for dinner, and that was fine.
Our last meal in Morocco the next day was at an artsy organic restaurant not too far from the apartment. Surprisingly great food.
So was spending 2 nights in Casablanca worth it? It’s not an exotic tourist town for sure. Fez and Marrakesh plus the desert experience will fill up a week very nicely for most people. Casablanca is more of a mid-sized commercial urban center where 3.7 million people lead their everyday lives. Among the cities around the world with compatible size of population, I’d say Casablanca can definitely be an attractive city for its cosmopolitan vibe, decent living condition at relatively reasonable costs, and enough local color. For us, it was a nice way to wind down our long trip which started on a 2 week cruise of Dalmatian coast. I am glad we spent the last two days in Morocco in Casablanca.
Small Wide World 