Morocco Day 14

Our final day on this wonderful trip through Morocco. Novotel hotel in Casablanca not up to the other hotels on this trip. However for one night, no problem. About a 3 hour bus ride from Marrakesh, Casablanca is on the coast of the Atlantic and the largest city in Morocco. Casablanca is considered the economic and business center of Morocco and has an urban population of 3.35 million and a regional population of 6.8 million. A lot of work going on to renovate and take advantage of their long beachfront with parks and facilities. From the small bit of the city we saw, still a lot of work to do.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Casablanca and then to our hotel to check in. The afternoon was spent touring the amazing Hassan II Mosque. The mosque is set on an outcrop of land jutting over the Atlantic. The mosque is the 3rd largest in the world after Mecca and Medina. The beautiful building holds 25,000 people inside and an additional 125,000 outside for special celebrations such as Ramadan!!! Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres. (689ft) And the inside is filled every Friday for services. We were able to tour the interior of this mosque which was completed and opened in 1993. It is open to the public at various times each day when not in use. The interior is quite spectacular, especially the chandeliers - 56 chandeliers of white/clear Murano glass. The mosque is a showcase of the very best Moroccan artisan-ship: hand-carved stone and wood, intricate marble flooring and inlay, gilded cedar ceilings and exquisite zellige (geometric mosaic tilework) abound. The ablution area, where the men wash according to a Koran prescribed method, has fountains and wash stations for 1,000 people !! Again we learned a lot and so happy to have had this opportunity.
Back to our hotel for packing and other necessities to get ready to fly home tomorrow. However no trip to Casablanca would be complete without a trip to Rick's Cafe. (Of the movie, Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, fame. Illene and I out with other members of the tour group to see the famed bar for our pre-dinner cocktail I rather expected a dive but it was a lovely restuarant and bar, very homey and warm with low seating, fire places and lots of small rooms on 2 floors. Our room had Casablanca playing on a monitor in the room. :-) Fun and a drink to remember.
Back for dinner at the hotel, saying our goodbys as all leave at different times tomorrow. A great trip, good people on the tour, new friends and a wonderful guide in Mustafa.Read more