Berrechid Province

Today we arrived in Casablanca, Morocco. It is famous for the 1942 movie none of which was filmed in Casablanca. All of it was in Hollywood...
On our excursion we took in quite a few sites today.
We first drove to one of the country's four imperial cities - Rabat. Along the way we got to see the new, modern parts of Casablanca, large government apartment housing complexes and even shanty towns built by reclaimed materials by the workers.
We stopped at the Royal Palace and could only see the outside. We were not permitted anywhere near the entrance and could only take pictures from the plaza around it. Our guide said that these red coat guards are actually real relatives of the king and guard him when he is there.
Our next stop was walled city of the Oudaya Kasbah (Kasbah means fortress) built in the 13th century. We walked the maze of narrow streets inside the city where people still live, and then finally to the plaza overlooking the Bou Regreg River. There were many differently painted doorways that were decorated differently, probably so that you could find your way around in the hundreds of narrow streets.
We then visited the Mohammed V Mausoleum where King Hassan II has a tomb. The building is guarded at every door and corner on the inside. It was a square building with the tomb made of Carrera marble. The walls were full of very intricate tile work with gold leaf and an ornate domed ceiling. It is and incredible site to see. Outside are the remaining pillars of an ancient building (Mosque) that was stated in 12th century but never completed. There were 348 pillars. At the end is the Hassan Tower made of red sandstone, like the pillars. The tower and a portion of the outter wall is the only structures still standing from the 12th century.
Then we stopped at a local restaurant for a meal of Moroccan salad, Tijen chicken and almond cookies with honey. The pic of the lady pouring tea is the traditional way where the honey is put in the glass first and then the mint tea is poured from a height to melt and mix the honey with the tea.
Our last stop on the way back to the ship was in Casablanca at the Hassan II Mosque, recently built. It cost 100's of millions of dollars and is the largest temple in the world (25k inside and 80k people outside). It sits on the ocean and is really a work of art. We did not go inside and if you do, you have to avoid the multiple prayer times a day.
Then back to the ship to set off to sail to Tangier Morocco tomorrow...Read more