Casablanca

We had an early morning wake up call at 6:30 followed by breakfast. Today we left Marrakech after toured the gardens.
The Gardens are celebrating their 100th anniversary.
The Jardin Majorelle, which extends over 9,000 m, is one of the most enchanting and mysterious gardens in Morocco. Created over the course of forty years, it is enclosed by outer walls, and consists of a labyrinth of crisscrossing alleyways on different levels and boldly-coloured buildings that blend both Art Deco and Moorish influences. The French painter Jacques Majorelle conceived of this large and luxuriant garden as a sanctuary and botanical ‘laboratory’. In 1922, he began planting it with exotic botanical specimens from the far corners of the world.
In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who first arrived in Morocco in 1966, purchased the Jardin Majorelle to save it from destruction at the hands of hotel developers. The new owners decided to live in Jacques Majorelle’s villa, which they renamed the Villa Oasis.
What an amazing place.
It is a 3 plus hour drive back to Casablanca where we will rejoin the ship later today.
Once we arrived in Casablanca we had lunch at Rick’s Cafe from “Casablanca”movie fame. “Play it again Sam!”
Lunch was delicious. Diana had salmon in an orange sauce and Myron had lamb chops in garlic butter. We shared a molten lava cake for dessert.
After lunch we went and toured the Hassan II Mosque. It is the 7th largest mosque in the world.
Its large outdoor esplanade can accommodate some 80,000 people and the prayer hall another 25,000, and it has a spectacular retractable roof, underfloor heating, and 50 Murano glass chandeliers weighing some 1,200 kg each. In addition, the ablution hall has 41 fountains and 600 taps, while the hammam has a capacity for 1,400 people. It is a true display of the talent of Moroccan craftsmen and, of course, a cultural symbol of the highest order.
We enjoyed the tour of the mosque and the architecture.
We got back on the ship about 5 and sailed at 8. We had dinner in the restaurant just the two of us.
Myron went to the comedy show and Diana decided she was tired and wanted to just relax in the cabin.
What a great couple of days we had. A beautiful sunset as we say goodnight.Baca selengkapnya