I left my heart in Casablanca! Part 2

Hassan II Mosque is a spectacular architectural masterpiece built right on the side of the water.  Holding up to 25 000 faithfuls inside it’s huge prayer room and 80 000 people in it’s surrounding court-yards, the Hassan II Mosque is the 3rd biggest mosque in the world.

It was completed in 1993 after 7 years of hard and detailed work. 6 000 artisans were hired to work on the sculpted plaster and wood decorations as well as the mosaics that decorate every square inch of the mosque.

It’s quite simply breathtaking!

I left my heart in Casablanca! Part 1

Casablanca isn’t a city that tourists are usually drawn to. For me, it was a dive into my husbands childhood. I don’t know if it is that extra personal twist that touched me so deeply but I absolutely loved Casablanca. Casablanca is huge. It scurries with 1 million motor bikes and little red taxies. It’s loud, it’s polluted but it’s so magical. Packed market places, street vendors and souvenirs from a past French occupation make this effervescent city unique.  It’s a mix of  traditional ways of life with Morocco’s modern economic development.

A sneak peak at part of the great snack that was waiting for us at our arrival in Casablanca. Little almond Moroccan cakes. Perfect to nibble on with some fresh mint tea!

At the end of every meal… an extravagant fruit platter!

Kisaria Hafari is a huge market that takes up an entire neighbourhood. A small interior section (filled with clothing and shoes) as well as many winding streets make up this gigantic market. Clothing, spices, beauty products, live stock, fruits, vegetables, household items, jewellery…. Virtually everything that you can imagine can be found in the tightly packed streets of the Kisaria Hafari. This was one of my favourite places to explore in Casablanca for it’s endless treasures to be found around every corner. So many things to see, so many things to taste, so many things to smell… One of the great things about this place is…. no tourists! My blue eyes and faire skin betray me but I really felt like a Moroccan woman doing her daily shopping (minus the camera of course…). This market is no secret but I truly feel as if I had discovered a 100% Arabic place, never visited before by any Canadian girl.


The djellaba. I was surprised by the number of women who were this traditional Moroccan dress in everyday life.

The Moroccan babouche. This leather slide-in is worn both inside and outside the house by both women and men. I picked up a few pairs of these for myself…

There is a section of the market where clothing textiles are sold.

As well as the trims.

Seamstresses have little tiny shops where they can do any mending jobs on the spot. Some are even set-up outside, sewing away in the open air.

Casablanca’s coast is lined with hotels, restaurants, pools, bars and nightclubs. The beach however has a very local taste. Families on the beach and boys (young and old…. and very old even) playing soccer on the wet sand. 

Ah!!! This is a Casablanca little red taxi. One fun little fact about Morocco is that every city’s little taxis are a different colour. In Casa, they’re RED! You can be a maximum of 3 passengers (plus the driver) and don’t be surprised if  a stranger going in the same direction as you hops into the taxi to share the ride. There are thousands of taxis in the city and are a very common way of getting around.

Moroccans eat on the streets a lot! Anyone up for some hot snails in a warm spicy bouillon? Delicious actually!

At night, the city transforms itself  and the ambiance changes totally!

El Jadida... A fortress by the sea

It’s very hard to describe Morocco in precise terms. For me it was very much of a feeling and I find it hard to put into words. Morocco is an ambiance, it’s a lifestyle. It’s 100% different in everyway from our North American way of life. It almost feels like I had been sucked into a movie and that everything around me was surreal. A mix of modern and traditional with a completely different language: Arabic (what that a majority of people do speak French) and a touch of Islam.

Because of our very short vacation time, we were only able to visit 4 cities.  My hubster was born and raised in Casablanc, so he has a particular attachment to this city and had 1 million things to show me. This is were we sent the most of our time exploring the hidden treasures  of the city. The great thing about visiting with a local (or ex-local) is that I didn’t feel like a tourist visiting only the things mentioned in the travel guides. I really feel as if I got a special tour accented with a very local twist.

We stopped by El Jadida to visit some family, and it was fully worth the drive down. El Jadida is a small city on the coast of Morocco, just south of Casablanca. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. For me, El Jadida is an old Portuguese fortified city, cafés on the beach and fishing nets.

Morocco is known for it’s storks. Once in a while, it comes as no surprise to spot the gigantic nests or the majestic white and black birds.

Remember… no trespassing with your horse and buggy!

The Portuguese built this fortified city in 1506 and baptised it Mazagan. It then became Morocco’s most important commerce spot. It was later claimed by the Moroccans in 1769 and was renamed El Jadida which means The New in Arabic. 

The old fortress also hold the Citern Portugaise which is a huge underground room which was used to collect drinking water. It’s impossible to capture the feeling of this place… indescribable!

Did I mention El Jadida is by the sea? Everyday men go out fishing in their small wood boats.

Thank God for the fisherman… YUMMY!

What’s the expression… when in Rome, do as the Romans. Well check me out in my Morrocan dress!

Moroccan pottery stold my heart. I must say that it is one of the hadcrafted things that impressed me the most. Look at all those colors!

Just a few kilometres away from the city are the gorgeous beaches of Sidi-Bouzid. The water was not as hot as I had expected though!