August 23, 2015

Casablanca, Morocco

Al Yassir Mosque at Place Al Yassir in Casablanca.
Al Yassir Mosque at Place Al Yassir in Casablanca.
A wall and entryway for the old medina in Casablanca.
A wall and entryway for the old medina in Casablanca.
Looking through the entryway.
Looking through the entryway.
The backside of Rick's Café (a cheap knockoff of the café in Casablanca).
The backside of Rick’s Café (a cheap knockoff of the café in Casablanca).
Hassan II Mosque - the largest mosque in Africa and the seventh largest in the world.
Hassan II Mosque – the largest mosque in Africa and the seventh largest in the world.
View of the minaret for the Hassan II Mosque, which was completed in 1993 AD.
View of the minaret for the Hassan II Mosque, which was completed in 1993 AD.
Hassan II Mosque seen from the coastline.
Hassan II Mosque seen from the coastline.
The bridge leading to the Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine.
The bridge leading to the Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine.
Another view of the bridge and the Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine.
Another view of the bridge and the Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine.
The Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine.
The Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine.
The beach north of Casablanca, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.
The beach north of Casablanca, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

I woke up today around 11:00, showered, dressed, and got ready to see Casablanca. I exited the hotel around 14:00 and walked northward to the medina. I continued on along the east edge of the medina and the west end of the port, looking at the remains of the walls that once enclosed the old city. While walking by the medina, I came across Rick’s Café (a knockoff of the famous Rick’s Café Americain that was in the film ‘Casablanca’; this Rick’s was opened several years ago in order to make money off of a film that none of the owners had anything to do with; also, sadly, quite a few old people visiting this restaurant appear to be duped in to believing it’s where they really filmed the movie, not realizing that it was made at the Warner Brothers Studio backlot – the reviews on TripAdvisor are pathetic). I was going to stop inside Rick’s for a beer despite the reviews I had read, but it was closed between 15:00 and 18:30, so I gave up on seeing the interior decorations and continued on my journey. Next, I arrived at the Hassan II Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Africa and the seventh largest in the world. The mosque was completed in 1993 AD and is a combination of Moroccan and Islamic architecture and design. Naturally, since I am considered an infidel, I could only admire the building’s external appearance and could not see its inner beauty. Anyway, after walking through the plaza on the mosque’s southern side, I followed the coastline westward. Just west of the mosque, there were many locals out on the rocks between the coast and the Atlantic Ocean. Further down, there were more proper beaches with sand, and these were quite crowded. I walked for a while and eventually made it to the Sidi Abdel Rahman shrine, a popular pilgrimage site for Moroccans. There was a time, not many years ago, when the shrine could only be reached during low tide; however, a bridge has now been installed and pilgrims can come and go as they please without getting their feet wet. Being an infidel, I could not enter the shrine anyway, but I was still disappointed that the bridge had been built because it makes it much less photographic. I walked out to the beach and far rocks on the west side of the shrine and took a number of photographs before turning back and heading east. I then walked to the closest tram stop (Ain Diab), bought a ticket, and rode the tram back toward the hotel, passing through the administrative and business districts of Casablanca on the way. I exited the tram one stop shy of the railway station stop and then walked to the nearby Pizza Hut for dinner. I had a Pepsi and a barbecue chicken, green pepper, and onion pizza. After dinner, I walked to a nearby market and bought some drinks and snacks. I then returned to my hotel room and relaxed the rest of the night away before falling asleep sometime around 03:00.

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