Casablanca! Sorry…I had to. Here we are in the storied port of Academy Award fame, but in a different time. A densely populated and sprawling city, Casablanca runs a fair length of the coast line and has a very busy working port. Our arrival was welcomed by a spectacular sunrise to the east and, from the grand Hassan II mosque to our west, the morning call to prayer by the muezzin. This was not the first call to prayer we have heard, but our first in an Arabic nation - the last was in Istanbul, Turkey, during Ramadan. It is also my first visit to a strictly Arabic country and to the African continent, so the opportunity to be here is rather exciting. A hazy smog with a faint smell of wood smoke hung over the city accentuating the red glow of sunrise.
While other shipmates headed off on their excursions, we had plotted out our walk with the idea of walking along the oceanside promenade to the mosque and then wind our way into some of the old city to the market and United Nations Plaza. After a brief fight with internet onboard the ship to download an eSIM card for a cell data plan (Celebrity blocks any competition to passengers using WiFi outside of the ship), I gave up and off we went. But the important part of cell data is having Google maps at the ready for reference since real maps are hard to come by. As an aside, Airalo is an excellent cell data management app for eSIM and data packages are extremely cheap in Europe ($12 Cdn for 7 days in Morocco). I also like having a cell data plan for the MapMyWalk app to track the route and distance walked.
Our route to get out of the port on foot was a bit convoluted - had we moored at the new cruise terminal it would have been a straight walk onto the promenade. However, we were docked alongside a container loading area and had a bit of a jaunt to the first set of port security. I should say “security” because no one actually looked at anyone’s passport and the screening coming back was a joke; we fed our stuff through the scanner but the guy monitoring was doing something on his cellphone. In any case, there were lots of police and port security people around so, at least, there is the suggestion of security. The busy main road along the port had very narrow sidewalks and lots of traps, such as deep holes to twist an ankle or low signs to run into - not very pedestrian friendly at all and certainly not easy for anyone with mobility issues to navigate. But we found our way through the maze and ran the gauntlet of taxi and tour drivers trying to convince us to take transit…are they ever persistent!
Just outside the port we ended up in a shopping mall with WiFi…how handy that was to get my eSIM card loaded. There was hardly anyone in the mall and it was fairly new and modern, pretty much like what we have at home. Then it was out to the promenade that was quite incredible - a wide concrete pedestrian boulevard with the raw Atlantic crashing up against the seawall. The roar of the waves was impressive, but one could feel the force as they hit the seawall. The spray and fresh air was very refreshing and, again, there were few people out. Along the promenade were many modern condo buildings and, in a way, it was like being along the seawall in Vancouver.
And in the distance there was the huge Hassan II mosque with its singular monolithic minaret tower and ornate facade. From the angle of our approach it was pretty awe-inspiring and we were only seeing a relatively small, although prominent, part of the structure. It was not until we walked around to where the main plaza and approach was that the magnitude of the mosque became apparent - it is the largest functioning mosque in Africa and was built on a grand scale to honor a late king.
The next part of our route took us off the touristy beaten path through some busy neighborhoods where people were going through their usual workdays. Morocco is a fairly liberal and tolerant society, and with a 98% or so Muslim population has quite a diversity to its peoples. There is quite a contrast of different ethnicities and regional roots in Casablanca that I suspect is related to it being a busy seaport. But also, through the centuries, there have been different cultural influences with colonization and invasions - the Romans, Ottomans, Portuguese, Spanish, and French occupied Morocco at various times, with the country more recently being a French protectorate. In fact, French is widely spoken and is on most of the signage, with Arabic and Berber. Not sure the role of cats in culture, but like Istanbul there were cats everywhere.
The various influences of culture is quite evident in the architecture here with a blend of different styles. There are some remnants of the old fortification walls that have been incorporated into newer structures - atop many of the walls one can see several stories of apartments with rooftop decks. As well, there are some colonial facades that have been well preserved and we came across a couple construction sites where facades were being preserved with new building constructed behind. And interspersed along the palm treed boulevards there were modern nouveau developments alongside very plain 70’s buildings. Also interesting were the number of Catholic cathedrals and churches that, no doubt, are reminiscent of the earlier colonial influences.
What also stood out were the number of people, mostly men, wearing puffy North Face jackets and scarves...and the occasional toque. It really seemed so out of place given the +23C temperatures and brilliant sunshine. Of course, it is technically their winter here and so cool by their standards. I, on the other hand, had worn long pants in deference to customs here, although the younger generations were running around in shorts and other forms of less modest dress.
While there was not much difference in dress for most of the men, there was for many of the women we saw. Most younger women (I would say mid-30s and younger) do not wear a head cover at all, while the majority of older women at least wore a hijab. But many women wore niqabs and a few full-on burqas. One of the memorable sights was a fairly slight-built woman in an entirely black burqa with just a slit for her eyes and a wide-brimmed florally-adorned hat - I thought what a wonderful way to put a personal flourish on an ensemble!
At supper and in the evening we chatted with other couples who had done excursions. Some had done the long trek to Marrakesh or to Rabat, the capital, where they took in many of the other sights of Morocco. I definitely think it would be worth a return visit to spend some time here at some point in the future - there really is a lot to take in. Guess I will have to return...still must find Rick's Cafe. Here's looking at...
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