Casablanca - The City of Cats

We arrive into Casablanca late at night, the airport experience is very good and we are soon at the hotel we will stay in for the next two nights - Odyssee Centre, a centrally located 4* hotel.

On arrival around midnight we head straight to our room and are soon fast asleep. Waking the next morning I head for breakfast with my roomie Anna, the breakfast is served buffet style with a good selection of both western and Moroccan choices, we all comment and how good the fresh orange juice is!

We leave the hotel this morning on an Urban Adventure – these are offered as extras for people who arrive in time to join them ahead of the start of the main tour program – for example we had to arrive last night otherwise we would of missed the start of the tour later today, so they are a great choice if a client has time to spare and wants to see the sights with a guide.

Our Urban Adventure starts at 9am (the normal meeting point for this is Ricks Cafe which is either a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel or a short taxi ride) by bus from the hotel.

We are introduced to Casablanca – it is the economic capital of the country (but I will always think of it as the City of Cats, so many of the cute animals are found throughout Morocco but surely Casablanca has the most?!).

Casablanca is a city 5 million people, 1 million cars. 35% of the country’s whole population work in the city. It is 30 minutes by train from Rabat and 2.5 hours by train from Marrakech (flights also available).

The city has 36 synagogues as well as a Jewish Museum but there are now only 4000 Jews left in the whole country due to migration.

In 1756 a large earthquake destroyed the city. In 1912 population was 26,000, in 1917 it was 1 million and now it is 5 million – hence its narrow busy streets.

Important note – If you spot an offer for the Excelsior Hotel and think its location on the crossroads of the old and new city looks good do not be fooled it is 2* at best and extremely run down!!! There are plenty of other accommodation options in the city.

We visit the French side of the city with wide boulevards, many art deco buildings and referred to often as Little Paris. We also visit the French (Central) market, here you can if you wish purchase fresh fish from one of the stalls and have it cooked for you at one of the restaurants that fill this area.

During our Urban Adventure we also visit Our Lady of the Lourdes Church built in 1954 this catholic church is worth going inside for its stunning stain glass. We also see the Royal Palace of Casablanca, Souk Habous stopping at Patisserie Bennis Habous to sample and purchase supplies of pastries which we take with us to enjoy around the corner at Cafe Imperial where we sit outside enjoying the pastries with mint tea and coffee.

Urban Adventures are offered in two styles – Religious – visiting mosques, synagogues, churches, museums and as in Casablanca the Jewish Quarter. Cultural – the tour we have done which covers more market areas, modern areas and a wide mix of what the city has to offer. There will also be a Jewish Urban Adventure and a Food Urban Adventure and if clients prefer these can be private & tailor-made.

After our tour we head to a very nice restaurant for a late lunch where I opt for Patata Bravas , grilled sardines and 2 glasses of Moroccan white wine for a total of 200 Dirham (about £15).

Late afternoon we return to our hotel (just a 5 minute walk from the restaurant) where we have some time to relax and get ready for the evening ahead.

At 6pm we have our welcome meeting (this is just how Intrepid clients would but we have already met Adil as we are travel agents).

Adil conducts the meeting asking for insurance details and running through some practical information. He introduces himself, his experience, why he works for Intrepid & the companies ethos on sustainability and the treatment of women. He tells us of the trip rules – punctuality, Respect for both fellow travellers and locals, the choices available if there is something you do not want to do ie I don’t want to cycle/snorkel – how alternatives are arranged. He promises if we follow the rules in return he will show us the Good, Bad & Ugly of his country. The most important thing is that it is fun for everyone. Adil runs through safety elements including water, ATM use, small change for toilet use etc. He then briefly runs through the itinerary and reminds us that when staying in Riads no two rooms will be the same, ratings are different and we should under-rate to manage expectations. When travelling with an Intrepid group there is a group kitty and if there is money left and everyone agrees this can go to an extra activity - this is discussed as and when necessary on the tour. Porterage is always covered on a Premium tour but for others small denominations of money would be required for tipping and advised country by country.

After our briefing we leave in the bus for dinner, we pass the mosque Hassan II which is lit up and simply stunning against the night sky.

Our dinner venue is the beautiful Dar Dada. This amazing restaurant is found in a Riad full of amazing surprises, we are served mixed filo pastries, chicken tagine and deconstructed Mielle Fuille all of which is very good, cocktails (Casablanca for me) and wine are served with the meal.

The whole group enjoys the food and the ambience of Dar Dada and I would highly recommend booking a dinner here if ever you find yourself in Casablanca. Return to the hotel by bus getting to sleep again in what I am sure is the most comfortable bed ever.

The following morning we rise at 7.15, pack up and check out.

At 8.45am we set off to visit Hassan II Mosque – this mosque is immense holding 25000 people inside for prayers with a further 80,000 spaces in the vast courtyard surrounding the mosque. Visitors are allowed by guided tour only and the 45 minute tour includes the mosque itself and the ablution halls (which contain 40 washing fountains) provided below ground for Muslims that come here to pray. The mosques minaret is 60 stories high (2nd highest in the world), topped with a laser the light from which is directed towards Mecca. Materials used are local with had crafted marble walls and a retractable roof. The only imported items are the stain glass windows & internal chandeliers which came from Italy. It is thought that the mosque which was started in 1987 and took 6 years to complete cost somewhere in the region of 240 -320 million pounds! Whilst the King ordered the building of the mosque and donated a large amount of money for its purpose there was a huge shortfall which was collected via “donations” which every family in Morocco had to pay in exchange for a voucher – this donation whilst popular with the devout as showing their faith was not so popular amongst the less devout especially those who already existed on pinched budgets.

My lasting impression of Casablanca would be gritty & authentic, there are no pretences in this city – most tourists will stay just a night, two at most and the best way to experience Casablanca is on an Urban Adventure like we did.