Moroccan Adventures – Part 1

As promised, I wanted to continue to share with you my Morrocon adventures. So where was I? Oh yes, we just landed in Casablanca.
Casablanca – walking tour
The streets of Casablanca

After several hours in transit from Saudi Arabia, we finally arrived in Casablanca. Stepping out of the air-conditioned plane, a sudden blast of warm thick air hit us. The temperature was pleasant and comfortable, albeit a bit muggy. I think, I’d expected it to be cooler because winter was approaching. Rabat is the capital of Morocco, but Casablanca is its leading financial and economic hub. I expected a huge airport. Some airports run you around on trams and monorails from one terminal to the next. They are either unwieldy cities unto themselves, or giant malls with airplanes. The airport in Jeddah was a grand display of wealth. I half expected someone to jump out and spritz me with cologne and roll out the red carpet. I preferred Casablanca’s airport; it was functional, manageable, and still beautiful.
Our passage through customs was smooth. The authorities didn’t even bother to check our health certificates that we’d painstakingly prepared. As soon as they cleared us, we were all set. We secured local currency and sim cards for mobile phones and internet data. I’d requested a hotel shuttle and I was glad that I did. After the extended layover, I hadn’t the patience or energy to navigate our way to our hotel. Especially, when we realized how hard it was to locate our hotel through the Medina maze. Sometimes you really depend on locals who know their way around. My friend Jacky had recommended Ryad 91. She’s a seasoned traveler and had stayed there previously. She’d posted a picture of the riad on her FB thread and it looked great.

What is a ‘Riad’? For those who don’t know (I didn’t), a Riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an indoor garden and courtyard. Usually they are situated with a central fountain or pool. On every floor, the rooms face the center courtyard which is usually open air. Some used to be estates of Merchants or palaces of the wealthiest Moroccans. These days many riads have been converted into hotels or businesses.

As mentioned, Ryad 91 is inside the walls of the Medina. A Medina is the ‘old quarter’ of a city found in a North Africa. They are almost always surrounded by walls. The streets are narrow, often with fountains, palaces, Mosque and Minaret. They are marketplaces designed like a maze, and they are notoriously easy to get lost in. Like bargaining, getting lost in the Medina is part of the shopping experience. Can you imagine us trying to find our way to our hotel with a bunch of luggage?

Most Medinas don’t allow cars because of the narrow streets and alleyway. This is why when we were dropped off out side the Medina, our luggage was brought from the taxi to our hotel on a bread cart. That’s what I call old world service. Most Medinas are mostly indoor market with stalls and tiny shops. They have narrow streets with lots of people haggling and talking. Though you won’t see cars, but you’ve still got to look out for the occasional motorcycle!

Since we always dreamed of staying in a Riad and visiting the Medina, we hit 2 birds with the same stone. Our Riad was in a great location in the middle of Medina. On our first night we wanted to crash. We weren’t planning to leave our room because we were totally exhausted from our long extended airport transit. From the moment we stepped into our Riad, we were taken by the ancient atmosphere. We really loved our room. It was so exotic and modern and wifi was functional… bonus!

We luxuriated in thick down goose comforters. We’d come from the Philippines where the hotels give you thin sheets, blast you with chilly air-conditioning and you wake up frozen.
We woke up refreshed and enjoyed the view of Casablanca from our rooftop and open air courtyard.
From the roof deck, we had a wonderful view of the city.
We immediately began to acclimate ourselves on the comfortable deck. We had breakfast on the roof. There was a cozy tent with traditional Bedouin couches and pillows. It felt like stepping into a page of ‘1001 Arabian Nights.’
Moroccans are the people of bread. If you find rice or couscous, they are either for tourists or reserved as a special dish for the weekends. Daily bread is what’s happening in Morocco. Vendors were up early, bringing their bread on large wooden push carts around the Medina to restuarants, hotels and for passers-by to purchase. For our complimentary breakfast we had several kinds of fresh bread, eggs, olives, butter, jam, yogurt and raw pressed orange juice with coffee or tea. Tea is a big deal that we’ll mention in a bit, but after that we were ready for the day.
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, we were ready to explore the city. But, it was a Friday, the Muslim worship day, and a lot of shops were closed. This was good for us. We knew the hustle and bustle of the Medina would be daunting. We wanted to ease into it slowly. Friday, we peaceably explored the neighborhoods in Medina.
The empty Medina on a Friday, day of worship.
Darwin sported a long beard and consequently the shopkeepers would yell out at him, “Hey, Ali Baba. Ali Baba” to get his attention. He took it a little personally at first. It made him self-conscious, but after awhile it was just something they did and we were laughing about it.People say that you should start bargaining at half the asking price. I’ll admit, this was not in my skill set and really not in Darwin’s. Growing up in the Philippines, there is a measure of bargaining in the local markets that goes on. I’m accustomed to it, but nothing could have prepared me for bargaining at the Medinas. In the Philippines, I’d felt kind of guilty haggling with people in the public market who’d lost so much already during the pandemic. I know it’s a dance, but I was a bit out of practice.

Towards the end of our vacation, we did get better at it.Since we had very limited time in the city, I contracted an AirBnb guide to show us around. Unfortunately, the tours available were only walking tours. Darwin wanted to confine our stroll to the Medina because he has some neuropathy in his feet. None of us are getting younger.Our AirBnB guide, Hana was modern, fluent in French and Arabic, and a proud Berber woman. Berbers, are also called Amazigh or Imazighen. They are the indigenous people of North Africa. This includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Hana was accommodating. She picked us up at our Riad. She allowed for plenty of rests stops and taxis to spare our feet. You might think you can’t afford a guide, or that you can do without a guide, but we’re very glad we made room for Hana’s expertise in our budget. She was great!
Our tour started at the Medina. She explained the architecture of the buildings and their influences. She was knowledgeable in thier culture and history. The architecture in most Moroccan cities have some Spanish or French influence. These influences are seen in the local cuisines as well. Arab and Berber culture pervades everything.The European influences in Casablanca is primarily French. If you want to know what Casablanca looked like before the French settlement, you can take a look at the old Medina.
Entrance to the Old Medina in Casablanca. Our riad was inside.
Our first stop was La Place Mohammed V (Mohammed V Square). Its known locally as “‘Pigeon Square’. I wonder why?
There are vendors around who feed the birds so these creatures flock towards you and the vendors offer to snap your picture. Photography is a funny and potentially expensive thing in Morocco. Don’t be surprised when you’re charged for taking a photo. And don’t forget to tip your birdman!Behind us, is the square named after former Moroccan King, Mohammed V. It’s an area once occupied by the barracks of French Colonial Troops. The Square is also called the Main Square and the Square of France, the Square of Victory and the Administrative Square. It is also known as the Marshal Lyautey Square. It seems everyone had a turn naming that square. It will always be ‘Pigeon Square’ to me.Morocco has this tradition with its city’s colors. Casablanca has white houses so it is ‘The White City’. Marrakech is ‘The Red City’ with its terracotta red houses. Chefchauoen is ‘The Blue City’ with blue houses.

While we were walking, our guide Hana shared with us a brief history of Casablanca. Casablanca with 4 million people, it’s the largest city in North Africa. The origins of Casablanca started as a Berber port of Anfa in 7th century B.C.E. The Phoenician and Romans saw the port’s unique potential. Eventually, the Romans expanded the port and established trade routes. The Duarte Pacheco, Portuguese cartographer wrote about Anfa in the early 16th century. Anfa could be identified from sea by a ‘White Tower’. This probably became ‘White House’ over time. The name ‘Casablanca’ -‘White House’- runs through Spanish, Portuguese, and French nautical references. In 1755 there was an earthquake in Anfa. Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah rebuilt the city. He had the help of Spaniards and he called it ‘ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ which incidentally also means, ‘White House’.
Casablanca suffered occupation by many invading armies. The Romans, Arabs, Portuguese, Spanish, and French have ruled Moroccan cities. This is an exhaustive subject for which many books on this topic have been written. The French occupied Casablanca in 1907. Everyone remembers the French police from the movie Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart. Even today you can spot the French influences here. Arabic and French are still the most common languages spoken in Casablanca, though limited smatterings of English with many people here. But thank God for mobile translator apps, because they came in handy. Casablanca and Morocco are a uniquely mixed cultural heritage with a little digital help and some patience, we managed to converse with the locals. Everyone seemed grounded and friendly.
From the square, we finally made it to the Arab League Park, also known as ‘The Oasis of Casablanca’. This is a great place for a break from the city. It’s perfect to take refuge, read a book, or just ‘chill’ and enjoy the lush flora and fauna the pond offers.
Located at the center of the city, Arab League Park is an urban park in Casablanca and covers 30 acres of land.From there, we pass by the Cathedral which is a Catholic Church.
The Cathedral du Sacre Coeur built in the 1930’s is sometimes used for electronic music concerts. It hasn’t functioned as a church since Morocco’s independence in1956. It’s a special blend of modern European and Moroccan architecture. Unfortunately, the building has withered from neglect. Though in disrepair, the structure still remains strong and beautiful!
The tour took us back to Old Medina later in the afternoon so the market was resuming. People were coming from prayer and their religious service. It still wasn’t as crowded as most days.Beware of hustlers who try to drag you to check their mother’s or a distant relative’s store.“Come, my friend.” They say. They’ll even grab your arm. Before you know it, they will leading you into a long winding maze. “I just want to show you my mother’s shop. You get discount, my friend.”It’s hard not to get suspicious of the motives of obsequious strangers suddenly so effusive. They are masters of the art of persuasion. Before you realize you are in an unfamiliar store and they are squeezing a commission on things you have absolutely no interest in buying.“Can you spare me change for a beer?” Most hustlers are harmless.We never felt we were in actual danger, but the constant threat of being side tracked, inconvenienced, and annoyed. Casablanca’s Medina seemed to have the most pushy vendors. Even so, even that was kind of fun.
Walking through Casablanca’s Medina, the maze-like tumble of alleyways. Whatever your heart could possibly desires is there, but don’t forget to bring your hiking boots.
While we were walking we wandered into a heritage museum. It depicted Casablanca’s history from ancient to modern times. Even our guide wasn’t aware of the brand new Museum. I love the mosaic like patterns of the wall and floor.
Darwin studying the history of Casablanca.
Many people will swear, the romantic war time drama ‘Casablanca’ was filmed in Morocco. They’ll try and drag you ‘hither and yon’ to see this or that. The truth is, the classic film with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman was shot in Burbank and Van Nuys airport in Los Angeles. Full stop. The film did make the city Casablanca famous worldwide. It became an exotic destination partly because of the movie. We were momentarily tempted to go to Rick’s Cafe for a recreation of the Casablanca film’s cafe and bar. According to Hana, the restaurant is an expensive tourist trap, but it’s one of the places you can buy alcohol. Still, we opted for a local restaurant with authentic Moroccan cuisine. It did not disappoint.
Before the day’s end, we could not leave Casablanca without seeing the Hasan II Mosque. It is the only Mosque where non-Muslims can enter inside in Morocco.Unfortunately, we needed more time. We were at the end of our day and the limits of our feet. We’d need an entire day to absorb the Mosque and the museum. We only had less than an hour’s time before the Museum closed. So we took obligatory pictures outside for our memory banks. We decided to save the visit for our next trip. Rain-check please.A final thought: we confined most of our time in Casablanca to the ‘Old City’ and the Medina owing to its exotic nature. Casablanca has a vibrant ‘New City’ that is a favorite holiday destination of European travelers. It’s modern and features high-end shopping, nightlife, casinos, and gormet dinning.
Hana was a great tour guide and went over and beyond her time with us. We were so grateful and she received a generous tip.The next day we were ready for Marrakesh.
Don’t cha’ know we are riding on a Marrakesh Express!

Check out Morrocco Bound.
Photo credits:

I have taken most of the photos myself, some were shared by my husband Darwin, with the possible exception of the map.

Map of Morocco – Air France map of colonial Morocco from the Rumsey Map Collection.
Ryad 91 room – Picture was taken from their website. Etage (ryad.se)

Hasan II Mosque – Casablanca-Morocco-scaled.jpg (alfa-logistics-family.com)

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