Casablanca & Rabat (4/9, 2007)

This was one of the few trips where we went on an organized tour (Intrepid Tours – Colours of Morocco: www.intrepidtours.com/trips/XSC.) Given the vast number of destinations, it was a very wise decision. We roughed it a little more than we prefer, but the sites and experiences were worth every cold shower & uncomfortable train ride. We began our journey in one of the most well known Moroccan cities, Casablanca -- and then onto Rabat.

Daniel

For photos, click here: Casablanca and Rabat

Casablanca, Morocco	Rabat, Morocco

Casablanca
The starting point for our Moroccan adventure was not the whitewashed Casablanca that has been immortalized my American films. Casablanca is the modern-day financial & industrial capital of Morocco. The city only had one main tourist site, the Hassan II Mosque – one of the largest mosques in the world. It was built by and dedicated to King Hassan II. The foundation was designed so that the mosque literally towers over the Mediterranean Sea. We only spent a half day touring the massive complex. Some photos highlight the pure extravagance of every detail. The Ceiling is a massive retractable roof that puts most sports domes to shame – every inch is carved and decorated with beautiful colors and relief patterns.

Our guide & group leader, Sebastian, quickly got the party of 12 travelers packed into a van, in route to the train station, and on our way to Rabat. Seb, as we got to know him, was originally from Canada and lived in Vietnam. He was actually heavily involved in launching the Intrepid Tours in Morocco, so many of our destinations were truly personal and unique – much more so than we could have gotten by just following guide books and public knowledge.


Rabat
After stashing our luggage near the Rabat Train Station, we spent the afternoon exploring the “new” and “old” town. As we quickly learned, the French had a huge influence on Morocco culturally and architecturally. Most cities have an ancient center known as the medina where most of the interesting historical buildings and landmarks are found. In Rabat, the train station is located near the nouvelle place complete with wide boulevards (reminiscent of Paris). The towering palm trees lining the main street were perfectly aligned and placed. All planning & design disappear once we set foot in the medina, the streets were a crooked, confusing maze – they developed organically as the town grew in size. Nothing is balanced or anything faintly resembling a grid. Once inside, we discovered narrow, whitewashed alleyways and sunlit gardens. We also eventually found (after at least a ½ hour of getting lost) the Bab er Rouah or “Gate of Wind” – a masterful display of relief work and ornamentation around a functional gate. Behind the gate was a lush garden with views of the medina walls, which were dotted with intricately painted doors. Rabat filled the void where Casablanca left us short.

In order to get to our next destination, Meknes, we had to endure a tough train ride. Our group reassembled at the train station, which was slowly turning into a mob scene. The single train platform was filling up with mostly locals waiting for the train. Seb, repeatedly reminded us that this was a pure free-for-all. As soon as the train arrived we were to pile ourselves into the closest car door. As our train pulled to a stop, we were all tense for the impending chaos. After all, if we missed this train (according to Seb) the next train wasn't until the next morning. So we frantically threw ourselves into the crowds of passengers. After squeezing ourselves and our luggage onto the car – Seb had to push himself through the packed train cars to make sure everyone had actually gotten on the train! After, another minute he made the count – we were off to Meknes.