19/3/09
...The rotisserie machine was a sight in itself - about two or three rows of chickens on spits, turning around on the flames with a massive trough at the bottom where the fat drippings were collected to make the gravy. Olives bobbed on the top of the oily sauce. I saw one of the waiters empty kitchen scraps into the trough - for extra flavour I guess.
As I was eating, one of the sad-looking beggar ladies came up to me. I offered her a piece of bread. She accepted it, took one bite then returned it to me, giving me a face that said "this bread isn't good". True the bread was stale, but I was still eating it. What ever happened to "beggars can't be choosers"? Apparently they can be in Casablanca.
I watched the dirty, grimy world of Casablanca go by: the poverty, the rubbish. Young boys pleaded for money. A drunk man stumbled and tried to order some chicken. Old men sat cross-legged on the ground assembling bouquets of tired, wilted flowers. Traffic, pollution and filth. There was nothing romantic about Casablanca. I went back to my hotel and slept.
[The next morning] I bought my ticket for Essaouira for that afternoon, then went for a walk through the Central Market. There were florists and fruit and vegetable stalls amongst other things. The food was over-priced though, so I decided to grab breakfast somewhere else. I found a little cafe place on Avenue Mohammed V and breakfasted there. That's where I met Sophie, a fellow Aussie, and we both decided to visit the Hassan II Mosque together.
...To get to the mosque, we took the scenic route through the medina. It was compact but still charming. We did not get harrassed as much as in other Moroccan cities. There seemed to be a lot of locals about; a lot more fresh fish, school children and other things. It didn't seem touristy. The locals we talked to were friendly - not pushy or anything - just courteous and genuinely nice.
The Hassan II Mosque (the largest mosque in Morocco and one of the only ones open to non-Muslims) was impressive. Only a few metres away from the poverty and squalor of the medina and city, the mosque and surrounding square and buildings - which overlooked the brilliant blue Atlantic ocean - seemed to belong to a totally different world. We crossed the blindingly bright and eeriely open square and entered the reception area to buy tickets for the tour. Our guide led us into the Mosque and it was amazing inside. There were beautifully veined marble floors, cedar wood panelling, chandeliers of Venetian glass and columns of pure white Italian marble. We were ushered across the gleaming floors and lectured on the history of the Mosque, its construction and design and hidden technologies. All very impressive.
We were then led downstairs to the marble ablution fountains and then to the Turkish baths that were supposedly going to be open to both Muslims and non-Muslims some time in the future.
After the Mosque visit, Sophie and I went back to the medina for lunch...We dined at a non-descript, inconspicuous sort of place you would surely walk past if you were not looking for it. The place was fairly dingy and basic. We ordered "viande" and hoped for the best. The waiter suggested we have the "complete menu" and we agreed.
We sat down at the table and waited for the food. What arrived was amazing. Each of us received: bread, salad, spaghetti, flavoured rice, potatoes, carrots, peas, massive leg of lamb, coke, and a creme caramel! All for 35 dirrham! We ate till we were stuffed.
Some photos. Enjoy!
...The rotisserie machine was a sight in itself - about two or three rows of chickens on spits, turning around on the flames with a massive trough at the bottom where the fat drippings were collected to make the gravy. Olives bobbed on the top of the oily sauce. I saw one of the waiters empty kitchen scraps into the trough - for extra flavour I guess.
As I was eating, one of the sad-looking beggar ladies came up to me. I offered her a piece of bread. She accepted it, took one bite then returned it to me, giving me a face that said "this bread isn't good". True the bread was stale, but I was still eating it. What ever happened to "beggars can't be choosers"? Apparently they can be in Casablanca.
I watched the dirty, grimy world of Casablanca go by: the poverty, the rubbish. Young boys pleaded for money. A drunk man stumbled and tried to order some chicken. Old men sat cross-legged on the ground assembling bouquets of tired, wilted flowers. Traffic, pollution and filth. There was nothing romantic about Casablanca. I went back to my hotel and slept.
[The next morning] I bought my ticket for Essaouira for that afternoon, then went for a walk through the Central Market. There were florists and fruit and vegetable stalls amongst other things. The food was over-priced though, so I decided to grab breakfast somewhere else. I found a little cafe place on Avenue Mohammed V and breakfasted there. That's where I met Sophie, a fellow Aussie, and we both decided to visit the Hassan II Mosque together.
...To get to the mosque, we took the scenic route through the medina. It was compact but still charming. We did not get harrassed as much as in other Moroccan cities. There seemed to be a lot of locals about; a lot more fresh fish, school children and other things. It didn't seem touristy. The locals we talked to were friendly - not pushy or anything - just courteous and genuinely nice.
The Hassan II Mosque (the largest mosque in Morocco and one of the only ones open to non-Muslims) was impressive. Only a few metres away from the poverty and squalor of the medina and city, the mosque and surrounding square and buildings - which overlooked the brilliant blue Atlantic ocean - seemed to belong to a totally different world. We crossed the blindingly bright and eeriely open square and entered the reception area to buy tickets for the tour. Our guide led us into the Mosque and it was amazing inside. There were beautifully veined marble floors, cedar wood panelling, chandeliers of Venetian glass and columns of pure white Italian marble. We were ushered across the gleaming floors and lectured on the history of the Mosque, its construction and design and hidden technologies. All very impressive.
We were then led downstairs to the marble ablution fountains and then to the Turkish baths that were supposedly going to be open to both Muslims and non-Muslims some time in the future.
After the Mosque visit, Sophie and I went back to the medina for lunch...We dined at a non-descript, inconspicuous sort of place you would surely walk past if you were not looking for it. The place was fairly dingy and basic. We ordered "viande" and hoped for the best. The waiter suggested we have the "complete menu" and we agreed.
We sat down at the table and waited for the food. What arrived was amazing. Each of us received: bread, salad, spaghetti, flavoured rice, potatoes, carrots, peas, massive leg of lamb, coke, and a creme caramel! All for 35 dirrham! We ate till we were stuffed.
Some photos. Enjoy!
Hassan II Mosque
An ablution fountain
Turkish bath
Beautiful Mosaic Work
The Atlantic surrounds the mosqueon three sides
Doors are open for worship
Feast!
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