Casablanca
We'd been warned previously that Casablanca would be the low point of the trip, and I'm glad we didn't expect much. It's fundamentally a large city with all the usual large city issues. The locals complained about the traffic, but they have no idea how good they have it. I saw no reason to take shots of cars, trucks and motorcycles, so the stuff below is a quick summary of what we saw, having arrrived a day ahead of the official start.
Shopping & Touring - We took a local unofficial tour that was arranged by the hotel. It included a bunch of things and had the usual amout of shopping pushed on us. Much to my surprise, Sharon bought a rug! There are 2 shots below of Sammy trying to sell it to Sharon and one of the rug now, in our living room at home. (Just hover over a thumbnail to see the large version of each picture.)
We were wondering around a large shopping centre and saw this aquarium. Thought it would make a nice backdrop for a picture.
Click here to see these photos on Flickr or to download higher resolution versions
Hassan II Mosque - The most impressive structure in Casablanca was the Hassan II Mosque. It is the largest mosque in Africa, and the 3rd largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's second tallest at 210 metres. I recall being told that it can handle over 50,000 worshippers with 6,000 in the main prayer hall.
Our first look at the Mosque from across the water.
Click here to see these photos on Flickr or to download higher resolution versions
The Jewish Museum - This was supposed to be one of the highlights of Casablanca but it was pretty spartan. The guide admitted that she wasn't Jewish and she really didn't tell us much, other than the fact that most Jews left Casablanca after Israel was created in 1948. Not a very good use of our time, but there wasn't a lot else to do.
Dayalan at the door.
Click here to see these photos on Flickr or to download higher resolution versions