As time goes by in Casablanca!

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Total distance travelled from Santos: 5086 nautical miles


Time is definitely going by. We have been on board now just over two weeks with six more full (fun?) packed days left before disembarkation. A word I don't even want to contemplate yet as there is still plenty ahead of us. In fact the coming days are probably going to be busier than the past two weeks due to the planned schedule.

The day after Madeira was a sea day. Our last sea day before a new port each day until the end of the cruise. We received a phone call in our cabin from Emelia asking if we had had our invitation for lunch with the Captain today at 12:15. It was currently 11:50 so the answer to that was a resounding ‘NO!' I popped down to the reception to ask why this was. Apparently there are over 300 ‘black' MSC members on board, and the invitation to lunch is currently only extended to Portuguese speakers as they hold the majority on board. I immediately rang and spoke to Stephen who wasn't that bothered about attending if we weren't going. I was advised that the English speakers will be getting an invite at some stage although I couldn't really see when they will be able to fit us in as today is the last sea day. From now on every day we will be ashore during the day. Stephen apologised for the misunderstanding and said that the fact that his invitation was in Portuguese should have been a clue!! He said he will speak to the reception to see if he can get their invite changed.

Tonight was the 3^rd formal night. MSC Black card holders are entitled to one meal at a speciality restaurant each and as Amelia and Stephen will not be attending twice before the end of the trip we agreed that we would invite Julie and Brian, our other dinner table buddies to eat at Eaterly using the spare invitation that either Stephen or Amelia still held. We arranged our speciality meal for Monday, the day after Casablanca.

I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt I was in a scene from the Exorcist. It woke me up but the bed continued to violently shake just like in the scene with Linda Blair!! In the few seconds it took to regain my senses I realised the bed definitely was shaking but I recognised the faint hum that accompanied the shaking as the bow thrusters manoeuvring the ship in to its berth in Casablanca. It was just after 7am and we had arrived in Morocco. I was now fully alert and quite confident that our cabin was not possessed!!

This is a long day in port as one of the tours is ‘The Lights of Casablanca at Night'. Not sure what is so special with this city lit up and for $109 I'd be happy to stand on the deck and view the lights from there. For this reason, we will be docked in Casablanca until 9pm tonight.

We visited Casablanca in 2012 when we took the organised City tour and some of you may remember ‘Pam' who wasn't convinced she was receiving the correct weight in fish at one of the local markets. For those of you who are thinking ‘What the hell's he babbling on about now??!', this link is a little reminder:

https://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Grand-Casablanca/blog-983487.html

Looking out across the docks, it was thick fog. Not the best start the day but over breakfast it was evident that the mist was lifting although it didn't stop many of the Brazilians wrapping up warm despite the weather report stating it was going to touch 25 degrees today.

It is a fair walk to the main road from the ship. Perfectly safe as there is a marked path for pedestrians. There are plenty of port police and several checkpoints, the first at the dock and the second at the port gate. Some taxis were allowed on to the dock but most were waiting in convoy outside the port gate. The walk to the port gate took about 20 minutes and must have been at least 1km. The taxi drivers were more persistent than in other places we have visited but normally a firm ‘No, thank you!' whilst keep walking usually does the trick. Apart from one taxi driver whose command of English was commendable. He thrust a map of Casablanca under my nose and said, ‘Taxi Mr, city tour very reasonable price.' When I said, ‘No, thanks', he had the cheek to respond with, ‘Look! You're not even looking…!'

We had decided to head for the great Hassan II mosque. Once we finally reached the main road, the sign stated that the mosque was 2.5km. (1.5 miles) It was almost 12 noon. To break the journey up we planned to stop at Rick's café as it is on the way. If we decide to visit on the way back, we may get there after it closes as we did during our last visit. Rick's Café is a restaurant and bar that opened in March 1, 2004. The place was designed to recreate the bar made famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the movie classic Casablanca. It is set in an old courtyard-style mansion built against the walls of the Old Medina. I had read a review that the menu is a little pricey and somewhat of a tourist trap but on scrutinising the menu displayed at the entrance, an all you can eat brunch was advertised for 150 dinar per person (about £10) Sounded reasonable for us so as we walked up the 3 steps, the door was opened by a doorman and we were greeted with a receptionist. We asked if we could see the buffet before we decided if we wanted to eat here. ‘Certainly sir!' and we were directed upstairs to the balcony dining area.

The restaurant and piano bar is filled with architectural and decorative details reminiscent of the film: curved arches, a sculpted bar, balconies, balustrades as well as beaded and stencilled brass lighting and plants that cast luminous shadows on the white walls. There is what looks like an authentic 1930's Pleyel piano downstairs (or it could be 1931)

There was an array of cold cuts, cheese, several varieties of pastries, yoghurt, toast, preserves, juice, fresh fruit, tea, coffee as well as a chef on standby to prepare freshly made omelette or, as we ordered, eggs benedict.

Our waiter was on hand to clear the empty plates as soon as we had finished, provide us with fresh cutlery or keep us topped up with water. He was tall and had a very prominent jaw line. He reminded me of a clean shaven version of Desperate Dan from the Dandy comic book. He had a slight overbite that made his dimpled chin stick out ever so slightly. I was going to look him straight in the eyes and say: ‘Of all the chin joints in all the world…' but I don't know if it would translate in to Arabic or French, Morocco's other official language!!

Suitably watered and fed, we continued on to the Hassan II mosque. It was less than a 10 minute walk from Rick's café. The mosque is relatively recent, as mosques go!! It was inaugurated in 1993 at a cost of 20 billion dinar. It's the largest in Morocco and the third largest in the world. It is one of the two main mosques in Morocco open to non-muslins. Due to the 200m height of the minaret, the mosque is visible from afar whether by land, sea or air. The prayer hall can fit in a congregation of 25,000 and its esplanade 80,000. It can get pretty hot and sweaty inside when 25,000 people are praying at the same time. For this reason the prayer hall can become a patio in 3 minutes thanks to its retractable roof. The breeze coming in off the Atlantic can then circulate the prayer hall making it a more bearable temperature. Its 200m high minaret makes it the highest religious building in the world.

We walked around the outside on this architectural masterpiece, admiring the intricate patterns and stone work. A door was open so, not being able to resist an open door, I stuck my head in to have a look. I saw a beautiful interior before one of the guardians said something and beckoned me back across a line just as the Imam started calling his flock to prayer. It was just before 2pm. The guardian pointed to his watch and said, ‘Trois.' The mosque opened its doors to the public at 3pm. We weren't prepared to hang around for another hour. As we headed away from the esplanade, I spotted a young girl wearing a green full length vestment with a green hood that was covering her head. She looked like she was either off to a fancy dress party as a rather tall pixie or she was an extra from Starwars episode I.

Across from the 20 billion dinar mosque lies the entrance to the Medina. A myriad of houses and shops that promote a very low standard of living. Some of the city's poorest areas lie within the confines of the Medina. A wise man once said, ‘If you live in a nice house you often have a shit view or if you live in a shit house you often have a nice view'. This is certainly true of many places we have visited on this trip and Casablanca is no exception. A new development is currently being built, adjacent to the mosque on the Casablanca waterfront that will contain, shops, a marina and luxury apartments. The downside is that they look on to the Medina with its run down houses and slums. On the flip side, those who live in said Medina have a lovely view of the new Marina and harbour or the brand spanking new mosque!

We were planning on heading in to the Medina for a wander but on second thoughts we decided it would be wiser to just take a slow walk back to the ship. Sanitary facilities in Muslim countries leave a lot to be desired despite the cleanliness connected with the religion of Islam. Toilets are usually to be found as mulitisex and just a hole in the ground with two plates on which to place your feet. For this reason Roisin suggested we should head back to Rick's café for a mid-afternoon cuppa and a toilet break.

As we re-entered the portal, held open for us by the doorman, in to another world gone by I was greeting by the proprietor who uncannily reminded me of a young Peter Lorre: ‘Ah! Mr Hodgson welcome back'. I felt like I had just walked in to a film noir. Had everything suddenly turned black and white and I was chewing on a toothpick wearing a trilby??! How the hell did he remember me? Had I been here before in another film?? He must have a phenomenal memory to remember me from several hours ago just by the name on my credit card with all the punters who are constantly coming or going. ‘I almost found myself saying ‘Thanks, Sam!' (or was it Rocco?) We were shown to our usual seat at the bar and the coffee was forthcoming.

Moroccan currency, the Dinar, is a closed currency which means you cannot obtain any money in the UK before you travel. I had paid for our brunch earlier by credit card but for two coffees. ‘Sam' was happy to accept Euro. However, I was given the change in Dinar, the equivalent of just over £2. Luckily for us and even luckier for the ‘man', there was a small stall on the quayside selling a range of the usual tat. I took a couple of fridge magnets and shoved 34 dinar in his hand which equated to the change I received in Rick's café for the coffees. He took a look and with a smile said, ‘Merci' in a ‘I would have given you another 3 fridge magnets for that' kind of look!!

We got back on board and opened our cabin door to a nice surprise. Derek, our cabin steward had been had at work cleaning the cabin, tidying up and as a piece de resistance had left a swan towel sculpture for us. Either it's getting nearer the time when tips are handed out or his bosses are on to him! We found out later that it was neither of these reasons. Amelia and Stephen had exactly the same experience from their cabin steward. He told them it was because their work is due to get inspected so everything has to be ‘A1' spick and span.

From our balcony, the Hassan II mosque was quite visible from the ship. It didn't look as far as the couple of miles we had walked both there and back. A small fishing boat crossed one of the adjacent docks in the late afternoon sun, with a flock of gulls and other semi aquatic birds swirling around the boat as it edged its way to the other side. There was something reminiscent of a Hitchcock movie about this scene!!

We had only been back our cabin for five minutes when a note was pushed under the door. Surely I still can't be in one of Bogey's mystery dramas and someone's playing the old ‘anonymous note shoved under the door leading our heroes in to a maze of intrigue and danger' routine??! It was a note from the Captain (although I don't think he was the one who personally delivered it!) inviting us to a special dinner tomorrow at 9pm to meet in the Diamond lounge. The plot thickens!!

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Comments

[Ragnhild]

Beautiful

[Ragnhild]

Fine composition - the patterns