As Time Goes … bye-bye Casablanca

I'm off on the road to Marrakech tomorrow after having spent a dozen days in the economic capital of Morocco.

As I get ready to leave Casablanca for two weeks in Marrakech, I hope you don’t mind if today’s blog consists mostly of a few photos and videos from my visit to the “White House” (I guess if the Spanish had seen a bunch of black cats when they first got here, it would have been named Gatonegro).

I took a guided walking tour the other day and the most eye-opening part of it was the tour of the medina, the walled-off section of the original city that most tourists only visit to shop at the souk (market), which is full of knockoffs of brand-name clothing that are quite popular among locals. My guide took me deeper into the medina, where generations of the city’s poorer population continue to live just a stone’s throw from modern highways, condos and office towers. Out of respect for their privacy, I didn’t take any pictures.

Let’s start today with the Hassan II mosque, which was completed in 1993 and was supposed to be the largest (by capacity) in the world, but now ranks 14th. Seems that mosque record-setting is a competitive field. Its 60-storey minaret is the world’s second highest, at 210 metres, having lost the title in 2019 to the Great Mosque of Algiers.

Surfing on a Sunday in sunny Casablanca. (above)

Since it’s the city’s most significant tourist attraction, the mosque is featured in more than a few of the videos and photos I took. Plus, it’s close to my airbnb.

Casablanca boasts several public beaches close to the heart of the city, with plenty of sand and surf.

Although the average high temperature is around 19C in December (vs 26C in July), you won’t see many swimmers, although some locals bathe in tidal pools in more secluded areas of the coast. In the next video you’ll see some tourists out braving the cool waters of the North Atlantic.

The beaches are quite large and attract crowds all year long.

There is a cacophonous mix of modern and historic housing in Casablanca, with some enclaves of poorer neighbourhoods not far from luxury hotels. Social housing is quite widespread in the areas I visited, and murals brighten many of the structures.

Public housing, public art.

Another major tourist attraction, the Sacred Heart Cathedral, has been closed for renovations for several years and the re-opening date keeps getting pushed off. It no longer serves as a religious institution but was preserved as a community centre and will eventually re-open as a museum. Meanwhile, you can still admire its architecture from behind its closed gates or from a nearby rooftop bar.

Église du Sacré-Cœur

Here are a few more photos of things that caught my attention or my photographer’s eye. Thanks for coming along on the ride.

Casablanca odds and ends. 1. Arab League park 2) Lots of curiosity here about moving to Canada. 3) Fishing from the beach requires some long poles! 4) Mickey takes a lunch break 5) Skinny-ass Moroccan mall Santa 6) Can't fool me, that's not a palm tree! 7) Canadian education in Casa

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

And the last word goes to Rick’s Café, where I paid $13 for a mocktail. Recognize the song?