Casablanca

Our trip started off smoothly as we took off for Casablanca via Dubai.  The flight was short by our standards; only a measly five hours in the sky.  After landing we indulged in the duty free shops Dubai is known for and grabbed a quick coffee and breakfast.  You don't realize how much you miss Starbucks until its gone.

Then it was back on the plane for the longer part of our journey.  This next leg was 9 hours. (They really should have direct flights to Morocco from Nairobi.  I mean we probably doubled our travel time by having to go through Dubai.)  The flight was good.  We both were able to get a few more hours of sleep and the food wasn't half bad.

Immigration was a breeze as the immigration officer quickly stamped our passports without a second look.  Getting our bags was another story.  I don't know why it always takes hours to get bags off of planes and why my bag seems to always be the last one to arrive.  An unlucky draw I guess!  Customs wasn't bad except for having to shove our way into the line.  I think its safe to say that Moroccans do this more than Kenyans!  Good thing our line skills are honed :)

We were greeted by our tour guide, Mohammed, and then we were off to explore Casablanca.  Despite the rainy weather, we were excited to check out the Haasain II Mosque.  The Mosque is the second largest in the world, second only to Mecca. It comfortably holds 25,000 worshipers (20,000 men and 5,000 women) and is frequently filled to capacity on Fridays.  We got some amazing shots of the beautiful marble exterior and the detailed mosaic tile work.  I was just in awe of the grandeur and size of the building.

The minert at the Haassin II Mosque

The outside courtyard at the mosque

Trying to find the entrance was an experience as Josh almost ended up in the women's restroom.  To our disappointment though we were told that the inside was closed to visitors for the day.  Lucky for us a man approached us and said he could show us the inside.  We agreed as we wouldn't have the chance to come back another day.

The inside is just as amazing as the outside.  Marble imported from Voulbis and glass from Italy make up the majority of the inside structure.  Each supporting column is carved in a repeating mosaic which is then hand painted.  About 10,000 craftsmen worked day and night for 6 years to complete the entire structure.

Beautiful tile work at the Mosque

One of the grand doors leading into the woman's section

We were shown upstairs to the women's section where we could overlook the main portion of the Mosque (Non-Muslims are not allowed in the main structure of the Mosque.).  There we could observe an Islam class taking place and see the parts of the floor which are glass.  These sections are built directly over the sea and the water can be seen crashing up on the rocks.

More of the courtyard

Josh in front of the doors

The area outside of the mosque.  Gloomy skies above!

The ocean crashing onto the shore in Casablanca.

From Casablanca, the economic hub of Morocco, we headed to Rabat, the capitol.  Our Riad, or hotel, was beautiful.  The house had an open-roofed medina with rooms off the center.  We loved having the place to ourselves despite it being a bit chilly.

We weaved our way through the narrow streets to find some dinner.  We found this great little place that served traditional Moroccan dishes but still printed the menu in English. (We're quickly learning that English doesn't get you far here!) Josh ordered a chicken, lemon and olive tagine.  A tagine is a traditional dish here and can be ordered a variety of ways, with potatoes, lamb, chicken, olives, etc. What makes the dish a tagine is the pot its served in.  They are usually made out of clay and consist of a flat-ish bowl with a cone shaped cover.  Sometimes the dish is cooked in this pot as well.  I got couscous with chicken, raisins and onions.  It was delicious!  The raisins gave it a touch of sweet yet the spices in the dish gave it that hearty, rustic feeling.

After an exhausting day of travel and exploring, we headed back to the Riad for the night.  I'm so glad that we brought warm clothes as we had to bundle up for the night.  I hope as we travel south the temperatures start to warm up a bit.

Our room for the night

Overall we're loving Morocco so far.  I thought it would be similar to Kenya but we're finding that its more Mediterranean and U.S. like.  The roads are paved and the cities have all the conveniences of any modern city.  Tomorrow we will explore a bit of Rabat before heading to Meknes and Voulbis, ending up in Fes for the night.