Day 7 - Casablanca

Breakfast was served in our fancy hotel on the 6th floor. There wasn’t much of a view but they were doing their best - they even had an omelette lady but instead, she was making the famous Moroccan bread - it’s like pancake omelette potato bread.

Casablanca was on and off our itinerary for sometime and even a lot of locals told us not to go. It’s mainly for business and when walking the streets, it really is. Mainly populated by huge skyscrapers, fancy hotels and modernised buildings, it’s a huge contrast from the Medina’s of Marrakech and Essaouira. Nevertheless, we felt we should visit if we’re in the country and our main goal was to see Hassan II Mosque.

Towering 600ft and room for 105,000 people inside and out, it is argued to be the 3rd biggest mosque in the world and famously, the tallest. Some say 7th largest and 2nd tallest. Who knows? Non-muslims are also allowed to enter and only by tour. Our tour guide showed us around and told us all the facts from taking only 6 years to build it and having 75 chandeliers, to explaining that the roof is a sliding roof (just like the centre court of Wimbledon) and we are quite lucky that it was open as normally it is only open around 30 days a year.

I had read that this mosque was indeed famous for the open roof, allowing those praying to look up directly to the sky, and also to look down and see the Atlantic ocean below their feet. I was half expecting to see some sort of cave system below the main room but in fact, they trickle water into various walkways and small pools within the mosque, and the reflection of the sky gives the impression that it is the ocean below. Bit of a cop out to me saying that 1/3 of the mosque is actually built on the sea.

After our quick tour and our shoes back on our feet, we walked home to collect our bags and get a taxi to the train station. The taxi driver started in the wrong direction and took us to the Hassan II Mosque, showing us the sights. As Anna laughed away, I was giving out to him in my best broken French to stop this stupid tour and take us to the train station, we have a train to catch.

Our first and last train in Morocco was very westernised. Everything from tickets to entry gates and the trains themselves are quite modern and French. Travellers always recommend spending the extra £2 to pay for 1st class and it meant that Anna and I shared a spacious cabin with only 4 others, rather than 8 in a cabin down in 2nd class. It wasn’t the most luxurious, but it wasn’t bad.

An almost 4hr journey took us to Fes, the oldest city in Morocco and our home for 2 days. Our quick walk to Barcélo Fès Medina saw a group of boys following us looking to buy Anna. It wasn’t enough in my opinion.

Having not ate all day, we went out on the streets to find somewhere for dinner. It turned out that nobody was serving food tonight for some reason and only serving coffee. We gave up and returned for a hotel dinner - at least it was something.

After dinner, we enjoyed a drink by the pool and called home for a small catch up. We also found the non-stop movie channel in English on our room tv and fell asleep to the sounds of Gone girl, The green lantern, Ocean’s Eight and Knight and Day - good old classics