Casablanca, Morocco

18 November 2007- Sunday
Moroccan Independence day
Casablanca (the white house)

Ready for my fried eggs at 6 am but none available because in spite of our early departure the kitchen is on their own schedule. But we don't leave at 715 because the Moroccan authorities have to clear the ship and we finally get off at 820. So my tour is called the Imperial City of Rabat and Casablanca and the guide is Merriam who speaks great English, is dressed in a caftan (neck to ankle coverage with long sleeves and a hood on its back). On of our resident kooks on the ship bought one on a previous visit to Morocco and decides to wear it on the tour. Anyway the guide is a fountain of knowledge and we find out the Moroccans are very liberal Muslims, Sunni, and they grow grapes and drink wine- they use the Muslim lunar calendar and observe Ramadan. The Flag is red with a green 5 pointed star. Green is the color of Islam, 5 is their holy number- you pray 5 times a day- you observe 5 things if you are a Muslim- give alms, pray 5 times a day, observe Ramadan, make a haj (pilgrimage to Mecca is you can afford it) etc. It's an hour and a half drive from Casablanca to Rabat- the imperial city- as it lies north of Casablanca, but also a coastal city. Our first stop is in the Mechouar quarter to see the present king's palace. The bus parks next to the mosque and we walk up to the main gate where the various guards are posted- they have spiffy uniforms, looks like British rifles but they are really relaxed- almost lackadaisical- but it is a pretty boring job. Get to see the changing of the guard- no real marching- just route step- no saluting, etc. Anyway the palace is huge in acreage and looks pretty modern. I notice the cannon in the square are 17th century Spanish and there must be a story there. The palace is next to an archaeological site with Phoenician, Roman and Arabic sections. Lots of stairs down and up- as usual there are no handrails. Then we drive along a winding road overlooking the Bou Regreg River and we park at the Mohammad V mausoleum- courtyard contains columns of various heights- one for every day of the Muslim calendar. This ruler is the one who was in power when they got their Independence from France. French is still an official language of the country. The mausoleum is white marble with a green roof with a lot of fountains that aren't working right now. The guards at the tomb are a little more military and when you walk in you're in a gallery overlooking the tomb which is a marble rectangular box with a slanted roof. We leave on the opposite side of the grounds and it is the guide, not the 3 flaky femmes from the ship who notice we're missing one of the group- guide finds him in short order. (That could be making of a nightmare- lost in an Arabic country) We go visit some unimpressive gardens, drink some mint tea and head out to lunch. Main course is a ceramic bowl with cous cous covered with lamb pieces. It was preceded by a ceramic bowel with chicken and olives. last course bowl of fruit with seedless tangerines. Lunch was interesting in that one of table mates tried to start a discussion about religion versus science which I tried to duck out on. but I had to respond when a Jewish woman commented "but you're Jewish, aren't you?" Drive to Casablanca uneventful. Made 2 stops- one at the very impressive mosque of Hassan II Looks big enough to hold thousands but we didn't go in. Next was shopping- all I got was postcards because the prices were exorbitant- an inlaid wooden box 6 inches square for 50 dollars- and no bargaining? Their handicrafts have changed- poor quality, thin brass; but then how many Moroccan hand washers do you need. Glad to get back to the ship, Wash off Moroccan dust. Skipped the show which was listed a Jazz concert but turned out to be Bourbon street music. We had set sail for Agadir about 5pm.