Dar Itrit Casablanca

... than a mile to the ocean. The ocean shoreline was more open as part of the large harbor lay before us. It was behind another modern wall that provided mutual protection to the pedestrians and the large harbor equipment that was moving about taking part in the business of the harbor.

Casablanca’s most recent landmark is the modern, high-tech King Hussan II Mosque, which was opened in August, 1993. It is the second largest mosque in the world and is ...

... group dinners).  

As for Marrakech, the riad where we stayed was really great.  Imagine a tiny alley way, dirty, poor, in the center of the old city.  Then you open these 8 ft doors to an oasis.  The 26 of us had the whole place, complete with restaurant, pool (with a bar), several lounging rooms with wi-fi, a beautiful courtyard and great rooms.  We even had daily rose petals placed on our beds.  Linens were really nice, shower was nice, it was just a really nice place.  We ...

... And it was only a few muinutes walk from our hotel. Checked in, then dropped our bags in the room and headed out again to get something to eat. Stopped at KFC, then did a quick walk around the markets and headed back to the hotel for a shower, rest and to watch TV. Went out later for dinner (ate again at the same cafe as last time) then back again to hotel and bed.

Our fatual trip to Morocco has come to a close. In a strange way, it feels as though we've seen and experienced the country as anticipated, if not desired. Beautiful beaches with garbage, a strong Muslim culture, cute shops of spices and counterfeit Nikes, delicious Couscous and Tajine, more Mosques and 5AM wake up calls than we could count, people so friendly, rug ...

... it's the only meat that all countries/religions of the world actually share.  We're also trying to take a picture of a nun in every country - That's for you Randy!  We found one in Peru and even in Panama while changing planes, but afraid that streak will come to an end in Morocco.  I took the picture of the live chicken which angered it's owner, so while I was hurrying away I almost ran into a dead cow's head.  The tongue was ...

... and thereby preserve, the language, fearing that it might die out as so many indigenous languages have around the world. The trip was about 4 hours each way, so there was a lot of commentary. We stopped midway for a break, were delighted to find western-style toilets (I've been really lucky not to have encountered the hole-in-the-floor with foot pads you sometimes find in Europe), and had something to drink. The popular beverage in Morocco is mint tea, so ...

... God's throne is on the water) and a giant sliding roof, because on those sunny days you sure do wanna put the top down and feel the breeze in your hair.  The sliding roof is also handy for those major ceremonies where the mosque can fill up with 25,000 people, especially since someone forgot the air conditioning in the construction plans.  The mosque's minaret (tower) also has a laser that points to Mecca! The Hassan II mosque is one of the few mosques ...

Casablanca housed the original restaurant filmed in many of the scenes of Casablanca the movie. We were able to drive along the coastline which was filled with, literally, tens of thousands of people swarming the beach. It's a very popular attraction. Too hectic for us to try to sunbathe and I think nude sunbathing was out of the ...

... 11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12 Whatsoever ...

... Of course, in typical Greg and Melissa fashion, we were a little behind schedule and missed the last train to Marrakesh, which meant that we had a long night ahead of us as we creeped our way inland on a bus and then spent our last precious hours in Morocco not in a lovely riad, but dozing on a bench in the airport.