Casablanca, Morocco – my Exciting Entry to North Africa

Why Morocco? It was February 2019. I’d been in Germany since November of 2018, and wasn’t returning to the U.S. until May 2019. So…I needed to exit the Schengen Area several times during that 6 months. (For more info on why I had to leave, the Schengen Area, and extended stays in Europe, look at this.)

It was cold, grey, and rainy in Germany, and I wanted to go somewhere warm. Morocco had been on my go-to list, so I figured now was a good time.

I took a bus from my place on Handelstrasse in Wiesbaden to the Train Station, then the train to the Frankfurt Airport. Enjoyed the PrimeClass Lounge (thanks to one of my fancy credit cards) while waiting for my flight to Casablanca. It was only a 3.5 hour flight on Royal Air Maroc, and then the fun began!

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Le Casablanca Hotel

Le Casablanca Hotel’s shuttle picked me up from the airport. I was blown away when I entered the hotel; it is incredibly posh, and was an unexpectedly wonderful beginning to my Moroccan adventure.

Mint tea and pastries were served in the beautiful lobby as my luggage (one carry-on bag, which I checked–more on my opinion about luggage another time!) was put in my room, and the hotel manager chatted me up about my plans in Morocco. He was kind enough to GIVE me an adaptor for my electronics. Great customer service never fails.

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My room was amazing. French doors opened onto a small balcony overlooking the city, and I enjoyed being able to leave the doors opened all night long. On the table was a plate of fruit and pastries, and a much-needed bottle of water.

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There was a bidet in the bathroom – love it! – and later, I decided that in this room I had found both my favorite bed and bathtub in the world. The bed was soooo comfortable, and the linens exquisite. The tub was large and deep – great for a soak after a long day of travel.

The Egyptian cotton robe and towels were unbelievably soft; I’d love one of those robes someday. At $120, with a small suitcase, I forwent the opportunity. One of these days, I’ll be back…

(BTW – If you’d like to earn some easy extra passive income every month, for extra luxuries and souvenirs while traveling, this is my favorite way right now.)

Hassan II Mosque

If you only see one thing in Casablanca, which is quite a big city, the Hassan II Mosque is the thing to see. It is the third largest mosque in the world, and is awe-inspiring. The building itself can hold 20,000 people, and 80,000 more people can fit in the large plaza that overlooks the sea.

It is one of the few mosques that is open to the public. When you enter, you can join a group of people there to see it with a guide, divided by language. I recommend this, as there’s much in-depth information that’s not otherwise accessible. The guides were free. I took a scarf with me to put over my head out of respect for the community.

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All the architectural and artistic elements of Moroccan culture culminate in the Hassan II Mosque. There are gorgeous cedar-wood ceilings, mosaics, brown marble, beautiful glass, and much of the decor is made of titanium, to protect against the salt air. Luckily, I visited this mosque at the end of my trip (I flew back to Germany at the end of my stay in Morocco), after I’d discovered how artists and tradesmen all over the country wield their crafts, so I was able to appreciate all the beauty.

The ablutions area downstairs is massive and beautiful – otherworldly, really.

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Rick’s Cafe

The old medina in Casablanca is not as picturesque as others in Morocco, but I did stop by Rick’s Cafe. It doesn’t open until 6:30 p.m., so I didn’t go in, sadly. But, if “Casablanca” is one of your favorite movies, as it is mine, you’ve got to stop by for a photo op, right?! (It actually has nothing to do with the movie; just a way to capitalize on a famous, iconic title!)

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I did manage to get my first street food in Casablanca before heading out to explore the rest of the country, and of course, it was tajine. Tagine or tajine? What do you think is proper? You’ll find many alternate spellings of things, towns, and names, because in translating from Arabic, names are written phonetically and therefore subjectively spelled (e.g., Fez vs. Fes.)

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If you’d like to travel Morocco solo, the way I did, this guide book, or others like it, might help. If you’d prefer not to go on your own, this tour of Morocco is small and personal. However you go, I’d love to hear your experiences!

Use this link for suggestions about how to plan your stay in Casablanca, specifically.

Thanks for exploring Casablanca with me…next stop in my Moroccan journey is the gorgeous Blue City of Chefchaouen…come along! This is my Post #1 about Morocco, though I did publish an overview, here.

Glad you’re here with me…I’d love to hear your comments below.

P.S. – I have a great opportunity for you, 70 – 90% off resort and hotel vacations when you subscribe to a newsletter (1-2 per month; I won’t spam you!). Sign up on the yellow form below to get these offers.

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