Blog Post #4 - Our Day in Casablanca

With only one full day in Casablanca, we were limited in terms of what we could see or do, but we were told the one site we shouldn't miss was the Hassan II Mosque. This is one of the largest mosques in the world (it has the highest minaret) in the world, and is one of the only mosques open to non-Muslims. It can hold 25,000 people (almost the entire city of Auburn!) with an additional 80,000 in the courtyards and squares.

It was built over a six year period and completed in 1993, and truly is majestic. Tours are given at specific times to avoid the five call to prayer times throughout the day.  Tours were given in English, Italian, German, French and other languages.  Our group consisted of visitors from Canada, India, Brazil and Switzerland. 

After our tour, we ate lunch at a Moroccan restaurant (see Blog post #3), took a taxi ride around the new Medina (which is the heart of the city), drove past the palace where the king lives and stopped for a photo with Mohammed, our taxi driver/guide. Unfortunately, no time to visit the souks (marketplaces) in Casablanca but will look forward to them in Marrakesh.

Here are some of the flowers and plants we saw when we were out exploring:

Looking forward to our ride on the Marrakesh Express tomorrow! Good night!