November 21, 2024
“Here’s looking at you, kid”.
Who hasn’t fantasized about this mystical Moroccan city after hearing Humphrey Bogart deliver that iconic line to Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 classis movie “Casablanca”. Truth be told, neither Bogart nor Bergman ever stepped foot in Casablanca. Happily, Chongae and I have. Spoiler alert, the entire film was shot at the Warner Brother studio lot in Burbank, California. (sorry)
Casablanca went on to win the 1942 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.
In 1989, the United States Library of Congress selected the film as one of the greatest films in history and was selected as one of the first films for presentation into the National Film Registry.
The famous movie critic, Roger Ebert wrote, “If there is ever a time when they decide that some movies should be spelled with an upper-case M, Casablanca should be voted first on the list of movies”.
My recommendation.
Watch it.
Unfortunately, many travelers who arrive at the port of Casablanca decide to make a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco. My generation grew up humming along to Marrakesh Express (thanks to songwriter Graham Nash and Crosby, Stills and Nash). Many have images of mysterious markets filled with the danger of snake charmers, the sensuality of belly dancers and the luxury of silk fabrics and shiny jewelry. Shady characters would disappear down narrow winding streets while hippies and bohemians laze away days smoking hashish and who-knows-what-else through exotic pipes.
That is not the Marrakesh of today.
Many travelers decide to take an 8-hour tour from Casablanca to Marrakesh.
What they don’t recognize is that the travel time between Casablanca and Marrakesh is two and a half hours-each way!
After spending 5 hours on a bus, you are left with about 3 hours to see all the sites. Impossible!
Better to enjoy your time in Casablanca and take in Marrakesh on a more relaxed schedule.
So, what is there to do in Casablanca?
First of all, the port of Casablanca is a major commerce spot for goods shipped from North Africa. Upon arrival there are shipping containers as far as the eye can see. You can spend a part of your morning on your verandah watching cranes move containers around this busy commercial port. The orchestrated movements reminded me of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The containers also provide a nice resting place at night for birds to have a sleep over at the port.
As I shared Morocco is 99% Muslim, many Muslims come to Casablanca to visit the Hassan II Mosque. This is one of the biggest Mosques in the world. At night you can see a laser at the top of the Mosque pointing east toward Mecca.
As Chongae and I know the city, we tend to do our favorite things. First, a stop at a favorite cafe to have some Moroccan coffee. Next to the espresso in Italy, in my estimation the best in the world. Apologies to my friends in Colombia.
Second, a visit to the Great Medina, a classic Moroccan shopping area filled with every kind of vendor imaginable. We were looking for a Moroccan magical box that requires the skill of a Rubik’s Cube to open. Every 12-year-olds dream. We found it! Bargaining is mandatory!
And just so you do not think that Casablanca is all shipping containers look at all the beautiful flower photos Chongae captured along the way during our walk-through downtown.
Next stop, Tuscany, Italy.
Thanks for travelling with us.