September 7, 2002 –
Luxembourg – Paris – Casablanca
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At 7:10am, I am leaving Luxembourg for Paris in a
Fokker 50. 50 minutes later we land in Roissy Charles de Gaulle, the airport is
very quiet, it is certainly due to the Air France pilots strike. That’s a
good thing because I am flying on an Air France flight !!! In fact, my
original flight (9:35) was cancelled and I am scheduled on the one at 12:55.
I warmly thanks Travelprice.com to minimize the effects of this strike. At the airport, I meet a French guy, Dominique, the
boss of a trading company specialized in the sale of used civil engineering
equipment to middle eastern and African clients. He is going to Casablanca
for business and he knows well the country. So we will speak during all the
time preceding the departure. The flight to Casablanca was fine, we arrive at the
Moroccan airport on time just after 2pm. All the process regarding the
customs and the immigration is very quick. For French citizens and many
others, no visa is required to enter the country. Dominique offers me the
ride to downtown Casablanca. I am very happy with this situation, I will have
time to take my marks in this country. Otherwise I would have tried to take
the CTM bus or the train from Mohammed V airport to Casablanca. Dominique will spend the 4 days at the Hyatt Regency
located on United Nations square near the medina. It is not really the same range
of hotels I will use during my stay in Morocco and I start reading the Lonely
Planet edition to find a better solution for me. But Dominique offers me to
stay in the suite he will take at the last floor of the building. I have a
good feeling, so I accept the offer. We are at the 11th floor with
an amazing view on Casablanca districts. I am very lucky to have met this
guy. As he often comes in Morocco and especially in this hotel, he had a
great discount on the price of the room (he got a cleaning problem in August
while there for leisure with his wife). The view is absolutely great, we are
facing the Hassan II mosque and the Atlantic Ocean behind. The suite is even
bigger than my apartment in Luxembourg!! And the price is also one of the
tops in Morocco (320 EUR the night, nearly all I will spend in Morocco for 3
weeks!!). Hyatt Regency – United Nations square Tonight I will sleep on the sofas with my own
television. That’s great and not to bad for a first day there!!! At 3:30, I just start the discovery of the city as I
walk towards Hassan II mosque. It is such a big construction that it really
dominates the whole city. To go there, I just enter in the souk and I lost
myself in the city, I follow the shadows and the sky to the location. There
is not a lot of people in the streets but it is normal as we are in the
afternoon, people will be there at the end of the day as usual. Casablanca and Hassan II mosque Not far from the mosque, I find a téléboutique to
phone home and leave a message saying that I found a boyscout for the night. The mosque is really impressive when you stand next
to the minaret or the doors. The esplanade is really huge and is covered with
marble. The minaret is 200m high and the roof of the mosque can be opened to
offer natural light to the prayers. Unfortunately the mosque is closed, I
missed the last visit of the day at 2pm, I will come back here on my last day
before flying back to visit this building. Hassan II mosque From the mosque I just resume the visit of the city
by wandering in the streets to catch the atmosphere and the unique charm that
spreads all over me. When I go back at the hotel, Dominique asks me if I want
to come with him in the souks as he will have to deal with some guys for
business purposes!! Omar, one of his contacts, invited us to eat pancakes
while drinking the usual mint tea (chaï). Then we just wander in the medina
meeting many people that I will not forget!! We come back at the hotel where Dominique is
supposed to receive a bag from one of his employees and we go back in the
medina to finalize the deal. Business is business… To end this first day in Casablanca, Dominique
invites me to one of the best restaurant in the harbor area where we eat many
excellent fishes with a nice Moroccan rosé wine. What a meal… Then we go back to the hotel, I am a little bit
tired and as I have my train to Rabat tomorrow morning, I prefer to relax on
the sofa while watching the news. I am really dead and I fall asleep very
quickly after the end of the news. After a breakfast offered in Cairo by Gavin, the
Scottish guy I met in the bus from the airport, this is a second nice meeting
for the beginning of the journey. Main expenses of the day : Nothing |
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Other travels (Syria,
Jordan, Egypt, USA...) (Hotels, Transportation
timetables…) D1 :
Luxembourg – Paris – Casablanca D4 :
Meknes – Volubilis – Meknes D9 :
Tinehrir – Ouarzazate – Marrakesh D13 :
Refuge – 4167m –Tizi Ouanoums D14 :
Tizi Ouanoums – Amsouzert D16 :
Azib Likemt – Tacheddirt D17 :
Tacheddirt – Imlil – Marrakesh D19 :
Essaouira – El Jadida – Tangier D22 :
Chefchaouen – Casablanca D23 :
Casablanca – Paris – Luxembourg |
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Last update : December
2002
Contact : pindavid@hotmail.com