September 8, 2002 –
Casablanca – Rabat
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At around 7:30, I say goodbye and thank you to
Dominique for the first day in Morocco. I have to take the train at Casa Port
to reach Rabat. Casa Port is the second major railway station in Casablanca (near
the United Nations square) and the main station for the train going to Rabat
whereas all the other destinations in Morocco are better served from Casa
Voyageurs. In less than one hour I am in Rabat, the streets are empty and
that sounds logical because it is only 9am and the working day is just
starting there. Some shops are opened as well as some cafés but the city
seems deserted. I go straightaway to the medina where I am supposed to find a
hotel for the night but, for the first time in my recent travels, there is no
vacancy. They all told me to come back at noon but I really need to leave my
bag and they don’t accept it. I really have to read carefully the guidebook
to find something else. Finally I found the Hotel Mamounia where there is a
single room for me and I am very happy to leave the bag and to take a shower.
With this, I will be able to start the visit of the city. I start the visit with the Oudaias kasbah where
little streets are painted in blue and white, a real haven. Just behind the
kasbah and facing the Ocean, there is an esplanade that offers a great view
on the beaches, the Oued (river) and Salé (the white city) on the other side. Oudaias kasbah On the other side of the oued : the city of
Salé I walk deep in the medina, the souks are almost
desert in the beginning of the afternoon but it will be different in late
afternoon. Suddenly, I see a food booth at a corner of the street so I stop
to buy 2 sandwiches with eggplants, some tomato juice on it and of course
cumin, what a meal for only 3 DH!! I don’t know yet that I will stick to this
type of sandwich for a lot of days, it is so delicious. In Morocco or
generally in middle east, the temperature is so high that you don’t feel the
necessity to eat a lot during the day so I will stick to one meal in the
evening and from time to time a little sandwich at noon. Ramparts of the Oudaias kasbah I go back to the kasbah in order to visit the museum
and the garden that surrounds the place. In different rooms, you can see
local clothes wear by men and women in a Berber style. There are also
numerous jewels displayed nearly everywhere and explanations about the use of
which type of jewel for precise occasion (daily life, marriage, feasts…) The
main attraction of the museum is the bronze room that enables the visitor to
see the jewelry in Morocco from the very beginning, a lesson of history. I resume my wandering in the souks streets and I
stop from time to time to admire the architecture, the shops and the way of
life, very different from what I see everyday in Europe. After two glasses of
orange juice on the street, I decide to go to see the famous Hassan tower and
the mausoleum where Hassan II and Mohammed V are buried. The tower should be
60m high but the construction ends at 45m. The side facing the ocean has a
different color due to the salt. Two cracks from previous earthquakes are
clearly visible on one side of the tower. Hassan tower The esplanade of the mausoleum is pretty huge with
the rest of the columns which could have been part of a major mosque if there
wasn’t the earthquake some centuries ago. The white mausoleum cannot be
missed on one side, the place is guarded day and night by the Royal guard as
well as the entrances of the esplanade. Inside, the central tomb is the one of
Mohammed V whereas the tomb of his son Hassan II is on the left. A gallery
enables the visitors to have a complete view on the tombs. Mohammed V mausoleum Mohammed V tomb in the middle and Hassan II in the
corner From the mausoleum, I try to find my way to the
museum of Rabat. It is not really easy to find but with patience and the help
of Moroccans it was ok. The museum in itself is not that interesting but
there are numerous pieces of Roman time that are visible in one major part of
the museum. It is in fact a general idea of what I will see in Volubilis in a
few days. Then I want to see the Royal palace where Mohammed
VI lives among other fantastic palaces through Morocco. The complex is huge,
the gardens that surround the park are really beautiful and so green even in
September. The avenues leading to the palace main square and entrance are
lined with well-pruned trees. The complex is well guarded, as I tried to take
a little street that goes next to the palace wall, a policeman quickly come
to me to invite me to return to the main avenue. The gates of the palace are
impressive. Royal palace entrance From the Royal palace, I join the Chellah necropole
behind the southern ramparts of the city. The place is the rest of the Roman
city of Sala Colonia. The walls with the ochre color contrats with the white
color of the city of Salé or the one in the kasbah. Chellah necropole I go back to the hotel just to relax a few minutes
before returning to the festive atmosphere of the medina. It is really
difficult to wander in the streets in late afternoon, there are so many
people there!!! On my way I observe the hubbub of the buyers and the
incessant calls of shopkeepers to vaunt their goods. I also taste some
pastries, it is so good…I will spend a lot of time wandering with no goal but
the one to discover the neighborhood. Tonight I will have the diner next to the local
market at the café de la jeunesse that has a small terrace but with a great
view on the intersection of Mohammed V street and souk Semara street. The
menu is the same everywhere for tourists but for me it will be brochettes
with fries and rice with a coke. There are also many tajines for nearly
nothing. After such a good meal, last wandering in the medina
before going back to the hotel. Main expenses of the day : Train Casablanca – Rabat: 29.50 DH Hotel Mamounia: 60 DH for a single, 90 DH for a
double and 120 DH for 3 beds Museum of the kasbah entrance: 20 DH Unofficial guide at the mausoleum: 20 DH Drinks (water, soft drinks, tea…) + evening meal: 45
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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