Day 35 Casablanca to Fes

Casablanca to Fes

We had such an interesting day today, and it was so sunny - no clouds to be seen, and warm enough for shirt sleeves during the day, but cool in the morning and cold at night as we're inland and between two mountain ranges.

We set out at 8 for a sightseeing tour of Casablanca, and I'd have to say there doesn't seem a lot to be seen.  We did visit the Hassan II Mosque, which is the largest mosque in the country and the 7th largest mosque in the world. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210m.  Its partly built over the Atlantic Ocean, and is very impressive.  I think we will have an opportunity to go inside when we return to Casablanca at the end of the tour.

We then drove for an hour to the capital Rabat, where we visited the royal palace and the mausoleum of King Mohammed V, which was built in the 1960s of white marble.  As in so many places in Morocco, the mosaic work is amazing.  The mausoleum is located next to the Hassan Tower which is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in begun in 1195.

We also drove to the old part of Rabat, which overlooks the Atlantic, and is surrounded by a wall.

We had lunch there then drove for a couple of hours through some beautiful green countryside to Meknes, where we visited a food bazaar, and also went to the Madrasa Bou Inania, where there is a mosque and mausoleum.

From there we drove another hour to Fes, which is the ancient capital of Morocco.  We came to our accommodation, which is in a riad in the medina, which is the original walled city.  Our room is amazing, with lovely mosaics, high ceilings, and a courtyard and pool outside our door.  There is a terrace outside where we got great views across the medina.

Our room

Tonight we went to a cultural dinner in another part of the medina, where we had a lovely dinner and a lot of fun.   There was a magician, a belly dancer as well as musicians and other entertainers.  The group at our table was a lot of fun, and I haven't laughed so much for ages.

A very good day indeed.  You certainly know you're in a different culture in Morocco.