This weekend Shannah flew down from Ireland to meet my housemates and I in Casablanca for a girls' weekend of touring and hanging out. We met her at the airport around 6 pm, then headed to Rick's Cafe (an almost exact replica of the set from "Casablanca") for an evening of food, wine, and live piano. Then it was back to our hostel for free Moroccan mint tea. Quite wonderful. :-)
The next day we got up early to walk to the Hassan II Mosque, which I believe has the second tallest tower on a mosque in the world. It is one of the most beautiful, breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. Three-quarters of it is built out into the ocean, so when the tide comes in, the waves crash into it and spray everywhere. There was a storm forming out over the ocean, and the sky was a dark purple, which met the sun and blue sky over land right above the mosque and beach.
We then grabbed the train for the 45 min ride to Rabat where we vistited one of my favorite places in Morocco, the Chellah ruins. It was originally a fort built by the Pheonicians, then occupied by the Romans, and later by the Arabs, so the architecture is amazingly varied (and well-preserved). It has also been turned into a botanical gardens because of the aquafer that runs through (and under) it. There is so much water, and storks settle there by the hundreds. Since it's just getting to be the end of the rainy season, everything is incredibly green. It looks more like India than Moroccco.
While we were there wandering around, taking in the beautiful views (Chellah sits on a hill that over looks the city of Rabat), a guard found Shannah wandering alone. In another example of Moroccan hospitality and pride for their country, he gave her a free tour of the entire complex, taking her to some of the best views. I tagged along for the last half of the "tour." He was extremely kind, and as our excitement grew with each new thing he showed us, so did his enthusiasm. He could see that we appreciated this wonderfully unique place as much as he did, and as a result, we probably got to see more of the intimate parts of Chellah than any paid guide would have shown us.
After Chellah, we visited the Kasbah Oudaia, the fort that overlooks the Atlantic ocean on the coast of Rabat. Inside is the old Jewish quarter where everything is painted the most vivd blue and white. We were able to find our way out to the rampart and got a gorgeous view of the bay.
After taking some time at the beach, eating at a cafe that was basically right on it, we headed to the Rabat medina and did a small amount of shopping before heading back to our hostel in Casablanca for an early trip to bed. Shannah had to leave at 7 am the next morning. All went well, and she's back in Ireland safe and sound. :-)
