Travels Within Morocco: Asilah

Tiffany and I are packing for Ireland! We leave tomorrow(actually when you read this, it will be Wednesday and we will have been in Ireland for 4 days already) and I am very very excited for so many reasons. The first being that I have always wanted to go to Ireland. St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays, I wear a Claddagh ring every day, and I love the color green. I am also excited to take a breather from Morocco. I absolutely love it here, but it will be nice to get back into Western society for a bit and to know how to handle life.

We found out at the beginning of the week that we had two extra days of break. Our plane tickets were bought weeks ago so we couldn't just add two days to our Ireland vacation. Instead, Tiffany and I decided to go to Asilah, a beach town on Morocco's western coast.

Photo credit: Tiffany Krause

Asilah has a very long history, going back to Carthaginian( an ancient empire around the time of the Romans) settlements in the region. Eventually the Romans conquered the area and it was used as a trade spot between Spain and the Moroccan area. The Portuguese captured the city in 1471 and even built the walls around the old medina. This is why they have a particularly castle-like and old Europe feel.

Medina wall

Returning from a crusade in 1578, the king of Portugal, Dom Sebastian, was killed and Asilah landed back in the hands of Spain. It wasn't taken back by the Arabs until 1691 with Moulay Ismail, the great Moroccan king. One infamous resident, Er-Raissouli, is known for kidnapping and holding rich Europeans for ransom in his palace along the sea in the early 1900s. If Raissouli really didn't like you or your ransom was taking to long to arrive, he would literally make you walk a plank out of one of the palace windows into the sea. Spain wasn't too happy with this character so he was forced to leave in 1924.

The medina is very clean and colorful

The train from Meknes to Asilah is about 4 hours, we left at 8am and arrived just after 12. We were incredibly hungry so the first thing we did was find food. Specifically seafood because what else do you eat in a beach town? I had sword fish and french fries and Tiffany had shrimp tagine with fries. Amazing. The total for both of our meals was 75 Dirhams, just about $8. 

After eating, we went straight to a hotel. We had a couple of ideas from our growing collection of guide books; Hotel Marhaba and Hotel Sahara were top on our list. We had walked past Hotel Marhaba on our way to food, but we wanted to check out Hotel Sahara before we made a choice. We had to ask around a bit (and ignore all the invitations to stay at people's brother's or cousin's guest houses or hotels in the medina), and thanks to the ever presence of Moroccan hospitality, a man physically walked us to the hotel. This is not the first time this has happened, people are very nice here and are extremely willing to help you if you need it. We have been walked to ATMs, hotels, and restaraunts instead of people just pointing the way. In this situation, we were particularly grateful because Hotel Sahara does not have a sign in English so we never would have found it. I can read Arabic and so can Tiffany, but we would have just passed it over without paying attention. 

Hotel Sahara

The hotel cost us 150 Dirhams (a little less than $20) total for a bedroom with two twin beds and a small sink. Community bathrooms were across the courtyard and a hot shower could be obtained with an extra 5 Dirhams. The hotel was beautiful, tile everywhere of course and a great open courtyard on the second floor. We got to walk around and pick the bedroom that we wanted which was very cool. 

 We wandered around the medina for a bit after we left the hotel. The medina in Asilah is very clean compared to those in other cities.This was really nice to see, until we got to the beach and realized that the medina might be clean, but they are just dumping their trash right on the coast. We followed the outer medina wall for the most part, medinas are no place to get lost, so that was the easy way to find our way back out. This led us to a beautiful lookout on the old medina wall. We could see miles of coast and the entire city(The very first picture is from this lookout point). It was clearly the place to take your date, the stones were covered in couple's names inside hearts and there was a few couples there when we arrived. Tiffany and I have an ongoing joke about us being a couple ever since one of the Moroccan boys here in Meknes told us that we look splendid together so it was only fitting that we go to the lover's lookout together and later on we even had a candlelit dinner.

Tiffany, on the lookout wall

Rocks below

After spending some time staring at the sea from the look out point ,we were determined to touch the water. We didn't really want to swim or anything, but we had to at least get in so we could say we did. We had heard that the place to go was called Paradise Beach, a few miles away from town. We had to either find a taxi or a horse-drawn carriage, both were in short supply. And by short supply I mean we couldn't find a single one. It's not tourist season yet so that probably explains it, but still, not a single taxi. From the look out we had seen a group of boys on the rocky beach below so we thought it couldn't be that hard to get there. The water looked pretty shallow so we thought we could walk across the rocks and just wade in the water for a few minutes and then head back. If I have learned one thing from Morocco, it is that nothing is that simple.

We had to walk through a field of garbage. (photo credit: Tiffany Krause)

Climb, slide, crawl, fall across some very slippery moss covered rocks. (Photo credit: Tiffany Krause)

And when we got to the dry rocks, they were covered in this stuff, which kind of hurt to walk on, but actually made it easier to grip the rock. (Photo credit: Tiffany Krause)

But we finally made it!

And so did the piece of pottery that I had just bought! It's a miracle.

 We were just wading in our clothes, but after all the work it took to get there we thought what the hell and went in with just our bikinis. Very scandalous, we knew, but there was only a couple of other people around and we just had to. A Moroccan woman could probably not get away with such a thing, but since we're foreign, it doesn't really matter. Before leaving the beach, I got one more souvenir for my sister. She goes to the University of Niagara and brought me a water bottle full of Niagara River water. So naturally I got her a bottle filled with Atlantic Ocean and Moroccan Sand.

yum, salt water and dirt

After this harrowing adventure, we were dirty and exhausted. We headed straight to the hotel, paid 5 Dirhams for a shower which was more of a rinse since we didn't pack shampoo or soap. Then we headed back out for dinner. We had noticed the restaurant earlier and had decided that was where we would go back to for dinner. It was called Restaurant Marbella and was decorated with fishing nets, bobbins, and modern art. Very unique for the area. The tables were candlelit and very romantic. The food was amazing and inexpensive. The waiter was even friendly. There is not a single bad thing about this place. 

Restaurant Marbella

Candle lit dinner for two

Mixed Seafood Platter 70 Dirhams (or $8.50) It was amazing.

It was only 9:00pm when we finished dinner and went back to the hotel, but we were exhausted and had an early train the next morning so we went straight to bed. Both Tiffany and I agree that this was our best excursion so far. The town is beautiful, the people are nice, the views are fantastic, and the food is to die for.

And of course there were cats

Travels Within Morocco: Casablanca

We went to Casablanca two weekends ago. We were only able to spend one day and one night in the city and I do not think that was nearly enough. I could easily have spent 3 or 4 days here. One major reason is seafood. I am a huge seafood lover and Morocco has a huge seafood industry. Unfortunately, only on the coast. It is very difficult and not always a good idea to get seafood in Meknes, so I was in heaven in Casablanca. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Lets talk some history first.

mmm seafood...

Casablanca, founded in 1912, is one of the newest cities in Morocco. The site was an earlier Berber trading point with the Portuguese and the Spanish, but this was destroyed in the 15th century. After that, the town was rebuilt and torn down by various monarchs, until it reached its present name and form: Casablanca. Casablanca is now the commercial and financial center of Morocco and is one of the most modern cities.

The name Casablanca refers to the architecture of the city. Most of the houses and buildings are white and done in European architecture of the 1920s and 1930s. This means lots of Art Deco and Art Nouvou that mixes with the traditional Moroccan styles. In other cities, the lines between Moroccan and European are very blurred, in Casablanca they are very clear.

The big attraction in Casablanca( besides the Atlantic ocean) is the Mosque of Hassan II. This is the largest mosque in Morocco and the fifth largest mosque in the world. Construction was begun in 1986 and took 7 years to complete. This was to be the major undertaking and proof of wealth and power by the late King Hassan II, King Mohammed VI's father.

The Mosque of Hassan II

I have no words to adequately describe how big this mosque was. If you look at the size of the people in the pictures that will give you an idea. The minaret is 82 feet wide and 656 feet tall. Just for comparison, the Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall and the Washington Monument is 555 feet tall. In total, the mosque covers some 968,774 square feet, two thirds of which are actually over the sea. It was designed by Michel Pinseau, a French architect, and is covered in everything I have come to expect from Moroccan design. There is detailed tile and stucco covering every inch. Curved lines, marble, and domed ceilings that seem a million miles high.

see the tiny people?

Main Hall of the Mosque

The atmosphere inside the mosque is surreal. The latticed windows and intricate lamps create very soft sunlight areas that contrast highly with deep shadows.

The main level of the mosque is one large hall with a sectioned off area at the end for prayer. The prayer area is covered in carpets and has inscriptions from the Quran posted on the pillars and walls. 

Shoes are not permitted in mosques so we were all in our socks or bare feet.

In the basement there is a gigantic hammam that has never been used. The king had it built just for show.

The hammam inside the mosque. This hammam is much grander and more ornate than the hammams that Moroccans normally use.

In addition to the Moroccan Hammam, the king also had a Turkish Hammam built inside the mosque. It is absolutely beautiful. I would love to relax in the water and the beauty of the room. This hammam has also never been used.

Turkish Hammam.

Casablanca also has a wonderful medina. It is not quite as old of a medina as those in other cities, but it still has all the same features. Small minarets dart up all over the place and shop keepers are ready to barter. I bought an awesome pair of sandals and a ring bracelet combo. Tiffany and I also ended up in a shop for about an hour because the shop owners were trying to sell us everything in the place. We ended up having turbans wrapped around our heads and Tiffany was offered 100 camels for her hand in marriage. 

                                              

Entrance to the king's palace in Casablanca

Casablanca, I've heard, also has a very active nightlife. I didn't really get to experience this first hand because it was raining and we didn't want to stray to far from the hotel. There are bars and dance clubs in Casablanca which just shows how modern the city really is. A small group of us wondered around for awhile looking for a  little bar to just hang out in, but it was raining and getting late so we gave up and went to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yes, you read that right. You have no idea how happy we all were to be there. Everyone loves the Moroccan food, but this was just a perfect taste of home. The only downside, KFC in Casablanca does not have mashed potatoes. Tiffany and I took our chicken back to the hotel, The Prince of Paris, and watched Polar Express on the English movie channel. Even if we never found the bar, this evening got an A+ from me. 

I'm just napping in front of the palace, no big deal