I needed to go to Liberia for work (more on that in the next entry), and Royal Air Maroc is one of only a handful of airlines that flies to Monrovia. Since I needed to have a layover there for at least 12 hours, I talked two co-workers, Kara and Amelia, to make a long weekend of it.
I met Rita and Amine while I was at Harvard, and they helped organise the trip the first time I visited. I was super excited to see both of them (and their adorable daughter May, who I last saw when they moved back to Morocco when she was only a few weeks old). I was...less excited...to fly with Royal Air Maroc again (they are notorious for losing bags) but all of our flights went off without a hitch, so I consider myself quite lucky.
The three of us met in JFK (where we had some of the worst airport food I've ever had!) and we landed in Casablanca where we picked up SIM cards at the airport. They have little kiosks that give out SIMs for free, along with a little bit of credit, which is a great strategy to lock someone in to your network! Rita was out of town for work, but her parents' driver picked us up at the airport and took us to their beautiful house where we were staying for the weekend.
A little while later, the driver took us out to meet Amine and May for breakfast. Hot damn food is amazing in Morocco. All of it. So good. But breakfasts are especially delicious. I could live off their pastries, mint teas, and fresh juices. SO GOOD.
After eating we headed out to do a little shopping and strolling around an old section of town. Lots of winding through little stalls full of pottery, jewelry, mosaics, and food. We each bought a few little things (I got a massive bowl, some serving plates, and some great earrings - all of which made it back to America via Liberia unscathed, which is a FEAT!).
We went back to Rita's and took a nap for a bit before meeting up with Amine again for dinner. "Let's do an early dinner tonight," he said. "How about 9:00pm." Hahaha we all love that 9:00pm qualifies as an early dinner in Morocco. We ended up going to Rick's Cafe, which is a restaurant made to look like the restaurant from the movie Casablanca. The ambiance is lovely, and the food was delicious. After we ate we all headed back to Rita's to catch some sleep before the next day.
Sunday morning Amelia headed onward to Liberia, but Kara and I stuck around to explore Morocco some more. The last time we went the one thing I'd wanted to do in Casablanca that didn't end up happening was a a visit to the Hasan II Mosque. Located on the coast, it is the biggest mosque in Morocco and the 13th largest in the world. The mosque itself can hold 25,000 worshippers, and if you add in all the outdoor space on the complex, 105,000 people can fit. That is insane. They offer tours daily, which give you the opportunity to walk through the massive space. It was stunning.
After the mosque we headed to brunch at La Squala/Cafe Maure in the old medina. Next level brunch, friends. So good. The restaurant/cafe is in an old fort overlooking the sea, the food is fantastic, the service is attentive, and overall its just pretty wonderful.
After brunch Amine took us to a big local mall right on the coast, where we also took some time to enjoy the beautiful weather by walking along the ocean.
Then we said our goodbyes to Amine and May and hopped in an Uber heading back to Rita's parents' house. Kara and I took advantage of the opportunity to nap again again (eastbound jet lag is the absolute worst!) before Rita got home and we headed out to dinner (can you think of a better vacation than sleeping and eating your way through a weekend??). We had a delicious dinner of tajines (traditional slow-cooked Moroccan food) in one of the most beautiful rooms I've been inside in a long time. Plus quality time catching up with Rita.
After dinner we headed downtown to a square in the center of town where we walked around for a bit as the sunset before heading back to the house. The next morning it was time to say our goodbyes as Kara and I got ready to fly off to Monrovia for a month in Liberia!
I met Rita and Amine while I was at Harvard, and they helped organise the trip the first time I visited. I was super excited to see both of them (and their adorable daughter May, who I last saw when they moved back to Morocco when she was only a few weeks old). I was...less excited...to fly with Royal Air Maroc again (they are notorious for losing bags) but all of our flights went off without a hitch, so I consider myself quite lucky.
The three of us met in JFK (where we had some of the worst airport food I've ever had!) and we landed in Casablanca where we picked up SIM cards at the airport. They have little kiosks that give out SIMs for free, along with a little bit of credit, which is a great strategy to lock someone in to your network! Rita was out of town for work, but her parents' driver picked us up at the airport and took us to their beautiful house where we were staying for the weekend.
A little while later, the driver took us out to meet Amine and May for breakfast. Hot damn food is amazing in Morocco. All of it. So good. But breakfasts are especially delicious. I could live off their pastries, mint teas, and fresh juices. SO GOOD.
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| Me, Amelia, Amine, May, and Kara enjoying brunch. |
After eating we headed out to do a little shopping and strolling around an old section of town. Lots of winding through little stalls full of pottery, jewelry, mosaics, and food. We each bought a few little things (I got a massive bowl, some serving plates, and some great earrings - all of which made it back to America via Liberia unscathed, which is a FEAT!).
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| So much to choose from! |
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| Morocco is known for their olives. |
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| Full disclosure I didn't even know there were anywhere near this many varieties of olives. |
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| SO MANY. |
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| Also many different kinds of traditional pastries. We may have bought entirely too many of these and eaten 1000000 almond pastries. |
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| The traditional shop where the pastries are made. |
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| Strike a pose! |
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| Carrying home all our goods! |
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| Great architecture. |
We went back to Rita's and took a nap for a bit before meeting up with Amine again for dinner. "Let's do an early dinner tonight," he said. "How about 9:00pm." Hahaha we all love that 9:00pm qualifies as an early dinner in Morocco. We ended up going to Rick's Cafe, which is a restaurant made to look like the restaurant from the movie Casablanca. The ambiance is lovely, and the food was delicious. After we ate we all headed back to Rita's to catch some sleep before the next day.
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| View from the balcony of our room at Rita's parents' house. |
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| Dinner by lamplight at Rick's. |
Sunday morning Amelia headed onward to Liberia, but Kara and I stuck around to explore Morocco some more. The last time we went the one thing I'd wanted to do in Casablanca that didn't end up happening was a a visit to the Hasan II Mosque. Located on the coast, it is the biggest mosque in Morocco and the 13th largest in the world. The mosque itself can hold 25,000 worshippers, and if you add in all the outdoor space on the complex, 105,000 people can fit. That is insane. They offer tours daily, which give you the opportunity to walk through the massive space. It was stunning.
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| The minaret on a gorgeous day. |
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| So many beautiful doorways. |
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| And classic arches. |
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| Inside the mosque. |
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| Everything is so ornate and beautiful. |
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| The main hall. Stunning. |
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| Incredibly intricate carved wooden ceilings. |
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| The main hall with some people for scale! It is massive! |
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| Corners for quiet contemplation. |
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| Gah so beautiful. |
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| Intricate decorations. |
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| And a ton of mosaics of all shapes and sizes. |
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| The hammam, or baths, below the mosque. |
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| Love me some mosaics. |
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| Beautiful geometric designs. |
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| Back outside after the tour. |
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| The minaret is 60 feet tall. |
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| It was a ridiculously gorgeous day. |
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| So good to have friends scattered all over the world! |
After the mosque we headed to brunch at La Squala/Cafe Maure in the old medina. Next level brunch, friends. So good. The restaurant/cafe is in an old fort overlooking the sea, the food is fantastic, the service is attentive, and overall its just pretty wonderful.
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| Little hidden away entrance to the cafe. |
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| Breakfast with a side of cannons, naturally. |
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| So much food, and ALL THE DRINKS! |
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| So lovely. |
After brunch Amine took us to a big local mall right on the coast, where we also took some time to enjoy the beautiful weather by walking along the ocean.
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| Sea views. |
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| This weatherrrrr. So perfect. |
Then we said our goodbyes to Amine and May and hopped in an Uber heading back to Rita's parents' house. Kara and I took advantage of the opportunity to nap again again (eastbound jet lag is the absolute worst!) before Rita got home and we headed out to dinner (can you think of a better vacation than sleeping and eating your way through a weekend??). We had a delicious dinner of tajines (traditional slow-cooked Moroccan food) in one of the most beautiful rooms I've been inside in a long time. Plus quality time catching up with Rita.
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| Mine was a mix of sweet and savory with dates and apricots. YUM. |
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| I don't even remember what was in that one, but they were all AMAZING. |
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| Stunning, stunning decor. |
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| The traditional after-dinner-selfie with Rita and Kara. |
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| Even the doors are gorgeous. |
After dinner we headed downtown to a square in the center of town where we walked around for a bit as the sunset before heading back to the house. The next morning it was time to say our goodbyes as Kara and I got ready to fly off to Monrovia for a month in Liberia!
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| Sunset at the fountains. |
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| Off we gooooo! |
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