Salaam wa Aleikoum.

Though not quite the same chaos as some Asian cities we have visited Casablanca has its own unique North African character and charm.

Clearly not a tourist city, Casablanca lies on the Atlantic coast on the north western edge of the African continent. The principal attraction is the blue mosque or Mosque Hassan II which dominates the waterfront with its towering minaret inlaid with turquoise tiles and intricate carved marble. It is the tallest structure in Morocco (apparently) and cost a staggering $USD800m. It's built on land that at one time was home to some of Casablanca's poorest and it doesn't look like they were properly compensated. Same story everywhere I guess.

Cathy and I found it through some haphazard map reading and via the ubiquitous carpet buying experience that appears to be something of a right of passage in Morocco. 

Having spent the better part of 30 hours on planes we decided a walk around Casablanca would be a great way to get the blood flowing in cramped legs and set off from Hotel Maamoura, photocopied low-res map in hand, in 180 degrees the wrong direction.

However it wasn't too long before we realized our error and made our way back to our starting point and recommenced  our Casablancan walking recovery tour.

Passing through United Nations Square and along majestically named boulevards such as Boulevard Tahar el Alouï it wasn't long before these obvious tourists were greeted by friendly locals who were quick to offer advice on directions and things to see... Oh and cousins to meet who just so happened to be in town... "you are lucky to have arrived in Casablanca today my friends, my cousin has his beautiful rugs for sale only today, come I will show you..." You get the drill.

The carpets were magnificent and there are now a couple on the way home. (Not sure how we will eat for the rest of the trip but the carpets will look sensational and, besides, we have supported I can't remember how many local artisans etc. etc.) Amazing what you can justify on a few hours sleep after a monumental plane trip.

We did eventually make it to the Mosque and admired it from the outside. (More on the Mosque tomorrow after we do the obligatory tour.)

A late lunch overlooking a rather angry Atlantic was followed by a long walk back to Hotel Maamoura punctuated by several wrong turns, detours and rewarded by a much more comprehensive knowledge of downtown Casablanca than we would have got from a taxi ride.

(BTW, full disclosure: this is not my photo as I still am too tired to download the ones I took from my camera 😴.)

Tomorrow our full Moroccan adventure begins but for now I we will sleep with the sounds of street traders wafting gently through our hotel window as  night comes to downtown Casablanca.

Tesbah ala kheyr.