CASABLANCA & RABAT

DAY ONE

We left Essaouira in the morning and stopped for lunch along the coast. We had delicious smoothies and I got a paella.

One of the main ingredients in Paella is the spice saffron. Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world, but you can get some in Morocco at a good price! Be sure to get it from a trusted spice store though, because sometimes merchants sell you safflower instead— which is not the same quality.

After that, we went to Hassan II Mosque. It was completed in 1993. It’s one of the few mosques you can visit as a non-muslim, but you can only visit with a guided tour. Make sure you are dressed conservatively. I wore black linen pants, and I brought a cardigan to wear over my flowy tank top. They will also have you take off your shoes, so bring/have socks if you want them. Also the bathroom is not a western bathroom, just so you know!

Next we visited the famous Rick’s Cafe, made famous in the movie Casablanca — although none of the movie was actually filmed in Morocco. It was all filmed in California, so we just saw the outside and kept moving.

Next we went into the city of Casablanca. This was really hectic, and it was times like this that I was so happy that I booked a tour. I would not recommend going into this part of the city alone.

Lastly we had dinner. I had a pastilla. This is a typical Moroccan dish. It is a sweet and savory meat pie wrapped in a dough and topped with cinnamon. Then we headed back to our hotel for the night.

DAY TWO

The next day, we had an early breakfast and got back on the road towards the capital of Morocco. We arrived in Rabat and had a tour. It was a mix of both walking and bus. We stopped at the Mausoleum of Mohammad V and the Hassan Tower.

Next we went to the kasbah. Yes, like the song rock the kasbah! Kasbah means fortress, and this one is a UNESCO World heritage site.

Quick tip: When you’re walking around anywhere in Morocco, you will see so many stray cats. It’s rumored that there are as many cats as people in Morocco. But as cute as they may be, do not touch them! You don’t know where they’ve been!

This afternoon we made our way towards the blue city called Chefchaouen, but that’s for the next video!

If you have any questions email me at planetochampagne@gmail.com