Location Edition 03: Marrakesh and Casablanca, Morocco

Hello friends. Fresh off of my deep entry from a few days ago (PHEW - feelings!) I wanted to turn things around and share about my trip to Morocco!

I did a TopDeck tour of Morocco, something I had never done before. I had heard great things about group tours and about TopDeck specifically, but I had never taken the plunge because of the expense. Given the fact that I am a young woman travelling alone, however, safety took precedent and I decided to give it a go to see Morocco. I am so glad that I did! Group tours take all of the stress of planning out of the equation, and between the transport, included experiences and great accommodation, the price was entirely fair (I paid $1350 CAD for the ten-day "Moroccan Explorer" excursion, to be candid). I would definitely do a group tour again, and I think one in Turkey might be on the horizon. On the other hand, doing one in a country which has great public transport and is safe like most European countries would be far more expensive than going solo and making your own way. You decide!

My rip around Morocco was ten days long, and I saw far too many varied things to make a blanket post about the entire excursion. Therefore, I have decided to break in down into digestible chunks based on combinations of the cities and villages we visited. So without further ado, here's Marrakesh and Casablanca!

Marrakesh and Casablanca are easily the two most popular (and touristy) cities in Morocco. Marrakesh still has that authentic Moroccan feel with tons of riads to pick from, while Casablanca is paradise on the water. You can take in the beautiful beaches, the little Beverly Hills neighborhoods, or the more metropolitan-city vibes. We didn't spend a lot of time in Casablanca because all of these nice amenities come with a big price tag, but what we did see was still pretty cool. I will get to that.

Marrakesh has a lot of variety, and reminded me at times of Los Angeles. Palm trees, wide highways and malls were all found in the new city center. I saw a Chili's and a number of KFC's, but these were far outnumbered by more traditional restaurants, most of which were found closer to the souks. The food of Morocco was a pleasant surprise, and we generally never looked for anything other than the traditional meals (except for once where a lot of us opted for chicken nuggets... sometimes a taste of home is in order!). At every Moroccan restaurant, there was tagine and couscous. Couscous is likely more familiar to some, and it is a huge staple and export in Morocco. It is a round grain, reminding me of rice. This would be served under a pile of meat and vegetables, depending on what you decided to order. Lamb, chicken, beef or vegetarian options were all almost always found - the lamb was to die for every time. Aubergine (eggplant), zucchini, carrots and potatoes were common vegetables to be found as they are in season this time of year (January). Tagine is similar in terms of the meat and vegetable choices, although it was served in a delicious jus/gravy without any starches or grains compared to couscous dishes. Fresh baked bread was always served with meals, which was dipped in the tagine jus and rounded out your meal... I am drooling. A variety of olives were also always served with meals, as they are likely the largest food export in Morocco. Bitter oranges (also Moroccan) were juiced and used as a brine for the olives. I love olives, so I was all in for these multiple times per day. Again, drooling. Other delicacies such as pastilla (a sweet chicken and rice mixture in filo pastry) and medfouna (commonly known as Berber pizza) were also available occasionally. The medfouna should not be missed - I ate way too much of it when we were in the Sahara.

Enough about the food, how about the sites! Must sees that we caught in Marrakesh were the souks and market, Koutoubia, the Saadian Tombs, and Bahia Palace. The souks are an awesome experience with tons and tons of trinkets and clothing to purchase. A few words to the wise though - if you're a woman you should NOT travel in there alone. Always have at least one other person or multiple, if possible. And watch your gear for pickpockets. Unfortunately, children are often the pickpocketers so stay alert. Also, if you are going to Fes (will be highlighted on my next post!) consider waiting to buy your ceramics, scarves, jewelry and carpets. A lot of the pieces in Marrakesh are handmade by someone, but not the salespeople there. So many of the things are made in Fes, and you can buy them straight from the artisans there. If you aren't on route to Fes however, you will get your fill of all things Morocco here in these souks and they are amazing. Be safe, and enjoy the incredible variety of beautiful things!

Koutoubia is the highest point in Marrakesh, making it a really useful landmark for when you get lost in the souks. You can see it from any open point, so make sure you orient your riad or hotel from Koutoubia so you can make your way back. Koutoubia is the main mosque in Marrakesh, built right beside the ruins of the original. Our guide told us that you can actually see the lights of Koutoubia from Mecca in Saudi Arabia... fun fact.

The Saadian Tombs were a treat because of their architecture and gardens. Going with a guide or an audio tour is the only way to go so you get the inside scoop, and gives you a real appreciation for the thought that went into the burial of royalties during the Saadian dynasty. The past Kings are buried in the twelve pillar room of the tombs, and the royal children are buried in the four pillar room. The pillars are made of marble which was traded pound-for-pound for sugar at the time of construction with Italy. The materials used in the tombs other than marble are plaster and ceramic tiles, colored with natural materials and sculptured by hand into the most incredible designs. From what I can remember, dark blue comes from cobalt, light blue from indigo, orange is pomegranate, green is a mixture of henna and mint, red is poppy flower, yellow is saffron, and brown is pure cedar. Muslim royals are buried facing Mecca, while others are buried sideways in relation. The last detail which was fascinating was the tree in the garden - shockingly yes I took an interest in the trees (insert sarcasm). The gnarled tree in the garden is the oldest tree in Morocco, and still living. It is a fig tree, which I know to be slow growing from my own experience looking after a few back in Canada. Live on, wee tree.

Our last stop of a monument in Marrakesh was the Bahia Palace. Bahia Palace is fun to do a walkabout in to enjoy the interior gardens and fountains, and appreciate the hard work that went into the intricate tile designs throughout the palace. The courtyards are also impossibly white, so bring sunglasses! Like the Saadian Tombs, the designs on the walls, roofs and ceilings are created from plaster, tiles and wood and are absolutely brilliant. Cue the photo-taking.

At this point, you'll probably be well on your way for a great tagine and some R&R near a pool. But wait, we are on to Casablanca.

Casablanca, as noted, is a much more posh area and different entirely from Marrakesh. Be prepared to spend more money here than you had in Marrakesh, but the seafood is tasty as you're near the ocean and there are certainly more comforts of home available here for Canadian and American tourists, if you need. I can only comment on a few things from this beautiful city as we were relatively in-and-out, but here's what I know.

The Hassan II Mosque and the ocean front are both necessities to take in. Relaxing near the water on a summer day must be a huge relief as there is a lovely sea breeze, and the whole expanse of sea front is filled with benches and curb-sides to relax on. Since I visited in January the air was a bit to crisp to relax for long, but it was lovely nonetheless. Before I knew it, we were onto the Hassan II Mosque. If you book in advance, you are welcome to go inside this mosque which is well worth the time. I had never seen ceilings this high (65 m), and we learned a good deal about the generosity of Muslim people. This mosque was built entirely on the willing donations of the Muslim people, and it is absolutely massive. The Hassan II Mosque has the tallest mosque tower in the world standing at 210 m (689 ft) and stands out along the Casablanca skyline. We were told is is also the third largest mosque in the world, however I think that might be a wee bit out of date. Nonetheless, the mosque has a 12 500 person capacity inside and seems to stretch on forever. A larger one would be overwhelming!

Lastly, this is my one warning about bathrooms. If you are not willing to embrace Morocco as an adventure, you might be surprised to find that the toilets you are used to are not universal. Having grown up hiking and camping, I don't fuss too much about whether or not there is a typical European toilet for me to use. However, if this is you, take note. Bathrooms in Morocco are varied, and I experienced basically everything on the spectrum during my stay. Some bathrooms went as far and posh as to have a bidet, while others have what I have chosen to lovingly call a squat pot. These were essentially holes in the ground - some flushed and some didn't - with foot pads to stand on. Rarely was there toilet paper, additionally. When you gotta go you gotta go, so you're better off just going with the flow (that's pun-ny) and using the squat pots. They're not designed for you to pee on your shoes, so if you manage that you've accomplished something extraordinary. One issue experienced by some of us girls were managing the Moroccan flowy pants while using the squat pots as they come off into what is essentially a sheet which ties in the front and back, but I will leave those experiences to your imagination and my memory.

If you have a mind to visit Morocco - go for it. There is so much variety in the country that it's difficult to express, and nothing short of a cultural experience. Stay tuned for more information on the multitude of other places I visited, and please share any other information you think is valuable in the comments! xx

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Photo Guide:

Photo 1: Casablanca

Photo 2: Lamb tagine, Marrakesh

Photo 3: Koutoubia, Marrakesh

Photo 4: Saadian Tombs, Marrakesh

Photo 5: Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Photos 6 and 7: 'Back alley' features, Marrakesh & Casablanca