Of all the gin joints in the world, Casablanca here we come. 3/5/25

Morocco has recently invested in a modern high speed train network connecting its major cities. As ever it is cheaper, more efficient and cleaner than anything that the UK can offer. For just over £20 a head I booked first class tickets for the three and a half hour journey from Marrakesk to Casablanca. Below you can see the entrance atrium to Marrakesk Station. It is built in the new town, a fair distance from our medieval melee.

As you can see this is a first class compartment with the usual corridor arrangement. I was able to book the tickets online which reserved the seats and was paper-free. This picture is in fact our return journey. Our outbound compartment was, in addition to us, filled with Americans heading for Casablanca airport. We got talking about travel, as you do, and they were amazed and inspired (so they said) by the extent and nature of our travels. When I explained that I had hired a car in Casablanca, the guy said it was the last place he would want to be driving. He obviously hasn't tried Beirut or Kosovo

Some desertly views front the train whilst travelling at 200kph towards Casablanca. 

One is much like another, I'm afraid. 

We alighted at Casa Voyageurs, the main station in Casablanca, the Americans having departed at the previous stop. The next problem was to hire a taxi to get downtown to the car hire depot. There was as usual a queue of drivers touting for business but quoting 500 Dirham for the trip. As this equates to about £40, we weren't accepting this and a bit of an argument ensued. Eventually a little chap offered to take us for 200 which we accepted. When we got there, I gave him a 50 Dirham tip and he gave me a big kiss in the middle of my forehead! Incidentally the cost of the hire car for 5 days was just over 850 Dirham.

So we set off for our accommodation about half an hour's drive south from the dreaded centre of Casablanca. Driving in Casablanca, in fact presented little problem, although crowded, the other drivers showed consideration for the rules of the road. 

This is our apartment block. It is three storey with the basement being a car park with a dedicated space for each apartment. The whole site is secure and gated. There are four pools within our particular concourse. The apartment in on the ground floor to the left as you look. The accommodation is really quite luxurious with two bedrooms and en suites, a dining room/sunroom a kitchen and a huge lounge. There are no less than seven setees in this flat!

Quite why there are two eight seater setees in our living room is something of a mystery. As it happened we only really used this room as an entrance hall, despite its size. 

A pretty well equipped kitchen but with some anomalous omissions, for example, no scissors or chopping board and a shortage of sharp knives. 

A generous bed and plenty of wardrobes. 

The nearest beach from the apartment was a bit less than one km away. It is called Tamaris. Beach life is a lot less organised here compared to Europe. Although a few parasols and wind breaks have been brought along, by and large people are just enjoying playing on the sand. The accepted dress code is much more modest. The temperature was about 22° C although the wind was cool off the Atlantic. 

We are sitting at a table on the edge of the beach and enjoying an excellent coffee. The three generation family arrived at the next table. The youngest in the centre of the picture. We got chatting with them as we had offered our table to give them more room. They then proceeded to share their picnic with us. 

Firstly there was a mixture of nuts and seeds. The latter tasted better after we discovered the woody cases needed removing before consumption! This was followed by the gift of a large deep fried doughnut. Moroccans are naturally friendly and helpful and the sharing of food is quite common. 

Back to our home for the evening and the swimming pool area is decorated with illuminated fountains which change colours regularly. I'm not sure my photo does the effect justice, but just use your imagination. 

Having the hire car available was a real bonus, not only did it give us easy access to the shops but we could plan day trips out. 

We decide to head south for about 90 kms, down towards a town now called El Jadida. Following the coast road we get plenty of sea views 

There is a sweeping bay just to the north of the town of El Jadida which is visible as the higher land around the centre of the picture. One reason why we have come down here is because this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The citation states "an outstanding example of the interchange of influences between European and Moroccan cultures. Although originally occupied by the Phoenicians in the C5, the Portuguese landed here in the early C16 and built a port and its fortified city. The sophisticated defences, still largely intact, rank in the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World. (I never knew that there was such a list!). The Portuguese named their city Mazagan and continued to occupy the site until 1769, when it was abandoned by the Portuguese who sent the population to found a town of the same name in Brazil. The locals did not reoccupy the town until the early C19 when it was given the name El Jadida which means "The New". Its importance as a port dwindled as Casablanca was developed and became the major conurbation in the area.

A good shot of the fortifications surrounding the port.

There are are some original canons still standing on the redoubt. Capturing the gull in the centre of the picture took some doing!

The old town was really rather quiet, apart from a couple of well trod touristy streets with the usual shops and cafes. Once you get off those, there were some interesting original features. For example the doorway below with its gothic arch and original Portuguese tiles. We could almost be in Lisbon.

This is the "main drag" through the old town. The old Cathedral lies to the left of this street. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. An earthquake in September 2023 did some structural damage so entry is now prohibited.

There is quite a maze of little allies with few people about, but maybe it was the heat of the afternoon and most sensible folk were indoors.

This is the Portuguese Cistern and, I confess, not my photograph but one that I have downloaded. The Cistern is a large 30 metre square space with five rows of columns and pillars supporting a late gothic vaulted ceiling. Its original function is unclear, but possibly built as granary, armoury or barracks. The round opening serves to collect rainwater, resulting in a thin layer of water that covers the floor and creates fine, and ever changing reflections in the otherwise dark vaulted chamber.

The visual qualities are such that several films have used the setting. Orson Welles's Othello being the best known.

El Jadida is still an active fishing port and as a consequence has a number of very popular fish restaurants. We didn't turn up the opportunity and were served up masses of food, a lot of which we couldn't recognise, but it tasted good.

The white car in the foreground is our hire car for the five days around here. If you remember it cost about £10 a day. We are parked outside the old citadel, in the modern town centre square. you are parked up by attendants, however when you come to leave there doesn't appear to be any charge. We travelled back to our apartment via the peage to Casablanca. A less scenic though swifter return.

The next day it was time to get the car back and catch our train to Marrakesh. The car hire people organised an Uber for us back to the station which cost 10 Euros (remember the taxis who wanted 50 Euros for the reverse journey a few days ago).

Our train was an hour late because apparently there had been a fire on the track which had delayed things, however the onward trip was uneventful and we stepped out of the station into the main station square in the new town Marrakesh. I had booked an apartment across the road for just one night prior to our departure next day.