Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Tangier & The Blue City

Casablanca (North Africa)

This final leg of my North Africa (Moroccan) adventure starts and ends with literally & figuratively colorful cities (Casablanca & Chefchaouen/The Blue City).

In the middle was fiery Marrakech AKA The Red City. My red braids were purely a coincidence.

After the three-and-a-half hour drive from Marrakech, I arrived in Casablanca to the Barcelo Anfa.

Its five stars were night and day to the riad I had spent two nights in.

Like a prodigal daughter, my robe and slippers awaited me in my spacious, well-lit, modern room.

The hotel is lovely with rooftop views of the city.

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A big and soft bed provided unlimited hugs. I was grateful for the beautiful glass shower that appeared spotless!

The hotel delivered excellent service in the restaurant. The staff overall were accommodating and friendly.

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The Hammam was quite the affair. It was my first time so I’d done a lot of research.

You start in a disposable bottom and go into a sauna to open your pores and detoxify.

Next, you lay on a marble surface and get scrubbed from head to toe (minus the groin area). They rinse you off and you complete the job in the shower.

They even wash your hair but I declined due to my freshly done braids.

It’s such a comforting experience. It reminded me of my mom bathing me as a child.

The only thing I didn’t like was that there were no cookies provided, most places I read about had given them with tea.

There’s an ATM and strip within walking distance of the hotel and they provide money exchange services.

Rick’s Cafe (Casablanca movie)

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Before embarking on my travel adventures, I usually intentionally or unintentionally immerse myself in something related to the place.

This is mostly in the form of movies.

For Morocco, I chose the Oscar-winning Casablanca. It’s easily one of the greatest movies of all time.

The 1942 movie was filmed in black and white.

The fictional Rick’s Cafe was where American expats and tourists gathered for a taste of home.

The late Kathy Kriger was an American diplomat and a fan of the movie.

When she was posted in Casablanca she filled the marketing void and brought the “gin joint” to life. It’s a replica of the movie.

Dinner at Casablanca was such an elegant outing with a live pianist to boot.

The menu is American and like the movie, a nice reminder of home.

After a paid breakfast the next morning, we left for Hassan II Mosque. There was a slight miscommunication in the pickup but I’ll omit the details.

All tours were booked through Viator.com.

At the mosque, shoes had to be removed. I was just grateful non-Muslims were allowed to enter.

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It’s a sight to see. Red carpet is everywhere, so it’s just my style. The outside was just as amazing.

Then we left for Sale and Rabat (the capital city of Morocco).

In Sale, we stopped at a botanical garden (Jardin D’Essais Botanique) to walk around and take pictures.

In Rabat, Hassan Tower’s construction has been halted since 1199. This is where the famous guard pictures are taken.

We saw the tallest building being built in Sale/Rabat (Mohammed VI Tower. This was in January 2023.

We had lunch an “American” lunch at Bouregreg Marina (Royal Burger). I don’t recommend it, except for the pizza!

Fes

Fes was the most complicated of all the cities as far as tours were concerned.

It was a four-hour drive from Morocco and not many were offered. It was also costly. 

But as usual, I had a plan B if it didn’t work out. And of course, they canceled the night before.

So plan B was traveling by train and meeting a tour there.

Thankfully, the tour included pickup.

Fes is the second and Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco.

Our guide described Fes as an open-air museum, Athens of Africa, and a melting pot/universal museum.

Like Marrakech, it was an inspiring blend of old and new. Don’t expect American niceties like “Excuse me’s” here!

Fes is the oldest imperial city in Morocco and has the largest car-free urban zone in the world!

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We visited on a day when the blacksmiths/artisans’ shops were closed.

So we mostly walked around the medina and viewed shops, two adjoining 13th-century inns (Fondouqs Chemmaine & Sbitriyne), a mosque, and the tannery of course.

The Chouara tannery had shops that sold leather goods and other clothing items so be prepared to bargain!

As far as the smell, they give mint leaves to offset it but if you’ve ever been to a fish market, the odor is similar.

I don’t recall seeing elevators so if you’re impaired by mobility, you may not be able to take part.

Chefchaouen (The Blue City)

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This ended up being the second train ride in Morocco. It was initially supposed to be the only one until Fes.

Casablanca is about a four drive to Chefchaouen but most tours listed the time as 13-14 hours?

Plus they were pricey and I didn’t want to be in a car that long.

It made more sense to join a tour in Tangier (the nearest city to The Blue City). The total drive time would be about two hours.

Some tours included the train ride for more money so I skipped those too,

I arranged for another pickup from the train station. I had to choose an arrival that would allow enough time in case the train ran late.

The trains also allowed an option to upgrade which I highly recommend.

Don’t forget your passport when traveling by train.

I was surprised to learn that Chefchaouen is surrounded by the Rif mountains. Many of the buildings are very old and need a fresh coat of paint.

Also, our guides reminded us that we were photographing people’s homes.

Many people did not want to be photographed and those who did charged a fee.

So those innocuous photos on Instagram are not just of random public places.

After the drive from Tangier, we visited a rest stop before entering The Blue City.

It was surprisingly a Spanish restaurant with a stunning panoramic view. After I thought about it, Spain was closer to that part of Morocco.

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Feeling Blue

As a melanated person, it was extremely hard to find good lighting.

This surprised me since The Blue City was so Instagrammable. I had to rely on Snapchat

.

I did the best that I could!

We learned about the blue dye used to paint the structures in the medina and visited a local bakery.

I mentioned it in another blog, but a sense of community is huge in Morocco.

Most homes don’t have ovens so for a small fee, the people could bring their uncooked food to the bakery.

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We ended the day with a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Triana.

After visiting The Blue City, not much time was left for Tangier. It was dark and the last stop was a sweeping view of the city.

~Poof…Bee Gone

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