THE Mosque Visit

Grand Mosque Hassan II is hard to miss in Casablanca.  Great to use as my GPS when lost in the maze of Downtown.

It boasts the highest minaret in the world (60 stories high) with a laser to Mecca.  It is grandiose.

Grand Mosque Hassan II

Many families use the grounds for picnicking or youth jump off the surrounding walls into the ocean.

View from the mosque wall,
looking south down the coast

Looking down from the wall
- definitely not going to jump!

A bit neck-breaking looking up

And on we went to take a peak inside:

Look at the tiny people in front of the doors

Courtyard, also used for prayer

(Welcome to look, but not to enter)
Men departing from prayer

Aah, time for a break.

An Ode to Doors

A light stroll through the Casablanca medina  - one could make a book of Moroccan doors.

Enjoy these...

Casablanca Medina

Once upon a time, two families from Houston ventured into the Casablanca medina (old town).

It was a searing hot day and finding parking was the first challenge.  Once our feet hit the cobblestones, excited vendors emerged from their stalls to beckon us into their dark and dusty boxes.  Not unlike typical Chinatown chaos, the labyrinth of market shops began.  It was apparent that more goods originated from the Plastic Continent than home-grown Moroccan.  But surprisingly it didn't seem to make the medina any less Moroccan.

Casa Medina

We wove our way along alleys, passing mosques, kittens, garbage, produce, furniture fabrication, junk yards, textiles, and much more of everything.

Little L catches sight of a kitten

Boy #1 sneaks a peak inside the
(no-go-zone) mosque

The sign actually says
"Boutique California"

Casa Medina

"Mom, we're heading to the mosque."

Medina kids

Manufacturing corner

Bug Boy scored a free painting!

Then it was time to find a restaurant open for business.  Not as easy as you may think.

A well-known restaurant, Cafe Maure

They sure love their king

Where old meets new.  Opposite the Port of Casablanca

Still looking, still looking... SCORE!  Rick's Cafe - straight out of the movie, 'CASABLANCA'.
Thx V.

Rick's Cafe

Looking up from the table

Humphrey Bogart's gambling den

Aid Kebir - the big feast

OK,... so today was a bit of a shocker. 

Somewhere along my readings of Morocco, I was spared the info that the biggest day of the year includes slaughtering a sheep on your driveway.  (!)

Fortunately being Team Isaac, we don't need to fulfill this requirement anymore, but annually this sacrifice (re: Ishmael) is observed in EVERY Moroccan household, no matter what your level of income.

So, the week started out with numerous amounts of sheep gathered on the sides of the roads with their 'dealers' - think turkey farmer at Christmas :) Cha-ching!
Men stop, check them out and decide on a price. ($200 - $300 each). Delivery is then scheduled OR you simply carry off Mr. Sheep on your back, like an airplane pillow.  I still can't quite get used to seeing a sheep 'baa-aaing' on the backseat of someone's car.

Dar Bouazza sheep negotiation

By Thursday evening, the sheep are at their residential location, waiting for the unknown.  I enjoyed folding my washing to the bleating of the two sheep at my next-door neighbor's. OK, so maybe not.

Tool Shed Buddies

I thought they looked more goat-ish... but alas, they are sheep

Friday morning (this morning) brought the actual ritual.  Generally children under 12 are discouraged from watching the act.  Thankfully. 

The process is quick and filled with great anticipation... a bit like Christmas morning. 

Observation time, after the fact

Neighbor giving anatomy lesson

Mid-morning I took some friends to the airport.  The roads were eerily quiet.  Along the way I saw many families, without private driveways, performing their activity in front of their apartments.  

Pelt-collector steers his fresh load down the street.

At the end of the day our neighbor's shared tasty meat skewers of barbecued liver, rolled in fat and some homemade pastries.  Quite delicious with Moroccan wine.

Tomorrow the REAL feast begins as the meat requires one day of hanging before preparation.  

Moroccan Encounters

We've had a few new fun experiences:

No.3 Sahara ready

No.1, "Mommy, is there Halloween in Morocco?"

Camels at the beach:

Boy #2 can't be happier.  He spends his weekends trapping bees, finding crickets, stroking frogs and deciding whether the spiders in his room are happy there.  He attends a British international school where he starts the morning by feeding the 2 rabbits and 5 tortoises hibiscus flowers.  Then he checks on the emerging butterflies and the vegetable garden, before the morning bell rings.  There are only 8 students in his class!  

The fish markets are abundant and fresh here. Here's No. 2 testing a fish eyeball:

This boy is braver than me.

Move-In!

July:  A bit of a backtrack, but with unpack chaos, family shuffle and no connectivity, the weeks in our new home have quickly passed by.

With mixed emotions, we departed the 5* comfort of Mazagan Resort and embarked on our every day lives as residents of Dar Bouazza seaside town.  [Pronounced DUH-BWAZZAA, if you want to be understood by the locals]

We live in a new gated community of about 300 houses.  Fortunately, we're located just outside Casablanca, for quiet days and ocean breezes.  The city is just a hop, skip and a jump away - perfect for us.

Move-in day went pretty smoothly, considering that it was the middle of Ramadan (and nobody had eaten since sunrise). I got my first lesson in Arabic - counting to 5 - when I realized that I wanted the offloaded boxes to arrive at the correct rooms.