A smart girl would have read some info before booking a flight into and out of Casablanca, but a madly-packing-and-studying-and-somewhat-silly girl named Sheila didn't... and consequently, when I came to start planning for Morocco I realized that I didn't much want to see Casablanca, but oh well, I had the ticket anyway.
I arrived in Casablanca last night and got to my hotel, which is not luxiourious but is fine - it's considered a budget Hostel and for 25 bucks a night, I'm not complaining. I had decided NOT to stay at the Youth Hostel here because by all accounts it is absolutely horrible. (You can see reviews online.) This is still pretty cheap and is clean and the proprieters are nice, so I'm glad I opted for it.
Casablanca's main claim to fame (aside from the movie) is that is has the third largest mosque in the world, after Medina and Mecca. This mosque however was built in the 20th century, between 1987 and 1993. It can house 25000 people praying at one time. The sheer hugeness of it is worth seeing, as is its amazing craftsmanship. It is constructed of only materials from Morocco, with the exception of the glass chandaliers, which are from Italy, and two columns also from Italy. I took a guided tour through it (it's the only way to see the inside) and was suitably amazed. Neither the tour nor mosque were not particularly busy. It's right on the ocean and it was nice to get away from the dirty city smell and smell the ocean breeze in the couryard outside.
I spent the rest of the day wandering Casablanca and its medina. The city is fairly new (by this I mean not ancient) and its archetecture is a cross between Art Deco and Moroccan. It does look pretty run down though. At one point I stumbled upon a some sort of political rally, which a local told me had to do with improving conditions in factories.
As most guidebooks and travel entries say, Casablanca is a bit grotty and there isn't a whole lot to see here. I do feel like it has prepared me for the country a bit, being fairly cosmopolitan and lacking the customary hard-sell tactics that apparently exist elsewhere in Morocco. I do notice that women aren't an obvious presence in public, and despite the fact that I'm wearing long pants and a conservative tunic-top done up to the collar, I'm clearly a western woman alone so young men often try to strike up conversations and it is somewhat wearing to ignore them all the time. It is much better if I keep my sunglasses on.
I'm off to dinner shortly, which I'm excited about, since the cuisine in Morocco is something everyone raves about.
On to Rabat tomorrow then to Meknes, Fes and then Marrakesh. Then I fly to Cairo to meet Rose, ah, to have a partner in crime!