CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

From the ship’s Navigator’s record " after dropping off pilot last night, we altered to the west again to enter the traffic separation scheme which took us through the Gibraltar Straits. We cleared the straits and entered into North Atlantic Ocean, eventually setting southwesterly courses toward Casablanca. The Straits at its narrowest point is eight nautical miles, leaving Spain on our port side and Morocco on our starboard side. Gibraltar stands guard over the Western Mediterranean. The spectacular rock monolith is joined onto the Southern tip of Spain, overlooking the Straits of Africa" which aptly describes our cruise ship’s journey to our next destination. It always fascinates us how any ship manages to find its way in the wide open sea or ocean by the sheer guidance of the compass because as we often look out on the upper deck towards the wide open space that is the sea, we see nothing but the sea and little if at all any signs of land. In the ancient days when seafarers directional guidance was based on the sun, the moon and the stars, without the aids of the modern compass and other navigational tools such as the GPS, it must have been more challenging and thus we hear and read of ancient tales of sailors lost or landed on uncharted land where dwells giants, fairies, monsters , cannibals, and giant sized animals, which form the backbones of novels and literature. Thus as we sail on our wonderful ship, I cannot help but imagine, what if ..... !

On this lovely morning of Sunday June 1st 2008 with mix of sun and cloud and 21C / 70F , our Grand Princess finally docks in at six in the morning but not before the wonderful sight of the glimmering and lighted coastline of Casablanca that both of us are able to see through our cabin window. The city has indeed a very long coast line which makes it somewhat unique to first time visitors like ourselves. We have all along been looking forward to see and step foot on this city made famous by Humprey Bogart and Catherine Bacall movie "Casablanca", which movie then won an academy award for best film and best actor for Bogart. The equally famous and popular theme song of the same movie entitled " As Time Goes By " with its lyrics " you must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh" cannot but reverberates in our minds as we recall that adventure movie.

Casablanca is one of Morocco’s famous cities next to Rabat which is Morocco’s capital and Marrakech. With its size of 172,413 square miles which is said to be a little larger than California, it has a population of 33,757, 175 with a mix population of Arabs and French. Arabic is the official language although Berber and French are also spoken. Its government is Constitutional Monarchy and its currency the Moroccan dirham. We are also told by our ship to disregard any clocks ashore, meaning we have to stick to ours on board time since the local time is one hour behind ours. This is to facilitate the correct return time for all of us who plan visiting the city and its surroundings. It has always been imperative that we get on board ship before our departure time each day. During the course of our past cruises we have never encountered fellow passengers missing the ships. Although we are told, if that should happen to anyone, it is the onus of the passenger to find his way back to the ship at its next landing port.

Casablanca today , is not the quaint provincial oasis of Bogart and Bacall. It is a vigorous commercial giant and manufacturing centre that has grown into one of Africa’s great cities ; only Cairo is bigger. And yet much of the old charm is still there if you know where to look. The location of Casablanca accounts for much. The triple ranges of the Atlas mountains shield the coast from the harsh heat of the Sahara, and the friendly Atlantic lies open to the markets of the world. Much of the commerce of North Africa passes through Morocco. We are told to expect to find the very modern alongside the traditional in this surprising city.

Both Carthaginians and Romans visited Morocco, and the native Berber population provided excellent soldiers for their armies. The coming of the Arabs in 682 was a turning point in Moroccan history. They brought the Islamic faith and a new culture, which quickly turned the country into a regional power. Moorish armies moved north from here to conquer Spain, and founded one of the great civilizations of the Middle East.

During the 15th century, just as the Portuguese were exploring the African coast in search of a sea route to India, the entire Atlantic seaboard of Morocco was infested with pirates. One particularly troublesome port was the village of Anfa, which Ferdinand of Portugal destroyed in 1465. Years later his countrymen decided to occupy the area with a fortified settlement, which they called Casa Blanca, which name is now Casablanca.

Portugal abandoned the city in the 18th century after the disastrous earthquake of 1755, which damaged Casablanca and Lisbon. The present city was rebuilt by Spanish and French merchants, who designed a neat rectangle with its base on the coast, and streets radiating from a central square.

French influence continued to be strong in all of Morocco for the next two centuries. French troops occupied Casablanca to restore order after several Europeans were murdered. Thus the French government established a protectorate over all of Morocco in 1912, which lasted until 1956. During that period, they greatly expanded education, communications and public welfare. France was defeated in 1940 by Hitler’s Germany, and their colonies were administered by the Vichy regime, though officially neutral. Vichy was under Germany’s strong influence.

This curious diplomatic limbo provided the setting for the movie classic "Casablanca" , as well as genuine espionage and intrigue in the city. Casablanca was jolted into the war in 1942, when Allied ships bombarded the harbour fortifications and landed troops, some of them arriving directly from the United States. This landing was the first step in clearing all Axis troops from North Africa. Thus the Casablanca Conference between Churchill and Roosevelt took place here in January of 1943. They planned the invasion of Sicily and southern Europe, and decided that the unconditional surrender of Germany was a basic condition of peace.

When the French withdrew from Morocco in 1956, they restored full control to the monarchy, and promised strong economic and diplomatic support. Since that time, the kingdom has become a strong force in arbitrating disputes for the international community. The traditional virtues of friendliness and openness to outsiders are great assets to UN Diplomacy.

Thus it is that this morning all of us have an early breakfast at the De Vinci to start the day. It is seldom indeed that we ever have breakfast together since most other days it is to each his own when it comes to breakfast and lunch. To Ainul and I we always enjoy "served breakfast". After all we are on a pleasure cruise where we can have exquisite services for almost everything we wish to do and have. So why not maximize the privileges. From what we observe, all our part members seem to enjoy the breakfast experience although the feedback fails to show that they will have another one again. It matters little for as long as everyone enjoys this one. We talk about our expectations of Casablanca, which city tour is not scheduled until after lunch. Of course the talk eventually rounds up on that famous Bogart movie where Rahim is always at the top when it comes to movie experiences.

On the city tour later we notice that Casablanca today is quite modern, but for a taste of the "authentic" Morocco, we are taken to the old Medina or market district, where we get a sampling of what a Moroccan market is all about. The fish mongers have a unique way of displaying their fish variety fort sale in that these are generally hung up when it comes to the big ones such as the tuna or mackerel and other big ocean fish. Of course we cannot escape from the arrays of fresh and preserved / salted olives variety, which really fascinate Ainul since she always like olives. Of course she buys some and these last till we landed in London at the end of our trip.

Casablanca’s surrounding rampart walls date from the Portuguese period as evidenced by us. Narrow streets snake through neighbourhoods steeped in tradition. Houses crowd in upon one another, seeking to use every inch of space within the safety of the fortifications. As we enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of the old city, we can just imagine to hear the distant piano playing " As Time Goes By ". The heart of the modern city is the Square of the United Nations, about a mile from the harbour. The central market lies along the Boulevard Mohammed V, named after the father of the present king. King Hassan II has ruled for the past 30 years, with a steady policy of modernizing and westernizing his country.

Casablanca's most recent landmark is the stunning , high-tech King Hassan Mosque, which was only opened in August 1993. It is the second largest mosque in the world, and easily the most modern. It has a retractable roof, the world’s tallest minaret, and a laser beam pointing the way to Mecca. Some say that King Hassan built his marvel here to mollify Casablanca after selecting Rabat as his capital. A part of the $500 million cost was paid by hefty government grants, but the rest came from small donations by pious working people. The resulting building is really remarkable. Casablanca in indeed a city where old and new seem to live as good neighbors.

We are indeed privileged to pay a visit to this mosque although we are not able to say prayers in it due to time constrain. Even the photos that I took cannot justify its magnificence with the limited photo range that my camera has. Incidentally, the electronic camera that I take along in this cruise is that of Farahat, who emphatically told me then that in case I am not sure how to use it, Sabri will be the best person to consult. Sabri is always up-to-date when it comes to hi-tech gadgetry ! As for me, this electronic camera has delayed photo lenses action to which I cannot get use to maximize its actions. Thus most of my photos never turn out well until to day when I am back home snapping away at birthdays etc. I remain conservative. I believe in the old instant camera that captures clear pictures instantly !

After that walkabout visit to Casablanca we are ready to eat our heart out at dinner, which as usual at our fine dining place. Goings on after dinner includes the Rebecca Bowman show which is excellent. This young multitalented British lady has musical range and repertoire that fascinates us. Later we find that she is one of the leading cast singers of the Grand Princess Singers and Dancers. Next on our entertainment for the night is the Production Show Motor City, with its theme " A Tribute to the Great Motown Artist" which is another very entertaining show - electrifying in effect with its crisp movement, dances and songs to delight the audience. What can I say. The shows on all these cruise ships never disappoint us.

It has been an exhausting day. We finally get to bed by midnight.


( TO BE CONTINUED )