Slept in today, plus got an hour extra due to changing time zones, so it was a great way to start the day, and I was in Morocco when I woke up. Wow!
Morocco is not near as bad as they had warned us it would be. Everyone was really helpful today. The port area is a little sketchy at night, plus it is a long walk, but if you are with a group, it is not a big deal. The city is cleaner and more beautiful than in Egypt. I had a great first impression of Morocco.
We started out on a Casablanca City Orientation. The orientation was kind of weird in the way that we bounced around all day. We went through different neighborhoods, down the beachfront, which was very nice, and we went to the third largest mosque in the world, the Hassan II Mosque. It has the tallest minaret, at 689 feet. We went to a little shop as well, where I finally bought myself a mini silk rug. We have been through all of these Muslim countries that sell beautiful rugs and I have been stingy, but now that the conversion rate is 8.4 Moroccan Durham to 1 USD, I loosened up the pocket book.
After the city orientation, Jack and I head back to the ship, where we ate some lunch with our friends, my roommate and company, where we decided to go back on the beachfront area, because it is the place to be at night. First, we stopped by at Ricks Café from the movie Casablanca. We got some drinks; I sipped a cola, with the movie playing in the background. It was pretty cool going to that place because of its significance in that regard, it is owned by a rich American lady, now.
We finally made it to the corniche, or beachfront area. We walked around a bit. Ended up talking to some girls from France for a while, who gave us some pointers on places to go in Morocco. Ate some good food and then made it back to the ship, relatively early.
Tomorrow, we are going to Rabat, which is the capital. It is a short trip, because when we get back we are hoping to Skype our parents. Two professors (A married couple who are both professors on the ship) have taken a liking to Jack and I, mostly Jack I think though, and invited us to dinner tomorrow, their treat. We are excited for a nice little meal with some of the faculty.
