Continent Hopping
Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 - Monday, June 5th, 2017
Paris, France, Casablanca & Fes, MA
Note to self: Blogging in the car WILL make you carsick. Don't try to convince yourself otherwise.
Hello, everyone!
Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted. I'd like to say it's been a couple days because I've been so busy. But honestly, it's been a couple days because I've been so JETLAGGED! (Paris is 7 hours ahead, and Morocco is 5. My body is confused.) I'll probably be fine but I might also die of exhaustion. Sometimes I wish I was Grady. Grady slept SEVEN HOURS yesterday (June 4th), in the car, at the pool, in the room... and still managed to sleep all night. AND in the car today! It's a super power.
Actually, on second thought, maybe I'd rather be awake...
Anyway. We last left off our tale in Amsterdam.
We made it on a flight to Paris on the 3rd but didn't make it on our last flight to Casablanca. Meaning, we had the evening to spend in Paris. I don't know about you, but I was not upset at all. Hello, Paris?!
On Sunday, we did make it to Casablanca.
I usually underestimate culture shock, coming into a new place, and Morocco was no exception. It's disorienting, not understanding or being familiar with the culture. Don't misunderstand me. Not bad. In fact, I'd say that it's good because it means you're learning and growing and experiencing.
Least you think I'm just spending all my time being rattled by a new time zone and place... We did some sightseeing yesterday. And boy, is this a beautiful country! We saw Morocco's biggest mosque, Hassan II Mosque. (Beautiful architecture. I'm always a fan of horseshoe arches.)
Today we made it to Fes, and we did some much needed relaxing by the pool.
Here are some places we visited.
Eiffel Tower
5 Avenue Anatole France
75007 Paris
France
The Eiffel Tower is always one of my favorite monuments to see. This time, security was really beefed up, and we couldn't walk under without going through a metal detector and having our bags searched. After leaving, we walked a little ways down the Sienne. It didn't get dark until 10 pm, but when it did, we were able to watch the Tower light up and sparkle from a bridge.
Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Rue de Rome 95708
Roissy-en-France
France
Pretty standard Hilton, but we love it for its convenient proximity to the airport. Of course, that's a double-edged sword. If you're here on a surprise layover, with an early flight in the morning, like us, then it's great. If you're in Paris for more than a night, you'd want to stay much closer to the city, because the train trip is almost an hour.
Club Val D'Anfa Hotel
Angle Bd de l'Ocean Atlantique et Bd de la Corniche
Ain Diab, Casablanca, Morocco
This is the hotel we stayed at in Casablanca. It was very beautiful (especially on the inside), and there was free WiFi which, to be candid, is very important to me. It was clean, safe, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable. Part of it was under renovation, but it didn't disturb us at all because we were in another wing. So if you come visit in the future, maybe you'll see the finished product. Also, we have a running theory that it used to be two hotels, and then one was bought out because it looks like they have two lobbies, and the layout was a bit weird. In lobby #2, there was what I think of as Ffall. (Ffall is a word I made up that stands for fountain/floor/wall because there was a water feature that flowed down the wall, and into a little river, into a pool on the ground. It was very fancy. P.S. don't make fun of my made up word, because I love it thanks.)
Hassan II Mosque
Blvd Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah
Casablanca 20450
Morocco
This mosque is the biggest in Morocco and its minaret is the tallest in the world. It was completed in the 90s and the designers made a conscious effort to combine ancient and modern architecture. It stands near the ocean and strikes a stunning image. Because of limited hours during Ramadan, we weren't able to go inside. But the outside was still gorgeous.
Rick's Cafe
Place du jardin public
248 Bd Sour Jdid
Dar-el-Beida 20250
Morocco
This restaurant is a recreation of "Rick's Cafe" from the movie Casablanca. Now, I haven't actually seen the film but I imagine it'd be pretty fun to go to the restaurant if you had... (Even though, again, THE ENTRE THING WAS FILMED IN CALIFORNIA.) It was pretty inside but overall, I wasn't a huge fan. (That might be in part my fault, not the restaurant's because I was really jetlagged when we were here, and I didn't love the pasta I ordered, even though it was made well.) On the plus side, the bread was really good, and the portions were big. Another plus: Rick's was open. Because we're here during Ramadan, a lot of restaurants are closed.
Starbucks
Boulevard d'Anfa
Casablanca 20000
Morocco
Trust us to find the one Starbucks in Casablanca. Grady and I got some sort of mango smoothie, called rafraîchissements, which literally just translates as refreshments. It was very much needed this morning though. And interesting, because the menu is different (but the classic "tall", "grande" and "venti" sizes are the same.) And clearly, I am happy to be there.
Good night from Morocco,
Cristiana
