Casablanca, Morocco 卡萨布兰卡
July 16, 2024: Africa is the seventh continent we have set foot on, although Morocco represents just a small part of this vast continent. Our ship docked at Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, which serves as the economic and business center of the country. The city’s rich history has been shaped by influences from Berber, Phoenician, Roman, and Arab civilizations, as well as the French occupation.
We joined an 8-hour city tour focused on the diverse cultures of Casablanca. The tour included visits to a Jewish museum, a cathedral, and the Hassan II Mosque, the 3rd largest mosque in the world. However, the cathedral and the museum felt rather ordinary, reflecting the diverse cultures that Morocco has adopted over time.
Built on reclaimed land from the sea, the Hassan II Mosque is the most beautiful one we have ever visited, with stunning architecture, scale, and craftsmanship. Unlike many other mosques, it has no strict requirements for female visitors, which we appreciated.
Lunch was served in a beautiful Moroccan restaurant where we enjoyed six side dishes and chicken couscous, accompanied by live music. After lunch, our tour guide took us to an old gift shop, attempting to persuade us to buy Aloe oil. Not many of us were interested, preferring to explore elsewhere. However, the guide claimed the area was unsafe, perhaps as a strategy to keep us in the store. Despite this, we wandered around the city center near the public market, which was bustling with people and cars. Feeling quite safe, we briefly explored the market before returning to the bus.
Our final stop was at a rooftop bar overlooking the ocean and a public beach. The view was beautiful, but our time there was limited as we had to return to the ship. The ship left the port late at night. As we departed, we noticed the green laser beam from the tower of the Hassan II Mosque pointing east.
2024年7月16日：非洲是我们踏足的第七个大陆，虽然摩洛哥(Morocco)只是这个广阔大陆的一小部分，终于完成了走访全部七个大陆的心愿。我们的船昨晚离开直布罗陀后，前往对面的摩洛哥。今天一早停靠在卡萨布兰卡(Casablanca), 摩洛哥最大的城市，也是该国的经济和商业中心。这个城市的丰富历史受到了柏柏尔人、腓尼基人、罗马人和阿拉伯文明以及法国殖民时期的影响。
我们参加了船上组织的为时8小时的卡萨布兰卡深度游。行程安排包括参观犹太博物馆、大教堂和哈桑二世清真寺，后者是世界上第三大清真寺。哈桑二世清真寺建在填海造地的土地上，通体使用白色大理石砌成，宣礼塔高达200米，是我们见过的最美丽的清真寺，其建筑、规模和工艺令人惊叹。与许多其它清真寺不同，这里对女性游客没有严格要求，这一点我们非常欣赏。
午餐在一家很有当地风情的摩洛哥餐厅享用，有六道小配菜，再加鸡肉库斯库斯作为主菜。我们好像是第一次吃摩洛哥菜，今天的每一道都非常美味。另外午餐时还有现场音乐表演。之后导游带我们去了一个礼品店，试图说服我们购买摩洛哥坚果仁油（Argan oil)和芦荟精华液（Aloe)。我们中的大多数人对此并不感兴趣，而是更想去周围其它地方看看。然而导游声称该地区不安全，可能是为了让我们留在店里。尽管如此，我们俩还是走到礼品店附近的公共市场以及不远处的市中心，那里人车熙攘。我们感到很安全，简单游览了市场后便返回了大巴。
我们今天行程的最后一站是一个俯瞰大海和公共海滩的屋顶酒吧，景色很美。但由于时间关系，我们在上面喝了点酒水，稍作休息后便不得不返回船上。
船在深夜离港。离开时，我们注意到哈桑二世清真寺塔楼的绿色激光束指向东方。
