Malaga Spain then onto Morocco – Casablanca and Agadir

July 13-16, 2024

Moroccan Dirhams – 10dhs=$1

Malaga’s seaside rises up into a first class shopping avenue covered by canvas sails to protect shoppers from the southern Spanish sun (and the occasional episode of “liquid sun”). It’s a beautiful town with large beaches in the city, but be prepared to pay the price for the convenience, so its better to site-see and not shop (unless you love shopping Louis Vuitton and its ilk – then you’re in heaven). We had a Guru walk, which was fine, but I didn’t take as many photos as normal.

Sand art lined the Calle Larios for the day

La Mancita – the unfinished Cathedral (yes another one – and like the one in Bologna – its due to running out of funds). They recently completed the roof due to damage to some of the interior decorations.

Roman theater under the Moorish Alcazaba

The next day we docked in Casablanca – they’d been playing the movie in the theater onboard almost nonstop for over 24 hours – so no excuses for those that have never seen the classic. We started with a Guru walk next to the Medina – the walled city. The original was Medina was destroyed in 1755 by the same earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in 1755, so the reconstruction allowed for slightly wider and better planned streets, though still has a somewhat maze-like feel.

Street art in the Casablanca Medina – this one honors a “footballer”, politicians and soldiers.

We continued to the outer walls, then onto the 2nd largest Mosque in Africa (and the minaret is the second tallest in the world). It’s very modern – completed in 1993, and part of it sits on piers over the Atlantic Ocean. We stood at the edge to peek inside. You can visit the “museum” portion at set times in between prayers for a guided tour for 130dhs pp.

Interior Decorations of the Hassan II Mosque

After the mosque, we bid adieu to our guide and continued onto Rick’s Cafe, where the piano player ended his set with “As Time Goes By” and the bartenders served our drinks with a smile.

Rick’s cafe bartender serving my Negroni

We returned via the Medina to check out the souk, where we grabbed a local lunch

Mixed fried fish and amazing bread- for 40dhs.

and bought important things – magnets.

The next day we docked in Agadir, where our hired driver Mohammed had a taxi pick us up at the port to bring us to him (we’d booked last minute, and only taxis can pick up by the ship unless a driver registers 24 hours in advance). Mohammed spoke English well, and drove us in a large, comfortable SUV past Agadir and into Paradise Valley – an oasis where deep natural springs in the desert bring tourists to bath in the cool waters.