Casablanca

  Spre rusinea mea am ajuns in Casablanca inainte sa vad filmul cu acelasi titlu avandu-i ca actori principali pe celebrii Humphrey Bogart si Ingrid Bergman, realizat in 1942. Mi-am dorit foarte mult sa ajung in Maroc, mai ales dupa ce am urmarit telenovela braziliana "Clona" ( da, puteti sa radeti cat vreti dar am invatat foarte multe despre cultura si obiceiurile musulmanilor). 
  
  Desi nu este capitala Marocului, Casablanca este mult mai mare si mai aglomerata decat Rabatul, oras despre care am auzit ca este linistit, micut si mai frumos. Majoritatea femeilor  este acoperita cu abaya, cearceaful, cum imi place mie sa ii spun pe care il poarta musulmancele.  Nu am vazut multe femei care sa se imbrace modern. 

  De data aceasta, imediat dupa ce am ne-am lasat bagajele la hotel, am plecat impreuna cu alti 7 colegi intr-un tur al orasului. Prima oprire a fost la Hobous , vechea medina - sau, cum i se spune la noi, bazar. Pot sa spun doar ca asfi putut sta acolo o zi intreaga, uitandu-ma la aceleasi lucruri, fara sa ma plictisesc. Ma fascineaza ce poate iesi din mainile omului - bomboniere si farfurii ornamentale din ceramica, lampi, seturi de ceai, oglinzi, cutii de bijuterii, covoare. Magazine mici si impovarate de lucruri, vanzatori batrani asezati pe pernite arabesti cu tigarea in gura band ceai...asta este adevarata imagine a vechiului Maroc. Cu usurinta te poti pierde prin multitudinea de culori ale voalurilor. Nu am putut rezista si mi-am cumparat o cutie de bijuterii, lucrata manual de berberi ( popor indigen care provine din Africa de Nord dar care acum traieste in Maroc) facuta din argint, sidef si os de camila. Bineinteles, romanca fiind am negociat la sange si ma pot lauda ca am obtinut un pret de 4 ori mai mic decat cel din magazinul de Duty Free, care era de 110 euro . Foarte cautat pentru beneficiile lui este uleiul de argan, copac ce creste doar in Maroc. Este utilizat atat pentru gatit cat si pentru cosmetica. Pentru piele, uleiul de argan ajuta la restabilirea ph-ului natural al pielii, contribuie la estomparea ridurilor si ii ofera pielii elasticitate, regleaza eliberarea sebumului in cazul tenului gras, este util in tratarea pielii uscate, estompeaza si participa la vindecarea petelor si pustulelor cauzate de acnee sau varicela si lista continua. Desi este un produs scump, in medina il gasesti la jumatate de pret asa ca merita sa il cumperi daca ai ocazia .

  Al doilea obiectiv pe care ne-am oprit sa-l vedem in micul nostru tur a fost moscheea Hassan
II, a doua cea mai mare moschee ca si marime din lume - poate tine pana la 25000 de credinciosi. Nu se poate vizita decat dimineata, asa ca, din pacate nu am putut-o vedea si pe interior. Este intradevar o cladire impunatoare, jumatate construita direct pe apa. De aici am plecat in plimbare pe La corniche , faleza orasului. Mici terase aflate pe malul marii isi asteapta clientii care vor sa bea o cafeluta si sa priveasca oceanul Atlantic.
   Dupa un delicios suc natural de fructe am plecat sa luam cina intr-un restaurant cu specific marocan. Am avut ocazia sa gust pui cu prune, o combinatie pe care nu am incercat-o pana acum dar care mi-a placut enorm. Trebuie sa adaug ca celebrul kuskus nu m-a impresionat cu nimic..ca de fiecare data, m-am simtit foarte bine in compania colegilor mei spanioli, greci, libanezi, algerieni, kenieni,englezi,australieni si danezi, toti stransi in jurul aceleiasi mese marocane. In cele din urma, nu conteaza de unde vii, ce culoare ai si ce limba vorbesti atata timp cat ne acceptam si ne tratam egal.

Pentru poze, click aici

English

 I am ashamed that I arrived in Casablanca before watching the movie with the same title in which  the famous actors Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman stared in. I really wanted to come to Morocco, especially after I watched Brazilian soap opera " O clone" (yes, you can laugh all you want but I learned a lot about the culture and customs of Muslims).

  Although it is not the capital of Morocco, Casablanca is much bigger and more crowded than Rabat, a quiet, small and beautiful city . Most women are covered in abaya, sheet, as I like to call it. I haven't seen many modern women there.

 Right after I've left the luggage at our hotel, I went with another 7 colleagues in a city tour. First stop was Hobous the old medina - or, as we call it, bazaar. I can only say that I could have stayed there all day, looking at the same things, without getting bored. I'm fascinated of what can come out of human hands - candy and decorative ceramic plates, lamps, tea sets, mirrors, jewelry boxes, carpets. Small shops that are burdened by things, old Arabian sellers sitting on cushions and drinking tea with the cigarette in their mouth ... this is the real picture of old Morocco. You can easily get lost in the myriad of colors of veils. I could not resist and I bought a handmade jewelry box, handcrafted by Berbers (indigenous people originating from North Africa but who now live in Morocco) made ​​of silver, pearl and camel bone. Of course,the Romanian blood within me negotiated the price and I am proud to say that I got a price 4 times lower than the Duty Free shop, which was 110 euros. 

Very popular for its benefits, the argan oil tree that grows only in Morocco. It is used both for cooking and cosmetics. For the skin, the Argan oil helps restore the natural pH of the skin, helps to diminish wrinkles and gives skin elasticity, regulates sebum release if oily skin, is useful in treating dry skin, blurred and participate in healing blemishes and pimples caused by acne or chickenpox and the list goes on. Although it is an expensive product in medina you find it at half price so it is worth buying it.

The next stop was Hassan  II mosque , the second largest mosque in the world - it can hold up to 25,000 worshipers. You can not visit it in the morning, so unfortunately I could not see it inside. It is indeed an imposing building, half constructed directly on the water. From here we went to walk on the Corniche, the city's seafront. Small beachfront terraces await customers who want to drink a coffee and watch the Atlantic Ocean.

    After a delicious natural fruit juice we went to have dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. I had the opportunity to taste chicken with plums, a combination I have not tried until now but liked a lot. I should add that the famous kuskus did not impressed me at all ..  

  As always, I had a great time in the company of my fellow Spaniards, Greeks, Lebanese, Algerian, Kenyan, British, Australian and Danish, all gathered around the same Moroccan table . In the end,it doesn't  matter where you come from, what color's your skin and what language you speak as long as we accept and treat everyone equally.

For photos, click here