Because Candy Says So....: Morocco, Day 1.

Nine years ago, I went to Europe. I took so many photos and came back home not knowing what to do with them. My friends were asking me all about the trip and would want to know recommendations about where to stay, what to see and even where to dine. That's when I realized that I should start a blog. Because Candy Says So was put up and Candifier was born.

As some of you may know, I just got back from my Moroccan trip a week ago. Again, my iPhoto says that I brought home 1,300 photos. The next coming weeks (or months, depending on my mood), I will be posting my Morocco experience. Hopefully, some of you may pick up ideas, get inspired and seriously take my advise.

TravelLife Magazine invited some friends to join the group and so almost all that you will see on here are places that Christine Cunanan arranged for us to visit.

Our first stop was Casablanca as that is our point of entry. Etihad flies from Manila-Abu Dhabi-Casablanca. When we touched down, I realized that perhaps our airport (before renovation) was not the worst in the world.

Anyway, we went to a very famous restaurant called Rick's Cafe. It is inspired by the movie Casablanca. Though it never was never filmed in Morocco, the owner, an American, decided to bring the theme to the city. It is nice an interesting place but the food was not good at all. Though it is a famous tourist spot, I feel that you can skip it as there are so many more beautiful places to see.

Rick's Cafe.

Before lunch, we went to Hassam II Mosque. Now this is a must. Though we were told that it is the the third world's largest mosque in the world, Wikipedia says it is the 7th but is definitely the largest in Africa and Morocco.

"The building was commissioned by King Hassan II to be the most ambitious structure ever built in Morocco. It was designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau who had lived in Morocco, and was constructed by the civil engineering group Bouygues.

Work commenced on July 12, 1986, and was conducted over a seven-year period. Construction was scheduled to be completed in 1989 ready for Hassan II's 60th birthday. During the most intense period of construction, 1400 men worked during the day and another 1100 during the night. 10,000 artists and craftsmen participated in building and beautifying the mosque. However, the building was not completed on schedule which delayed inauguration. The formal inauguration was subsequently chosen to be the 11th Rabi' al-awal of the year 1414 of the Hegira, corresponding to 30 August 1993, which also marked the eve of the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s birth. It was dedicated to the Sovereign of Morocco." - Wikipedia

The ceiling of the mosque opens up to let the sun in. They only open it during special occasions and can't leave it open for tourists because of the bird poop they have to clean up afterwards.