Casablanca

Yesterday was primarily a travel day. I took very few photos, all from the train. I love looking out at the landscape, because it really is beautiful here. Shepherds tend their flocks everywhere and it's fun to watch them. One of the employees of the train saw me taking photos through the window and opened the train door for me to take photos through. HE OPENED THE DOOR. That is a terrifying experience. I just kept picturing myself tripping and getting flung out the open door. But I was safe and it was really awesome he did that. Everyone has been so nice here.

After we got to the hotel I was beat. I grabbed a hot sandwich from the restaurant, brought it to my room, scarfed it down, and promptly went to bed. Today we visited a few beautiful places in Casablanca. The first was Le Sacre Ceour (Sacred Heart) Cathedral. I did not take any photos inside because it is a silent place of prayer, but the stained glass was really beautiful. It was hard to get photos of the exterior because of the angles, but this adorable kitten followed us around and was so friendly, so I took photos of her. I also lit a candle for my grandfather. 

Next we went to Hassan II Mosque. It is the third largest mosque in the world. Believe me when I say it is breathtaking. It took 10,000 men six years to build and it rests over the ocean. We returned after the mid-day prayer and took a tour, but I don't have photos of the inside. Photos are permitted, but I opted to buy postcards instead of take any because it feels weird to continually snap photos inside a house of worship. It is massive and intricately detailed. If you CLICK HERE you'll be taken to a link in Google images of photos of the inside. I was in complete awe. Here's a photo of a woman studying outside the mosque and one taken later when we drove down the coast a bit and captured some photos across the water. That water is the other side of the Atlantic, y'all! 

Our taxi drivers took us to a strip of beach with clubs and coffee shops. I had the most delicious strawberry ice cream and then we took a walk on the beach and looked at the limestone uplift (because half of us are rock nerds.) 

The program coordinators/instructors took us out to dinner to end the program tonight. We had our final language tests and debriefs. I ended the night by purchasing myself a rose from a flower stand outside the restaurant and indulging in the best flan I've ever had. 

I have one more day and night in Casablanca and then I will journey home. This will not be my last post, as I have a lot of details I want to address in this blog. Expect more photos and posts in the coming week or two as I organize my thoughts!