Atlantic coast
D track
The D track of the Atlantic coast
crosses pretty argan forests. It is
sometimes jolting with rare tarred
sections as well as some delicate
crossings. It skirts the coast where
it is possible to visit small fishing
ports. I arrived at Essaouira around
midday. The city is at the edge of a
vast sand beach. Many tourists of the
European type walked there. I went my
way to direct towards Casablanca by
the road of the coast, Safi and El
Jadida. On the way I warned a panel
mentioning Bhybeh beach; quite quiet
fishing port without tourist nor motor
home. What a happiness! A fisherman
signaled to me to station in all
quietude.
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| Calle de Aftas Imarditsane |
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| Calle de Aftas Imarditsane |
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| Panorama |
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| Bhybeh beach |
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| Bhybeh, bivouac |
Atlantic coast, coastal road to Casablanca
El Jadida
On Tuesday, January 6 I went on the
way early morning to progress towards
Casablanca. The coastal road crosses
splendid landscape up to El Jadida.
The countryside became increasingly
green and the market gardening
occupied all the arable grounds. After
El-Jadida it was the real field which
dominated as the approach of the
economic large capital of Morocco.
Indeed they are second homes built or
in construction. Consequently I did
not find a bivouac in seaside. Around
14:30 I solved for going up to Dar
Bouazza to remain at the Oasis
International camp-site around 20 km
southwards of Casablanca. The town of
El-Jadida is known for its built
Portuguese city in 1506 called Mazagan.
It was reassigned in Morocco at the
time of its independence.
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| Wall of the
Portuguese city & shipyard |
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| External wall &
light tower |
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| External wall |
Bastion de l'Ange |
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| The port |
Sea gate |
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| Synagogue |
Old house |
Casablanca
Hassan II Mosque
On Wednesday morning I rented a taxi
to go to Casablanca away from about 26
km. My first visit was for the Hassan
II Mosque built to commemorate the
60th birthday of the birth of the
king. It was completed in 1993 in the
plan by the French architect Michel
Pinseau.
In the evening back to the
camp-site in Dar Bouazza I read on
Internet the odious attack committed
by terrorists claiming Islam. They
wildly killed 12 people members of the
editorial board of Charlie-Hebdo of
which cartoonists of talent. I hope
that the Muslim community of France
and its representatives will condemn
this attack unanimously.
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| Hassan II Mosque |
Casablanca, Mauresque art & Art-deco
Then I went to the fishing port to lunch
at the Restaurant le Port de Pêche. At the
beginning of afternoon I traversed the
tour proposed by Lonely Planet in order to
discover the colonial style of the 30's
under the governorship of the Général
Lyautey and known as the name of the
Moorish art influenced by art-deco. I show
the most representative examples of them.
The bar Petit Poucet was frequented by
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Albert Camus.
The plan and the names of the streets
given by the Lp is as usual approximate,
it is a true play of track to find the
buildings quoted. I returned to the
camp-site around 17:00
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| Le port de pêche |
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| Cathédrale du Sacré Coeur |
Old police headquarters |
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| Palais de justice |
Porte monumental du type Iwan
Perse |
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| Main post office |
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| Banque Al-Maghrib |
Salon de thé La Princière |
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| Hôtel Guynemer |
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| Central market post office |
Le Matin/Maroc Soir |
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| Bar, Petit Poucet |
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| Cinéma Rialto |
Casablanca, Garage Mercedes-Benz
On Thursday, January 8 I arrived at
Mercedes-Benz southwards of Casablanca at
Lissasfa for the revision of the 20,000 km
around 8:00. My truck was dealt with
around 8:30 to be returned to me around
11:30 after its visit by the female gentle
of Mercedes-Benz. Then it was the nième+1
visit in Marjane for food supply. Due to
the hour I decided to find a bivouac at
the edge of the sea, not easy. I was
satisfied with a edge of pavement with
sight on the Atlantic Ocean.
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| Bivouac |
En route towards
Meknes
On Friday, January 9 was a driving
morning without striking fact by
avoiding Rabat, political capital of
Morocco. I found a bivouac,
unspecified, close to the Beht wadi.
Bof! The landscapes changed, now
greenery, cultivated fields and cows
feeding made their appearance. I ”go
up” northwards.
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| Bivouac |
Meknès
Medina
I arrived very early at Meknès and I
found easily the carpark of Bab
El-Mansour, alas dirty and malodorous
to spend a night there, but finally it
is also that the journeys. I was
accosted by a Berber guide, Nabih, who
proposed to me to be made visit the
Medina at an acceptable price. I
traversed in his company the various
quaters with very documented comments,
I would have needed a recorder because
I cannot remember all that he told me!
Then at the beginning of afternoon I
continued alone my visits by the
mausoleum of Moulay Ismaïl and the
palate Dar Jamaï transformed into
museum. In middle of afternoon I
returned to my truck to write a short
report of the day, to put on page
pictures and videos then to sleep on
the spot…
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| Bab El-Mansour, parking |
Nabih, berber guide |
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| Mellah, Jewish
quarter & cemetery |
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| Four & mosque |
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| Gate of Mellah,
Jewish quarter |
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| Djedid gate |
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| Mosque entrance |
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| Berdaine gate |
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| Moulay Ismail
mausoleum |
Dar Jamai museum
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| Bab El-Mansour |
Volubilis
The Roman ruins of Volubilis are
registered in the world heritage of
UNESCO. The excavations indicate that
the site was occupied by the
Carthaginians at the 3rd century
before our era. It was annexed and
attached to the Roman empire around
the year 40 of our era. The historians
think that the city had to the maximum
20,000 inhabitants. The most important
monuments were built in 2nd & 3rd
century of our era. The site is mainly
remarkable by the wealth and the
finesse of the mosaics. I arrived on
the site around 8:15 at the opening to
profit from the low-angled light in
the morning as well as absence of
tourists not to pollute the
photographs. I bivouacked a little
before Moulay Idriss to have a 3G
Maroc Telecom connection by a
close radio pylon.
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| Volubilis |
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| Galen's bath |
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| Iconic storks at Volubilis |
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| Olive presse |
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| Capitol & Basilica |
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| Triumphal Arch
& Decumanus Maximus |
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| Acrobat |
Bacchus |
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| Labours of Hercules |
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| Diane bathing |
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| Hercules |
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| Decumanus Maximus, east-west
processional way |
