Today we left the hotel just after 8 am, it was still a bit dark, and filled up with fuel before heading on the highway to the cities of Casablanca and Rabat. 

Casablanca was only about 119 km away and we quickly encountered heavier traffic along the way. It looks like a modern city with many new buildings and shopping centres. We headed for a parking place not far from the Beth-el Synagogue and found another parking a bit further away, fortunate as the original one was already full and was quite small. The one we stopped at seemed to be the washing area for the taxis but we were slowed to stop there and the guard said he would wash the car.

We walked the few blocks to the synagogue and its gates were closed although it said we were within visiting hours. I rang the bell and asked a policeman who was guarding it if it was open. He asked if we were Jewish and said it was forbidden for non-jews to einter. Trevor asked him how he would know if we had said we were Jewish and mumbled some response that it would be up to the caretaker to decide. A lady opened the gate and we asked if we could see inside. She also indicated it was not possible for non-jews but Trevor told her grew up with many Jewish schoolmates and asked her if we could just have a look for a few minutes. She let us in and then the policeman exchanged some words with her. We looked around quickly, beautiful stained glass windows, and were done almost before she could give us a skullcap. We gave here 20Dhs and thanked her for allowing us to take a look.

We then headed for the Sacred Heart Cathedral 15 mins walk away but the guard at the gate said it was closed for renovations, a disappointment indeed as it has a very different building style from the outside. We strolled through the park next to it and then down the road to the Mohamed V square in front of the court buildings with lots of pigeons. Then we headed back to the car where there was a small open air restaurant barbecuing sardines, so we decided to eat there. Delicious sardines and grilled green peppers and salad for €2.5, unbelievable !

Then we drove to the area of the magnificent Hassan II mosque which stands on the seafront and headed along the sea to a nearby lighthouse before heading on to Rabat about 45 mins away.

Rabat is much smaller than Casablanca and also looks more spacious with wide boulevards and parks. We headed for the Medina but parking was a challenge so drove further down the road to a place overlooking the sea with the waves crashing over the rocks. Then we headed for the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V where parking was easily found. The views from the area are magnificent including the Grand Theatre of Rabat and the Mohammed VI Tower.

We then headed back to the Medina and this time found parking and took a walk through the white walled alleys inside the Medina, where some excavations have discovered old ruins, some dating from the 12th century.

With that done, Trevor called his former colleague who sent us a pin locator for his apartment in Kentira and the contacts for the caretaker who would let us in. The colleague works in Rabat but stays just outside Kentira near the ocean. We found the apartment quite easily and an hour or so later the colleague arrived from work. He had left the Bank about a year earlier than Trevor and returned to the Ministry of Finance and Economy in Rabat. We had a good chat refreshing news since we had last met. Unfortunately he had a family commitment in Fes this weekend so we could only spend an hour or so with him but he said he would see us again before we left. He insisted that we park the car in the basement of the apartment building and the caretaker took care of getting it into the rather small area given the size of the car. He also said we should use his small car, an Opel Corsa, for getting around while we are in Kenitra and again the caretaker would arrange everything.

Once that was all sorted and we had bade him farewell, we took a walk down the main road to find something to eat for dinner, which ended up being chawarmand falafel, very tasty and with fresh carrot and orange juice too.