ATM Tour – Casablanca – Day 2 – 12 January 2026

Slept peacefully and got up early, as usual, to complete the blog and Facebook post. Breakfast at Ryad 91 was part of the tariff, which was served on the rooftop terrace. When I went to the rooftop at a quarter to 8 it was still dark and extremely cold. I got back to the warm confines of the hotel room. When I saw some daylight at a quarter past the hour I went back to the terrace and was greeted by the person in charge of the restaurant. I was asked to take a seat of my choice. I chose to sit under an awning made of hemp, instead of the open air, due to the cold.

I asked for a cup of coffee with milk and sugar. Superb Moroccan coffee warmed the insides a bit. Then came three types of Moroccan bread - Msemmen, Batbout and Harsha - with white butter and strawberry jam. Msemmen is like the Kerala Parotta, but square in shape. The traditional flatbread, native to the Maghreb region, is folded into square pancakes with multiple internal layers and cooked on a griddle.

Batbout is like a version of pitta bread; it’s fluffier and richer but it is also very airy and tasty. Harsha is a pan or griddle cooked semolina flatbread. Bread is a staple in the Moroccan diet. It is said that breads are so integral to the Moroccan way of life that it is never dumped in the garbage. The leftover bread is separated and fed to pets. The wholesome breakfast ended with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

It was still quite cold and a bit windy, chilling the bones, when I started the day's itinerary. Literally a stone's throw away from the Medina entrance is the Coupole Zavacco. Located in the heart of the United Nations Square, the Zevaco Dome, was erected in 1975. It is an architectural gem that blends Western and Moorish influences, in its distinctive design, characterized by an elliptical dome. It was rehabilitated and reopened to the public in 2021. The dome's role extends beyond its function as a building; it also hosts art exhibitions and cultural events, making it a hub for innovation and reflection. A true symbol of modernity and creativity, the Zevaco Dome enriches Casablanca's urban landscape and remains an essential heritage treasure.

The United Nations Square, a public square in the central part of Casablanca, has been central to the history of the city. The area outside the walls of the old medina that is now United Nations Square, used to be the location of the Grand Souk before the French colonization in 1908. Over time the square evolved from a marketplace to a contact point between the European city and the Casablanca medina. By 2012 the Casablanca Tramway transformed the square. Thus, the United Nations Square is the transformative centre between the old and the modern, so to say.

I walked to the Casablanca Cathedral or the Sacred Heart Church, which was constructed in 1930. Religious activities ceased here in 1956 when the country got independence from the French. It is commonly referred to as a cathedral, although it has never technically been one as it was never the seat of a bishop. Since 1956 the 'cathedral' has been a cultural centre open to visitors. Numerous art exhibitions and music nights have been organised here. At the time of my visit, I was flummoxed, as were a couple of other tourists too, when told that the church is closed and that we should go to the Notre Dame church for worship.

Very next to the Sacred Heart Church is the Arab league park, a green oasis in the centre of the city, spread over 30 Ha. It has been a symbol of Casablanca for over a century. Painstaking rehabilitation of a park gone into disrepair is going on, in line with the fundamentals of landscaping from the beginning of the previous century, as well as the contemporary standards of the environment and equipment.

A short brisk walk away is the Mohammed V Square, named after the former king of Morocco. It was established in 1916 at the beginning of the French protectorate in Morocco and symbolises the expanding Europeanisation of the expanding city. The square is popularly also known as Pigeons Square, due to the presence of a large number of these birds in the square. Many important buildings and offices are placed around the square such as the Court house, the Military HQ, Town Hall, Bank of al-Magjreb and the Central Post office.

From the Mohammed V Square, I walked to the Notre Dame of Lourdes cathedral; a Roman Catholic church in modernist style built in 1954. The main attraction of Notre-Dame of Lourdes church is the stained glasswork of world-famous artist Gabriel Loire. The church's long concrete entrance is noteworthy as also the interplay of light with the stained glass on the vaulted concrete ceiling. I spent some moments in quiet reflection before trying in vain to meet the priest in the presbytery. I noticed that the premises were not quite well kept.

The Central market of Casablanca is a municipal market built between 1917 and 1920. Several important buildings near the 'Central Marche' are under renovation and hence, walking to the building meant many detours from the route dictated by Google Maps.

As I entered the wet market area, I was assailed by smells of fresh and iced sea fish. Besides, many vendors thrust menus under my nose to choose something from their stall for an on-the-spot cooking and eating experience. The variety of fish on display was awesome. The size of crabs and squids was enormous. I walked to the fruits stalls and bought some strawberries and figs to take for the road trip starting from the next day.

While the sightseeing part of the day was over, I still had to go to the office of AirCars, the vendor from who I had opted to rent the car from. It was Discover Cars that had got me the offer from AirCars. It took me some time to find the office of the car rental company.

Once there, I had a cordial chat with the company officials and confirmed the deposit and the process of paperwork. I also arranged with them to take the car the next day morning so that I don't pay parking fee for the overnight stay near the hotel. I went back later in the evening and completed the paperwork, inspection and handover formalities of the MG3 automatic that had already been on the road for about 33,000 km.

I had dinner in the Ryad 91 restaurant. Looking to have something traditional, I ordered a plate of couscous and a drink of ginger and lemon. Couscous is a traditional North African dish of small, steamed granules of rolled semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Boiled cucumber and carrot and sauteed onions formed the topping of the couscous plate served to me in a clay dish. Cooking such traditional fare in earthenware imparts a different and distinct flavour to the item.

With this, the first part of the Moroccan visit has concluded. It was time to take to the road to visit some of the historic cities of the country such as Marrakech, Rabat, Tangier, Fes and Meknes.

ATM Tour – Casablanca – Day 1 – 11 January 2026

My flight to Casablanca from the Tunis Carthage International Airport was scheduled for 11.50 am. Ayman, my host, had informed me yesterday that a taxi cab be taken from near the Kasbah Square. I requested him to accompany me so that I would not have any problem getting a cab. He agreed to.

I had thoroughly enjoyed the stay in the superb Dar Meriem, a two-bedroom apartment fitted out with a decent kitchen. My favourite area was the living cum dining area where I spent the most part in the accommodation, especially on the comfortable L-shaped sofa. The apartment was way beyond my expectations, and it was an exceptional place to rest my weary body after a day filled with long walks. Ayman surprised me this morning, in a very pleasant way. Set to go to take a taxi to the airport I messaged him that I was ready to leave for the opportunity even by 8 am. He messaged me that he would take me to the airport.

I thought he meant that he was also ready to accompany me to the taxi stand. Instead, he took my suitcase down to his car and said he would drop me in it to the airport as he had to drop his daughter in town for some curriculum related work. That was a most pleasant surprise and I felt so deeply thankful to him for the kind gesture. Ayman dropped me at the airport by 8.15 am. As the flight was scheduled only for 11.50 am, it was natural that the check-in counters were not even declared.

There was confusion and almost chaos regarding the departure of a Tunisair flight to Frankfurt. The flight that was to have departed at 7.20 am still hadn't at 11 am and people's nerves were frayed. The airline staff were not able to provide any clarification as to when the flight would take off. Finally, security personnel had to be called in to quiet the irate passengers.

Another example of the ineptness of the staff concerned the boarding gate of my flight. I was seated at Gate 55 as per information on my boarding pass and the departure information display board. When the boarding staff showed no signs of showing up even at 11 am I enquired from the airport staff and got contradictory information. One said Gate 55 and another said Gate 50. After many minutes of the to and fro, I got one of the lady staff to reconfirm over her communication device the actual departure gate. It turned out to be Gate 50. It was indeed a most ridiculous and avoidable situation.

Fortunately, the Air Moroc flight to Casablanca departed a few minutes ahead of time. The three-hour flight was mostly over the Mediterranean Sea, with a decent meal served on board. Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is known for its blend of Berber, Arab, and European cultures, with coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, bordering Algeria and Western Sahara. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca, featuring diverse geography from mountains (Atlas, Rif) to deserts, and rich history reflected in cities like Marrakesh and Fes. Morocco is home to ancient civilizations, with Islamic and Arabic culture growing strong from the Idrisid period.

The country operates as a constitutional monarchy, with Arabic and Berber dialects as official languages. It is a stable kingdom that integrates its history with modernization efforts and diplomacy. It has a diversified economy with strong growth in sectors like tourism, agriculture, phosphates, automotive, and aerospace, even though the country is facing climate challenges like drought. The Moroccan Dirham (MAD) is about 10 INR. Morocco is a developing, lower-middle-income country that's experiencing significant economic growth, a rising middle class, and reduced poverty alongside persistent challenges like inequality and rural poverty. It's considered one of Africa's wealthier nations, featuring modern infrastructure in cities, but still has a substantial portion of its population below the poverty line, showing a mix of wealth and poverty. The per capita income is around $3,700 - $8,300 on Purchasing Power Parity basis.

The flight landed in the Mohammed V International Airport, a no frills one, with the airport brightly branded for the ongoing Africa Cup football tournament. Morocco is the 67th country I was visiting. Multiple flights had landed and the immigration did take some time. Fortunately, there were adequate number of counters to handle the rush. Immediately as I completed immigration, I found my checked-in bag on the carousel. The next task was to exchange some currency and decide on the transport to the hotel. The exchange rate offered in the airport was quite low, but I had to exchange some to pay for the transport to the hotel. From the information kiosk at the Arrivals, I found out that the airport transfer shuttle could be taken from just a few minutes’ walk from the Arrivals gate. From the hotel I confirmed that I had to get off at the last stop of the bus and walk a few hundred metres to the hotel. The smiling conductor of the bus put my bag into the bus and got me a ticket for 50 Moroccan Dirham (MAD). The ride took about 40 minutes. The road infrastructure was superb and I noticed that people drive responsibly observing lane discipline.

At the last stop, the Station Casablanca Port, I got off and took directions from the hotel staff to reach the arch of the entrance to the Old Medina. Hussain from Ryad 91 came there and piloted me to the hotel. Being the weekend holiday, the Medina was choc a bloc. The Ryad 91, a renovated and refurbished old house, is a hotel. The personable young man took my documents and gave me information about the Wi-Fi and breakfast.

All the rooms of the Ryad start from the first floor, and the restaurant is on the rooftop. After depositing my bag in the first-floor room and freshening up, I got back to Hussain to chalk out activities for what was left of the day. He suggested a walk to the Ain Diab Corniche, which he said would take about thirty minutes. It was nearly 3 km away and I wondered if I would be able to do that in 30 minutes. On the way, he said, is the famous Rick's Cafe and the Hassan II Mosque.

I passed the Casablanca Port and its offices on my way to the Corniche. The Port of Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in Morocco and in the world. Marsa Moroc operates the Port, which is 8 km in length and can berth 34 ships at a time. The Port annually handles a diversified portfolio of cargo, which also includes about 3.5 million TEUs of container traffic.

Another landmark on the way is the Bab Al Marsa, the gate to the city built in the 18th century. It served as a gateway to the Port of Casablanca till the French maritime attack in 1907. The gate has been restored and the facade is maintained under a special program of the government to rehabilitate and upgrade the Old Medina.

A few hundred meters from there is the iconic Rick's Cafe, made famous by the 1941 Hollywood release, Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Rick's Cafe was a major setting in the movie and with the movie becoming popular, the cafe and the city became destination for tourists. There were many tourists in front of the cafe, where admission is reserved, possibly due to the large number of tourists. There is a specific area in front of the cafe where those seeking admission to the cafe have to line up.

I reached the Hassan II Mosque just as the golden glow of the setting sun highlighted the mosque minaret. The Hassan II Mosque is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 14th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's second tallest at 210 metres. The mosque was completed in 1993, built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom.

The mosque stands on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The prayer hall of the mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers and another 80,000 can worship in the mosque’s commodious grounds. The works on the walls and the gates are stupendous. The workmanship is exemplary. The views of the mosque from the Ain Diab Corniche, with the setting sun is something that defies description.

There are vendors selling local snacks, boiled snails, dry fruits and fruits. A large area is reserved as kids play area where colourful balloons are sold and go-carts for kids accompanied by adults, are available on hire. The Corniche is the fashionable area of the city with many cafes, restaurants and sea facing bar terraces. It started getting quite cold and I thought it wise to walk back to the hotel.

On the way to the hotel, I went into the La Scala restaurant for a traditional Moroccan meal. I was wolfishly hungry and ordered a Tagine and a Moroccan salad. Soon came the traditional Khobz bread, harrisa, tomato chutney and black and green olives in brine. The Khobz bread is used by Moroccans as a utensil to scoop the sauce from the tajine, it is said. I had one whole bread dipped in the spicy harrisa and laced with olives. The food took some time coming. But the wait was well worth it.

The Moroccan salad consisted of chopped capsicums, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives and herbs with lemon wedges on the side. Oh, it tasted so good! While I was feasting on the treat came the Tagine, which is a traditional North African cooking vessel and the aromatic, slow-cooked stew is prepared in it. The vessel is ceremonially opened so that a curious visitor like me can take a video of it. I had first tasted Tagine in Luxor, Egypt. I took my time over the meal and not even a piece of the olive was left behind. The food is light on the stomach because no masala is used. Only herbs and spices flavour the meal. The experience was a super gastronomic one.

The short walk back to the hotel, by when the busy Medina was totally shorn of shoppers and shopkeepers, settled the meal well. I hit the sack thanking Him for the lovely day on which I was in the 67th country of visit.

ATM Tour – Tunis – Day 4 – 10 January 2026

I had few things on the plate today, chief among them was a visit to the Bardo National Museum. The weather forecast was not promising for the first half of the day. It was raining off and on and a precipitation ranging from 30 to 40 percent was predicted till 2 pm. After a sparse breakfast I decided to endure what the weather had to throw at me in the morning. I had to walk about 30 minutes from my accommodation to the train station. Half the way it was bright and sunny and the other had me protecting the head with the jacket hood.

Getting to the station was in itself a task accomplished. I bought the 1 TND ticket and took my position on the platform. Not many people were around, presumably because of the weekend holiday. When the train arrived, I was more than pleasantly surprised. It was a new generation train set with comfortable seating inside. The doors of the train automatically closed in 30 seconds, and it continued on its journey without a jerk or any discomfort. I could make out that the trains were operated on single line with restrictions on running speed due to complete track renewal of one of the lines. The stations were being modified too.

What stunned me the most was that there were no level crossings at the road and rail interface points. Accepting the right of way of the train, the road traffic waited for its passage. Indeed, discipline and civility of the highest nature. Moreover, people behaved in the train as one should in a public transport; no graffiti, no vandalism, orderly ingress and egress. It was indeed a joy to experience this. Another piece that demolished the African template in the minds of ignoramuses like me! One does not have to be 4 trillion-dollar economy or with a hoary past to treat each other with respect and follow a process of human development that will leverage for the entire society.

I disembarked at the second stop. A kindly gentleman pointed to a building on the opposite side of the road as the Bardo National Museum. However, one has to walk about 7 minutes to get to the gate at the corner of the road. In light rain, side stepping puddles and sometimes leaping over them, I reached the entrance of the awe-inspiring building. The museum has plenty of parking lots for vehicles.

At the main entrance to the security gate is a short history of the development of the museum in the residence of the then Bey in 1891. The museum has been housed in an old beylical palace since 1888. Originally called the Alaoui Museum, named after the reigning bey at the time, it was renamed as the Bardo Museum after the independence of the country.

The biggest Tunisian museum, the Bardo National Museum, derives its reputation from its countless pieces of coming from the excavations undertaken in the country since the 19^th century. The quality and the rarity of many of these pieces bear witness to the country’s historical richness and uniqueness. It is one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean region and the second largest museum in Africa after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. It traces the history of Tunisia over several millennia and across several civilizations through a wide variety of archaeological pieces.

The arrangements of the Bardo Museum were thought and resolved with the aim of increasing and reorganizing spaces for a better redistribution and a new presentation of the collections. The commemoration of the Bardo Museum’s Centennial in 1988 was a major event in its history. Starting from this date and following the efforts of the successive curators, many renovations were realised with a new didactic museographic presentation and in compliance with modern standards of conservation.

The museum contains one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world. It also has a major collection of other antiquities of interest from Ancient Greece, Carthage, Tunisia, and the Islamic period.

The museum displays objects ranging from pre-historical artifacts to statues to coins to textiles to modern jewellery. The mosaics, such as the Virgil Mosaic, represent a major source for research on everyday life in Roman Africa. From the Roman era, the museum also contains a rich collection of marble statues representing the deities and the Roman emperors found on different sites including those of Carthage and Thuburbo Majus.

The museum also houses pieces discovered during the excavations of Libyco-Punic sites including Carthage, although the National Museum of Carthage is the primary museum of the Carthage archaeological site. The essential pieces of this department are grimacing masks, terracotta statues and stelae of major interest for Semitic epigraphy, and the stele of the priest and the child. The museum houses Greek works discovered especially in the excavations of the shipwreck of Mahdia, whose emblematic piece remains the bust of Aphrodite in marble, gnawed by the sea.

On 18 March 2015, an Islamist terrorist group attacked the museum and took tourists hostage in the building. The attack took the lives of 22 people.

For the return train I had to wait for nearly 30 minutes, and I made haste to get back to the accommodation because I was starving. On the way, I picked up a ham malfouf, without cheese, but spicy. The stomach was sated with half of the wrap. The other half of the wrap would serve well enough for dinner.

The Royal Mausoleum of Tourbet el Bey had been on the itinerary list for Tunis. Walking through the narrow by lanes of the Medina I reached the Mausoleum with just 2 minutes to spare for the scheduled 1330 hours closing of the attraction. I knocked the door a couple of times and there was no response.

Soon a person emerged from the corner of the wall of the mausoleum complex and identified himself as the caretaker of the mausoleum. He asked me, do you want me to look at the seconds hand also before closing the complex for the day! He was jousting and I proved a worthy foil. I told him, with the rain, he should have closed the monument against damage much earlier. Both of us broke into a laugh and he went his way, weighed down less by the guilt of not having waited till the actual closing time.

The 18th century Bayram Palace has been renovated and converted into a multipurpose facility for conferences, socialising, parties, wedding and the like. This is one aspect which can be seen in plenty in the Tunisian Medina. So many of the ancient accommodations are being renovated, primarily with a view to offering a feel of Tunisian life in the times past. Moreover, the Medina is where all the history and life is. Staying in this environment is truly a wonderful experience.

On the way back to the accommodation, I dropped by once again into the Soul des Chechias. Being a weekend, the place was crowded and, from the looks of it, many more were expected. The exquisite wood works in tea houses are a matter of artistic wonder. The colours used lend such vibrance that it captivates a customer.

That rounded up my short 4-day visit to the capital city of Tunisia, the 66th country I have visited.