As we will be sitting all day tomorrow, we decide to walk today. Our destination is Villa of Arts, a modern art museum in an Art Deco house, about 2.5 km away. It is overcast and slightly chilly when we head out so the walking is pleasant.
We arrive at the Villa of Arts and it is temporarily closed. Rats. It is a day for walking, so we stroll the back streets, cutting though a large park and then over to the Palace of Justice. The square in front of the building is filled with pigeons, just filled with them. We try to go into the Palace of Justice but get turned back at the door. Rats again!
The area between where we are and our hotel is filled with Art Deco buildings. Different ones than what we found when we were here before. Also, my impression of Casablanca has changed. It is a nice city. Last time we walked to the train station and that area is definitely a working/trades area. Where we walk today is more business and government.
It is not quite lunch time, so we buy two Cokes and park ourselves on a bench in a high traffic area to watch the world go by. Almost everyone wears sensible shoes, sneaker type with flat soles. Every once in a while a pair of high heels goes by. I have noticed very few women wear leggings or tights, most wear pants with wider legs. I don’t know if it is fashion or cultural. I’ve seen a lot of men in Morocco wearing track suits. Pants with elastic around the ankle made of nylon, and a jacket with three stripes down the arms. Comfort, yes, fashion, nope.
There are sidewalk vendors along where we sit. They have a meter by meter piece of fabric or plastic laid on the sidewalk with goods displayed to sell. One guy has purses, one has wallets and odd things, another has shoes and another has plastic file folders. We always thought they target tourists, but it turns out the locals shop here. While we sit, one local buys a pair of shoes and another buys a box.
We are approached by a couple of roaming hawkers selling sunglasses and watches. A tourist shop owner stops by to chat and tells us he has a cousin in Montreal and he lives in France. It’s amazing what happens when we stop and sit for a bit.
We are back at the hotel now repacking and preparing for our flights home. Tomorrow, after a very long day, we sleep in our own bed.