Day#9 of my Moroccan holiday began with breakfast in the hotel dining room in Marrakech. My morning meal consisted of French breads with jams, a fresh fruit medley of melon and oranges, and a small salad. My beverage was the amazing local orange juice. It was a filling start to the day!

Our group prepared to embark on the tour bus for the journey to our final destination: the city of Casablanca!

We drove past elegant shops and fancy contemporary office buildings in the downtown section of the city.

Riding through the wealthy residential neighborhood presented us with palatial homes and colorful gardens.

The next stop was at a Catholic Shrine with a beautiful grotto. Notre Dame was constructed in the year 1956 to accommodate the city’s acceptance of it’s Catholic population. It has a striking facade and is known for its impressively gorgeous stained glass windows. The candle-filled grotto is reminiscent of the one in Lourdes, France.

We proceeded to the Royal Palace, its gate, mosque, and the remainder of the city tour.

Our guide brought into a local bakery to watch the process of the local bread and Moroccan pizza being prepared and baked.

After the tour, I was famished! One restaurant in town was known for being vegan-friendly: La Sqala (La Sqala Restaurant ). The ambiance is superb at this rooftop deck restaurant, located inside of an 18th century fort.

The waiter brought a bowl of absolutely delectable Moroccan round breads, with accompaniments of spicy tomato sauce and local olives!

My main entree was the vegetable tagine piled high with zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and peppers. You can never have too much veggie tagine! It’s good to try it at various restaurants, since it is sometimes prepared with different broths and spices or different veggies. It was superb!

For dessert, a fruit bowl of mixed chopped seasonal fruit was a tasty end to my evening meal.

The tour bus made a stop at the Hassan II mosque. It is the largest mosque in all of Morocco, and its towering minaret is the world’s largest. King Hassan II requested for the best artisans of the country to commence building the mosque.  The work was completed in 1993. The inside hall can accommodate up to 25,000 people for prayer.

The mosque is on the water’s edge. I stopped for a photo by the Atlantic ocean viewpoint. The lighthouse and beach could be seen in the distance.

After the day’s activities, it was time for dinner. I chose to dine at Rick’s Cafe, established in 2004 to mimic the setting and ambiance of it’s namesake in the film “Casablanca”. The character of the interior was indeed reminiscent of the film. A piano player performed hit songs from the movie. As I was appreciating the entertainment before me, I dined on my meal of assorted cooked vegetables. I selected an orange sorbet topped with delicious sliced oranges and a flavorful orange sauce for dessert. The meal and dessert were wonderful.

Bright and early the next morning, I headed to the airport to return home. Air France provided a light evening snack of salad and fruit.

The airline VLML meal (vegan) was a tasty rice and lentils dish.

For dessert, I was given a bowl of applesauce. The quality and freshness was good.

My ten day Moroccan vacation had now come to an end. As I relaxed aboard my flight home, I reflected on all of the amazing destinations we visited and of the flavorful local vegan foods I savored!