It always feels weird when you pack your things and leave home for a longer trip. What’s more, this is going to be the longest and most homeless trip of our lifetime so saying goodbye to our loved ones and comfort wasn’t easy.
Venezia
On Friday night, we hopped on a bus named Berta, and spent a rough + hot 12hr journey to Venice. Sleepless night, no energy left. Venice was already filled with orange/yellow sun light, the city was waking up to a beautiful day. The atmosphere of the “floating” city was immersive. The “get lost and discover” travel mode took us to the main sites and some hidden gems, navigating through small streets with sharp corners, often ending with a dead end - water canals. When we were tired from walking, Zaha Hadid’s exhibition was just spot on! Later, we sat for some coffee at the Biennale’s exotic plants building dating from the end of 19th century. The day went by rather quickly and we soon had to head to the airport - by boat!
Casablanca
We enjoyed a glass of Moroccan red wine on the plane and to our surprise, we were given a complimentary hotel stay near the Casablanca Airport by Royal Air Maroc. We were probably mistaken for business class passengers, but who cares :) On Sunday, we woke up at 5am local time (thinking it was 6am) and took a taxi to the city centre - the Hassan II Mosque. It was huge! Next to it, right on the sea side, there was a growing luxurious residential complex - real contrast to the surrounding buildings. We were told by the security to go away pretty soon since it was private land with no public access. What we liked the most about Casablanca was its Old Town. Small streets with farmers markets (fish, chicken, bread, veggies) and boutiques (cafés, restaurants, newsstands).. What’s eye catching about Morocco is its cleanliness standard - there’s big mess (they clean this) and small mess (such as dirty surfaces, small plastic bags and papers - they don’t clean this). we only had 3 hrs so the visit was short. We finished off with Moroccan tea (black tea w/ fresh mint). Back at the airport, we were lucky to get through the security on time - we were “checked” through Morroccan style (check without really checking anything) about 5 times, each time with massive queues.. Making planes delayed and people angry. No wonder Casablanca Airport has a 1* rating. The plane was a comfy 787-800 with huge legroom and some more red wine on the table.
