Hoosier Cruiser

April 24-25, 2026

Our last ports of call in Africa were Agadir and Casablanca in Morocco.

In Agadir, we took a walking tour of the city and learned about a devastating earthquake in 1960 that killed an estimated 17,000 inhabitants. A memorial wall commemorates the event. Continuing our tour, we visited a local market (or souk) and a casual restaurant area. Then we took a cable car ride to the 15th CE Kasbah (castle). There we had great views of the city and the port. Surprisingly, there were only a few souvenir vendors, but there was a fleet of four camels for tourists willing to fork over $20 for a brief ride.

Our tour of Casablanca started with a visit to the Hassan II Mosque, the 3rd largest in the world. (Numbers 1 & 2 are in Mecca and Medina in case you were wondering). The most impressive feature of the exterior is the minaret at over 200 meters in height. Other tours included a visit to the inside of the mosque, but ours did not. Next we drove by the Corniche or seaside entertainment district. This is a stretch of swanky restaurants, nightclubs and private swimming pool clubs. The Saudi king has a ‘modest’ bungalow nearby. Although Casablanca’s 5+ million population is 98% Muslim, there are churches and synagogues. We visited Notre Dame de Lourdes which has a faux Grotto of Lourdes outside the church.The church’s stained glass is the most impressive feature here. We made a brief stop in the habous quarter where the royal palace is situated. No royal sightings, but our guide gave us some inisight to her Berber heritage. If you see a door with a small door knocker shaped like a hand, then you know a Berber resides there. Berber girls traditionally wear a tribal facial tattoo, but Najat’s mother eschewed that tradition and gave her a necklace with the same symbolism.

Agadir Gallery

Casablanca Gallery

One other note: in both ports our guides made a point of promoting Argan oil for cooking, cosmetics and a universal cure all. The Argan tree grows only in Morocco. The oil is crazy expensive. Consider yourself warned!