Algiers

Wednesday diary
Algiers
We woke at 6. The hotel breakfast was quite French with lots of meats, cheeses, olives plus delicious dates - and pastries. There was beef stew and rice plus various oily egg combos.

Chris the younger man turned up for breakfast at 9, the time of departure, so we were late leaving. I was firm and told M’hamet that I wasn’t doing the hundreds of steps from the top of casbah, and wiggling down through alleys to sea level. It was decided I stay with Radhid in the bus at the sea for the 2 or 3 hours they’d be walking. He took me round some back streets to look at the outside of a pretty mosque and some of the casbah. Unfortunately I’d not got any dinar yet to get him a coffee. I sat and people (and traffic) watched.

When the others arrived back we had a walk to the sea to see the fishing boats and fish market, then a walk to a local restaurant when we were served tasty veggie dips- tapenade, smoked aubergines, a hot pepper one and hummus with French bread. (The French influence is still strong 50 years after liberation.)
Next came noodles with roast chicken and chicken broth, so I was glad I’d had the dips. Then coffee into with we put a drop of orange essence, served with a very sweet orange flavoured pastry. I was sitting beside the other couple in the group. She told me they’d “done” all of South America and most of Africa. I asked where she’d had the tastiest food. She said they had a private cook in Ethiopia and he’d made the best Spaghetti Bolognese she’d ever had. My jaw dropped. She then was on transmit only. The 3 single women, 2 from Australia and 1 from USA, and more fun.

We got on the bus and went to the Martyr’s memorial in honour of those who died in the wars of Independence and the museum dedicated to them.

We got back at 4 which gave us time for a beer on a terrace. We were joined by Stephanie, the graphic design teacher from New York. Interesting conversation and a dry sense of humour.

We are going out to a restaurant for dinner and there could be Algerian wine to try.

I took loads of photos but I liked the contrast of the old casbah steps with the Art Nouveau buildings in the French part of the city. (The population of Algiers city is around the same as that of Scotland).

It’s been an interesting day (temperature 28 but there’s been a nice sea breeze) and despite not doing all the casbah steps I walked 3.5 miles. I think most of that is in the hotel corridor.