AMAZING ANCIENT ALGERIA

 

At least arriving in a new country in the early hours of the morning there is no traffic. We follow Fouad to a fancy Hotel that he has booked for us and paid by him as we are the first Australians he has guided. We protest, but he insists and it’s not long before we crash for what’s left of the night. In the morning, we wait for him to return and later sort out details of our trip. Most importantly he has cash that we can exchange for Euros at the blackmarket rate (which is significantly better than the bank rate) Then we head off to explore the humongous Grand Mosque located on the waterfront. It is imposing because of its sheer size. I have to wear full garb! My long pants, long sleeves and scarf don’t cut it. The ladies dress me in a more covering garment.  Such a glamourous look! Not!

Then we hunt down a carpark for GR3 where we can overnight before Fouad drops us at the Casbah to explore. We are now free to explore Algeria on our own until we reach the southern city of Ghardaia in the Sahara Desert. We spent the rest of the day wandering up and down winding streets, most narrow and dirty, as we explore the old Casbah. Much of it has fallen into ruins, but we do find a few gems. The lovely old Ketchaoua Mosque, some old water fountains, lots of lovely patisseries and baskets of very delicious, very French baguettes. Of course we sample some. The Casbah runs directly into Centreville with its rows of French style buildings. The area is bustling with locals and it’s definitely rush hour so it’s hard to get a taxi. We have an App that lets you order a taxi and gives you the price. So, after walking a few more kms we finally get a taxi back to GR3. Our city carpark is perfect for the night.

Time for us to find our way out of the city and head towards Oran via the coastal route. There is a great motorway system to get us through miles of suburbia until we reach the countryside. Then there are hundreds of glasshouses/plastic covered greenhouses and miles of cropping. We are surprised how lush and green it is and of course the ocean is a gorgeous aqua blue. But we need a petrol station. We know diesel is cheaper than Europe so of course our tank is nearly empty. And WOW it only costs 30c a litre! What a bonus. John can hardly wipe the smile off his face. And an extra bonus is the free motorways. There are toll booths everywhere, but none are ready to be used yet!

Before we know it we can see the mound of rocks that is the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania and head to it. Our first ancient site to explore. Then downhill to the waterfront town of Tipaza to explore our next site. But the Police stop us at the checkpoint. After a long wait (they have no English and we have no French) they lead us to a carpark. When we walk through the village to get to the Roman ruins we discover the road is closed and repairs are underway. Hence the police stop! We explore the fishing port and walk through the amazing ruins. These Romans sure knew the value of waterfront land for their fancy villas. It would have been a magnificent spot to live. Later we spot the huge aqueduct, and a few fenced off ruins in the next town of Cherchell, which in ancient times was called Caesarea. A storm rolls in changing our lovely blue skies to black and the winds whip up the surf. Wow, what a change. It is getting late so we find a spot on the beach for the night. Its way too chilly to sit outside, but that doesn’t stop the local men playing boule on the sand behind us.

The next morning the wind is still brisk and chilly, the skies gray and surf is rolling in on all the beaches. We spend the day driving along the coast through loads of little town. Every town has numerous speed bumps making it slow going. But the beaches are lovely. It is great to see plenty of access to the beaches with huge parking areas. We even find ourselves one for the night, but alas it is not to be. The police arrive and say it is too dangerous, we must head to the town of Mostaganem and park in a rest area there. It is right on the main road (not at all our usual spot) but works out fine, mainly because GR3 is so well insulated we don’t hear too much noise.

The next morning we head along the motorway to Algeria’s second largest city, Oran. The plan is to head to the secure parking we have found on our App. We find it easily, and because it is winter the barrier is open and its empty. We park, catch a taxi and head off to explore. We get our driver to take us to the cable car going to the Fort which is perched high on a rocky outcrop that looms over the city. Bother it is closed, so we get a ride up the hill instead. The views are awesome and we explore both the Notre Dame de Nuesta and the Fort of Santa Cruz.  Then we head back down to the town so we can explore on foot. The casbah is crumbling and neglected, the Beys Palace bare and the lovely Cathedral is now a public library. But oh the goodies in the pastry shops are to die for!!  After an amazing day we head back to our free campspot for the night. We love Oran.

 

From Oran we head inland to Tlemcen, which according to the Lonely Planet, is the prettiest city in Algeria. I have spied a carpark on google maps so we plan to head there. Traffic proves to be a bit crazy here, especially at the roundabouts where no rules apply. All the vehicles just push their way through, thus resulting in chaos! As we near the carpark the roads narrow alarmingly so I suggest John pull over while I check. And no it won’t work. We head back to a carpark further out of town and call a taxi from there. Well, our driver proves to be most helpful and drops us at a very fancy restaurant for lunch (we want to eat out before Ramadan starts in a few days because then nothing will be open), then explore town. We particularly enjoy the interior of the Palace – so much like the ones in Iran.  It is not really what we would call a pretty town but it is refreshing to see so many Muslim ladies looking very elegant. There is a French chic vibe here. We chat to a girl in the restaurant who is wearing the usual black head and neck wrap, but she tops it with a jaunty red beret. She looks amazing! Later we ring our taxi man and as we head back to GR3 ask him where we can camp. The end result is that we camp in front of a family property well out of town. Lovely and quiet for the night. Thank you for your help.

This is as far west as we are going in Algeria, almost back in Morocco, so early the next morning we get onto the motorway and head back towards Algers. We plan to do lots of driving before stopping for the night beside the Mosque in Blida, as recommended on our App. Driving goes well and much later we roll into Blida, but the centre of town is jammed up with cars and there is absolutely no parking left at the mosque. We head out of town and get back onto the motorway. Because we are near the huge city of Algers the traffic is intense and the petrol station parking areas are small so we keep driving. By 6pm we find a petrol station with enough room for us. Phew, it’s good to stop before dark!

This morning’s drive to Bejaia should be a simple cruise along the motorway but twice all trucks are diverted off the lovely motorway and along the old main road through countless little towns. Still very scenic, with even snow on nearby mountains, but much slower. So, it is midafternoon by the time we roll into the very busy city. There is a carpark near the main boulevard, but it’s through mayhem traffic and when we get there it is full, so we carry onto the port winding around streets looking for parking. Finally, we score a waterfont spot at the far end of the port and we can stay for the night. Perfect. We pay the kerbside guard $1 and decide to call a taxi to wind through the narrow streets and up to Gouraya National Park to see Cape Carbon and hopefully spy some of the apes that live there. We can only do a short walk as we have convinced our driver to wait for us (it may well be difficult to get a taxi back down) but we get lovely views of the Cape and lighthouse. And as a bonus we see those famous apes. Camping on the waterfront means fresh seafood and John does enjoy some fish for dinner.

Rather than head back to the motorway we follow the coast and then some amazing back roads up through an incredible gorge. The drive is amazing.  But now back into flat countryside we pick up the motorway to Sete and then turn off for the small town of Djemla. Here we are hunting down more Roman ruins and we are not disappointed. There is a carpark we can stay so we park and head in. First the incredible museum. They have removed most of the floor mosaics from the ruins and put them on the walls. A truly amazing sight. Then to the ruins themselves spread out on a hillside in front of us. We start to explore, but black clouds roll across and it starts to rain. We retreat to GR3 planning to go in tomorrow, but when the skies clear we head in to explore. We have this magic place all to ourselves. It is (for us) by far the best ruins  in Algeria.

It is a very chilly night indeed. When we get up it is only 1deg outside. We head back to the motorway and on to Constantine. There is hardly any traffic because it is Friday, (like our Sunday at home) so we cruise into the city and park in a huge empty carpark beside the bus depot. Then set off on foot to explore town. Sadly, all the shops are closed so there is not much action on the streets, but we enjoy zigzagging across bridges that cross the chasm that divides the city in two. We also wander through the lovely Bey Palace and underneath the walls of the huge fort.  It certainly is a very photogenic place and has been around since Neolithic times.  The highest suspension bridge is supposed to shake as you cross it and it seems rather tame until we are halfway over and a huge gust of wind shakes it. We both grab the handrails as it feels like we will fly right off!

We decide to continue our drive onto the port city of Annaba while the roads are quiet and arrive late afternoon. We head straight through the main drag so we can admire the facades of the lovely French buildings before continuing to the beaches driving right to the end of the peninsula. There are lots of lovely beach spots but we choose one near the police station, in theory so they can’t move us on. Of course, after we have gone to bed they come to check on us. All is OK, we can stay, but we wish they had visited earlier!

The next morning is wet and cold, but we still head to the ruins of Hippo Regius in town. The museum has some lovely mosaics, but the site itself is scruffy and uninspiring. Before we leave town we head up the hill to check out the lovely Basilica of Saint Augustine, a rather gorgeous Cathedral that looms over the city. Unfortunately, it is closed until later in the day, so after coffee we hit the road. We are now heading south towards the Sahara and our next section of Algeria but still have a few stops on the way. First off a Roman Ampitheatre in Gulema that has been beautifully reconstructed. To find it we must navigate some crazy streets in town, but John pulls it off. The rest of the day we drive through lush countryside and finally find a petrol station out of the town of Ain Abid for the night.

Today we have 3 more Roman sights to visit so we set the GPS and head off along back roads. Our first stop is to Madghacen - the Royal Mausoleum of Berber Numbian Kings. It is sitting right beside the road, so pretty easy to find. There we meet an American couple who are travelling with a driver and guide and have had a police escort every day. Phew! So glad we don’t need one. Then it is on to the most famous Roman ruins in Algeria – Timgad. We park and head in. Again, there is a museum full of incredible mosaics and outside the ruins spread out in front of us. The site is huge, so we wander up and down the old Roman roads. We meet up with our friends again and share their guides expertise. Rather ruined out by now we still stop at our final site at Lambaesis right on the edge of the city of Batna. The ruins are right beside the road and we can drive in to explore. But now it’s getting late and we need to find a spot for the night. The city is alive with people as their fast has nearly ended for the day. All the restaurants are opening. The first petrol station says we can’t stay so we ask the police near the end of town. Phew there is a petrol station just down the road. But our adventures for the day haven’t ended yet. We decide to taxi to a supermarket to stock up with food before we hit the Sahara. Unfortunately, it’s closed. We get out of the taxi hoping to find another shop but detour to a little café selling food. We sit down for some local pizza and discover our shop won’t open until 8pm. Bother. We walk the dark streets looking for another shop. It too is closed. We give up and try to call a taxi, but John’s phone is now going flat. Amazingly the owner of a nearby café calls us over to help. He tries to get a taxi but there are none, so he arranges for one of his customers to take us back. But our blessings never end. Our new helper finds another friend who opens his grocery shop for us. End result we get back to GR3 with our groceries. Algerian people are so incredibly helpful. They certainly appreciate the small kangaroos we give as gifts to folk who help us.

Tomorrow we are heading into the Sahara…….  More adventures to come.