Day 9.
Out for a walk to see some of the sights in Algiers.
Market.
Drapeau de l'Algérie.
Maqam Echahid, a monument commemorating the Algerian war for Independence.
Panoramic view by the monument over Algiers, with downtown on the left and the botanic gardens on the right.
I then caught the metro to Tafourah. The metro was opened in 2011 with one line of 10 stops, and was very clean and cheap at ~50 cents a ride.
At Tafourah with the Grande Poste on the far right.
Exchanging some dollars for Algerian dinars. Dinars were available from ATM's but at the rate of ~80 per US dollar. Like Iran you can get a better unoffical 'black market' rate though. In Iran you can just go to a currency exchange shop to get the unoffical rate, in Algiers though, you need to talk to the 'right guy' on the street
. I managed to sus it out though and changed some money at 110 dinars per US dollar.
At markets at the Casbah.
The Casbah was the epicenter of the insurgency planning during the war of independence.
At an eatery in the Casbah for lunch. 1/4 chicken & bread for $1.50
.
Unfortunately alot of the buildings in the Casbah were showing various signs of neglect and decay.
Gallery.
Outdoor sports
.
After relaxing at the hotel, I went for a walk through downtown Algiers in the evening and had some tasty licorice, strawberry & banana gelato
.
Day 10.
For the second day in Algeria, I hired a taxi for the day for a trip out to see the Roman ruins at Tipaza.
It was a Friday (i.e. weekend) so there were plenty of locals visiting also.
Tipaza was an ancient Punic trading-post conquered by Ancient Rome and turned into a military colony by the emperor Claudius for the conquest of the kingdoms of Mauretania.
And later became a Roman Town.
Filling up with petrol on the drive back to Algiers. Only 24 dinars a litre
.
Some of the waiters at a restaurant for lunch who were keen to get a photo from the 'Anglais'
.
Kids playing outside at dusk.
An Algerian dinner
.
Day 11.
At some nearby markets on my last day before the flight home.
Tram.
About to board the EK777 for the flight back to Dubai
.
