Thursday, 8 Feb. Toured the famous Casbah area of Algiers. The title quote, from the trailer of the movie Algiers, refers to this particular casbah. It’s had a rough 200 years, being partially razed by the French, then ignored by the Algerian government. Extremely run down. It’s a UNESCO site, but still in horrible condition. An “undercover” security agent, with his radio in hand, was our shadow. A lot of up and down, which didn’t help my sore leg any. A few shops, some family-level businesses (shoes, etc.), many (but not nearly enough) reconstruction projects. Cats and trash too. Several nice mosques.

Lunch was in one of the few occupied houses, with the typical center courtyard. Delicious soup, noodles with whole chicken, pastries.

I skipped the Cultural center to rest my leg. Many children. Drove to the cathedral, sitting high on a hill with a great view of the Med. A nautical theme.

Dinner was at a fast food outlet (close to the hotel). I ordered beef from the menu. No, they said, only chicken today. And probably tomorrow.

Our companion with the surgically repaired wrist will continue the trip.