Sevilla!

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

Glee is the only word that I can find to describe how I felt when my bus pulled into the Sevilla bus station 2 days ago.  This city holds so many fond memories for me from the time I studied here for 3 1/2 months as a junior in college and  from the last time I visited 2 years ago.  I love the spirit and beauty of this city. It is a place that I like to think I will always come back to.

It is Sunday in Sevilla.  I forgot that NOTHING is open on Sundays in Spain....and that includes grocery stores.  It is a little bit like torture walking Calle Sierpes with all its beautiful store windows and not being able to go into one.  The restaurants and tapas bars, however, are wide open for business...so this morning I took multiple breaks during my walk for cafe, tapas and pastries. I am now back in my little, single hotel room for a siesta and blog catch-up break :).

Sevilla at night is spectacular. 

This is one of Sevilla's most famous and important landmarks, La Giralda.  It is the bell tower of the Catedral de Sevilla, the 3rd largest church in the world and the largest Gothic cathedral.  It was once the mineret of the city's mosque when the Moors ruled Sevilla (700 - mid 13th Century). The bell tower was added to the top when the cathedral was constructed (between 1401 - 1519).  The base of La Giralda is built on Roman ruins, so the structure is phenomal not only for its beauty and architecture but also for the fact that it represents 3 different populations that inhabited Sevilla over the last 2000 years.

Ole! My first night in Sevilla I went to a flamenco show...of course!

This woman was an incredible dancer.  I think here she is dancing the Sevillana...and has a big smile on her face, but her first dance was much more intense.  With a furrowed brow and ferocity, she stomped her heels to the music of the guitar and lyrics of the folk song sung by the woman in black.  Her movements were filled with so much passion that she danced out her tightly pulled back hair...and even ended up flinging her pretty flamenco hair comb into the audience with one of her twirls.  The dresses she wore were soooooooo pretty...almost made me want to learn flamenco so I had an excuse to buy one :).  I guess I could always come to Semana Santa and just wear one during that week long fiesta.

After the flamenco show, I unwittingly crashed a wedding party! :)  I was assured by these 2 espanoles that I could stay, and spent the rest of the evening talking with them.  Javier and Aitor are from Pamplona. Javi is a doctor of chemisty and Aitor is an engineer.  Being from the north, they had a much easier accent for me to understand (oh the accent in Andulcia is soooooo thick sometimes!!).  It was nice not having to ask them to repeat sentences :). These two called me "Jennifer La Valiente" (Jennifer the Brave) after I told them about my recent travels to Africa and future destinations...it was kinda cute. They also introduced me to the bride and groom that evening... the groom even bought ME a drink...perhaps it should have been the other way around :)!

Sevillanos have quite a zest for nightlife.  Bars are always packed and overflowing with patrons.  The beer of choice in the south of Spain is Cruz Campo...and usually just costs about 1.5 or 2 euros for a glass.  Wine is cheaper (thank goodness!).  Typical night out usually means starting around 11 - midnight and not getting home until 4am or quite later.  The night I was with the wedding party I got home by 1am...kinda a slacker per Sevilla standards, but I did better last night and stayed out to 2:30am :).

It was so gloomy and cloudy yesterday when I took a little walking tour of Sevilla led by an English friend of mine who owns a tour company here in the city...it even rained some, but I enjoyed the refresh of the history, architecture and structures that make Sevilla an important artistic and historic center in Europe.   This is the Torre de Oro, and for reasons I can't explain,  it has always been one of my favorite landmarks in Sevilla.  When I spent my semester in college in Sevilla, I would frequently gaze at it (usually coming home late from being out!) and marvel at how beautiful it would be at night all lit up and reflecting off the Quadalquivir river...and I think that has just stuck.  It is such a simple structure but was an important gateway into the port during its time.  As an importante note too, it was from the port of Sevilla that Christopher Columbus set sail for America in 1492....did you know that? :)

These padlocks are put on the bridges in Sevilla by lovers! :)

Each one is either engraved or handwritten with the names of the couple and include the date when they were locked into place.  As adorable I thought this was, apparently it is a nightmare for the Ayuntamiento de Sevilla as they have to take big wire cutters and remove them on a consistant basis :).  Lets hope that the love still lasts even after city workers take the broken padlock and fling it into the trash!

Last night I went out for tapas and drinks with my English friend, David, who owns the tour company here in Sevilla.  He has lived here for more than 5 years and has incredible knowledge of all things Sevillano.  It was a treat going to all the different tapas bars with him...most comping our food and drink because of his relationship with the owners.  It was so fun and so fabulous...and the tapas were amazing. On the way home we got caught in torrential rains!  OMG! David said he hadn't seen rain like that in Sevilla EVER!  It was amazing...and we became soaked in a matter of seconds.  I took this picture of the Giralda as we were trying to wait out the rain under an overhang supported by columns.

This is undoubtedly my favorite tapa, salmorejo.  Oh, it is sooooo yummy!

It is a thick, cold soup made from fresh tomatoes, bread, garlic, oil and vinegar and is garnished with serrano ham and diced hard boilded onions.  This one had tuna on top too.  It looks a bit like gazpacho but is dramatically more thicker....to me it is just heavenly.  I ate this for lunch today while standing at the bar with my Coca Cola light and the staple mini-breadsticks that are served with all tapas orders.  I think I am going to head out soon for another little bowl...I really can't get enough of it :).

One more picture of the catedral at night...it really is a "must see" in person.

I am going to go take it all in one more time tonight before I leave in the morning for Northern Spain.

My plan for this evening is to go to the Arabic baths that are located in the Santa Cruz neighborhood (close to my hotel).  I became such an addict for hammams in Algeria, that I thought I would give these a try.  They will be more touristy, but they have the traditional 3 thermal baths (hot, warm and cold). The idea of 90 minutes of sitting in the therapeutic water sounds quite lovely...especially before my all day tren ride to Santiago de Compostela tomorrow.  Need to find my swim suit....

Oh, geez...I just remembered it is Halloween today (probably my most dreaded holiday)....hmmmm, should be interesting tonight in the streets :)....especially since tomorrow is a Spanish holiday, All Saint's Day.

Danger! I am now in Europe! :)

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

The minute I ported on in Tarifa, Spain I felt my checking account starting to drain.  I get weak in the knees for all things European...particularly the shopping, food and wine....and now I am here for an entire month! Dios Mio!!  Any budget I tried to assemble prior to this trip might as well be shredded right now....I know myself well enough to anticipate a few major purchases in the next few weeks.  Problem is that my financial situation is much different these days :(....I guess we will see how that changes my shopping habits...just another challenge on this 2 month adventure :).

This morning in Chaouen I stopped by the school to say good-bye to Taher.  He pointed out to me the friendship trees that we planted in the school's courtyard 2 1/2 years ago when I chaperoned a group of 16 girl students from Issaquah on a friendship exchange to Chefchaouen.  All three olive trees planted were thriving!!!  They were just twigs when we planted them!  This is Taher and I next to one.

After the photo, Taher took me to the bus station and got me on my 10:45am bus to Tangier.

Plaza Alta in Algeciras, Spain.

I am soooooo happy to be in Spain...I decided to spend the night in Algeciras because a bus to Sevilla would have got me in at midnight.  Instead of more travel time, I spent the evening walking the streets of this pretty port town.  Oh, the shops had me drooling....shoes, leather purses, jewelry, fall collections all so beautifully displayed in the store windows.

You may be able to see the little boy with the stick (broom) in the picture...he and his friend were trying with all their might to get their soccer ball out of the tree limbs.  Apparently one of them did an out of bounds kick prior to my arrival in the plaza :)...the man walking towards him in the picture was finally able to help the boys dislodge the ball.  When it fell from the tree, the boys were SO excited.  They took their ball and started running yelling, "GOOOOOLLLLLL".  It was quite funny and cute.

Plaza Alta was decorated with all this beautiful hand painted tile.

My mission on my walk was to find a supermercado to buy dinner.  I wanted cheese, serrano ham, fruit and a bottle of wine. This mercado, Super Sol, made that dream come true. Interesting difference in buying fruit in Spain is that you have to weigh it and price it out before check-out!  I learned this when I went to go pay for all the items and the cashier sent me back to weigh and get the price of my apple, orange and pear.  Definitely makes the cashier's life easier...but I am not sure it is the best customer experience :).

More of my night walk in Plaza Alta. I have only passed through this town in previous travels so it was nice to spend an evening walking its cobblestone streets. Isn't that little frog spitting water so cute!

The spoils of my shopping trip :)! 

The wine I bought cost 1 Euro...seriously!  It was pretty good too. The most expensive thing I bought was the serrano ham at 2.5 Euro.  It is good to eat pork again :).

I ate dinner while watching a horrible Spanish game show....the objective was to win money by truthfully answering incriminating questions about your behaviours or thoughts in front of family, spouses and friends. For example, Angel, a gay man from Madrid, had to answer a question in front of his partner asking if he has ever had sex with another man while on the phone with his partner of 4 years.  He answered, "Si"...which was "verdad" per the lie dectector.  So although he damages his relationship with Nacho (his partner), it somehow is okay because he won 5000 Euro.  Incredibly Nacho was still smiling at the end of it all...Angel's mom was another story.

I am finishing this post in the morning now before I take my bus to Sevilla.  It is 8:09am and still dark outside...I keep checking the clock to make sure I haven't gotten up at 4am accidentally :)...but it is indeed 8am. Crazy!  Okay, I need to concentrate on peeling my orange and egg...it is a light breakfast this morning.  I have to save room for tapas in Sevilla :).

Buenas Dias!

Too Short a Stay in Chaouen

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

Just got out of a hot shower to warm up a bit.  Chaouen had a nice, warm day for me today...but it is a mountain town (located in the Rif mountains just inland from Tangiers and Tetuoan) and gets a bit chilly at night.  I slipped on my pink Algerian house dress that was given to me as a gift during my stay there, and now I write my last blog post from Africa.  It was one month and 1 day ago that I landed in Senegal...but feels like it was just yesterday.  Tonight at dinner I went back and read some of my personal journal entries from my first days in Senegal and Mali. Wow!  was I stressed out :)...it is kinda amusing to go back to them now.  West Africa was definitely a challenge, but an experience I would never give up...I look back on it and cherish each moment, good, bad and unbearable!  North Africa has been a completely different experience, and I know that is because I have been surrounded by friends in Algeria and Morocco....in both countries I was with people that would take care of me no matter what.

I spent a very low key day in Chefchaouen....which was perfect as yesterday was a travel day and tomorrow will be another intense day of travel as I bus and ferry my way to Sevilla, Spain.  I spent most of the morning and afternoon wandering the medina admiring the buildings in all their shades of blue (which apparently is a tradition carried over from the town's previous Jewish population).  Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 by Moorish exiles from Spain....the Moriscos and Jews came here to escape the Spanish Reconquista in midevil times.  Carlos and Ana, my hosts at the B&B here, love Chaouen cuz it has a very Andulcian feel...much like Granada, Cadiz or Cordoba.  I love it because I finally can speak one of the foreign languages spoken here! The Spanish on the streets, in the restaurants and shops is music to my ears after being a mute for the last month :)...today as I was passing some Spanish tourists, I overheard them asking questions amongst themselves...ones I knew the answer to.....I  so wanted to answer them just because I finally could!  But bit my tongue instead :).  The men all try to charm me now in 4 languages too...Arabic (well Moroccan dialect arabic), French, English and Spanish :).  Everyone automatically assumes I am from Spain or another Latin country (I got Argentina today as well as Venezuela)...it is kinda fun to not be identified right away as America because, frankly, I usually am. :)

Every turn is a photo opp in Chaouen. 

The different shades of blue are so rich and so calming.

Almost like the door we have in Issaquah...a gift from Chaouen to us!

Picture from the market...I can't really tell you what all those colored powders are used for...I just thought they were pretty :)

I did have breakfast on the terrace!  What a morning it was too!

Ana made a delicious plate of scrabbled eggs (it was like she read my mind...it was just what I hoped for) and a spread of jams, tomato spread, olive oil, butter, bread, oranges and cafe con leche.  I think I ate like I hadn't eaten in days...the olive oil she uses is from her home town of Malaga.  They don't like to use the local olive oil because they said it is too bitter...I guess I will never know, but I did enjoy the Malaga alternative!

After breakfast I made the trek up behind the Medina to Hotel Atlas, which is known for its panoramic view of Chaouen.  Upon entering the hotel I was welcomed by a guy that was hanging out next to the hotel...after the hearty welcome he offered me hashish.  Chaouen and the countryside around it has a reputation for being a prolific source of kif (marijuana). The Chefchaouen region is one of the main producers of cannibis in Morocco!  For those wondering, I did decline the offer of hashish :)....I headed inside for a Fanta Limon instead.  I know, boring :)

View of the original, small fortress...there is now a lovely garden and museum inside.

One of the many water fountains that can be found within the medina.  The water in Chaouen is fresh and pure.  You can drink it straight form the tap or these public watering holes (it isn't super clear in the picture, but there is a little pink cup above the faucet that one can fill and take a swig from)...it is the only place in Morocco where this is true of the tap water.

I had to compare Moroccan couscous to Algerian couscous at dinner :). This couscoous seemed to be heavier than what I ate in Algeria..bigger too.  The sauce also had less tomato.....but the Moroccan's add raisins which I found as a nice additive.  It was piping hot when they brought it out to me...I think I let it sit for about 10 minutes and it was still too hot :)

Oh, that lemon tart was delicious!!!  And my new obsession are those little brown cookies, chibakia.  They are served during Ramadan with the traditional harira soup (which I had as a started)....it is a cookie soaked in honey..but not too sweet.  It was heavenly...so much that I asked for more so the server brought me out two more at dessert!  And he didn't charge me!

The best part of my time in Chaouen was seeing some of the friends I have made through the sister city relationship. Next to me is Taher, he is a principle at one of the schools in Chaouen, across from him is his son, Mohamed Ali, who works in the tourist industry and next to him is Mustafa, a lawyer and vice mayor of Chaouen.

If only I could travel with these little bowls!  I kept walking into stores admiring them....I love the colors and the designs...and they would be fun little soup or dip bowls.  Next commission member that goes back to our sister city I may have them pick some up for me :)

I am going to bed stuffed....I have definitely eaten well in North Africa!  I don't think I will be eating as much of Ana's breakfast in the morning. Ah, tomorrow, I am getting exhausted already thinking about all the transportation changes...it will be interesting to see how far I get.  I hope I get to Sevilla, but will be fine just getting to Spain not too late.  I am going from prayer calls, couscous and carriages pulled by donkeys to ornate churches, tapas and high speed trains....and it is all just a continent and 2 hour ferry ride away. 

I promised my friends in Chaouen I will be back....and, Inch'Allah, I will.  There are too many reasons not to come back to Africa. I just hope it will be soon.  Saying my last good-bye to Senegal, Mali, Algeria and Morocco.  Kisses and hugs to all the wondderful people that made my visit unforgettable.

The Camera That Almost Got Away

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

It is early morning in Chefchaouen, Morocco...well early morning for me, 6:47am.  I just heard a burro bellow out and a rooster sing.  I am snuggled all up in my cozy bed at probably one of the cutest Bed and Breakfasts I have ever been in.  It is run by a Spanish couple from Malaga, Ana and Carlos.  Ana designed and decorated the whole place.  She used bright, bold, warm colors, lots of beautiful tiles and different textiles.  The result is beautiful...to top it off, their B&B is at the very top of the old Medina here in Chaouen so the views from the terrace are beautiful and vast.  Ana told me that I can take breakfast up there this morning if it is sunny out...I am hoping it is.  Best part too is that breakfast is between 9am and 10:30am....so I can be particularly lazy this morning :)!  Yay!

The reception area of La Casa Palma.  Ana served me a delicous orange upon my rather late arrival.  The bus from Casa took about 8 hours (I was told 5!)...during that time I only consumed one bag of hazelnut cream filled wafer cookies.  A little fruit was definitely appreciated.

My bed...which I am enveloped in right now!!

I will take a picture of the bathroom too...just everything is so cute, clean and colorful.  Plus the mattress was comfortable.

That is Carlos with my bag!  Like I wrote above, they are located at the top of the old Medina....and is not accessable by cars, just old winding paths that go straight up.  Chefchaouen at night was brilliant.  I was here 2 years before but had forgotten what a pretty and character filled city it is....Issaquah is lucky to have it as its sister city.

Although I arrived in Chaouen just fine, my departure from Casa was not without incident....which I am becoming use to in my travels :).  Drama tends to speckle this adventure...but I guess that is what makes it such.  My bus left at 1:15pm from Casa, so my plan was to take a leisurely stroll in the morning, grab coffee and walk through the old medina and kasbah in Casa...easy plan...but then fate took grip :).

This was breakfast in Casa...pretty much the perfect way to start any day...cafe au lait, pain au chocolat and  sitting out on the sidewalk of a beautiful city that is just waiting for you to explore it.

This is where the trouble started.  The guy motioning to me in the picture is my self imposed guide, Mohammed.  He found me just as I was leaving the medina to head back to the hotel to checkout, collect my things and then head to the bus station.  The schedule was well worked out in my head with little time for deviation...however, he did convince me that I needed to see an older part of the kasbah.  I looked down at my cell phone clock and decided I could spare a few minutes, but nothing more.

The old medina is like a maze...a very big maze that is jammed full of vendors selling everything from traditional moroccan clothing, to fake handbags, to leather goods, to jeans, music, fruit and fresh fish.  As I was walking with my guide I was marveling at the ease he was finding his way down every twist and turn.  I wasn't paying a lot of attention to how we were getting to the places we were going as I was focused on just getting to the destination he suggested and then heading back to the hotel.  A stop made was at a vendor that had an outside stall as well as a store that we walked into at the edge of the medina.  The vendor and the guide took me into the store in hopes I would purchase something...both got their wish (I bought 2 beautiful silk scarves from the south of Morocco). As is evident from this picture, my guide offered to take a few pics of me in the store...not necessarily wanting them, I obliged. Instead of handing the camera back to me, he put in on a pile of scarves.....uh oh....and I forgot to pick it up on my way out the door....bigger uh oh.

The time to walk between the old Medina and my hotel took about 15 minutes.   It was about 1/2 way back to my hotel that I realized that I had left my camera behind...but I couldn't turn back...I only had a few minutes to get back to the hotel to check out on time....and I still had to pack-up...and I had to be at the bus station in 30 minutes.  I thought the easiest plan would be to check out, take a cab back to the old medina, hopefully find my way back to the store and then get dropped off at the bus station. It was as this point I started running...there was a lot to accomplish in a short period of time.

I packed up and checked out in about 2 minutes :).....when asked about a cab, I was given a look that made me realize that wouldn't be an option at all.  Apparently I needed a cab when everyone in Casa needs a cab and therefore the chance of getting one was zero.  This meant I give up the camera or I start running.....I started running.  What took me 15 minutes to walk, took me 5 minutes to run...and when I say run, I don't mean jog or light gallop, I was doing what you see people do in airports when they have 2 minutes until the door of their flight closes and they are on the opposite side of the airport.  Oh, the looks I got...some of the people I had already passed running on the way back to the hotel, so I am sure I was raising eyebrows, "crazy American!"  I got to the Medina still determined I would find the shop...but then after about 7 minutes of just becoming more and more lost with every turn I took I started to feel the onset of dispair.  I asked people if they recognized me or could help me get to the store where I bought the scarves...people wanted to help, but just couldn't.  I looked down at my cell phone clock.. it was 12:22pm...I had to be at the bus station in 8 minutes and still had to get back to the hotel to grab my bags...my body and spirit gave up in that minute. BUT then I got a tap on my shoulder.  I turn around probably looking like my kitten just died :) to find a young teenage boy.  He asked me if he could help...I almost said no, but just decided to let him know why I looked so sad.  The determination I had lost, he must have found...cuz he was going to find my camera for me...and he knew the time restraints so together we RAN through the medina.  He made several stops at scarf stores, but they weren't the right ones...finally at the 3rd one, I motioned that I actually walked through the door of this store.  That is where the light bulb went on in his head....he grabbed me and started running again....in 30 seconds we were extactly at the store where I left my camera.  OH MY did I give that kid the biggest hug!  The vendor had the camera right where I left it so I grabbed it...it was now exactly 12:30, the time I was suppose to be at the bus station.  The boy tried to get me a cab, but to no avail...I had to run again, so I did!  Sweat dripping and with a bright red face, I arrived back at my hotel.  The man at the reception called me a "champion" for doing what I did :)...he also told me that although I was past the point where I needed to be at the bus station, I would be fine.  He insisted that I just walk slowly to the bus station with my things cuz my body can't take any more :)....I didn't fight him.  I collected my things and made way to the bus station.  I arrived in plenty of time as my bus left late...the first thing I did was suck down a Fanta Citron :).  I am not sure any drink has tasted better.  What a relief...and what an angel that young boy was.  I gave him 200 dinars as a small thank you (about $23...about a tenth of the cost it would have been for me to replace the camera)...I think it was a small miracle that it was found...and just a another example of how kind and great people are in every nation.

I am going to hit the shower now...Chefchaouen awaits!  And boy will I be taking pictures of it today!!!! :)



From Algeria to Morocco

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

****

I learned this past 10 days that travel companions are not condusive to consitant blog posts :)!!!  Inch'allah I will do better going forward :)

This morning I said good-bye to Algeria and experienced my first rain fall there.  It was tremendous!  Streets were overflowing with water and the highway was a a stand still due to drainage systems that were gushing onto the roadway.  Everyone and everything was soaked.  It could have been explained by a mere weather pattern, but I like to think that Algeira was a bit sad to see me leave. :)  I was sad to leave her.

Tonight I am in Casablanca, Morocco.  My lovely, little hotel is in the center of town.  I just got back from a stroll through the Central Market (which I plan to go back to in the morning after a stop at the patisserie for some pain au chocolat and cafe au lait) and a little snack and drink at the Hyatt.  Perhaps I was cheating a bit by going to the Hyatt....it was quite luxurious and all the wine was overpriced...but I was looking for conversation and I knew there would be English speakers there (travel is a bit about strategy at times!).  I couldn't have hoped for a more marvelous time. The most memorable part of visiting any place, new or old, is ALWAYS the people encountered.  Tonight I spent an engaging evening with several interesting people, a gentleman from Algeria (we got on great as I just flew in from Algers) and a young Lebonese reporter from MBC news (the country only has 4 million people...but it feels more like 400 million!  I have met more Lebonese on this trip than any other country!!).  Conversation went from introductions to politics to religion to life to love....a fun observation discussed was around why so many muslims drink wine/alcohol but don't eat pork :) (at least this is true of muslims I know). It was decided that by not eating pork, but drinking wine, one was not sinning a lot...just a little :)....ah, we all have our excuses :) (I was also told that I am really muslim too, because I believe in God...I just sin a lot, a lot.  Not only do I drink wine but I also eat pork...and then there is the issue of believing in Jesus :)).  We laughed a lot, and I have come home tired but happy with the new friends I have made.

Below are pictures of my last days in Algeria:

Learning how to make couscous with Adel's sister, Nardjesse. The whole process takes a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours...and the couscous is so much more involved than I expected!  I am use to just opening one of the instant couscous boxes I get in the grocery store and adding water!

This is step 3 of like 20 different steps.  After the couscous is steamed for a time, it is put in the basin to smooth all the lumps out by hand.  It then goes back into the steamer for a spell and the process is repeated. I documented all the subsequent steps as well. The result is wonderful...couscous is incredibly light...I was surprised how much I ate without feeling overly full!! 

The finished product!  Everyone was quite impressed with our team effort....now to recreate it back in Seattle! Nardjesse was quite adament about properly displaying all the braised meat and veggies on top of the couscous....presentation is everything!  Oh, and that simple salad with lettuce and tomatos was delicious...that is standard when couscous is served as well. 

On our road trip to see the Mediterranean we passed through a winding canyon that is known to have monkeys!  And guess what, we saw about 6 of them!  As you can see they are not scared of people (because most everyone feeds them from their car window...which went a bit against everything I was told growing up - Do NOT feed wild animals..oh well, when in Algeria do as the Algerians) so the picture opportunities were endless.

This was our fruit stand stop.  On the left hand side of this picture there are some orange tomato like looking fruit...we ended up buying one so we could try it.  although it looked like a tomato, it actually was quite sweet...and had the texture of a plum.  It was really quite good...we never figured out the name, but it didn't last long in the car between the 5 of us :).  The canyon that we drove through is back in the mountains in the distance.  It was a beautiful drive. 

The Med!

I kept being told that the places we would go to would be cold, but every day in Algeria was sunny and relatively warm.  The day we went to Bejaia was no different...it was a glorious afternoon and the water was crystal clear.  There was no time for swimming...but there is always next time, right?! 

Before the French in Algeria, there were the Romans.

These ruins are in a town called Timgad...only about 30 minutes outside of Batna, where I stayed most of my time in Algeria.  This was a Roman colonial town that was build in 100 A.D. 

It is known to be one of the best examples of the grid plan that was used by the Romans when planning a city.  Much of the artifacts from this city are in France as the French took them as their own during occupation.  Algeria is working on getting them back. 

Oh!  I am wearing my hair down this day BECAUSE I went to the Hammam in the morning before the trip to the ruins.  I actually went by myself and was taken care of by all the ladies inside the Hammam....somehow I still spent 3 hours there :).  As part of the experience, one of the woman insisted that she blow out my hair....OMG, she did an amazing job!  I just loved my hair that day, and it was the first time I hadn't pulled back in about a month!  My 3 hour experience at the Hammam with massage, scrub, blow dry and water only cost 450 Dinnars (or about $5!!!)

This was our ride to Algers!  The trip from Batna to Algers should be about 4 hours...the guys, Adel and Tarek, did it in about 2 1/2!  Thankfully I was asleep in the back seat (we left late at night to avoid traffic into Algers which can be a nightmare....like any other city in the world).

Notice the Algerian flag painted on the wall in front of the new Peugeot.  Algerians are incredibly prideful people and there are images of their flag and national colors EVERYWHERE.  

  

In front of the Post Office in Algers.

Algers is a very beautiful city that has a Parisian feel....I spent my last day in Algeria walking its streets and visiting a few of its monuments and museums.

Don't I look like such a little traveler in this picture....ugh!

I told my friend that visiting Algeria felt more like visiting home versus visiting a distant, foreign land.  Everywhere I went I was treated like I was family...I don't think I paid for a thing (minus 2 hammams!) and was showered with gifts.  I go home rich in dates :) and new friendships from Africa's second largest country.

Tomorrow I leave for Issaquah's Sister City, Chefchaouen.  I hope to reconnect with friends there and wind the streets in the beautiful old medina with all its blue walls and doors.

I leave Africa soon...too soon.

Family Life in Batna

NOTE:  As of January 17, 2012, I have moved my blog to my new website:  www.onegirlsadventures.com

I will still be doing duplicate posts on this website for the next 6 months or so, but plan to close it down after that.  Please go to my new website and subscribe!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP!

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This morning I write this post from inside a travel agency.  I am hijacking the internet (with permission of course)...my friend, Adel, is friends with the owner and so it was decided that instead of going to an internet cafe (and paying for internet use), I would come here. I was worried I would be interrupting his place of business, but I was assured it is quite fine and not an imposition at all.  In fact everyone here goes quite out of their way to make sure I am very comfortable and happy....it is sooooo important to them....and has made me feel so welcome and lucky to be here.  There is not a person I don't meet who doesn't give me a gift (dates are ubiquitious here in Algeria and that seems to be a favorite gift...this morning I was even given a bottle of perfume from France!) and they all want to know how I like Algeria and how it compares to my perceptions before arriving.

I am staying with my friends family in a town called Batna. It is about 5 hours south of Algeria and is nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges.  It actually reminds me a lot of the town that I grew up in...it is just a bit bigger and they speak with a thick Arabic accent :).  This morning we went for a quick walk to pick up cauliflower for today's lunch.  On the way to the fruit and veggie market we walked through the spice market full of stands with mounds of corriander, couscous, pressed dates, cumin, hariss and every other colored spice you could think of.  We even passed a man selling roosters, rabbits and turtles!! Oh those turtles were cute....I am assuming they were being sold as pets, but I didn't ask in case I was wrong :).

Couscous at the Belarbi's.

We all sat in one of the sitting rooms (there are 3 in the house) around the table and ate from the community couscous bowl.  Pineapple Fanta has become a new obsession for me here so I used it to wash down the delicious dinner.  Dessert was pomegranites (from the mountain towns around Batna), baklava and tea.

My first morning in Batna I went to the Hammam with Adel's mom.  I met the woman only 12 hours before, but that morning we got naked together :).  Oh, it was quite the experience.  She doesn't speak English...and as I have well documented, I don't speak French or Arabic....so our time together was a lot of me just mimicking what she did.  The best part though was her SCRUBBING me down from head to toe....and I am not exaggerating AT ALL.  She not only scrubbed all the Mali dirt off of me :) (and in the hammam the scrubbing is such that you actually see the layers of skin rolling off of your body and into the drain), but she washed my hair...and conditioned it, took pummice stone to my feet and worked them until they were soft and then got me one of the ladies who works in the hammam to scrub me again and give me a massage.  We spent three hours together there...and I just had a wonderful time.  The hot steam and the warm water was so lovely, so relaxing....I would love to go back.  However, I have been instructed that I can't go back for 3 hours :)....we were made fun of because of the length of our stay.

Yesterday we took a road trip to a majestical and breathtaking spot called Ghoufi.  We spent the afternoon overlooking the beautiful canyon and marveling at the old, abandoned homes that sat on the cliffs....reminder of a lifestyle that has since left this area.

Sitting on the cliffs of Ghoufi.

A fun fact:  Here the people actually "fish" for a special bird!?  During the months of February and March when this bird is building its nests, "fishermen" take line with hooks and attach feathers or other items the bird may want to make its nest.  They dangle the line off the cliff and hope for a little wind.  When the wind comes and the bird spots the perfect nest making material flapping in the wind, it swoops down to grab it.  At the moment the bird grabs the "bait" the "fisherman" yanks the line and hooks his bird!!!!  Who the heck thought of this! 

Neu Neu, one of Adel's friends who is from this beautiful area, was our chef at lunch.  We had picked up lamb in a previous village to BBQ in one of the old houses that clung to the cliffs of the canyon.  Salt and fresh rosemary from the hillside is all that was used for seasoning.  What we didn't eat (just the bones) went to all the little wild kitties that were sitting so patiently behind us while we ate.

My guides in Ghoufi :).

Left to Right:  Adel, Neu Neu and Tarik

Behind them are the ruins of a hotel that once was.  In fact, Queen Elizabeth stayed a night or two here.

Tarik getting his feet wet in the river....I shortly joined him.

On the way home that evening I think we stopped at every appe and pomegranite stand along the road.

The goal was to find the best of each in the area.  This valley is full of apple trees...and I think we were successful in our quest.  The trunk was full of all the fruit purchased along the way :).

This picture is actually from when first entered Batna (so 2 days previous)...this man made canyon was created by Napolean.

Okay, I am being summoned to leave for lunch!!! And must run without probably saying everything I would like...ugh...I take longer than I should on my posts :)...but it is fun to remember things and share!

Have to get this picture in too....it is of me on one of the dunes in the Sahara before we left.  The sand quite literally felt like baby powder!  It was delicious!

Just for fun....

Kids in Algeria pick their noses too! :)

This is Adel's neice, Cee Cee, and her Mom, Hannan.

Little Cee Cee is quite the precocious little thing...and she only has 2 levels of volume, silent and screaming :).

Today the plan for me is to go shopping with Adel's sister...which is something I don't want to miss out on!  I hope to get more time soon...there is so much here to share about the daily life in Algeria...and all wonderful.  I can't express enough how much I am immensly enjoying myself...okay must go...or as I am always told here "Ha Ya" (let's go!)