We left Jijel with our friendly police escort on time, the plan was to go to Djurdjura NP. But just a few kilometers from our destination, we were stopped and blocked by local Gendarmerie Nationale – they did not allow us and police to continue to Tikjda. So, after some refreshing sandwich at the nearby Naftal petrol station (6 huge sandwiches and drinks – 1950 DZD), we have decided to continue straight to the capital city. We have arrived there quite late and since we did not plan to come there this day, we did not know, where to park. As usual, a local police patrol was very helpful and found us a great parking place just in the center next to the National Library (gated and guarded parking). The next day we took a ride in a modern and clean subway (50 DZD) to Grande Poste D’Alger, from where we have explored the city of rare beauty and of thrilling, disorientating, and sometimes brutal contrast (3,5 mil of people). The country’s turbulent history is writ large in the city’s richly textured architecture: wide French-built boulevards and elegant apartments and villas, Socialist-era monuments and public buildings, and an enduring Islamic heart secreted in the steep, hillside Casbah listed in UNESCO. In the evening we went to trendy Le Cosmopolitain Restopub with our friend Ferhab (cheese and salami plate + 7 draught beers – 10000 DZD).
Parking location – Algiers: 36.748621N 3.071472E (🚻)