It is Eid and my first day in Algiers

I got up lethargically as I am still suffering from jet lag …shades of last year in Sanaa…except this time I had nowhere to be and noone to see either! And because of Eid there’s another day of that tomorrow! Eid is a big 2 day feast celebrated with family after Ramadan ends.

I finished off some grapes and yogurt that were part of my supper from the previous evening. After showering, I played my new guitar some. I bought it just before coming and I’m glad I did because it sounds alot better than the cheap one I had planned on bringing. Originally priced @ $299, I paid for the new one cash and got a $90 discount on the Yamaha CX101020, thanks Alamo Music Center! As I say, I’m very happy with the purchase and look forward to having some good jam sessions here. One of the first songs I played last night was “Aicha” by the Algerian Raï artist: Cheb Khaled. I had to since I’m in his homeland. Felt good. The lyrics are in French and Algerian Arabic. If you don’t know this classic of Raï music, then find it and listen. Raï music, which often centers on love, hails from Oran, a western port city of Algeria that is supposed to have an ambiance influenced by a mixture of Spanish, French and Arab history there.

So back to today, yes..jammed out then headed out into Algiers. I stepped off to the right and found a little plaza with a charming fountain that was in a little state of disrepair, but like I say, charming. All the more charming, because folks were out…lots of children with toy guns, and young men hanging out. A man honey roasting peanuts and others selling small skewers of merguez (sausage) and liver with fat. Mmm yummy. Kids and others crowded around the grills waiting to get some. Yes, Ramadan is over and the feeling in the air is freedom..freedom to eat again on the street. Algiers struck me with it’s beauty…the architecture much of it with a French elegance a la Mediterannee. They described it as “la Blanche”, but I am pleased to see that a lot of the wrought iron that graces the balconies is a happy bleu! And people occasionally peep out of these balconies and say hi to friends on the street. It’s refreshing to see people living so in an urban environment.
Nearby, I saw a wonderful mosque here on Boulevard des Martyrs, wonderful because it has some colorful decorative tilework…very special. After that, I had to return to the hotel for lunch.

Last night, I was served a supper after the official “hours” which was just fruit, yogurt. The dates were delicious and that’s de rigueur since this is the land of the Deglet Nour dates. They are reputedly among the finest. Well, I didn’t want to miss lunch hours so I hurried back and made it there at 1:15 with time to spare. I was rewarded with a copious serving of couscous a l’algerienne! The couscous itself reminded me of good Moroccan couscous. The sauce was similar, tomato based, but not overly so like spaghetti sauce. They served me a nice chunk of goat meat on the side. The sauce came with garbanzos, squash, and carrots. It was hearty and delicious. I spiced it up with some “harissa” hot sauce too. Comme boisson there was PepsiMax. Gotta love it.

After that I chilled out in my room, with my guitar, took a nap and then went out again for a long walk to get to know la ville d’Alger. The layout and the architecture, the urban design, the French style, the parks, the people impressed me as a good city. I kept heading toward the water hoping to find a seaside promenade or other waterfront, but the front is pretty much a port. Nonetheless, it is impressive and there are several big ferries going to different parts of the Mediterranean,like Tunisia, Greece, Turkey, France and Spain. I made it all the way to Djemaa al Djedid, or the new mosque. Next to it was a little amusement park…part of the Eid festivities. I found a wind-up monkey that plays the drums and bought it for 100 Algerian Dinars. $1=70 Algerian Dinars.

Then I made my way back to the hotel. Along the way I walked through a tunnel that had an installation of projected art on the walls. All day long, I saw the Algerians. Some in religious garb, djelllabas, male gowns, some women scarved. Quite few covering the face too. Those that do, interestingly, have a little “handkerchief” looking thing that does so. Saw some interesting cinemas and a couple of places where I can continue my studies of Arabic. I’m excited to do so.

The city is hilly, so if I ever get a bicycle it is gonna be a serious workout. People all over have satellites. Pizza places abound. Espresso costs only 15 Dinars! Some very pretty ladies driving cars. Too. There are even female cops etc. The cultural attitudes of the Islamic world vary along longitudes.

How can I describe it? Well geographically Algeria is juxtapositioned betwixt Morocco and Tunisia, and it seems to be a mélange of the two, yet there is this air of or history of strife that is not common to its neighbors. Also, the French were here for 150 years before leaving in 1964. So their mark is well esconced here. At times one even finds imperial décor and not grotesquely done, but rather tastefully. And with the moderate climate, it mélanges well. So, those are merely first impressions, but I sense a bewildering complexity, as in my feeble attempts to decipher the mélange of francais, al arabiyya and Tamazight, the berber tongue. How fascinating to be where languages have and continue to intermingle! I liken it as follows…it’s to the ears what fusion cuisine is to the palate, yet perhaps alot more challenging to digest.