Having traveled to over half the world at this point, we rarely encounter issues we have trouble solving quickly. From missed connections to baggage lost, we consider ourselves pretty flexible when it comes to pivoting plans.

What we have rarely encountered are issues with finding cash.

When planning our trip to Tunisia, we discovered routing through Algiers was a more preferred route all together and would allow us to check another country off the list. Once flights were booked, we realized we made a rookie mistake. We didn’t properly research the visa requirements and they weren’t cheap for a quick layover. At $160 per person, before Fedex fees for shipping your passport, we knew we needed to spend a few days there to justify that expense. A few tik toks later, I stumbled across the gorgeous village of Constantine and our travel plans were solidified.

Constantine, one of Algeria’s oldest cities, dates back over 2,500 years and was originally founded as Cirta by the Phoenicians before becoming a major Numidian capital. The city was later rebuilt and renamed after Emperor Constantine the Great in 313 AD following its destruction during internal Roman conflicts. Over the centuries, Constantine thrived as an Islamic and Ottoman stronghold before becoming a center of resistance against French colonial rule in the 19th and 20th centuries. As a result, it has a little bit of a lot of cultures represented in its architecture & food.

Set across a vast canyon, it also consists of multiple bridges and getting around this city by car is a wild adventure ha. And by car, I mean taxi, as our short 2-day stay didn’t warrant the need for our own vehicle. Getting a mere 2 miles from where you are could be a 20 minute ordeal depending on where you’re going as you have to navigate across one of the many bridges.

We landed in Algiers and checked into our hotel for the evening, grabbing a quick nap before venturing out for dinner. Our hotel did the trick as a comfy place to stay and windows that open to let in a breeze. Algeria & Tunisia both experience chilly weather in winter (it was in the 50s/60s when we were there) so the hotels typically turn off the a/c and only allow the heat to run. Having a window gave us the chance to cool down a very warm room.

Dinner was discovered through some Google searches and we landed on a quaint local favorite; Restaurant La Bearnais. We arrived at 7pm to find we were the first guests of the evening as most locals eat dinner around 9-10pm. This was also one of the only restaurants that served alcohol so we ordered a bottle of Algerian wine and tucked into a starter of sesame shrimp. Our mains were the fish for me and a steak for Curtis. Everything was excellent!

The next morning, we headed to the airport to make our way towards Constantine. The flight was….slightly terrifying as the plane was clearly dated and held together with some hopes and dreams. It did the trick though, despite being one of the world’s worst airlines. (a theme emerges with this trip that can be found in the Tunisia blog) We arrived in one piece to clear skies and with little event.

Upon landing, we made it to our hotel, arguably one of the nicest in all of Algeria, the Marriott Constantine. It’s a gorgeous property on the edge of the city with access to the local metro. We immediately headed out to do some sightseeing but knew we needed some cash before doing so.

Everything we had encountered up until this point was cash only. And I mean everything. Airport snacks, taxis, paying your room bill, everything. In Algiers, the ATMs we tried wouldn’t accept our cards for some reason and we were stuck with only USD. That worked in Algiers but we knew that would be an issue in a smaller city. We asked the front desk to call us a cab to take us to an international ATM or a cash exchange that could handle USD. Couple this with not speaking French or Arabic, it was a challenge for the books. We went to 4 different ATMs and our cab driver was even asking random people on the street to help us exchange money. After an hour of this, we went back to the Marriott to see what else we could do. Turns out, they could have exchanged money the entire time ha. An exchange was made and asked to be dropped off at our late lunch/early dinner place. We paid the cab driver for his time with us (with a hefty tip) and officially started enjoying the city.

I found a place on the cliffside of the canyon that served authentic local meals. It’s worth noting that the entire time we were in Constantine, we saw 0 tourists. One woman spoke perfect American english and when asked where she was from, she proudly stated Canada (jealous) but she lived in Constantine for work. “What on earth are you guys doing here for holiday?!” was a very common question.

This, this is why we came. :)

We wandered around the city around sunset soaking in as much as we could.

The rest of the evening was spent at the indoor pool licking our travel wounds and reminding ourselves that it’s all part of the fun.

We enjoyed a breakfast at the hotel before heading out to explore as much of the city as we could! I was still recovering from abdominal surgery a bit so this would be a great test to see what I could handle.

We walked over to the main mosque first. A beautiful and grand building set on a hill with almost no one around allowed us to grab pictures with almost no one in them! (another theme of this trip ha) We went inside and I was offered an abaya and scarf so I could maintain respect for the local culture.

From there, we walked to the Medina, or old town, soaking up the wild blend of French and Arabic cultures. One of our favorite things to do when traveling is simply to walk around. Get yourself lost a bit and find your way back using only signs, context clues, and maybe the sun. I promise it does wonders for your mental health and allows you to keep your critical thinking skills maxed out.

At one of the main parts of town, we walked over to see what the view would be and couldn’t believe our eyes. The entire city was perched high on a hill and the views were epic!

From there, we walked across the Medina to get a good view of the gorge. Places like this absolutely fascinate me to my core as homes and businesses are built alongside a sheer cliff. People were sitting on the side of the edge of these cliffs like it was no big deal.

Having worked up a solid appetite by this point, we knew we had to eat at one specific place we passed; The Ninja Turtles pizza restaurant! (Kowabunga dude!) We ordered a medium pizza for $4USD thinking we might need two. No lol. If pizzas were this big in Ninja Turtles, they would have been a lot slower haha. The cheese pizza came with olives and definitely had a distinct flavor difference but overall, a solid food choice.

We rode the metro back to the hotel shortly after to hit the sack early. A 5am flight to Tunis was in our future (via Algiers - look it up on the map as we went west quite a bit to go east) and at almost 20k steps under our belts for the day, we called it an early evening. Until next time Algeria!