Constantine!

Sorry to post two days in a row, that is unusual, but my blog got off to a slow start this trip, as I struggled to remember how to attach a new post to a country tab… but thanks to remote help from Linn the amazing WordPress expert, I seem to be back in business. Whew!

Constantine is a very old city, in a majestic setting. It sits atop a high plateau, surrounded by deep gorges with steep cliffs. The views are spectacular, both from places in the city and from several bridges that cross the gorges. There’s also a cable car, and I did ride it, although I must confess I was afraid to look down 😱 . Thankful to say that my lovely assistant Geoff leaned over and took some snaps, one of which I will share.

My favourite place in the city was the palace of Ahmed Bey, last governor of Constantine.  He spent about 10 years designing and building this palace, and it sounded as though there was a bit of corruption involved. In any case, despite complaints from prominent citizens, he made sure his residence was beautifully designed and extravagantly decorated.  The building was completed in 1835, but it turned out he only had two years to enjoy it before the French captured the city in 1837, and took over the palace as their military headquarters. The interior courtyard is lovely.

It gave me a strange feeling (but in a good way) to see the old train station.  My father was here during the war with the British Army, and told the story of arriving in Constantine in 1942, and lining up at the station with the other soldiers to get his helmet filled with handfuls of dates, which were his breakfast, lunch, and  dinner that day.