• Paulina Anderson
  • Paulina Anderson

Algeria Tunisia and Libya 2025

A 21-day adventure by Paulina Read more
  • Trip start
    November 28, 2025

    Algiers Algeria

    Nov 29–Dec 1, 2025 in Algeria ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Flew here from Madrid on Nov 29th. I was the only female in 1st class. Some minister was amongst us because they had police escorts pick us up in 2 separate mini vans. It took me a while to get through immigration even with the visa. The guy was acting as if it was his 1st day and kept going out of his stall asking other officers questions. They reviewed my Letter of Invitation and list of hotels I m staying. He had me stand aside while he processed 2 other people. By then the line got long since the other people were bussed in from the plane. He finally stamped my passport
    There are 2 downtowns in the city of Algiers. The Casbah and the new part, that the French build that is all French style(but a century old now). The latter was where a lot of foreigners were wintering during the French occupation and the Algerians were not allowed in this area. Now it is the new downtown where the shops are and the place to be. We walked around people watching(it was Sat which is their day off- Sun is the 1st day of the Muslim week). We walked along the promenade, had coffee, watched the boats come and go, along with a ferry from Marceille France. Then we took the metro back 2 stops to where we parked.

    On Dec 6, after I flew from Ghardaia to back to Algiers I had a tour of the Casbah with Younes. It was just a fortress and not that interesting. The next morning before my afternoon flight to Tunis we visited the Botanical garden. It was very interesting since it had trees from all over the world instead of flowers. It also had a fake jungle where some Tarzan movies were filmed in the 30s.
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  • Algerian Oddities and Ghardaia

    Nov 29–Dec 7, 2025 in Algeria ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    In Algiers there is a monument to the people that were killed during the independence war against the French. But it's there to hide a phone tower.

    They have blood trees from Cannary islands in their botanical garden

    My "cancelled" flight

    Berber language alphabet uses some Greek characters

    Berber power sign. The Algerian berbers tie their turban diff from their Mali berbers that come over as illegal immigrants

    Brahim, my guide in Ghardaia, introduced me to cloves for colds. What a relief! They worked amazing.

    I had police escorts on 2 trips. To Timgad and back to Algiers from Constantine. They would go only in their municipality. So they kept changing.
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  • Djemila, Timgad and Tipasa Roman ruins

    November 30, 2025 in Algeria ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We visited Tipasa from Algiers. On the way we stopped at Royal Mauritanian Tomb that is also called the Tomb of the Christian because it has crosses as decoration on each of its 4 doors. But it was build 1st C. BC.
    All three Roman cities are huge and have a lot of mosaics that were moved to the site museums. All three have stones that are various tones of brown/yellow. Not white marble like elsewhere in Europe. Tipasa is by the sea, on a wooded site that is gorgeous. This was Albert Camus favorite site. Djemila is on a hillside on the way to Constantine. Both Djemila and Timgad had snow capped mountains around them. The last two were build in 3 stages. The original designed city, then they were expanded by a Roman emperor and then the Christian expansion last. The last two had brothels that were marked by a "dog bone" out front.
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  • Constantine Algeria

    Dec 3–6, 2025 in Algeria ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Build over a natural gorge for protection, it expanded over all sites of the gorge now. The original city, Circa, was destroyed and it was rebuild by Constantine the Great and that's where it got its name.
    It has various bridges build by the Romans and tunnels down to the gorge.
    I had a wonderful homemade pasta like filo dough thin cooked in tomato sauce with lamb, called Chawat. We had it in a Berber restaurant along the gorge.
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  • Tunisian Oddities

    Dec 7–15, 2025 in Tunisia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

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    Buscher shop with cow heads outside

    Libyan Gas stations

    Camels rooming free

    They use palm sticks for hedges and to block drifting sands in the desert

    Desert fox pet Julia that eats scorpions

    Palm trees have male and female. New trees come as shoots from the roots

    My breakfast table in Tuzour TN, with pomegranate and banana jams

    Had camel for dinner at Dar Yomma b&b

    Local coffee shop
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  • Tunis Medina and Carthage

    Dec 7–9, 2025 in Tunisia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Stayed at the Dar Ben Gacem Guesthouse which was an old restored mansion in the Medina. Amazing. My room was upstairs overlooking the central courtyard. It included dinner which was all local food. It was also close to a hammam which I went to one afternoon.
    The Medina was wonderful to wonder around and get lost. You had to look for the minaret to find your way.
    The French built a cathedral over the Roman forum. Tunisians are trying to restore Carthage to Punic times but not much is left.
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  • El Jem Amphitheatre

    December 12, 2025 in Tunisia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    WOW. What an Amphitheatre. The best condition I've seen. We stopped here on the way from Tozeur to Hammamet. Built in the 3rd C. after the Colosseum. Most of the seating and underground passages are intact. Never been restored and all the basement is in great shape.
    American forces during WWII used it as a base and it has graffiti from American GIs including one from Indiana.
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  • Libyan oddities

    Dec 14–17, 2025 in Libya ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    All hard work is done by African illegal immigrants trying to earn money to cross over to Europe.

    On the highway red lights are for drivers turning left. If going straight you don't stop.

    Picture of Libyans playing what looks like hockey or Lacrosse with palm sticks

    Memorial to Africans that drowned crossing over to Europe. Stuff that wash off on the beaches

    Gas was 10 dinars($2) for 60 liters for a Kia Sedona

    Garbage everywhere

    All tourist have to pay for a tourist police escort that goes everywhere they go

    The antique shop guys that sold me a rug
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  • Leptis Magna

    December 15, 2025 in Libya ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The most preserve, largest in area, Roman ruins I've visited. The amphitheatre and hippodrome was 2k by car from the main city and port. The Italians under Mussolini excavated the city from sand. Originally built by the Phoenicians, but Emperor Septimius Severus was born here and spent a lot of money updating this city.
    Amazing Forum, Basilica(Courts), Baths with various pools that still hold water, port, marketplace , Greek and Egyptian temples, and various arches, including the square arch of Severus.
    The film, Legend of the Lost,with John Wayne and Sofia Loren was, filmed here at their theater in 1957.
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  • Leptis Magna Oddities

    December 15, 2025 in Libya ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    See pictures
    -the column head that is not finished
    -the brothel markers
    -the sign that ran out of space
    -the Greek temple sign
    -at the cloth market, Phoenician, Greek and Roman measures
    -the Greek "onion marble" from Pendeli
    -the Roman tik tak toe game
    -the Christian baptistry bath in the shape of the cross
    -the theater sign in Roman and the local language
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  • Sabtatha Roman ruins

    December 16, 2025 in Libya ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    This morning we visited the Libyan National museum the opened up this last weekend after remodeling for since 2011.
    Not as elaborate as Leptis Magna but it has an amazing three story theater stage
    There is also a Punic funeral obelisk (as in Douga TN)
    The statue of the 3 Graces (attendances of Aphrodite)s at the museum and details of a mosaic.
    Also see the little baby size palm tree.
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    Trip end
    December 18, 2025