We started day 2 in Oran at a private hotel beach about 45 minutes to the west. It was a nice secluded environment to relax a bit before resuming our city sightseeing after lunch.
Rozalcasar (The Red Citadel)
It's hard to find good info for this site online. There's an old prison where the guide told us the French confined and tortured Algerians, but I think the buildings date back to the Spanish or Ottoman period. It's another one of those places evolving over time before falling into ruin.
prison cell
Palace of El Bey
Bey's Palace is a historic palace in Oran, Algeria dating back to the Ottoman era. It was a residence of the ruler who belonged to the Western Baylik. The palace was built in 18th century, commissioned by Muhammad Bey the Great. It consists of diwan (public room), suite, harem, two guard towers which date back to 1345 during the Marinid era, barracks (which were used as a horse stable as well by both Ottomans and French), courtyard, and several other adjacent facilities. It's currently under renovation.
Oran Regional Theater
We saw the concert on our first night here, but didn't get a chance to look around. We received a proper tour of this beautiful iconic theater during the daytime.
Disco Maghreb was closed
Here's the music video from DJ Snake that everyone was talking about, which gives a different vibe of Oran from what we experienced:
The sun is starting to go down after another long day, so what can we do just before dinner with a little time? Let's get a treat!
This traditional Algerian lemon sorbet called creponne originated in Oran. Yum!
Then on to a dinner buffet, with my favorite local lemon-mint drink, local food, and desserts.
Day 3 (1/2 day)
We had a half day before our train ride back, so we explored the only Spanish bull fighting arena in Algeria. It was more interesting for us by having some local art displays. We saw some more of the interesting parts of town on our way to lunch and back to the train station. Oran may be worth another visit to see some of the things we may have missed as a part of an organized mob, or group tour.
an interesting mix of styles
back to the city
tickets to home please!
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