a trip to Setif province

One of the things I've been wanting to do while being here, in Algeria, is to explore more of this country. So earlier this year, we grabbed the opportunity to take a trip east of Algiers to Setif province. 

Our first stop was Hammam Soukhna, a town named after its thermal spring water. There are plenty of hotels and visitors can rent private "baths" that fill up into small pools of naturally hot water. People visit from all over the country to benefit from its healing properties ... and it is very relaxing too. 

We saw the signs and decided to make a detour to Djemila, one of the many Roman ruins in Algeria.

It's quite amazing when you think about the Romans settling and building huge towns and cities in these fertile hills, thousands of years ago. 

At the foot of the hills, is a town called El Eulma, formally known as St Arnaud. The main warehouse that stored the wheat to be sent off to Europe, still stands. And this is the train station where it would have headed out of Algeria from. Algeria was known as "the bread basket of Europe".

We also made our way up the mountains, visited some relatives and stopped in the forests to have a barbecue lunch. There are picnic tables set up in Ouelbane where they barbecue locally reared mutton and bring it over to you with sides and of course, bread. Algerians love their bread!

I'm hoping to share more of my discoveries around Algiers and Algeria as well as my usual crafting in sha Allah. Until then ...