Constantine, Algeria - A City of Bridges and Broken Sleep

the moment i stepped off the bus in constantine, my brain felt like it had been tossed in a blender. the air was thin, the kind that makes you wonder if you’re breathing at all, and the temperature? 9.82°c, but it felt like 8.29-which is basically nature’s way of saying “put on a jacket, dummy.” i just checked and it’s hovering around there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.

constantine is a city of bridges-literally. there are so many suspension bridges here, i started to feel like i was in a physics experiment. the most famous one, the sidi m’cid bridge, looks like it was built by someone who really hated flat ground. crossing it felt like walking on a tightrope while the wind whispered, “you’re gonna fall.” but i didn’t. mostly because i was too tired to care.

i stayed in a tiny guesthouse near the old town, run by a woman who kept offering me mint tea and unsolicited life advice. “you look like you need rest,” she said, eyeing my backpack like it was a crime scene. she was right, but rest wasn’t on the itinerary. instead, i wandered the streets, which are basically a maze of stairs and cobblestones that seem designed to trip you up. someone told me that the locals call it “the city of stairs,” and i believe it.

food-wise, constantine is a dream. i stumbled into a tiny bakery called *la fournaise and ate a pastry so good, i almost cried. it was like a croissant had a baby with a cinnamon roll, and that baby was perfect. if you’re ever here, go. just go. and then walk it off by exploring the musée national cirta, which is basically a treasure trove of ancient stuff that’ll make you feel small and insignificant in the best way.

i heard that constantine gets a bad rap for being “dangerous,” but honestly, it felt safer than my hometown. maybe it’s because everyone here seems to know everyone else, or maybe it’s because i was too tired to notice anything sketchy. either way, i felt weirdly at home.

if you get bored, skikda and setif* are just a short drive away, but honestly, why would you leave? constantine is like that friend who’s a little chaotic but always keeps you on your toes.

one thing i’ll say: the sunsets here are unreal. i watched one from the top of a hill, and it looked like the sky was on fire. i tried to take a photo, but it didn’t do it justice. some things you just have to see for yourself.

for more on constantine, check out TripAdvisor or Lonely Planet. and if you’re into history, the UNESCO site has some cool stuff on the city’s ancient roots.

would i go back? absolutely. constantine is the kind of place that gets under your skin, even if you’re too tired to notice at first. just bring a jacket. and maybe some coffee. you’ll need it.