Algiers

I sparkle in the sunshine. My houses are bright white and they tumble down a big hill to meet the blue sea. The air feels warm and smells like salty water and sweet flowers. I am a city by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, and I am full of stories. Do you know who I am? I am Algiers, the White City. I love when the sun makes me look like I am covered in shiny jewels.

My story is very, very old. A long, long time ago, friends in big boats came and built the first homes right by the water. Many years later, starting around the year 1516, people built my special heart. It is a place called the Casbah. The streets in my Casbah are like a playful maze, twisting and turning everywhere. The houses are cozy and stand close together like good friends. Then, on July 5th, 1830, new people came from across the sea. They built wide, straight streets and tall buildings with fancy balconies right next to my old, winding ones. Now, I have two kinds of streets living happily together.

Today, I am a happy and busy city. Music plays in my streets, and you can smell yummy bread baking in my bakeries. Children laugh and run in my old Casbah and on my new wide streets. I love holding so many different stories in my heart. The old parts and the new parts dance together every day. I am here to remind you that new friends and old friends can make beautiful stories together. I can't wait to see what new stories we will make tomorrow.