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Minerva's maiden calls in AlgeriaMinerva's maiden calls in Algeria

All Leisure’s Minerva recently called in the ports of Bejaïa and Algiers in Algeria which were two out of six Mediterranean ports featured on a cruise themed ‘Empires of the Mediterranean’.

Mary Bond, Editor in Chief

June 25, 2015

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Amongst the several guest speakers, was Graham Archer, a former British High Commissioner for Malta. As a diplomat he specialised in international relations and conflict resolution.

Archer and his wife went on tour in both Bejaïa and Algiers and were ‘pleasantly surprised’ with the archaeological remains dating back to the Roman Empire. ‘Passengers also very much appreciated the hospitality of the Algerian café owners who kindly provided mint tea, coffee and pastries and all commented on the efficiency of the local traffic police to manoeuvre the buses through the traffic,’ he added.

From Bejaïa, three expert guides, one of whom is the BBC correspondent, another Algeria’s top archaeologist and the other knowledgeable on culture were invited to sail on board to Algiers. That evening they participated in a Q&A session.

In Algiers, most guests visited the archaeological site of Tipasa and the Mausoleum of Mauretania, the Casbah, the National Monument, La Grande Poste, and the French Quarters in the centre of Algiers. In the afternoon, a limited number opted for a unique tour which included a visit to the heritage Hotel El Djazaïr formerly known as the Saint George where Winston Churchill famously met with General Eisenhower in 1943.

A visibly pleased Ivan Mifsud and Mourad Larbi, joint managing directors of Algeria Cruise Services said, ‘it is always a great personal satisfaction for us to see the positive reaction of guests after their Algeria experience.’

About the Author

Mary Bond

Editor in Chief

Mary Bond is Group Director, Seatrade Cruise a division within Informa Markets and responsible for the Seatrade portfolio of global cruise events, print and online cruise publishing.

Mary is also the publisher and editor-in-chief of Seatrade Cruise News and Seatrade Cruise Review magazine.

Mary has worked in the shipping industry for 39 years, first for Lloyd’s Register of Shipping before joining Seatrade’s editorial team in 1985.

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