Our local neighborhood....market day

Today was market day and we took along the camera to share some of our neighborhood with you. 

Above is a construction site where they have torn down some old construction and we think are going to build something new in this area.

 

This is the local mosque.  It is so loud at our house when they do the call to prayer 5 times a day.  I think it is loudest at sunrise!  LOL

This is the street where our local superette (small convenience store) is located.  That is where we get our eggs, butter, boxed milk, canned goods, cleaning products, beverages, etc...  Notice the garbage just piled up on the sidewalk.  This is actually a good day, it is not piled too high!  Sometimes we have to hold our breath when the weather is warm and the wind is blowing. 

If you continue down the hill, there is a main street where there are lots of restaurants and  small shops.  It is called Sidi Yahia.  There is a great place called Chwarma that serves....you guessed it, schwarma and another one called Istanbul Kabobs that serves...you guessed it, kabobs!  They are both pretty good.  There is a new restaurant going in called Manhattan American restaurant.  We will let you know what we think when it opens.

Another view of the mosque.

This is our street. Our house is the big white box on the left!

 

Our front door and me with some of our purchases from the day.

 

The view from inside our courtyard at the front door.

Another view of our side yard.  We live on the ground floor.  This is the wall that the backyard intruders scaled to get into our yard.  That was before the concertina wire was installed.

One of the apartment buildings we pass on our way to the market.  We are very sad because the gelato store (called Igloo) which was near this building is closed for good!!  This was our favorite gelato place and it was so close for us to walk.  BUMMER!  There is a new place farther down the hill so I guess we can still get our gelato when the weather gets warm.  :)

There are wild cats EVERYWHERE here. They live off all the garbage in the streets. 

A view of the minaret on top of the mosque.  That is where the loud speakers are so all can hear the call to prayer.  They also broadcast the sermons preached by the Imam on Fridays.  Friday is the day of prayer here and many shops and restaurants are closed.  It is like our Sunday in the states.  Fridays and Saturdays are our weekends here.  We work Sunday - Thursday.