Comments on: Are you great at reading horrible handwriting? Your expertise is needed!

Question: Are you great at reading horrible handwriting? Your expertise is needed!

mwachs — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:35:20 -0800

Are you great at reading horrible handwriting? Your expertise is needed! Last year, I met one the most kind men I had ever come across while traveling through Europe. Unfortunately he gave me his address while rushing for a train and the handwriting of the street is pretty impossible for me to read. Can you decipher it? And if you happen to live in either Alicante, Spain or Rabat, Morocco, perhaps you know him? His name is Idrissi Hafid.

By: interrobang

interrobang — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:42:06 -0800

What I've done in this situation is to copy exactly the terrible handwriting onto the envelope--the letter gets there, and the people at the receiving end tend to recognize the local address.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:42:08 -0800

3 Calle Algar (or Algan) [UNKNOWN WORD - maybe "Namivar"?]
Playa San Juan de Alicante

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:42:56 -0800

3 calle ... navidad
Playa San Juan
de alicante

I suggest you find out if there is such a place and call the mosque there and ask if they know this man and if they have a fax machine. Send a picture and a note and ask them to please pass on a message.

By: doctorpiorno

doctorpiorno — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:45:08 -0800

Cannot be 100% sure, but from here it looks like:

Idrissi Hafid
3 Calle Algas Marinas
Playa San Juan
Alicante

A quick web search seems to confirm there is a street that goes by that name in Alicante, so it looks plausible enough.

By: olinerd

olinerd — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:57:23 -0800

I think I agree with doctorpiorno -- that address comes up on Google Maps.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:01:38 -0800

Yeah, doctorpiorno has it. Score one more for AskMe!

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:28:21 -0800

Last year, I met one the most kind men I had ever come across

Kind enough to forgive you posting his full name and address on the web without permission, I'm sure.

By: Iteki

Iteki — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:36:44 -0800

FYI, Alicante has a population of well over 300,000 people, and Rabat has a population of two million. In other words more than say, Detroit, Philly or Houston. Or three times Austin ;)

By: mwachs

mwachs — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:22:45 -0800

Yes, I hope he's about to be able to forgive me...

Others: Thanks for your deciphering thus far!

By: different

different — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:03:53 -0800

FWIW, his name is Hafid Idrissi - his surname is written first on the paper, in block capitals.