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You may have never considered Tunisia for a Winter Destination but Europeans certainly do. Tunisia is easy from them to get to by charters, packages and airlines aplenty, especially during the summer months. However, flights from the United States require at least one stop on Lufthansa, Delta, Air France, American or Alitalia. At last look, no airline flies to Tunis directly from the U.S. Another reason Americans have lagged behind the Tunisia hit-parade is because so few tour operators market Tunisia, a country that deserves to be more popular. This is your chance to visit an exotic African country that is geared for tourists, warm in the winter, filled with friendly (and tolerant) people, excellent food and the most incredible sights.
Click these links to the Tunisian National Tourist Office, Wiki Travel or buy the great Lonely Planet guide to Tunisia for whatever information you may need. That will get you started...
Continue reading "Tunisia is A Fast and Easy Winter Destination" »
We flew on Tunis Air (a one hour flight) to Djerba, a flat Mediterranean island off the southern coast of Tunisia. It is joined to the mainland by a 6 km causeway built on a Roman foundation. Djerba has more than 145,000 inhabitants (primarily of Berber origin).
The island is covered with palm trees and flowers - actually, it is a huge oasis with more than 1,000,000 date palms and 700,000 olives trees. Some of the olive trees are over 3,000 years old!
In Homer's Odyssey, Djerba was the home of the "Lotus Eaters." Ulysses almost lost his men when the beautiful maidens of the island fed them lotus flowers. I had never read the Odyssey but had heard of Djerba. The islanders like to claim that Ulysses was their first tourist.
Continue reading "Isle of Djerba/Jerba, Tunisia" »
It was now time for the ultimate in Tunisia's Roman sites (other than the El Djem Amphitheatre) - Bulla Regia and Dougga. Dougga, in particular, is an extremely famous Roman site.
Bulla Regia was first mentioned by Latin sources in 81 BC. More than three quarters of the site is still underground and the houses with an underground level is what most visitors come to see. The Bulla houses are the site's distinctive feature - the only city to have two-story dwellings with one floor underground. This feature protected against the heat in the summer and cold in the winter. We climbed down crumbly steps to see the beautiful mosaics still remaining in the underground portions of the houses - one house named "House of the Fisherman." Some of the mosaics have been removed to the Bardo Museum in Tunis. ...View image...
Bulla Regia mosaic
Continue reading "Bulla Regia and Dougga, Tunisia" »
On the drive to and from Le Kef, you could see nomad's tents scattered in the desert. Occasionally, we stopped at scenic view points and walked through little villages - up to some old ruins, into little shops, and other breaks to stretch our legs.
My favorite sight was the morning "goat" round-up. A little girl or boy would walk through the village, stopping at each home to pick up their goats. She (or he) added them to the increasing flock - chasing after wayward goats, walked to the next home and when all goats were accounted for, herded them out to graze for the day. ...View image... A really sensible system of goat-herding since every family we saw had its own flock. In this way, everyone else was free to work in the fields.
Sheila and her flock
Continue reading "Roman Ruins of Sbeitla (Sufetia) and Le Kef, Tunisia" »
Other than shopping, there was an option to go visit another Star Wars village (we didn't go) and a day walk scheduled around Tamerza, almost on the Algerian border. Tamerza was another village situated in a huge valley oasis with lots of palm trees. ... View image...
We hiked up to Mides, a little oasis which owes its fertility to many little mountain streams. The water is tapped by wells and carried through a system of underground channels. Mides is an abandoned village on a cliff face and after exploring it, we walked through a valley - looking for fossils along the stream, enjoying the extremely stark beauty of the canyon, eating a picnic lunch, taking our time and exploring with "Explore."
Mides
views from the mountains
Continue reading "Hiking By The Algerian Border in Tunisia" »
Busing to Tozeur, we came across some young men selling pieces of amethyst at a stand along the road - certainly not gem quality - and I traded my old Timex watch for seven chunks of amethyst as presents for grandchildren. You can always offer to trade something when shopping...one never knows...and watches (this one was $5 from a flea market) are highly desirable. There was another stall selling "sand roses" - a name given to rosette formations of gypsum and barite because they look like roses.
The "sand rose" crystals form in arid sandy conditions, are dug up by the locals and sold all over desert areas of Africa. ...View image... Bought some of those also. I like to bring home souvenirs that are semi-educational and different...not the "...my grandma brought me back a t-shirt..." Fossils, country flags, toys made out of tin cans from Africa, Tibetan prayer flags, coins, etc.
Crossed the Chott El Jerid - the largest salt flats in the Sahara. They told us we could see mirages - and - we could! Very strangely colored salt flats, some with big crystals. ... View image... White, purple and pinks, all reflecting different colors depending on the direction you were looking.
salt flats of Chott El Jerid
Continue reading "Tozeur, Tunisia" »
You may never have heard of "Harissa" before. ( I know I didn't before this trip.) Harissa, is a spicy chili-garlic condiment that is made from oil, garlic cloves, chili paste, cumin, chili powder, and other ingredients and plays an important role in the Tunisian diet.
Continue reading "Eating Harissa in Tunisia" »
Forget the camel trek, we stayed at the comfortable Hotel Saharien-Paradise, in Douz and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. What did we do for two days? Other than sitting by the swimming pool and enjoying the "aloneness" of being by ourselves...
- Shopped for rugs...yes, we bought more...for our adult children. When you can buy a one-of-a-kind, handmade 3 x 5 rug for under $40 dollars, it's hard to resist. A comparable, factory-made bath mat at home costs about the same. Every shop arorund the square had rugs and carpets laid out on the sand, flapping in the wind with the very hospitable dealers and people to converse with.
- Walked out into the desert every day to watch the camels and tourists, having some great laughs at their expense. View image
Mr. Personality
Continue reading "Douz, Tunisia" »
On the way to Zaafrane, we stopped to visit the tiny village of Tamezret. View image This little walled village had very few inhabitants, but we visited the home of one family. The family had a few goats, one mule and several children. (I loved the pink Barbie purse..... View image
....The husband and wife were very hospitable and enjoyed demonstrating grinding and other aspects of their daily life. View image
grinding meal
One of our people (brave man) even tried on this "flea-infested" robe...exactly like Obi's and posed with the family mule/donkey (whatever it is). After seeing this robe, it was obvious where the Star War's designer got his ideas. I later noticed them for sale in the Souks, surprisingly expensive, unfortunately! A fleeting thought ran through my mind about it being a great souvenir for grandchildren until I saw the cost....too bad.
fake Obi-Wan
Continue reading "Zaafrane, Tunisia" »
Matmata is a small village in southern Tunisia -- famous for underground structures still used by some of the local Berbers. The homes were created by digging a large pit and enlarging into artifical caves used as rooms. (Troglodyte means "cave dweller" in Latin...I hadn't even heard of the word until Matmata.) These "invisible villages" were first mentioned in the 4th century and are quite sensible...cool in the summer and warm in the winter. A huge "Matmata" sign is visible on a mountain as you draw nearer. Probably, thanks to the Matmata Tourist Bureau...bring those $$$... View image
If you've seen the famous Star Wars movie (is there anybody who hasn't?), Matmata is instantly recognizable once you are actually there. Most of the pits and craters are camouflaged in the desert surroundings. View image The Hotel Sidi Driss served as Luke's home when he lived with his Aunt and Uncle. Parts of the set are still incorporated in the walls of the Hotel, and our group had drinks there. "...may the force be with you." Sorry, couldn't resist ..and
Star Wars set
everyone had to pose for photos both in and outside of the Hotel Sidi Driss. View image
outside Hotel Sidi Driss
Continue reading "Matmata and its Troglodyte Caves, Tunisia" »
Next stop was El Djem with its unbelievable Amphitheatre second only to Rome's (Colosseum) amphitheatre. It is huge, capable of seating 35,000 spectators (Rome's Colosseum could seat about 45,000), and was probably used for gladiator shows and chariot races. Very. very impressive....sitting on a stone seat...ready to give the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" signal...envisioning Ben Hur or Spartacus entering the arena. View image
The El Djem Amphitheatre (built around 238 AD), remained fairly intact until the 17th century and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.
El Djem Amphitheatre
When built by the Romans, stone was brought from quarries over 30 kms away. The distance doesn't sound like much now but it was a huge feat at that time.
El Djem Amphitheatre
Continue reading "El Djem and Sfax, Tunisia" »
Our Explore group was entirely British with the exception of us "Yanks", and two "Aussies" traveling for three months. Phil and Elizabeth had just come from Libya with Explore, and were going on to Morocco after Tunisia. We inundated them with questions about Libya, and most of their answers (primarily regarding accommodation and food) left us without a desire to see it....yet. In the future, yes.
The on-the-road portion of our tour started in Kairouan, considered the fourth holiest city of Islam - after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. There are two famous mosques in the city, the Mosque of the Barber, and the Great Mosque. View image
courtyard of Mosque
Judaism, also had a long history during the early Middle Ages in Kairouan with many famous and important Rabbis who studied there.
We walked from our Hotel Tunisia through the walled ramparts into Kairouan's famous Souk/Medina with all its traditional crafts. The Souk is surrounded by walls but it was easy to find your way around (one way in, one way out). Kairouan merchants rely on tourism for much of their income and I certainly didn't mind going in and out of every single shop that looked promising. Kairouan will always be remembered as the place I bought rugs #1 and 2.
Continue reading "Kairouan, Tunisia" »
Landed in Tunis and met the Explore group of 14 at Hotel Omrane, walking distance from the Souk/Medina (old market). The Hotel was actually a very nice Hostel located in the heart of the city and in the middle of the business center, a 5-minute walk from the big station of the Tunisian National Railways (S.N.C.F.T.).
Our guide took us on an afternoon walking tour into the Souk. Tunis is a very modern but walking into the Souk immediately transports you into a colorful Arab atmosphere of custom-made perfumes, dim narrow streets that look more like alleys, and lots of shops selling rugs.
Tunis Medina Map
This was my first encounter with Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian-style rugs - primarily flat weave "Kilims" and I fell in love with the vibrant colors and story each one told. Within days, I was a woman possessed and had embarked on a major carpet buying spree that lasted throughout the trip. (The suitcases just got heavier and heavier.) I rarely saw a carpet that didn't whisper, "Sheila, buy me."
Continue reading "Tunis, Tunisia" »
We picked an Explore departure for March, 2004 thinking the weather would be a little warmer at that time. Tunisia has a Mediterranean climate and winters can be very cold.
Air? It was easiest for us to fly United from Chicago-Frankfurt, and then Frankfurt-Tunis on Lufthansa. Other airlines that fly there with only one stop are: Delta, Air France, American, Alitalia. Plenty of choices but no one flies to Tunis direct from the U.S., you'll have to change planes.
Visa? Not required. Passport only.
Health? Nothing compulsory, but we always keep our Hep A, Polio and Tetanus up-to-date. This would be a "bottled water" trip along with the usual "don't eat off the street."
Continue reading "Making Plans for Tunisia" »
Unique travel destinations always raise the question, "Why do you want to go there?" and Tunisia was no exception. Because....Tunisia has Ancient Carthage, fantastic Dougga, sand dunes, Isle of Jerba, and....
Star Wars was filmed here!
Next question? "Is it safe?" Fellow travelers, we have to get a grip on reality and stop thinking that every Arab or Muslim country is loaded with extremists just waiting to rip our eyeballs out. "ex-Marine" (husband, Steve) and I (of course, he doesn't go around wearing his old fatigues...not that they would fit) have found without exception, the Arabs to be extremely courteous, hospitable people. Perhaps, it is our working vocabulary of four words in Arabic - "hello" - "peace" - "thank you" - and "maybe tomorrow." ("Maybe tomorrow" is the clincher!)
map of Tunisia
Continue reading "Fascinating Tunisia" »
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