Tucked up in Tunisia

Taken from the stern of Kinabalu..... sunset in Sidi Bou Said

We should have departed yesterday morning from this tiny marina next to Carthage in the Bay of Tunis, but strong winds and heavy seas have been forecast for a few days and it looks as though it will be Thursday before we can make some headway on course off the Algerian coast to Morocco.  The Spanish Jongert with three professional crew are still here, a ketch with a Dutch flag and Italian crew bound for Sardinia won't leave until Thursday, and Greg and Beverley on an Aussie aluminium sloop complete with cat and bonsai plants bound for Agadir are looking at the sky and muttering.  And so we are so pleased that we are here....the marina provides good shelter, it is close to the small town of Sidi Bou Said and the magnificent ruins of Punic Carthage and within walking distance to the train connection to Tunis.

Friday afternoon wasn't the best time to visit the Medina in Tunis, but we were shown around by our "friendly" customs guy, the "Douane", from Sidi Bou Said, who just happened to recognise us as we approached the Gate ;)  You name it, we saw it, but we missed the demonstration outside the government building on the edge of the medina!  The Douane took us to the last Bey's palace and we climbed the staircase to the open air mosaic tiled rooftop to view the different mosques....and of course the inevitable carpet display.  He also told us his mother had a perfumery in the Medina....and of course we were in his hands;)

Then we met Andre Ghislain, a Belgian Engineer married to a Tunisian Paediatrician, Nedra!!  And  our adventures began.......firstly, dinner prepared by Nedra - our first taste of brik (I watched Nedra preparing the delicious delicate entree) and then couscous steamed on the stove for 20 minutes with lamb, spiced sausage and vegetables, the meal completed with melon and figs dipped in a mixture of dill, celeriac and olive oil (we think;)  All of this accompanied wonderful Tunisian wine - a dry Muscat from Kalibia and a French Syrah. 

We have driven around the remains of the ancient city of Carthage and viewed the Punic (Phoenician) ports and then spent an absolutely amazing day in Dougga (Thugga) a 75 hectare UNESCO World Heritage site with Numidian-Berber, Punic, Ancient Roman and Byzantine history.  See whc.unesco.org for an overview.  We had great fun with our 75 year old multilingual guide, born in Dougga, who took quick power naps whilst he instructed us to climb the monuments and take photos ;)  We had lots of fun and I'll try to reconstruct our day through photos.

We were certainly made very welcome in Tunisia and would love to come back to spend some more time discovering this country rich in its mix of people and history.

Self timer not focused - in the apartment of Andre and Nedra

Amazingly preserved Roman theatre - looking across the fertile valley - our guide waiting in the orchestra pit

August Robertus

Capitaleum dedicate to Jupiter, Juno and Minera

Neptune

Port du Plaisance, Sidi Bou Said (see Kinabalu top centre below the power boat)

Cafe Delice above the marina

Cafe Delice for a non-alcoholic Mohito ;)

Sunset at Sidi Bou Said

In the Bey's Palace, Medina Tunis