Mike and I are back from trip to Tunisia (oh my...I've been married for one whole year!) I had fun but when somebody asked me if I would go back there...uhm... hmm...I'll think about it. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful...but I can't help feel that it was a bit of a letdown. Armed with the guidebook that Ray lent us I knew which places we were going to see.
Let me digress...when we got to the airport I had to wee really bad so I went to the toilet (of course where else). Now there was a cleaning lady standing by the door shaking her hand full of one pound coins (ominous no?) Then when I was about to wash my hands she started pointing to my bead bracelets. *She (pointing to another cleaning lady who came out of nowhere) likes your bracelet...give give* Then started tugging at them. OK! Welcome to our country! So I gave her a couple since I made them anyway...what's a couple of bracelets. BIG mistake...*I want one too give give* Well, I didn't give so she blocked my way until I gave her a coin. 20p to be exact and she got upset and started pointing at the one pound coins. I walked out. Hmmm...I hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come.
We didn't book a cab to the hotel so...*excuse me...* NO ENGLISH! *pardon moi* Oh my my husband speaks french! So fast forward a few minutes later I found ourselves following this stranger leading us to a cab and negotiating a price. Not the way I wanted but it got us to the hotel. *What if they just drop us off somewhere and leave us for dead?* Yes...my paranoia was really starting to kick in. Anyway we got to the hotel in one piece.
The three days we had to roam around was well spent. I saw everything that I wanted to see in the book. Everytime we saw a place in the book I'd whip it out and point *see see? it's in the book!* Annoying I know. We went to the Bardo museum (a must for roman history buffs). The oldest medina in Tunis. The Roman bath and amphitheater. We were surprised at how rich the culture and history was in Tunisia. You could spend days in one place and find something to explore everyday.
Tunis medina
Carthage ruins
Roman amphitheater
Sidi Bou Said - The town of blue
Pottery...loads of them!
Roman baths
On our last full day, we went to a mosque (my first time obviously). It was interesting, only dampened by the annoying souvenier guy who kept on stuffing my hands with *a gift for the nice lady* and proceeding to charge Mike for whatever gift it was he gave me. So now we're stuck with 2 wooden flutes. Darn. Well at least my husband is enjoying the flute...he feels like peter pan I think.
My husband trying so hard to understand french. And the garb? We thought it was mandatory for tourists but as we walked in whatdya know everyone else wasn't wearing one.
The mosque with it's amazingly beautiful interior.
On our last night we decided to take a stroll in the nice part of Yasmine Hammamet. We ended up having a few drinks in a hotel. I was too drunk to pack my bags when we got back the hotel. *Naaah I'll do it tomorrow.* Next morning...we were woken up by the phone ringing *The taxi is waiting* AAAAAAAA we're late! We were out in 30 minutes. Our cab driver did his best to get us to the airport in time, and we did.
AND... your obligatory tourist pose lambasting the ancient ruins
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