Souk al Blaghgia

Given that we spent yesterday in a state of beachy hedonism, we (and by "we" I mean "I") felt compelled to explore a bit more...aggressively today.

We plotted a route that seemed entirely plausible, using louages, taxis, and a bus, which would allow us to see Kairouan, 90 minutes west of Sousse (and yesterday's intended destination before the beach sucked us in), and the seaside town of Monastir, just 30 minutes south.

We got started early, and caught an 8:30am taxi to the louage station, and a 9am louage to Kairouan. At 10:30am, we arrived in Kairouan, the fourth most important city in Islam. One visit to Kairouan counts as 1/7 of a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The main reason to visit Kairouan is to see The Great Mosque, the oldest and most important mosque in North Africa. I was told that if I'm interested in history and architecture (which I am, duh) Kairouan and its 7th century mosque were not to be missed.

But honestly: As I'm not at all religious, and the mosque is a massively barren space, there wasn't much to see or connect with (though they do have some adorable kittens). To me, the Great Mosque of Kairouan is one of those places that shouldn't be missed, but yet never feels quite worth the effort to get there (Blarney Castle, Madrid's Prado Museum, and the entirety of Berlin are also in this file).

The other major site of Kairouan is its entire medina. It's huge and sprawling, and filled with the café and shopping energy that is so missing in Sousse. We spent a few hours wandering the streets, having mint tea in cafés, browsing the souk (outdoor shopping vendors), and seeing its gorgeous architecture. We visited the Zaouia (shrine) of Sidi Abed, one of the world's finest examples of Arabic tiling, and Maison du Gouveneur (Governor's House), a nondescript doorway that opens into a former governor's stunning 18-room house (to house his 4 wives and 24 children, of course). It's gorgeous, but it's also a fucking carpet shop now, so there's that.

We walked through the medina to the Mosque of the Three Doors, and the area felt...familiar. And it indeed is. In 1980, this street was used as a stand-in for Cairo in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," including that famous scene when a man threatens Indiana with fancy sword work, and in response, Indiana just shoots him.

After mint tea at a café near the mosque, we set out to catch the 2pm bus to Monastir. The buses looked...a bit rough, and we had an hourlong wait in the stuffy, sweaty bus station. On a whim, we walked over to the louage station, despite being told repeatedly that no louages run between Kairouan and Monastir. So imagine our glee to discover that there actually was one, and it was leaving in five minutes. And for just 8 dinar (€2.75)!

Monastir is a lovely seaside town, famous for its 8th century Rabat- it's even more famous than Sousse's rabat because it was used as the castle for Monty Python's "Life Of Brian." It's utterly stunning, sitting on a hill overlooking the sea, surrounded by palm trees. (Though Sousse's rabat walls were used in the film as a stand-in for Jerusalem.)

We visited the 1963 tomb of Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia's first president post-French independence. It was...interesting. It's insanely opulent, with a massive chandelier hanging from a huge domed cupola, over his marble tomb. It's weirder when you discover that this guy DIDN'T EVEN DIE UNTIL 2000, so apparently he was responsible for this understated design.

After a marathon seven hours of exploring through two cities, two filming locations, two medinas, and multiple mosques, we caught a louage back to Sousse for well-earned naps. Indiana Jones would be proud.

Tomorrow we head to Tunis!Read more