Sidi Slickers

Greetings from North Africa!

It's been a long time- three and a half years and a pandemic, to be precise- but we are finally exploring a new country: Tunisia! Just a ninety-minute flight from Barcelona, this region is a crazy, beautiful blend of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern culture.

Fun fact: Tunisia was originally called "Ifrīqiyyah," and from that name the Roman conquerors called the region...Africa.

And speaking of Roman conquerors: Here in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, is the former site of ancient Carthage! So we woke up this morning to a gorgeous sunny day, and went to pillage these ancient ruins. (Or just view them. We'll see how it goes.)

I'm going to sheepishly admit that I didn't realize Carthage was actually real- much like Pompeii or Atlantis, Carthage seemed to be stuff of legend (and yes I know Pompeii was real too. I broke my new smartphone there, on the volcanic rock. Stupid Mount Vesuvius). But the Carthaginian Punic empire, founded in the 9th century B.C., was a rich and powerful empire for 500 years, until the Romans sacked and destroyed Carthage in 146 B.C. This conquest cemented the Romans as the big dog empire, and the rest is (literally) history.

The historical site is massive, and includes an amphitheater, a forum, a cemetery, a Roman theater, and villas. Weirdly, one of Tunisia's swankiest suburbs sprawls around and within the archaeological site (it's a curious neighborhood). There's not much left of the Punic ruins, as most of what you see are Roman post-conquest ruins. But it's a stunning site of antiquity- the Antonine Thermal Baths are the largest Roman baths outside of Rome.

After spending the morning in the Carthage Archaeological Park, we jumped on a train back to Sidi Bou Said, the picturesque seaside town nearby where we are staying. And when I say "jumped on the train," this is literally what we did- as it was pulling out of the station, we ran along the platform, jumped on, and assumed we'd buy a ticket onboard. Our assumption was incorrect, however, and we couldn't figure out how or who to pay- so we can now add Tunisia to the infamous Going Copenhagen-Style list (https://americanjoneswolfinlondon.wordpress.com…).

We spent the afternoon wandering the lovely streets and admiring the views of Sidi Bou Said. This hilltop town is famous for its whitewashed buildings overlooking the Bay of Tunis, with brilliant blue and pink colors everywhere. Painters like Matisse came here to paint the gorgeous Mediterranean seascape. If I didn't know I was in Tunisia, I'd think this was Santorini or Mykonos in Greece. It's simply beautiful.

....but it's also grossly overpriced, overrun with tour groups, and a bit of a tourist trap. So we ordered (exorbitant) mint teas at the famous Café Delices, overlooking the sea, took some photos, and departed before we were fatally trampled by a wild herd of tour groups. We relocated ourselves to a tiny restaurant near our guesthouse that serves spicy Tunisian stews on plastic tables in a parking lot, made by a Tunisian grandma. Paradise!

So our first full day in Tunisia finds our stomachs full of spicy stew and couscous, and our brains full of Punic and Roman history. It's a lot for a first day, and tomorrow we head south to the beach town of Hammamet.Read more