A tale of three Tunisian Cities

We are invited to partake in a road trip to El Djem, a Roman amphitheater built in the early 3rd century BC but before I get into that, a group of friends included us on a drive to Nebeul to walk its famous open-air market and then on to Hammamet for Lunch. A short road trip of sorts, both towns are on the south coast of the Cape Bon peninsula and approximately 65km from Tunis

Nabuel is knows for its agricultural riches (oranges, lemons and bitter orange), Balgha heelless slippers and decorative pottery

We don't have much time to explore before we leave for Hammamet, a touristy, water sport lovers holiday destination

We arrive at the Medina

We go through the huge walled gate,

We turn a corner,

We go up a flight of stairs,

No, not the wine bar,

Up another flight, I think we are in a castle tower,

And pop up into the light, the Medina on one side and the sea on the other

Quite a surreal setting

As its a seafood restaurant, its no surprise to find fresh fish on offer,

and delectable starters

A mussel pot for 1 (I must be honest, the mussels are tiny, not the South African size)

But on to the main course, a road trip some 204km's from Tunis. We pick up our hire car at the airport and head out on the A1 to the city of El Djem

Somewhere on the A1 we spot these huge nests on the pylons. And delight in finding breeding pairs of White Storks in each

After a halfway pit stop for coffee and chocolate croissants for breakfast, we reach our destination of El Djem, find a parking and stare at this wonder. Who would believe a monument of this stature is found in Tunisia?

Ok, time to move on, wait a quick pic first, now I'm ready

Gate fee, as is usual in Tunis, includes entrance to the museum down the road but these are not ancient mosaics, they're modern day and equally beautiful

I am chomping at the bit to get into the Amphitheater, but before I do, here is a little history: Built in the early 3rd century, El Djem was capable of seating 35,000 spectators. Only the Roman Colosseum and Capus were larger. It was mainly used for gladiator shows and chariot races. It remained whole until the 17th century when its stones were then used to build the nearby village of El Djem and the Great Mosque of Kairouan

Here it is in all its glory. Enjoy

No crowds, not another sole in sight, other than the 4 of us

After exploring every inch of the amphitheater, we walk around its perimeter checking out the shops

Tailor-made leather jackets

small mosaic souvenirs

And on to the museum down a wet and muddy road

The museum contains exceptional Roman mosaics, mythological and gory scenes from the Colosseum

The House of Africa, an 170 AD Roman villa that was excavated in the 1990's from the heart of El Jem and installed here for display

We head back to the Colosseum and choose a restaurant for lunch. The proprietor is an absolute character, speaking Afrikaans, Dutch, German, Chinese, you name it. He had us in stitches, tears streaming down the cheeks. Snacks are laid out, and we are asked if we would like lamb, chicken or fish for lunch. We all choose lamb and out he comes with a plateful of chops (extremely fresh if you know what I mean) and braai's them on the barbecue, I mean look at this view!

Full of joy, our cook

After those starters, how do you get through lunch?

More than satisfied, we head back up the coast to our second city of the trip, Sousse, where we'll stay the night in a traditional Arabic home cum B&B in the heart of the Medina of Sousse. It takes quite some time and a little guiding to find our address in the maze of left and right turns

A doorway does not a house make

I'm mesmerized. You see these homes in House Hunters International. I never once thought this was a bucket list item, but it so is, wow. Let me give you the tour...

From the foyer you find yourself in an open space living area, turn right...

...into the open-air dining area with 3 bedroom surrounding it, plus a downstairs apartment

The foyer and stairs leading up to the first floor

There are bedrooms....

...and there are bedrooms...

...and then there are bedrooms! The ones off the dining area are totally traditional and completely opulent in every way

The outside view of the upstairs bedrooms

And looking down into the dining area

Take a delightful flight of stairs up another level and this is what you'll find...

The roof terrace

And then you notice the views!

Once we settle in and the excitement has died down a bit, we amble through the Medina, which is a world heritage site, declared by UNESCO in 1988, to find our dinner

We find someplace that serves beer and wine and indulge in more eating and just a bit of drinking

After dinner, we stroll back through a quiet Medina and wonder if the streets get cleaned. No sooner was the thought spoken when from around a corner, a group of cleaners come into sight, gobbling up rubbish with their machine and spraying water to clean the walkways. Back home we open a bottle of Tunisian wine on the terrace and soak in the ambience. What an extraordinary day its been

A before breakfast walk was decided on last night and I need to get in one Tunisian sunrise, so while John is heating up water for coffee, I rush upstairs, but to no avail, overcast weather and the best I can do is this pic from the bedroom window

The Medina is still asleep and we wonder through the alleyways until we come to the great wall and decide to circumnavigate it

Sousse was an important commercial and military port during the Aghlabid period and is a typical example of a town dating from the 1st centuries of Islam. The wall protected the town from piracy and other dangers from the sea

It is so quiet, and peaceful, at this time of the day

Happy to see our car is where we left it yesterday

One of my favourite images

Olive Oil is liquid gold in Tunisia and the region has been producing oil since the 8th century BC

The market is waking up as we go past

Date cultivation is booming in Tunisia and in particular the prized Deglet Nour variety accounts for the majority of production making Tunisia the main supplier to Europe. The nutritional benefits of dates include being a source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, fibre for blood sugar balance, reduce blood pressure, help maintain bone mass and contains a brain booster. Eaten fresh or dried what's not to love about Dates

Almost home and the Medina's traders are up and ready for business

Dar Bizaar, the street our B&B is in, and time for breakfast, especially coffee

We pack up after breakfast (microwave boiled eggs, baguette, jam, chocolate croissant and coffee), and head off for our 3rd city, Kairouan, an important centre for Sunni Islamic scholarship and Quranic learning since around 680. The city is also well know for its handmade Carpets

We are able to make a stop without killing ourselves in the process to photograph the picking of olives. One third of the country is covered in olive groves and Tunisia is the 3rd largest exporter of the oil. 95% of the olives produced are organic because of the hot climate, pests are very rare and so insecticides are not necessary. Tunisia produces 3 times more organic oil than Spain, who is the worlds largest olive oil producer. Look out for a bottle or 2 in your local store, you won't be disappointed!

We miss a turnoff to the Medina and a scooter driver stops us and shows us the way and somehow has the time to become our tour guide. Kairouan was not without its battles between the Berber resistance against the Arab invasions but after a Berber woman, Al-Kahina was killed and her army defeated in 702, there was a mass conversion to Islam. Power struggles continued until the 8th century when the Aghlabites built the great mosque and established a university (groundbreaking for the mosque was in 670 though)

The Great Mosque of Sidi-Uqba is considered as one of the most important monuments of Islamic Civilization as well as an architectural masterpiece

A glimpse inside the mosque shows a few of the 414 columns

We walk the entire outer perimeter of the mosque listening to our guide. It spans over 9000 sqm. At the far end of the street is a carpet shop and we are hussled in. There is an extensive display of carpet and lots of pressure to buy. We want to walk the Medina and what will be on offer there so take our leave, the prices dropping with each step

A 1 family home above and a 2 family home below, see the knockers

A mural preferable to cats fighting to survive on the streets

Its quite unusual for a door to have glass, in fact its the first one I've seen

A typical street scene, a cat scavenging

A square of sorts with municipal offices, a restaurant, B&B, and we hook another guide

Couldn't resist...

Men at work

Where is everyone?

We find the market area and start looking for a tea house

We look and look...and eventually find one that's closed. Not to worry, someone runs off to find the owner and soon the shop is opened, well not so much a shop as a room in his house, and we are served Tunisian tea (sweet mint) and coffee and brought little sweetbreads and dates, totally yum

On the way out, we find the tea house we'd been told about and somehow missed (not unusual in a Medina), the one with the camel? Right, lets see him anyhow

In the old days, camels were used to draw water up from the wells. This one is for show but there is still water being pumped, only undrinkable these days

The wheel turns and pours water into an ern

Someone is lucky enough to get a smooch. The owner seems to be rather pleased with his camel's good nature

Its nice to see restoration happening throughout the Medina

I find a perfect rug at a little shop just to the left of this picture, in fact on closer examination, its the one hanging under the blue lamp

Really detailed work on the wall of this small mosque

This would work instead of walking the Medina

These domes are stunningly painted, so different from the norm

And so ends our road trip and as the countryside fly's past, from inner desert and olive groves to inland lakes and the sea, and then the chaos of Tunis, I reflect on this most amazing adventure, so unexpected. From the warm, friendly, hospitable people of Tunisia, the gastronomic pleasures of the region, wonderful new friendships made, to what we have seen and experienced stepping back in time, and I can't help but feel absolutely blessed, incredibly fortunate. Thank you, thank you!