Ancient Carthage, capital of a Punic empire

We start our exploring of the Carthage ruins at the Antonin Baths. Carthage was founded in 814BC and destroyed in the last Punic war by Rome in 146BC who then redesigned and occupied the city. The baths were completed under the rein of emperor Antoninus in 165AD and stood 3 levels high

Now let your eyes do the walking...mine walked faster than my legs!

The Antonin were one of three largest baths built in the Roman empire. After their destruction in 439 by the Vandals, who, incidentally, were a people from present-day southern Poland. They were characterized as barbarians, looting and trashing all things Roman which lead to the term "vandalism" to describe any pointless destruction, particularly defacing artwork. The baths remained buried until excavation work began after 1945 and sadly all that remains of the building is the basement where the installations for running the complex were housed

A Punic tomb on the site of the Antonin Baths. The interior has space for 2 sarcophagi

The next site, some kilometers uphill from the baths, is the Roman Villas where one can see the general layout of the Roman streets and life-style of its citizens

Cisterns received water from a branch of the Zaghouan Aqueduct and water flowed down to the Antonin baths through underground pipes

A 3rd century Roman villa known as the House of the aviary, was partially reconstructed in 1960

Our first mosaic experience, they aren't very well preserved but and we're terribly excited

We find the Theater a short walk from the Villas. It was built in the 2nd century and could hold 10,000 spectators before being destroyed in 439 by the Vandals. It was excavated and partially restored thereafter. Further restoration since the 1960's finds it in its present state (not terribly impressive) and these days it hosts the Carthage international festival in the summertime

A walkabout to find the entrance of the Byrsa Quarter, Cathedral and museum on the top of Byrsa hill, leaves us sweating and thirsty. Byrsa was a walled citadel overlooking the Phoenician Port and formed the military installation of Carthage. St. Louis is a 19th century Cathedral which was built atop an ancient temple and today it serves as a cultural centre

The Byrsa or Punic Quarter was built in the early 2nd century BC. It was a residential area complete with street grids, houses and Punic tombs. It was burnt to the ground by the Romans in 146AD, who then rebuilt the city and the hill remained central to their administration

A short 'time-out' before we head home. Unfortunately the museum is closed for renovations

A new day and we are back in the Carthage area to explore the Punic Ports

On route we stumble upon the Tophet which is the most ancient site of Punic religious cult. It was discovered in the 20th century and contains over 20,000 funerary urns filled with cremated ashes and bone fragments of young children. Subsequent research propelled the theory that infants (first born from wealthy families) were ritually sacrificed to the Punic gods over several centuries . Quite something to consider

Byrsa hill in the distance and one can see why it was a strategic landmark

Thankfully these pictures help visualize what the port looked like as the site has very

little left to glean information

The inner part is 130 meters in diameter, used for both dock and quay and big enough to hold 220 slim ships at one time

Today the port serves the local fishermen

The port consisted of a 100 meter wide circular canal. The quay above was used for ship repairs

From the Punic port we hope to walk to the Sidi BouSaid Marina a few km's away but find the Presidential Palace on our route and we opt for a late lunch and a train ride home. Demain est un autre jour (tomorrow is another day)

And what a picture perfect day! Calm seas, gentle breeze, beautiful walking weather

Sidi BouSaid nestled on the hilltop

Benches built into the seawall encourages you to sit awhile and let your dreams set sail

A colorful street food stall

Boats of all shapes and sizes in the Marina

In your dreams John

Good things come to those who bait and a bucketful at that

Appealing Maisons near the marina, now I'm dreamy

Just love these old scooters or are they vespa's. A coffee stop before we climb the hill to the station

We head into La Goulette today, the port suburb of Tunis, which is situated on a sandbar between Lake Tunis and the Gulf of Tunis. La Goulette's Arabic name, Halq al-Wadi means 'river's throat' which links the capital by a 11km canal. A kasbah fortress is our main attraction which we find at the end of our meander down the beach

I would love to learn what these number symbolize

Focal point of the photo are the signposts

Almost impossible to envisage without a before picture. Streets replace canals

Part of the old wall remains and makes for some interesting photos. A glimpse of the new through the old

Leaving the best for last, well no, not the best, but possibly the most picturesque, Sidi BouSaid, the charming, blue and white hilltop village is like no other. Cobble-stoned lanes, exquisite views across the Gulf and City, interesting stalls and food, architecture, I mean elaborate doors and metalwork, I could go on and on. You tell me what you think!

The villages' name sake, Abu Said al-Baji arrived in the village of Jabal el-Menar (previously called) in the late 12th century AD, established a sanctuary and was buried there when he died in 1231. In the18th century Turkish governors of Tunis built residences in Sidi BouSaid. During the 1920's the blue-white theme was applied and today it is a town of artists

Glorious vistas of the surrounding city and suburbs of Tunis

1 knocker on the door indicates a one family home

View over Port of Sidi BouSaid from the village. It is apparently the only safe place to leave a boat while visiting the city

A Cafe overlooking the Gulf, fabulously expensive view

And so ends our Carthage experience, our first of European antiquity. So much history lies on these shores. It has been incredible exploring, learning and not just of the ancients but present day too, Tunis is a fascinating destination

Our last weekend before we head home is spent partaking in a short road trip and a tale of three cities will follow. Until next time feast on these