Tunis, Tunisia
As we made our way on deck this morning we were greeted by cool temperatures and partly cloudy skies, a welcome change from the intensely hot weather of the past three days. We’d been sailing up the coast through the night toward the northeast corner of Tunisia. The local pilot boarded and we made our way into the port of La Goulette several miles from the capitol city of Tunis. This busy port sees the coming and going of cargo ships, ferries and passenger liners.
Soon after breakfast we boarded busses to begin our day ashore. A drive through the city, home to two-million-plus Tunisians, gave us an overview and introduction to the city central. At the Bardo Palace we visited the Bardo Museum which houses a broad range of exhibits representing the various periods of Tunisia’s history and one of the best collections of mosaics in the world. After the museum, half of our group continued on to the Tunis medina where our guides led us through the winding streets of the crowded market area. Vendors invited us into their booths and shops and there was much haggling going on as we selected gifts and souvenirs. The alleyways form complex and convoluted patterns and the noise and moving masses add to what seems to be chaotic. The afternoon was spent visiting the ancient metropolis of Carthage. Again our guides led us through the site, interpreting what was before us and painting verbal pictures of the past. On the return trip, we had a brief stop at the Antonine Baths and the beautiful and well kept American World War II cemetery.
The rest of us had elected to make the drive to the ancient site at Dougga. The trip through the Medjerda River Valley offered a more intimate look at the countryside, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the site with a fine view of the surrounding countryside.
Our two days of visitation to Tunisia had been both enlightening and full. We departed North Africa with vivid impressions of diverse cultures steeped in history and rich with memories of an exotic land.
As we made our way on deck this morning we were greeted by cool temperatures and partly cloudy skies, a welcome change from the intensely hot weather of the past three days. We’d been sailing up the coast through the night toward the northeast corner of Tunisia. The local pilot boarded and we made our way into the port of La Goulette several miles from the capitol city of Tunis. This busy port sees the coming and going of cargo ships, ferries and passenger liners.
Soon after breakfast we boarded busses to begin our day ashore. A drive through the city, home to two-million-plus Tunisians, gave us an overview and introduction to the city central. At the Bardo Palace we visited the Bardo Museum which houses a broad range of exhibits representing the various periods of Tunisia’s history and one of the best collections of mosaics in the world. After the museum, half of our group continued on to the Tunis medina where our guides led us through the winding streets of the crowded market area. Vendors invited us into their booths and shops and there was much haggling going on as we selected gifts and souvenirs. The alleyways form complex and convoluted patterns and the noise and moving masses add to what seems to be chaotic. The afternoon was spent visiting the ancient metropolis of Carthage. Again our guides led us through the site, interpreting what was before us and painting verbal pictures of the past. On the return trip, we had a brief stop at the Antonine Baths and the beautiful and well kept American World War II cemetery.
The rest of us had elected to make the drive to the ancient site at Dougga. The trip through the Medjerda River Valley offered a more intimate look at the countryside, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the site with a fine view of the surrounding countryside.
Our two days of visitation to Tunisia had been both enlightening and full. We departed North Africa with vivid impressions of diverse cultures steeped in history and rich with memories of an exotic land.
