Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and
the place you will fly into when entering the country. The old medina
is interesting, as are the buildings of the French quarter. Overall, its
not touristy, nor particularly friendly towards tourists, but its worth
walking around for a day. The above picture was taken from the top of
the medina looking through to the tiles and minaret of the Grand Bazaar.
Here is the ave Habib Bourguiba which runs
from Lake Tunis to the medina at the far end. It serves as a main
promenade of the city with dozens of restaurants and cafes lining
its side streets.
More rooftop tiles from atop the medina.
Street scene at night in the Ville Nouvelle.
This is the French section of the city. Lots of colonial architecture,
wrought iron balconies, patisseries and cafes in this area.
Our first few days in Tunisia were quite rainy,
which is illustrated by the picture above.
Here is Dale taking a break from the rain
and enjoying a cup of tea. Tea houses abound in the city and unlike
in other places in Tunisia, women go into them.
Inside the medina is a gigantic souq or marketplace.
The place is so large it has streets dedicated to selling certain
items. This area, and the one below, featured women's clothes
and wedding items.
Pictured are materials used
for the henna that decorates the bride on her wedding day (and
some fancy shoes).
Dale and I with Farid in the medina. We got
scammed going into this place. Who ever heard of having to pay
to go to the roof of the shop you were in?
Cool doorway found in the medina
Arches, doors, and doors within doors.
French impact plays a part in much of the food of the country.
Here is Dale (and our lovely camel Farid) enjoying a crepe just
outside the medina.
Another specialty is the Briq, which is an envelope of pastry
with tasty fillings inside. I forgot to get a picture of that
because every time I ordered them I ate them so quickly.
One of the nice things about
Tunisia is with any meal you get a bunch of bread, a plate of
appetizers with things like olives, cucumbers, a spicy chili paste
called harissa free with the meal. Most meals were quite filling,
and they seem to cost around $3, so eating out was phenomenally
cheap.
One of my favorite dishes here
was fish couscous. With this dish you get a pile of couscous with
grilled fish and a mound of vegetables on top. Note the appetizer
plate of olives, harissa, and bread.
Heaps of chilies at a local market. The Tunisians love their harissa
and their chilies, which they associate with passion and warmth.
There is an old saying that men can judge the wife's love by the
amount of spice in the food. If the food is bland, the romance is
dead.
