Sunday, February 23 – Tunis

It’s a another beautiful day, with temperatures in the upper 60s. I’m going to walk around a bit and ultimately make my way to the national museum.

I’ve accumulated a few coins over the last couple days. It’s nice to have some for things like the bus, but this is a little out of hand! Hopefully I can unload most of them when I pay the entry fee at the museum.

It was about a one hour walk from my hotel to the museum. Here are a couple photos from along the way…

The Bardo National Museum is one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean region, and of those on the African continent, is considered to trail only the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in terms of prestige. The museum houses one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

In the center of the room is a stuccoed mausoleum discovered in Carthage. It dates to the 1st / 2nd century.

A mosaic dating to the 3rd century.

This is a 5th century mosaic illustrating daily life around Lake Hippo Diarrhythus.

Wow! I was very impressed with this museum. Not something I was expecting to find in Tunis (and that’s a reflection on my lack of knowledge, not on the city of Tunis).

Here are a couple more city views on my way back to the hotel…

The city zoo is located near my hotel. I was thinking of stopping by for a visit. But after reading the online reviews describing the poor living conditions for the animals, I decided to pass.

There is a restaurant near the hotel that is open today (being Sunday, many are closed); dinner? Ah, another check of the reviews made me think otherwise.

Instead, I made a grocery run. Picked up bread, cheese, a pre-made salad, and ginger ale (I think). All for less than $3!

A Few Observations

• Tunis (and Marrakech) could be described (by me) as filthy. A lot of littering. A shame…
• There are many stray cats in Morocco and Tunisia. A hotel staff member told me that the locals like that, because they help control the rat population, and they are a clean animal (my comment: not so great for the bird population though…). This is in contrast to South and Central America, where there are a lot of stray dogs!
• There is a proliferation of people wearing NY Yankee caps in Morocco and Tunisia. The worldwide popularity of the brand (or the logo) is staggering. I wonder if the wearers even know anything about the team? Doubtful (I should have asked someone, “How gutted are you by Soto leaving to sign with the crosstown Mets?”).

Monday, February 24 – Tunis

I’m still a little under the weather, but it’s my last day in Tunis, and there’s more to see. Toughen up!

I’m going to brave another bus trip to Carthage today; however, I’m taking it all the way to the end of the line this time – to the city of La Marsa (getting the most out of my 1 dinar fare!). So no worries about the driver not letting me off at my requested stop! The ride took about 40 minutes.

La Marsa is a coastal city with a population of around 100,000 people. The city is known for its beaches, upscale residential areas, and lively atmosphere, with numerous restaurants, cafes, and shops.

I spent most of my time walking along the Mediterranean coast…

This was a pretty walk. And it’s not over! I continued walking southeast along the coast to the town of Sidi Bou Said. The town itself is kind of a tourist attraction (but I went anyway!), and is known for its extensive use of blue and white (like Chefchaouen in Morocco!).

Another fun walk! And a beautiful day for it. I would say Sidi Bou Said is definitely less touristy than Chefchaouen, but also less picturesque. Tradeoffs…

I’m beat! Not feeling well is undoubtedly a factor. I think it’s time to head back to the hotel.

And luckily I came across an easily identifiable bus stop as I made my way out of Sidi Bou Said. And I even remember which bus to catch back to Tunis. Brilliant! (the bus wasn’t nearly as crowded as Saturday; maybe it has to do with it being a weekday, or the time of day?)

Tuesday, February 25 – transit from Tunis to London

I had some leftover dinars, so prior to checking out I asked the staff at hotel reception if they could exchange it to dollars (or pounds, or euros) for me. They said they couldn’t; were only allowed to perform exchanges in the opposite direction (foreign currency to dinars). They told me though that I could easily make the exchange at the airport, with one proviso: that I have the original receipt from when I converted dollars to dinars. Mmmmm…that could be a problem. When I arrived at the Tunis airport, I used an ATM to get some cash. Well, I requested a receipt during the process, but never received one. That’s convenient! Do I smell a little scam going on here?

I didn’t have a huge amount of money leftover (around $30 equivalent), and didn’t feel like fighting about the receipt issue with the currency exchange folks at the airport, so I ended up just leaving it for the hotel housekeeping staff.

Travel Note: I exchanged my leftover Moroccan dirhams for U.S. dollars at the Casablanca airport, with no issues; receipts not required. Just sayin’…

My flight is scheduled to depart at 1:45pm, and Tunisair recommends arriving at the airport 3 hours early. Not a problem. I had booked a ride in advance through the hotel for 45 dinars. I probably overpaid, but it was convenient. And I paid the hotel for the ride yesterday with my credit card. If I’d known about this money exchange scam then, I would have paid by cash!

All went smoothly at the airport. The flight was about an hour late departing, but no big deal. It was direct to Heathrow on an A320, took about 3 hours, and it was full. Like on Royal Air Moroc, a nice meal was provided. This time it was grilled chicken. The cost of the flight was $159.

Unlike the flight from Casablanca a few days ago, I had no issues clearing my ears during the decent today. I guess that means I’m getting better?

We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4. And you know that I’m normally all about taking the SL9 bus back to South Harrow. However, the Terminal 4 factor kind of messes that up because, in order to catch the bus, I need to take the tube to Terminal 3. So instead, in this case I just stayed on the Piccadilly line train to South Harrow station (with a change at Acton Town). More expensive than the SL9, but laziness overruled my cheapness (plus, I was sick and tired – literally!)!

I got back to Byron House around 7pm, and was in bed soon after!

Tunisia Facts

• Drive on the right (LHD vehicles)
• I did not drink the tap water
• Languages I encountered were Arabic and French; with English spoken by those in the tourist industry
• As previously noted, the currency is the Tunisian Dinar

Trip Notes

• It’s a tough call, but I would say Tangier was my favorite of the places visited on this trip. Less tourists, less expensive, nice dining options, fairly clean, and a picturesque Medina.
• I got lucky with the weather. Never had to use my umbrella. The only significant rainfall occurred on one overnight in Marrakech.
• I had no digestive issues throughout the trip (more luck!)
• I averaged 19k steps/day for the 15 day trip
• This one’s kind of (very) geeky: The three non-stop flights I took on this trip form an equilateral triangle (if you ignore the gap between Gibraltar and Casablanca!). Side 1) London-Gibraltar: 1,085 miles; Side 2) Casablanca-Tunis: 1,036 miles; Side 3): Tunis-London: 1,138 miles.

The only souvenirs from my trip: a) a fragment of my wristband from the Gibraltar Nature Reserve; b) a Chefchaouen key chain I received from the tour company that I used for that day trip; and c) a hand-painted bowl I received from my hotel in Tunis.

I talked previously regarding my attitude towards buying anything from the various markets I visited. A little too touristy, and a lack of confidence in my knowledge of prices and quality. Plus, I’m basically in old-age minimalist mode. I’m trying to get rid of stuff, not acquire more!

This was a great trip! I’m very happy I made the journey. I hope you enjoyed following along. Sorry it took a while to get these Entries posted. Next, on to my Spain updates…