Once again Aphrodite’s is singing with the flurry of activity. John and Angela are with us now. We met them in Sicily, the night before our ‘Big Blow’ experience. They were the ones who came to our assistance after releasing our entangled anchor. After they secured their boat they dug deep into their lazarette and retrieved a spare anchor which allowed us to safely ride out the rest of the storm. They are recently retired Aussies who have just started their sailing sojourn and are, thus, brimming with enthusiasm. They joined us for the passage from Sicily to Tunisia, fancying the opportunity to make a crossing with a few ‘old salts’ like ourselves.
We arrived in Tunisia on November 20, 2007, following an uneventful two day crossing, and have found ourselves amongst a ‘wintering over’ cruising community. Angela, the self appointed social director, immediately set off to meet everyone and by that evening we had a full blown party on the boat with tons of people. The next day we joined a group of 20 cruisers for wine tasting at a local winery. (A winery in an Islamic country? We wondered that too!) It is so nice to be immersed in a group of cruisers again. Originally we were planning on leaving Tunisia in February and head directly to Israel. But, heeding the local advice of some of these repeat-visiting cruisers, we will probably wait until April to depart with the other boats. Apparently, sailing in the Greek waters before April can be very treacherous.
The four of us rented a car for 3 days and toured some of the northern part of the country. We are hoping to go into the Sahara Desert next week. Originally I hoped to go by camel and sleep in Nomad style tents, but it sounds like it is too late in the season for that, too cold at night. Also, after looking at a camel and trying to imagine riding one for 4 hours at a time, my back and knees started to ache. It is becoming a real challenge for my spirit to reside in this body! We may look into a 4 wheel drive vehicle and even a bed inside an exotic tent in an oasis! More later……
Tunis was Carthage, home of Carthage’s leading general, Hannibal, famous for his epic crossing of the Alps in 217 BC with 37 elephants, when he descend upon and defeat the un-expecting and unprepared Rome Empire. Later, Carthage was conquered by Rome during the Punic Wars. Since then Tunisia has been part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and finally in the 8th century A.D., Tunisia was absorbed into the Islamic Empire. Nineteenth century imperialism granted France the opportunity to take Tunisia as a colony. In 1956 she gained her independence. Today’s post-colonial Tunisia is encumbered with a hodgepodge of modern western culture, the Islamic Sunni, and traditional Arab custom. Now ruled as a secular state under the regime of Ben Ali, Tunisia seems to be searching for its identity.
So far, traveling in Tunisia has been much easier than neighboring Morocco. We are not being hassled or continually conned as before. A strong modern Western appearance dominates Tunisia, rather than the exotic third-world feel characteristic of Morocco. Men and women mingle freely with each other as well as us, or any other visiting nationalities. Two distinct societies do exist though, but are seemingly well integrated: the modern, Western, cosmopolitan society; and the traditional rural village society. Yesterday I saw a tall, strapping teenager escorting an older, severely hunched rural Berber woman across a street. Once crossed, he spun on his heels and returned to his group of friends. Many women, especially the youth, are dressed in Western attire, while their mothers and grandmothers may wear hejabs (headscarves) and modest clothing. The traditional hejab veil has actually been banned from schools and working women by the current president, Ben Ali, who regards them as demeaning. Having said this, we have noticed that only men congrugrate at sidewalk cafes sipping coffee and communing, women do not.
Islam is the state religion and thus the predominant culture as well. However, it seems that most of the Tunisians are quite relaxed about their approach to religion, considering it a personal issue. The Call to Prayer occurs 5 times a day, just as it does in Morocco and all other Islamic countries, with men and women flocking to the mosques to pray, but the pervasiveness of the ritual is much more subdued than in Morocco where the muezzin call is omnipresent…
So far we have visited Kairouan, the 4th holiest Islamic cities, and El-Jem where the ruins of a Roman Colosseum still stand. The following are some of the pictures we took on our expeditions. Today Angela and I are going to a local hammam. I’ll see if it as vigorous and entertaining as the one Stephanie and I experienced in Morocco! Too bad I can’t photograph the experience. I am sure you would get a laugh out of it!
The architecture has changed from the imposing, robust earthen granite and marble constructed Roman buildings to ornate, delicate, detailed architecture rich in multi-colored mosaic tiles and intricately carved wood. Our first stop was the Grand Mosque in Kairouan which is plain and unassuming from the outside but adorned with marble-covered pillars, intricately carved and studded wooden doors, vibrantly colored rugs and ornate gold plated panels.
The medina’s in Tunisia look entirely different than in Morocco. The facades are enchanting with white washed walls offset by pale blue or green arches, balconies and shutters. Bargaining is a way of life here, expected and enjoyed by the merchants. It is essential to get ‘into it’ and enjoy the experience. Angela has proven to be particularly enthusiastic and successful at the active. One of the things Michael and I did was shop for throw rugs for the boat. Kairouan is famous for their carpets. We found two matching ones which we bought, after tons of bargaining of course. They are gorgeous, match the interior colors of boat perfectly and offer special memories of Tunisia.
Roman Colosseum of El-Jem and a sample of some of the many mosaics unearthed when the Roman village was excavated. These mosaics, made of tiny pieces of chipped colored stone, created incredibly detailed pictures which were used as wall coverings and floors in the wealthier Roman villas.
A First Taste of Tunisia
