Souvenir Chronicles: TUNISIA, DAY 1: TUNIS, SIDI BOU SAID, HOTEL ROYAL VICTORIA

March 20, 2024

Tunisia was never on my list of Travel Dreams, but it has been on Bob's for a while.

We have traveled in Morocco and Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, so I suppose it was time to hit a central North African country. It is, in fact, the northernmost country of Africa.

Here is a zoomed in view of the map that gives perspective on the relative size and location of Malta.

According to Wikipedia, Tunisia is about the size of Wisconsin but has twice the population (11.7 million compared to 5.9 million). After a revolution in 2011 that overthrew the president of 24 years, Tunisia became the only democratic state in the Arab world in 2014, and that lasted until a bit of slippage in 2020, but it is still considered a "hybrid" regime. It has one of the highest per capita incomes on the African continent.

The flight from Valletta to Tunis was only about 40 minutes long--about the time it takes to take off and land with a few minutes of flying in between.

One note on getting cash: We usually withdraw money from an ATM in the airport in the local currency. At this airport, we were only able to withdraw 200 dinar--about $70. Chris and Stan couldn't get their card to work at all, so we withdrew dinar for them as well. This is a trick we learned about in Indonesia. If you can only withdraw relatively small amounts, you'll have to withdraw funds more often, which means you'll have to pay their bank fees more often. Very annoying.

We were picked up at the Carthage Airport by the local man who would be our guide for the next three days, Feker. We quickly discovered the Feker likes to take photos. The first thing he did was line us up in front of the terminal for a picture.

I liked the piece of the Corinthian column that was next to us. I assume it is very old, perhaps from the ruins of nearby Carthage?

We noticed some interesting architecture as we drove through the business district of Tunis. The Hotel Du Lac, a great example of Brutalist architecture, was built in 1973. Unfortunately, it has fallen into disrepair and has been closed for over 20 years.

The clock tower was built in 1987 to commemorate President Ben Ali's assumption of power. He is the president noted above who reigned until he was overthrown in 2011 during the Tunisian revolution.

We headed out of town on very nice roads.

Our first stop was the Lake of Tunis, a lagoon on the outskirts of the capital city that covers about 14 square miles but has an average depth of about 3.25 feet.

Across the street from the lake is Carthage Land, a waterpark with a surprisingly skimpily-clad mermaid for a country that is 98% Muslim.

Feker took about 20 pictures of us in front of the lake. Here is one:

Speaking of the Muslim population, it was still Ramadan, and Feker knew we would want some snacks during the daylight hours, so we stopped at a bakery and bought some pastries, then went across the street to a grocery store where we bought water, oranges, chocolate, and lots of chips for about $30/couple. It turned out to be much more than we needed, but the thought of no food during daylight hours for the next two days made us (ironically) greedy.

Then we drove to Sidi Bou Said, a town about 12 miles northeast of Tunis that is known, at least to tourists, as The Blue and White City. You can see why:

We noticed this elderly man sitting on some steps. I think he was stringing beads.

We recognized the covered balconies that are so popular in Malta. It makes sense that they are here too as they sprung up around Malta during the time of the Arab conquest.

We made our way up the main street, which was packed with aggressive vendors trying to get us to buy. Sidi Bou Said has a population of roughly 6,000, and I think 5,100 of them are selling souvenirs. They had some beautiful things, and if they had left me alone to browse, I may have bought something.

Wow, what a view.

It was not surprising to learn that this town, with its serene ambience and beautiful sights, has attracted the great artists of the world.

This house has the same view as in the photos above. I think it is the Tunisian version of Malibu.

Feker knew we would want a few dozen photos here.

I have to admit that these might be Christmas card-worthy.

This looked like a wonderful place to have lunch, but . . . Ramadan.

Time for more photos!

I really need to do something about my front door at home. It is so boring.

What would it be like to grow up in Sidi Bou Said? I can't imagine it!

A double-decker balcony and a zebra-striped arch:

It's nice to have something named after you, even if it is a detergent.

It was time to head back into Tunis to get ready for our first Iftar dinner--the meal that ends the Ramadan fast for the day. Feker offered to stay with us for dinner and guide us through the process. He told us that they usually eat around 4:00 AM before the sun rises, then go back to bed for a few hours. They can eat again when the sun sets, which when we were there was about 6:30 PM.

When we got to the restaurant, it was very crowded and we were lucky to get a table. It was fun to watch all the customers sitting still at their tables, which were laden with food and drink, patiently waiting for a signal that told them the sun had set and they could eat. And when that signal was given, it seemed that the first thing many did was take a long drink of water!

Our meal was one of several set meal options. We all had brik (pronounced "breek"), a thin, crisp, crepe-like shell folded over filling that included an egg. I think it became my favorite food in Tunisia. We also all had a bean soup that was too spicy for me.

Wait, wait! It's picture time!

Feker got in on the action too.

I had selected the octopus option and was served a fat tentacle atop a massive bed of couscous. It was okay but not great. Chris thought she was playing it safe by ordering spaghetti and prawns, but again, her dish was so spicy that it was tough to eat.

I think this was our restaurant. By the time we left, it had emptied out. People ate fast and headed home.

I were within walking distance of our hotel, the Hotel Royal Victoria, located in the heart of Tunis right next to the entrance of the busy souk, which we would visit later, Built in 1914 in Moorish revival style, it was originally the British Embassy. When the embassy moved to a new location in 2003, the building was turned over to the Tunisian state. I assume that's when it became a hotel.

I wouldn't call this a five-star hotel as it was a bit run down, but it was still incredibly charming. On the left below are the doors to the hallway and the bathroom. Gorgeous.