الجمهورية التونسية

Back in April I left my foot print on the Tunisian desert. I haven't posted anything about the trip because theres way too much to post. Flew into Tunez Thurs afternoon. A Cathedral
Dinner at on a balcony looking out on the central plaza outside the Medina. Typical Dish. Méchouci. Chicken and lamb sausage braised and grilled. with fries.Night bus to Tozeur. 9 hrs. Not comfortable.
Picked up by tour guide Nassim at station 5 am. In a car, not a camel, this picture is from later.
Got in bed just in time to be woken up by the call to pray at sunrise blasting from the mosque across the street.Nassim drove us out to the Chott el Jerid. The largest Salt pan in the Sahara. Its a salt lake that is almost completely dried up. The interaction between the cool air near the surface and the warm air above can create the illusion that objects in the distance like palm trees are elongated and hovering above the ground.7,000 square km in total surface area its 90 km across. Nassim had a great collection of Arabic and Western music for the ride. In the distance to the west are the Atlas Mountains which have gradually migrated across northern Africa, from Morocco to Tunisia.
Tastes like salt.
Lunch with Nassim at Chez Magic in Douz, "the door to the desert".Typical appetizer. Brik. thing fried crepe with an egg and spinach or tuna inside.

Bread accompaniment: Harissa. much spicier than butter.

Drove through oasis's and little towns. The numbered squares on the wall are where they put the pictures of people running in elections since many people are illiterate.

Rode camels out into the dunes of the desert from a Berber village where they have only had running water for the past three years and only one man has a cell phone. Over time, roses of sand form, shaped by the wind, like the opposite of erosion. Nassim says that when spending a night in the stillness and silence of the desert one finds themself. We didn't stay the night so I guess that means Im still missing. If any of you want to find yourselves Nassim and his American wife will be opening an office in Boston.
Dinner: Dromedary and spinach tajine. Back in Tunis, the capital the next day. Shopping in the Souk.Went to a famous mosaic museum. Famous in relation to mosaic museums I think. I was expecting something more colorful.
Carthage founded by the Phoenicians, destroyed and taken over by Romans in the Punic Wars , has a lot of good ruins.In front of the Baths of Antoninus Pius. Huge, 4.5 acres. Built between 146 and 163 AD. Organized into different chambres like for hot water, warm water, gymnasium, sauna.
Sidi Bou Saïd. Blue doored, white walled town perched on a cliff on the Gulf of Tunisia.
Cemetery at the top of the city.
Night in a hotel.

We all felt so lucky to wake up for the second weekend in one month to a view of the Mediterranean, and this time in Tunisia after three unforgettable days in such a unique country. We left already hoping to return to Tunisia someday. It was such a cool country because it has such variety from the Star wars deserts of the south to the cities, mountains, roman ruins, and beaches of the north. And with welcoming friendly helpful people, it is an ideal vacation destination.