Fun in the Tunisian Sun

In May 2013, I traveled to Tunisia where I spent two weeks spending time with my dad and younger sister. 

Tunisia is situated on the northern coast of Africa (bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Algeria, and Libya). The country is complicated in its history which dates back to 5000 BC and beyond. I bought a photo history book hoping to learn what I didn't know about this beautiful African resort city, but life got real the moment I touched down in the US and I haven't been able to get to it yet. I hope to delve into it as soon as I can because I was truly fascinated by this small country in North Africa which led to what has now become known as the Arab revolution of our time. 

Yes, what happened in Libya, Egypt, and now Syria, started in Tunisia in 2010 when the people forced out their sitting president of 23 years. At the time of my trip, things had stabilized, although it occasionally got heated in some parts of town and we were warned to avoid such places for our own safety. Well, I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Here I am at Dubai International Airport. My sister met me in Dubai (from Accra), and together we flew, seated side-by-side, to Tunisia. Kudos to my travel agent in Washington, DC, who arranged my flight such that we arrived within minutes of each other and were able to be seated together on our flight to Tunisia. This trip remains one of my most cherished travel memories to date. 

And there's the bag lady. After we finished screaming and jumping around in circles in the middle of terminal C, we decided to window shop and act all Ghanaian while waiting for our flight to Tunisia.  Our reunion in Dubai was the perfect beginning to the perfect vacation that was very well planned.

Here's Dad! Man of the hour. He was the sponsor and host of this trip. I love him so much! He's been consulting for the African Development Bank since 2009. ADB is temporarily headquartered in Tunis and will be moving back to its permanent headquarters in Abidjan at the end of the year. In this picture, we were at Carrefour in Les Berges du Lac, a suburb of Tunis. I'm not sure what we were doing in the shoe section. We came for food items.

My sister and I goofing off in the supermarket at Les Berges du Lac. It was still the first night and obviously, we were still very happy to see each other and to be spending time together.

Of course, we visited several beaches. Tunisia is a coastal city with beautiful blue-green clear water beaches off the Mediterranean. This beach (Plage Amilcar) was just miles from the presidential palace, and situated between Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. The weather was too cold that day (it was still spring) so we only walked the strip for a few minutes and headed to Sidi Bou Said.

Sidi Bou Said is an interesting town all on its own. All the buildings in this hilly tourist town are painted blue and white. It reminded me a Greek town. In Sidi Bou Said, we visited one of the art museums on top of the hill. The art gallery was closed when we arrived, but the friendly tour guide was gracious enough to let us into the courtyard where he generously played photographer. Tunisians (at least the ones we encountered) are very friendly people. Behind us, is the Gulf of Tunis. 

Known for its cobbled streets and white and blue houses, the town of Sidi Bou Said is a marvelous sight to behold. Here, we are still in the courtyard of the art museum. Behind us is a wall of designed mosaic tiles. 

 It was sunny, but still a little chilly that day, hence the sweaters and scarves. 

Although Tunisia is an African country, its weather pattern is similar to that of Europe since it almost borders the Italian island of Sicily, separated only by the Strait of Sicily. My agent had warned me about the weather, so I went prepared. 

A few days later, Dad had to go back to work and left us to explore the rest of the city on our own. My sister and I took on the challenge and hailed a taxi to the city center in Tunis for a day of shopping. The day before that, we strolled the streets of the neighborhood where my father was staying, found a nail salon where my sister did her nails, and found a local pizza place.

In this picture, we're in front of the Gate of France (also known as Bab el Bahr). According to Wikipedia, Bab el Bhar, which means Gate of the Sea in Arabic, and also known as Porte De France (the gate of France) in French, is a city gate in Tunis marking the separation between the Medina of Tunis and its modern city.

For us, it was like being in the city square. From what I understand, it was also one of the major protest sites during the revolution.

My sister and I were so worried about offending the locals with our skimpy skirts and halter tops that we decided to play it safe. Only to get into town and encounter countless tourists dressed like this. It was one of the few hot days where dressing down was absolutely necessary!

Anyway, after exhausting ourselves shopping, we finally found a spot to eat. We were "lured" here by a waiter who was standing outside and talking people into trying the food. He said they had hamburgers, so we sat our happy tails down and asked for a menu. Lol! I was dying for a hamburger. Matter of fact, I was dying for the taste of a hamburger the whole time I was in Tunisia. I didn't understand it then, but I later understood why that was. I was pregnant and didn't know it. Needless to say, they lied about having hamburgers and promised me their shawarmas were equally good. They really weren't. 

My beautiful sister waiting on her food. 

Well, that wraps up parts of week one. More of the rest of week one and week two coming in a follow-up post. I hope you've enjoyed the pictures.