Time to go …. the rain has set in!!!

Lovely moment last night in the little Italian restaurant, two couples came in and sat at a table in one corner, they were all taking photos of one another. Then one couple stood up to have their photo taken and the man got down on one knee and produced a beautiful diamond ring – she said “yes”.

Little bit worried that I was going to make it to the airport as my driver got pulled over by the police. They checked all his paperwork a few times over, made phone calls but after about 10-15 minutes we were allowed to go on our way. Phew!!!

Arrived at Gatwick on time and decided to stay over rather than get into Leeds on a Saturday night at 11.00pm.

Spent a lovely morning in Monastir founded by the Phoenicians as a port and where Julius Caesar camped before battle in AD46. It is now a thriving tourist destination and university town.

Habib Bourguiba studied in Tunis then went to the Sorbonne in Paris to study law. He campaigned tirelessly against French occupation and when it regained independence in 1956 he became its first president.

He is revered greatly and has a wonderful Mausoleum in which his remains are kept in a marble sarcophagus.

It has a gilt cupola and twin minarets

The three ton chandelier hanging over the sarcophagus.

At the beginning of the avenue is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, very modest in comparison and there is a matching structure on the other side for symmetry.

There are lots of pigeons around the area  and our guide told us it is because of the graveyard next door and when people come to pay their respects to loved ones they bring rice and water which they leave on top of the tombstone, the pigeons then eat the rice. There are also lots of cats in the area – the circle of life.

The next visit was to the ribat, a defensive fortress, built in the holy war against  Christians.

The walls were completed in the 11th century with four gates, a watchtower and accommodation for soldiers

It is one of the oldest and best preserved in Tunisia and was used for scenes in Zeffirelli’s Life of Christ and Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Some examples of pottery and textiles from the site

A short walk around the medina

The remains of a Roman house, now a rubbish dumping ground!

A statue of Bourguiba as a child on the site of his primary school

Lazy day by the pool and walk along the beach, Monistir trip postponed until tomorrow

Just got in from my walk when we had a brief thunderstorm,  hopefully it will clear the air

Walk into the town and medina. Walk back along the beach.

Sousse is still a working port and there were lots of boats waiting to unload.

Iced latte my treat afterwards

Back to the hotel, possibly a dip in the pool, the sea or even the indoor pool?

Enjoying chocolate hour in the hotel!

A lazy day in Sousse, walk along the beach and by the pool

Not a bad view from my bedroom

Waved goodbye to some of the group who leave today for home

Not sure I will be doing this anytime soon!

Lovely meal tonight in an Italian restaurant across the road to the hotel. Antipasti, mains and tirimisu washed down with half a bottle of rose, really pushed the boat out at £26!

Big girl playing the saxophone was brilliant.

Sousse the capital of the Sahel district and third largest town in Tunisia was founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century and for a time was Hannibal’s naval vase.

Today we visit the beautiful medina,  yet another UNESCO listed site. Through the souk selling everything from eels to fine jewellery, tortoises to buckets and everything in between.

We went into the very small El Kobba museum which had an inner courtyard with rooms of historical scenes of antique Tunisian life.  A very unusual cupola, both inside and out.

Lunch was at a restaurant north of the city and consisted of vast quantities of barbecued lamb.

This afternoon a lecture at the Ribat, a famous and best preserved monastic fortress in Tunisia.

The lecture was taken within the shaded, arched ceilings on the first floor by a professor of history at the University.

The lecture was fascinating and the professor extremely knowledgeable with perfect English.

Place des Martyrs, a 16th century sea gate proving entry into the inner harbour which  was destroyed during a World War II bombing raid. This monument stands in remembrance.

Leaving the sand behind and continuing on to Sousse. Had a coffee stop in the small village of Tamezret with a very nice coffee shop.

Our next stop was to the hotel where all the Star Wars actors stayed when filming

The landscape is very different desert with more hills and rocky terrain.

We next visited the Berber town of Matmata and were invited into one of the cave houses of a Berber family.  They were very welcoming and we had fresh bread from the stove and local honey.

Matmata is best known as the biggest of the troglodyte villages, where the houses have been dug out of rock to escape the intense heat of the day.

El-Jem

This Punic town declared itself on the side of Rome during the third Punic War in AD146 which proved a wise move and after the fall of Carthage El-Jem was awarded the status of a free town.

The most magnificent relic is the 3rd century amphitheatre. It is the third largest Roman amphitheatre and the best preserved to be found in Africa.

Climbed to the very top to get some fabulous shots.

The underground parts were vast and would have been where the wild animals were kept.

A short visit to the local museum which houses many of the mosaics taken from the amphitheatre as well as the remains of Roman houses.

A modern day mosaic

Eventually arrived in Sousse after our coach broke down!

Leaving Tozeur this morning for an overnight in Douz, crossing over the salt lake of Chott el Jerid on the 40 mile long causeway

Passing all the date palms which have bags covering the fruit to guard against the rain and insects

Very bleak along here

Even bleaker when we drove through a sand storm

We passed the salt factory.  Most of the salt is exported and used as rock salt.

Arrived in Douz. The town lies on the edge of the Great Eastern Erg that stretches westwards all the way to Morocco.

The oasis is on the verge of the vast desert dunes and is famous for its International Festival where they gave sheep shearing, camel races and fights, duels and hunting.

A short visit to the Saharan Museum highlighting the history and culture of the local nomads.

Camel branding irons and the different patterns for each tribe

Tattooing

A relaxing afternoon by the pool even though its a bit windy

Tozeur is one of the country’s most beautiful oases and contains some 3,000 palm trees as well as fig and pomegranate trees. It is known for growing some of the best dates in Tunisia and I am taking it upon myself to substantiate that claim!

Even the palms by the pool are laden with fruit.

The town is situated on the edge of Chott el Jerid a huge salt lake created by tectonic plate movement some 1.5 million years ago. It is the largest of the north African salt lakes at over 19,000 square miles. For most of the year it is dry with shimmering salt crystals in different hues. Sunset views are beautiful and mirages are a common occurrence.

Our first visit today was to the Dar Cherait museum, devoted to the history and everyday life of Southern Tunisia. This is a privately owned museum full of wonderful costumes, jewellery, art and glassware.

These are the beautifully decorated boxes that a bride would take to her new matrimonial  home full of linens and items for her new life.

Some of the beautifully hand embroidered costumes

And the jewellery

Some of the traditional glassware

Then onto the historic 14th century medina, famous for its geometric brick architecture and traditional doors.

One of the doors in the medina with three door knockers, one for men, one for ladies and one for children. The lady of the house would be able to tell who was knocking by the sound and if it was a man she would know to cover up before answering the door.

This lady had a small museum in the medina and explained about the local life and crafts, here she is demonstrating spinning the wool before weaving

The local petrol station!

A short walk around the town and in the Market and the purchase of some dates!

An exciting afternoon taking a 4×4 vehicle to the Sahara sand dunes.

Onk Jemal rock formation

Met with some camels

A young boy had a desert fox, also called a fennec, is a very small nocturnal animal famous for its big ears.

This part of the dessert is a famous film location and is where the plane came down in the English Patient. Possibly more famous for Star Wars and some of the original buildings still remain.

Some more pictures of the terrain. On more than one occasion I thought I hope this driver knows where he is going!

These are pieces of the desert rose, usually found under several meters of sand.  It is made up of gypsum that crystallises from underground water and takes the form of a rose.

This was the vehicle behind us, we just came down that dune!

Palm trees in the oasis town of Nefta