Thursday, June 20, 2024

Oosterdam European Adventure, La Goulette, Tunisia...

I was up very, very early (0500) for sail into La Goulette this morning. This is a difficult maneuvering port with a narrow channel between the Mediterranean and Tunis Lake. The hazy weather conditions made photography a bit of a challenge.  Looks like some dust from a far-off desert…  We have left Europe and are now in North Africa…Tunisia is nestled between Algeria and Libya. We met our driver outside the port and drove to Sid Bou Said to meet our guide Ahmed. We toured the village of Sid Bou Said…this town has a sky-blue and whitewashed color scheme and reminiscent of towns in Santorini and Mykonos. We also visited the Palace of Dar el-Annabi with its rooftop view of Sidi Bou Said and Tunis. Next, we drove to Carthage and walked around the Roman Ruins at the Antoninus Baths. Continuing with our ruins tour we drove to the Punic Ruins of Trophet, Punic Ports and the Carthage Aqueduct. Our last stop in Carthage was Byrsa Hill, St. Louis Cathedral, and the Roman Villas. Next, we drove to Tunis old Town to walk in the Medina. The Medina is located in the heart of downtown Tunis…the city's commercial and social center…It's a cobweb of shops centered around the Mosque, where tradition has existed for hundreds of years. Happy to have added another country to my list with a very nice, extremely hot day in Tunisia.  We broke 100 degrees Fahrenheit…