To Infinity, and Tunis

To sharpen one's geography, Tunis is in the country of Tunisia which is the smallest country in North Africa. First think of the Mediterranean Sea, that body of water which more or less separates many countries, including Italy and Greece above it, and Libya below. Right beside Libya, to the west, is Tunisia. Tunisia's land sticks out enough to form the Gulf of Tunis within the Mediterranean sea, and herein lies Tunis the city. Or, just google it.

I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with the marvelous city of Tunis, if only for a moment. I took a stroll around the heart of the city which is called the medina. With gorgeous blue doors and shutters on cobblestone streets, the medina of Tunis is built on a sloped hill, and at the bottom lies the lake of Tunis.

As the historical heart of Tunis, the medina is home to palaces, mosques and many other monuments, however some of these have disappeared over time. Although we did not have much time to see the many facets of those treasures, I did have time with another crew member to fantasize that this house with the blue door and creeping flowers and vines behind us, was ours.

Of course being a muslim country, we couldn't find much in the way of alcohol in most restaurants, but we did find time to marvel at Lake Tunis while sitting at an outdoor cafe which included dinner and this view above.

The medina is also comprised of a souk. A souk is basically a bazaar or marketplace in the Arab world. The streets became lined with traders and merchants selling almost anything you can think of from perfume, clothing, books, fruits and more.

I just happened to be walking in the souk and a falcon made its way onto my hand. I don't know about the price of a falcon in Tunisia, but to buy one in Qatar it costs upwards of USD $250, 000. I didn't know this, but they are so expensive not just because they are quite rare. Also, because of the sport of Falconry. Falconry is training a falcon, or any bird of prey, to hunt game in it's natural habitat. This could be both for fun or also food. I've seen these birds travel on board the aircraft, and a maximum of 5 can travel at once. Falcons from the United Arab Emirates even have their own passports to prevent smuggling.

The best part of being in the heart of Tunis, was walking down the street and seeing vendors selling the Spanish pastry - churros. They are like donuts but without a center, so the opposite of your beloved timbits, to all those Canadians reading. And of course they are covered in sugar, otherwise I wouldn't be so fond of them. I found a nice set of old stairs to sit down and enjoy my dessert. See above for a picture of pure joy.

And what adventure might lay ahead in the coming month? Only time will tell.

Bailey Sue