almost halfway to hajj

corsica in the distance

our 24-hour ferry ride was largely uneventful. we spent most of it in our room as the ship had little to offer in terms of entertainment. the pool stood drained and empty and the tiny casino didn't seem enticing. we spent some time in one of their cafes, enjoying an aperol spritz and campari soda as i wrote some postcards and JR read. we were very grateful to have brought some snacks along with us as the food on board, as anticipated, looked both underwhelming and overpriced. we made picnics in our room of italian focaccia, french cheese, dried meats and wine. (pro tip: bring an insulated lunch bag that will fold flat in your luggage) we were even able to watch 'dial M for murder' on my iPad that i had downloaded from the library before we left. there wasn't much of a view on our journey but we did get a glimpse of corsica off the starboard side just as the sun was going down.

getting off the boat was almost as confusing as getting on. luckily we had earlier discovered we needed to visit a kiosk to get a form to disembark earlier in the trip. in spite of having messages about various cafe and shops opening in four languages, there was never any indication we needed to go here. it was only our curiosity about why people were suddenly lining up at the photo kiosk that led us to figure it out. most people on board were clearly seasoned ferry-goers so we gathered in one of the cafes with everyone else, waiting to be told we could get off. eventually we did and made our way onto african soil! another continent for JR. just outside the little building we happened upon an ATM so we could get some of the local currency. after a few moments (and thanks to my smartphone) we got our bearings and walked towards the train station that would take us to the main part of town. on our walk we bought a much-needed liter of water and noticed the various dogs and people roaming through the mostly empty streets. finally we found the train station and after determining that it was not in fact abandoned we discovered the tiny ticket window and bought our passage onto the little train (a whopping 18 cents apiece). i was very thankful to be able to speak french again, even though we'd only been in italy for less than 48 hours. after a few minutes it arrived and we made our way across the water and into the main part of tunis. from the stop it was another 15 minute or so walk to the louage station, our bags enduring the uneven cobblestone and dusty streets. we could tell we were close to the louage station as the shops around it seemed much more active. fortunately, being in a big city, we were able to get onto a shared taxi to kairouan right away. we took the last two spots, squeezing into the back seat of the van with our backpacks on our laps.

kairouan streets

the ride took several hours with one brief stop at a gas station (where we picked up some local snacks). we spent most of the ride quietly watching the scenery go by, although towards the end the gentleman we were sharing a seat with struck up a conversation. he asked where we were planning to go and suggested a number of far-off towns with roman ruins (none of which seemed very accessible) before giving us his opinions on the 'modern tunisian'. he was nice but our interest was flagging and it was a little tiring to keep up the conversation. not too long after, though, we arrived in kairouan and were let out on the side of the road.

a little disoriented, we saw a walled structure that we first believed to be part of the city walls. when we walked inside, though, we realized it was a courtyard of what was probably a mosque. we then saw a group of people processing in what we guessed might have been a circumcision. we quickly decided this was probably not where we wanted to be. after a quick look at the smartphone we realized the direction we needed to be going and started off. as it turned out we weren't all that close to the city walls but at least now we knew where to go. we were a bit tired, getting dusty, and probably a little cranky. which is probably why what happened next struck us as so funny. as we were walking we started to notice little piles of wool or bits of sheep hooves. we realized there was probably a festival going on (and later confirmed it was eid al-adha). the streets were fairly empty but at one point we found ourselves behind two young guys on their scooters, one with a plastic bag dangling from the handlebars. the first guy stopped short, causing the guy behind him to swerve suddenly. the bag fell off the handlbars and.. a goat head rolled out. the guy was clearly upset but we couldn't help but find the whole thing faintly hilarious. we were probably a little loopy but it just tickled us. even hours later thinking about it brought us to tears laughing.

at this point you may be wondering why we chose tunisia for our honeymoon. well, we knew we wanted to go a few different places and we decided on the mediterranean as a general location. i'd been wanting to go back to france since i hadn't returned since living there. but we wanted to mix it up too - and i wanted J.R. to experience a non-western country (we're working our way up to india). plus tunisia has the advantage of having beautiful buildings both to admire and to stay in (as you can see below). and while the little arabic i once knew is all but gone i knew we could easily get by with french. the ruins of carthage and the roman empire were icing on the cake.

our gorgeous room

so anyway we eventually made it to the beautiful streets of the old city, with its painted trim and elaborate doors. after that it wasn't long before we made it to our guesthouse, the dar hassine allani. it seemed there was only one other place to stay in town - surely a nice hotel but one that seemed a bit too much. the place itself looked like a citadel. all in all i'm so happy we chose to stay where we did. the building was once a family residence, with several stories of rooms built around a central courtyard. our room was gorgeously appointed, with a carved wooden canopy bed and of course beautiful carpets. the woman running the guesthouse offered us some tea as she made copies of our passports and told us a bit about the house.

who wouldn't want to get lost in these streets

it was still early afternoon so we ventured out to explore. the streets were relatively deserted - we figured the holiday had something to do with that, although kairouan is not exactly a super touristy city anyway. we wandered through winding streets and i tried not to take a photo of every single door. (so... every other door) most of the shops were closed but we did happen upon a little family home turned museum (which of course is really a rug shop). the rooms were beautifully decorated - as we explored further we admired the carved and painted wooden ceilings, and textiles covering every available surface. then when you get to the back room the sales pitch begins. we managed to get out with just a small rug but it's not like we didn't like it.

dusk over domes and minarets

by this time we thought we'd go back to the room and rest for a bit. we relaxed in our room until the sun started to go down and it was a bit cooler. then we thought we'd go up to the roof and enjoy the view. the whole rooftop area is beautiful - covered in small tiles, little potted plants, and wrought-iron birdcages. the lady of the house somehow intuited that we were up there and brought up some citronade, a lemony drink that's a bit sour at first but then finishes very sweet. from here we could see over the rooftops as the sun started to go down. just as it was getting a bit dark the call to prayers began. the principle mosque was first, and after that other calls started to begin across the city. the voices of the various muezzins floating across the breeze was really wonderful.

kairouan streets by night

by the time the calls to prayer ended it was getting to be dark and we figured we should probably venture out in search of dinner. as we wandered through some of the same streets we did note that there were a few more shops open than before - convenience stores and little cafes with lots of men drinking coffee and smoking shisha - but no restaurants. finally just outside of the city walls we happened upon a little restaurant filled with locals. thrilled to find any kind of food we ordered what seemed to be all they were serving - roasted chicken served with a spicy egg dish, vegetables, french fries, and the ubiquitous round bread. it was all quite tasty and we were fairly hungry so it didn't take us long to polish off most of the food. the place was fairly small and very crowded with both people and stray cats but we still had a nice conversation over our simple meal. the only thing that marred our dining experience was when we went to pay. the guy at the counter told us our meal would be 20 dinar - as much as the fare for both of us all the way from tunis. i asked the guy again, skeptically if that was the price and raised my eyebrows but short of causing a scene i wasn't sure what else to do. but at least he knew i knew he was ripping me off... right?

towards mecca

minaret from the arcade

the next day we woke up to an amazing breakfast complete with both french croissants and tunisian round bread, accompanied by strong coffee and mango (we think) juice. we were a bit nervous that everything would be as shuttered as it had been the day before but fortunately as we walked out into the streets we began to see some shops open. our first stop, though, was the mosque. the principle mosque, that is, and one of the oldest in all of islam with construction beginning as early as 670. i'd been to kairouan once before but had managed to miss the open hours to visit the mosque so this time i was determined. fortunately it was open and we were able to visit (once i had used my scarf to cover my head). we saw very few tourists during our entire stay in kairouan but here we happened upon a family or two, although they did seem to be tunisian. it was so interesting to see the different ways the roman capitals were repurposed to create the arches inside the mosque. and we noticed there were even a few stones with carved latin - one that was put in upside down. the courtyard was vast - bigger than the interior of the mosque (as was typical of most early mosque architecture) and allowed us to see the stocky minaret from a variety of angles. the existence of this very old mosque is part of what makes kairouan the 4th holiest city of islam - and a UNESCO world heritage city to boot. at some point during our trip we learned that if you visit kairouan 7 times it's equivalent to performing the hajj. so i'm making progress!

rug shop views

at this point i remembered that there was a rug shop just across the road that offered beautiful views down into the mosque's courtyard so we ventured over. naturally we weren't about to enjoy that view without getting a sales pitch on carpets. we were in the market so of course we listened and looked at a number of them as the salespeople spun them around and demonstrated the number of knots but pulling up the corners. they had many varieties but since kairouan itself is known to be a hub for carpet-making we wanted one that was local. eventually we saw one we liked - red with chevrons in blue, black, and tan - and i haggled for what seemed like a fair price (who knows) of 325 dinar, or about $125. although JR agreed that he liked the carpet he didn't follow any of the rest of the conversation since it was all in french. but he played along when i looked disinterested and chuckled good-naturedly when they threw in a few phrases in english. ('wedding present') when i went downstairs to pay they made a show of plugging in an ancient credit card machine and showing me that it was not working. i'm certain this is done deliberately since cash is king (always) but i knew pulling out that much cash from an ATM would mean another hefty fee on my end. after berating them a little for trying to play me i told them if i had to use cash i'd be paying 300 - they acquiesced. we were content with our purchase - certainly the biggest of our honeymoon souvenirs - but this also meant we had to carry the carpet around until we could get back into the guest house to stash it. JR, wanted to be the gentleman, insisted on carrying it even as the twine they used to hold the paper together and create a makeshift handle was digging into his palms. we did stop by the guest house but we found that our hostess was out and were forced to continue on and try back later.

 

typical tunisian door

JR had been wanting to see the aghlabid basins, old cisterns that used to house water that was carried there from miles away. they were a bit of a hike, outside the city walls. we made our way there and were impressed by the size of them. the cisterns themselves held only a bit of green water littered with trash at the bottom. (our host later told us they used to be filled with clear water and the areas around them were often filled with families strolling and vendors selling toys and snacks.) still, JR was glad to have seen them, although surely would have been happier had he not had to carry the hefty carpet there. fortunately when we made our way back our host was there and we were able to drop the package off before setting out again. having wandered around the early part of the afternoon we managed to miss mealtime again. we finally found a little restaurant that seemed to be open in a small alley near the bazaar (fairly close, we think, to where parts of indiana jones was filmed). we had a 'brik' of tuna in flaky crust topped with eggs (which seems to be a popular tunisian dish) and coucous merguez with carrots and sausages. along with tea, tomato soup and nice bathrooms it made for a very pleasant lunch.

gladiators' view

having finally eaten we made our way towards the louage station in hopes of reaching el jem (sometimes spelled 'djem'), the site of a colosseum-like roman ruin. although it's a fairly straight shot we had to go through sousse which is more of a hub. we were able to get onto a van fairly quickly on both legs which was lucky, because it was already getting to be fairly late in the afternoon and we weren't even sure how late the site would be open. i hoped JR might sleep during some of the ride but he always seemed to be looking out the window. when we made it to the little town of el jem it was fairly obvious where to go, as the amphitheater rises up in the midst of an otherwise flat city filled with one and two story buildings. the town was what you might call bustling, at least for being as small as it was. we made sure to note where the louage station was and made mental notes of a few landmarks along the way. when we arrived it was nearly 5 and the sun was beginning to sink in the sky. fortunately the site was still open and we found a few bored attendants in the ticket offices and only one or two other families inside. the roman ruins don't seem to be marketed terribly well in tunisia which i suppose is both a blessing and a curse in that the lessened traffic probably helps to preserve them. still, there were some sites we heard or read about that seemed incredible but would have been all but impossible to get to.

that golden glow

in any case my historian was thrilled that we'd made it here and i have to say it was pretty incredible. the building itself was remarkably well preserved - like a mini colosseum but made of sandstone and much more accessible. by that i mean we could go virtually everywhere - up into the stands, down onto the floor and even down below where the people and animals would have been kept. for my part i was delighted we got there when we did because the golden light made the building and carved details that much more beautiful. JR had a ball, even going up into the stands and playing emperor. i was so glad we'd ended up going. we knew we'd better get back to the louage station sooner than later but on our way we couldn't help stopping at an intriguing little antique shop. it had all sorts of treasures including architectural elements, carved wooden objects and metal tea sets. we ended up finding a little wrought iron window grille painted light blue (although peeling and rusted in some spots, naturally) that we knew would make a great souvenir. and it had the added advantage of being somewhat flat and easy to pack. once we'd gotten that, and a red stone necklace for me, we made our way somewhat hurriedly back to the louage station. at some point we picked up a local who pretended to be guiding us somewhere (presumably the station) and motioning for us to hurry (which of course we knew was nonsense as louages don't leave at prescribed times). we ignored him as best we could - we knew perfectly well where we were going - but it didn't deter him. when we got to the station he acted as though he had guided us there and of course motioned for some payment for his 'services'. i told him plainly in french that he didn't do anything and we knew where the station was. he didn't make a fuss and left fairly quickly.

kairouan from the guesthouse window

unlike earlier we did have to wait a bit for a louage this time. finally we managed to cobble together enough passengers to head to sousse and we left just as the sun was going down in earnest. in sousse we had a bit of a wait as well and we were beginning to realize this would be our best opportunity to have some sort of food. there was a little sandwich shop open in the station so i dashed over there to get us some food. there were a number of guys milling around and we weren't at all sure who our driver was so i made sure to teach JR how to say 'wait for my wife' just in case it looked like they were starting to leave. i got us some chicken schwarma on baguettes with harissa (spicy sauce) and french fries from a nice guy who - like many people - seemed very surprised that i was american. americans don't much come to tunisia, i imagine. we tried a different flavor of boga cola this time - purple. we guessed either plum or tamarind. as it turned we still had a bit of a wait even after we finished our sandwiches. eventually we did get going though and good lord i don't think i've ever been on such a harrowing drive. that's really the only word for it. it was clear the guy - a young guy who seemed to be trying to impress the other cool dudes back at the louage station - was going WAY too fast by the speed at which the headlights were zooming by. and listening to incredibly loud music or talking on his phone the whole time! i couldn't look (i just clenched JR's arm) but JR said he's never seen anyone come that close to hitting other cars when passing them. as soon as we got close enough to the city in an area we recognized (near our dinner spot from the night before) we jumped out, glad to have made it back in one piece. i've been on some scary drives before but nothing like that!

we were glad to get back to the sleepy town of kairouan although somewhat sad to pack up our things. we'd missed the one mausoleum i'd wanted to see (we did find it but it was closed) - still we made it to the mosque and bought our much-anticipated carpet which were definitely the top two items on my list.