Tunisia

Tunisia is the only African country I’ve visited and let’s say the most “exotic” one (although Istanbul can also be classified as “exotic”). My visit took place back in 2007 and although it was winter and also rainy (we were unlucky enough ti coincide with the few rain days that Tunisia gets within the year), it was a nice experience and we got to see the different aspects of this country.

First of all: the desert! If you travel near the south borders of Tunisia you reach the region of Sahara dessert. For the first time in my life I saw how an oasis looks like. And no, it’s not a couple of  palm trees and a small lake. It’s hundreds of palm trees in small valleys, which provide the best location for small cities. Also did you know that parts of Star Wars (especially the planet Tatoine) were filmed here in the desert of southern Tunisia? If not, you know now! I also included a photo of the deserted filming site. Another exquisite site worth seeing in the desert is the salt lakes. I visited the salt lake of Chott el Djerid and the view was amazing. It’s a good thing we visited on a cloudy day and the sun was glistening through the clouds.

Next up is the beautiful architecture. The Tunisian doors were my favorite. I could have taken lots and lots of pictures, but I restrained myself. The Grand Mosque of Kairouan and the Mausoleum of Bourguiba in Monastir, were among my favorites. Of course the well preserved roman amphitheater in El Djem shouldn’t be missed.

Apart from the places that I described above and are pictured on this post, there are also other places and cities worth visiting such as the medina of Tunis, which we were told that it is like a maze and you can easily get lost inside. We also visited the cities of Sousse and Hamamet. The former is a large merchant city by the sea while the latter is resort town with many large hotels lined up on the seafront.