We spent our last couple of days in Tunisia in the city of Sidi Bou Said. It’s on the coast and right next to the city of Carthage. As we drove around to see the various sights, we went from Carthage to Sidi Bou Said and back again.

This first post from here is all Sidi Bou Said. I just want to give a flavor of what this area is like.

The first photo is from a walk and very near our hotel. Sidi Bou Said is a beautiful coastal town. You can see that the café’s and restaurants are crowded, the harbor, and the beautiful views that we had.

The second photo shows some of the housing near our hotel. This was a very nice area.

The market near our hotel was very crowded and it seemed like everyone was eating a doughnut. So we figured that they must be good and decided to give them a try. They were very good.

The highlight of our walk in Sidi Bou Said was a visit to the Ennejma Ezzahra Palace, in the fourth photo. It was the home of Baron Rodolphe d’ Erlanger. His home is a historic monument and considered a jewel of Arab-Andalusian architecture. It is considered a testament to the Baron’s love of Arab culture.

His house was huge but I’m only putting in one photo. I was most impressed by all the marble but the ambience and comfort of his palace were exceptional. It overlooked the coast and Mediterranean. He was an artist, a musician, and he supported music in his home, even having a large theater for musical performances. The arched doorways, the wood carvings, mosaic tiles, plasterwork, and all the fine details were really well done.