The main part of our trip to North Africa was to Tunisia. We started our time in Tunisia in Tunis, the capital. Tunisia experienced most of the same empires and dynasties as Algeria. The final occupant was also the French. In the case of the French, they invaded Tunisia in 1881, secured the country, and then signed a “treaty of protection.” So Tunisia was a French protectorate, not really part of France, like Algeria. The French protectorate lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956, so for 75 years. Again, like Algeria, Tunisia gained their independence in my lifetime.

Tunisia is the most northern country in Africa and also on the Mediterranean Sea. Most people live along the Mediterranean coastal zone. Tunisia is a little bigger than the state of Georgia. It is mountainous in the north and extends into the Sahara Desert in the south. The official language is Arabic but most people also speak French. Nearly all Tunisians are Muslim. It also has a Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. We saw lots of agriculture along the coast and some of it reminded me of Salinas, near us in California. They grow primarily cereal crops and olives for olive oil. We also saw dairy, animals, artichokes, tomatoes, peppers, almonds, apricots, pistachios, cactus, and dates. We even drank some Tunisian wines.

Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and a town of about three million people. It extends along the coastal plain and the hills that surround it. The core of Tunis is its ancient medina, a world heritage site. We noticed that Tunisians called the old core city the medina, while Algerians called it the Kasbah. I’m not sure why the difference. Tunis is also a wild mix of the very ancient, colonial-era buildings, and modern structures. I can’t say that I loved our time in Tunis either but again, I’m not a big-city guy. Also, much of our time in Tunis was actually spent visiting the surrounding area, which I found more interesting.

The first photo is one that I took on our first walk around Tunis. It gives an idea of the architecture that we saw in Tunis. I’m guessing that this is Ottoman-era architecture.

The next photo is just more architecture in Tunis that I found interesting.

The third photo is the Hotel Royal Victoria. The sign is just to the left of the door, and you can see Vicky standing there pointing up at the sign. This world has more places named “Victoria” than any other name on earth.

Near the end of this day, our guide quietly took us into several old former madrassas, which were all closed in 1957. They had been Islamic schools but now are used for some type of training. In this one, a guy came and told our guide that we (the Americans) should not be there. He said that if the Imam walked in, he would be mad at our guide for letting us inside. Our guide told the guy that “we must educate the infidels,” (wink, wink to us) and the guy shut up and went away.

This was at a restaurant in the medina in Tunis. Vicky saw an item listed on the menu that said, “brick.” She couldn’t resist and she ordered a brick. You can see it on her plate. It was a crepe with eggs and vegetables, then refried. She said it was very good. I had couscous with fresh fish and it was excellent.

Much of our time in Tunis was spent in the ‘souks.’ A souk is a set of shops and stores located in the medina. It can be an area of several streets and alleys. Most of the souks were built back in the 13th century. It’s easier if you just think about a souk as a market.

This is just one juncture in one souk. You can see that the area is old, crowded, and goes off in many directions. It would be very easy to get lost wandering around the souk.

One of my favorite sub-markets here was the fish market. They really had it all, including many fish that I’ve not seen elsewhere. This photo has some squid, shrimp, and other things, and they really had it all.

The next photo is also in the fish market and I don’t believe that I’ve seen this fish before in any market.

Tunisia is one of the world’s largest olive producers, so we saw olives for sale everywhere and were served them for most meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fortunately for me, I love olives.

The vendor in this store insisted that I try on a fez. I think I actually look pretty good in a fez, but I didn’t buy it.