The ladies from the British and American boats decided to go on a girls day out. Four of us set off early for the train station and parted with less than a euro for an hours journey south along the coast. Our destination was Mahdia, a well known centre for silk weaving and fishing. It lies midway between Sousse and Sfax and is one of Tunisia's loveliest port towns remaining largely unspoilt. The historic walled medina, originally founded in the tenth century and formerly the capital of Tunisia, spreads out across a small peninsula that juts out into the Mediterranean.
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| Skifa el Kahla, Mahdia |
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| Mahdia |
We chose a Friday to coincide with the lively weekly market and we ambled past the many stalls to the infamous Skifa el Kahla, a dark narrow vaulted passageway, through which we entered the old town. This was once the only entrance to the city and on Fridays it turns into an informal souk though it was very difficult to see what they were peddling! We passed the souvenir shops and sat down for a coffee in the Place du Caire, a perfect little square, and watched the world go by. Refreshed, we continued exploring the medina and the various weaving workshops whose friendly workers were happy for us to watch them working the looms. This appeared to be a very energetic art. We admired their craftwork and all came away with some beautiful examples.
Mahdia
We found a great place for lunch, frequented by locals, and sat down to try one of Tunisia's great culinary curiosities - Brik a l'oeuf. It is an egg fried inside a pastry envelope. You can either have it plain or with tuna or vegetables added. Just watch out you don't get runny egg all over your face when you eat it! Replete, we wandered back to the train station via the huge fishing harbour brimming with trawlers.
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