Day trip to Sousse

We caught the Sahel metro train from Monastir station for the twenty minute journey to Sousse, the third largest city in Tunisia. It was originally founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC and was used as Hannibal's base against the Romans in 202 BC. Today it is a busy resort town with a long sandy beach and an historic walled medina. The sun was shining and it was yet another lovely warm January day as we ambled north along the port road to the bustling Place des Martyrs, the main entrance to the medina.

Place des Martyrs

The Great Mosque

Zaouia Zakkak

We passed the Great Mosque and the Ribat which together with the medina walls formed part of the town's defensive system. The impressive Ribat was originally built in 787 AD and is one of the best preserved fortresses in Tunisia. We then wandered the maze of narrow cobblestone streets of the medina which were alive with the usual street vendors vying for our trade.

The Ribat

Ribat entrance

We left the medina and sat down for a coffee overlooking the Place Farhat Hached, a popular meeting place and the hub of the city. Feeling rejuvenated we continued our wandering in the modern Ville Nouvelle. We couldn't resist popping in to a large supermarket to see if we could find the elusive flour. No such luck! We continued as far as Sousse's Boujaffer beach before making our way back to the train station.

The Ribat

Place Farhat Hached

On arriving back at Monastir look what we found - a flour delivery!

Morning walks and local life

It's frightening how time seems to be flying by. A few cruisers have departed for the winter months but enough remained in the marina over Christmas and New Year so we were able to get together and celebrate. A few liveaboards entered the festive spirit and decorated their boats and we even put up some happy christmas bunting flags despite a real baaaaaaaah humbug living on board! We even spied a Father Christmas selling candy floss in front of the Mausoleum!

                                                       Christmas in Monastir

One morning we passed a lady doing her washing in the sea

and round the Mausoleum with all the graves in line with Mecca

With the excesses of Christmas and New Year over I am now making a big effort to get fit again and every morning I am off walking with one of the American ladies. The weather has been wonderful and we take it in turns to decide on the route or mission. It could be a scenic waterfront hike or a trip into town. It could take an hour, it could take two. Not only are these adventures keeping me fit but they are proving a constant source of discovery. One of our walks was to end up at the much recommended orthopedic surgeon so that my friend could have him assess her dodgy knee. On the way we just happened to pass Monastir's private hospital. The next minute we were in the clinic completely unannounced and my friend was having her knee x-rayed. Within half an hour and 40 TDN later (18 euro) we emerged with an x-ray which my friend quite rightly assumed her doctor would need. Talk about service. Another morning took us to one of the popular french trained dentists in town. Many of the cruisers seem to be making use of the good and cheap service they offer here.  A nice porcelain crown will set you back around 250 TDN (110 euro).

One of Monastir medina's twelve gates

Our hammam

Last week we went in search of a local hammam, a traditional public bathhouse. Having experienced a pricey and not very authentic local hotel version we were looking for the real thing. We asked the lady who runs the marina for a recommendation and set off with a rough map and a possible location. We were in luck and found the hammam and returned later in the week to experience the genuine article at a cost of 2.50 TND (just over 1 euro)! Men and women can't go at the same time so we had to settle for an afternoon ladies only session. We paid an additional 2 TDN for a scrub and then looked around for some guidance on dress code. Most women were down to only their knickers so we followed suit and were promptly handed a plastic bucket containing an empty tin of tomatoes (an economy water scoop) by one of the "masseuses"! We were both "adopted" and with some trepidation we followed the ladies into the inner sanctum, buckets and scoops in hand. We were led into the steamy hot room, had our buckets filled with water and were left to douse ourselves. Although the number of hammam-goers has decreased with the advent of modern home bathrooms, they are still a part of Tunisian life and there were quite a few women of all ages getting on with their own cleaning rituals. We were soon hot and sweaty and were then ushered out into the large domed hall to be laid out on the huge marble slab for our thorough body exfoliation scrub. We were then taken into an individual cubicle to be washed from top to toe. The whole experience lasted nearly two hours and we left feeling the cleanest we'd ever been! Intrigued a few of the guys went for a morning session the next day. Their "scrub" which also included a massage was likened to ten rounds with Mike Tyson. They grunted and groaned as their bodies were pulled and pushed every which way. A true Tunisian experience!

One of my favourite medina shops

Tomorrow we are off in search of flour. It is a complete mystery as to why we haven't been able to find this staple. None of the supermarkets stock it and yet Tunisia produces the most delicious bread all available at a heavily subsidised price so that it is affordable for all. There are rumours that a couple of small shops in the Medina may have some this week...

No flour but we found plenty of fish!