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.
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| Place des Martyrs |
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| The Great Mosque |
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| 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.
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.
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| The Ribat |
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| 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.
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| The Ribat |
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| Place Farhat Hached |
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| On arriving back at Monastir look what we found - a flour delivery! |
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