Kurt Johnson

Inside St. Peter's Basilica.  See our entire Rome album 

The Bir'Ruta well in Kairouan.  See our entire Tunisia albums: Kairouan and everything else

We had a fantastic time in Tunisia - so much so that when people make us choose a favorite country from the trip we pick Tunisia. This had a lot to do with being able to spend time with local friends who could show us around and explain all of the cultural things we were seeing.

As an extremely brief primer for those who can't place Tunisia, it's a small country in North Africa between Libya and Algeria and just across the Meditteranean from Italy/Sicily.  It was a thriving Phoenician settlement from the 8th century BC, Roman/Byzantine from the 2nd century BC, Arab from the 7th century AD, and a French colony from 1889 to 1956.  Today it is 98% Arab & Muslim and moderately well off with a per capita GDP (PPP) around $8k, placing it between Colombia and Mexico in the wealth rankings.  Virtually everyone is bilingual in French and Arabic although English is not uncommon.  Its Mediterranean beaches are a common destination for budget European tourists but very few Americans ever get there. We spent a day in the country's main city (Tunis) seeing the ruins of Carthage and the national museum, then proceeded to Kairouan for the remainder of the week.  Kairouan is a smaller city and actually has UNESCO World Heritage status due to its rich Islamic culture going back to the 7th century.  A regular tourist itinerary would have spent only about a day in Kairouan and then moved on to the southern/Sahara desert areas, the coastal resorts, and maybe an island or two in the Meditteranean; however since we were lucky enough to be visiting friends in Kairouan we relaxed a bit and were able to have a great time walking around town, eating home cooked meals, and marveling at North African history.  However the tourist attractions look amazing and we will hopefully get to visit them on our next trip (see Tunisia.com for some good explanations).

Tunisia is extremely well endowed with Roman era ruins, many of which have been reconstituted into Byzantine or Arab structures over the last 1500 years.  The irony  in our trip was that visiting Rome (our final stop) was a bit of a let down because we had to stand in lines and deal with masses of tourists when in Tunisia we saw things nearly as impressive by just walking up to them.  For example, in our photo album you can see the amphitheater at El Jem,  nearly as large as Rome's Colosseum but with better access and 99% fewer tourists.

The coolest aspect of the trip was just enjoying the feel of being at home with friends in Kairouan.  Much of the old city dates back about a thousand years and the architecture remains largely traditional; three story houses that have room for several generations of a single family, all sharing a central courtyard.  Our friend's home was something like 300 or 400 years old and infinitely more functional than any 300 year old European home or, I think, many American homes 150 years old.  Despite being in the middle of the city amongst narrow streets and crowded markets the houses are a sanctuary of cool air and calm.

I will admit to having a few concerns about visiting an Arab/Muslim country as an American tourist in these times; however we had zero incidents of hostility, suspicion, or even anxiety.  Everyone we dealt with was friendly and we are very much looking forward to going back as soon as possible. I realize it's a destination that isn't on most people's radar so if you have any interest in going please drop me a line and I will be happy to tell you more.