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Published: June 29th 2017
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Geo: 36.7899, 10.21
The Tunisia National Museum and city centre bazaar and marketplace. These were todays activities on our last day in North Africa. Again, we had little option but to take the dreaded taxi. It was a similar arrangement to yesterday, a driver arranged with the hotel who would pick us up and drop us off at each location, and return us back in due course. It was a little more expensive than yesterday, caused mainly by a longer drive to reach the museum. Overall, the day was not as enjoyable as yesterday. Less history and impressive things to look at, alot of haggling and a driver that spoke even less English. Todays driver Othman, still did a good job, but there was little room for small talk or charades. We discovered we had better chance conveying our message in simple french and Italian.
The first stop at Bardo Museum took around half hour from the hotel. We had around an hour here. The museum is set at the former Turkish Palace and features several artifacts, antiquities and mosaics from Carthage, Italian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Turkish influences. It was a strange affair.. we were wandering about when called aside by a
young staff member. What have I done? This way, through this door, into a dark room, up the stairs and we are set to explore a mosque like building, behind the scenes, under restoration. OK then, thanks? No tip required, off you go. Back in the museum, and ah, a personal guide forces his services on us. Not taking no for an answer apparently. He spoke about 4% English, but with a random word here and there, and aid from English labels on the museum pieces, I was able to mostly interpret what we were looking at. So our tour took around 45 minutes as we toured mostly mosaics. Overall, they were quite impressive, intricate and detailed, dating back as much as 2000 years. As we set to leave our guide asked a tip. I gave him a couple random coins. He requested more. He didn't get it. He laughed and bid us goodbye. Happy times. Maybe?
Onward! Towards the city centre of Tunis to tour the Medina markets. The traffic on route was ridiculously haphazard. I think about 5 bikes nearly collided with us. Finally, we found a spot to get out on the market edge. This was a world
apart from the pretty seaside town of Bou Said we visited yesterday. Dusty, dirty and.. aromatic. We wandered narrow winding streets of the bazaar, getting involved in intense high pressure sales situations. I think the stall owners can smell tourist money. An intense situation in one shop saw us make a purchase of a hand painted piece on camel skin, we got it down eventually to 40 from 65TUD. Nat picked up a bargain handbag for just 10TUD, as marked in an uncharacteristically low pressure sales situation. Overall though, we were scrapping off merchants like zombies. We found a recommended mosque, only to be repelled by the Muslim Only policy denoted on the door. We returned to our cab driver for a slow trip back in dense traffic. Our driver was even kind enough to stop on a round about and get us a flower (leaving the meter running of course). Naawwww right?
I tried streaming the Arsenal game at the hotel. After, we spent the afternoon swimming in the pool whilst 20 guys sat by smoking and dribbling over Natalie. Beautiful. For dinner we....
Tomorrow, our time in Tunisia ends. We have a flight back to Belgium at 9am. Our last
week in Europe is ahead!
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