Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia
36°52′0″N, 10°20′0″E
The time had come for us to head back to the US. Our second Schengen visa was nearly up and we have a 90th birthday party and a wedding to go to. It turns out that air fare this summer is wildly expensive. A one-way flight from Rome to New York started at $2,000 each and kept increasing in price. There had to be another way! Lucky for us Google Flights lets you search from an airport and see flight costs for anywhere in the world. After a little digging we discovered a $500 flight from Tunis, Tunisia to New York City with a layover in Casablanca. Rock on!
Getting from Palermo to Tunis can be accomplished in two ways: an expensive one hour flight or a cheaper ten hour ferry ride. We opted for the ferry ride because when else will we get the chance to cross the Mediterranean? We also anticipated that the border control at the port would be less picky than at the airport and we were dancing really, really close to a creative interpretation of Schengen visa laws. In retrospect we encourage anyone considering this journey to take the plane.
We had to check in for the ferry at 6:30am and there was no ferry at the port. Interesting. We picked a spot under a tree and posted up for the next four hours. We packed a lot of snacks because everyone said the ferry was a nightmare. We watched as cars piled with suitcases filed into lines to board the ship once it actually arrived. At the border control station I handed over my passport not thinking anything of it and nearly had a heart attack when the agent started flipping through our entry and exit stamps and then counting on his fingers! Thankfully we had nine days left from our last entry stamp and proof of an onward journey. Never underestimate the port.
The ferry ride was wild and truly a beautiful cultural experience. We were corralled and pushed on board and then took our pullman seats that we paid to reserve only to observe that general deck passage gets you on board and then you just go look around for an empty seat. Brilliant. We left port at 2:30pm (our original departure time was supposed to be 10:30am). It was sort of like a dirty mall with lots of kids throwing shoes at the wall and running up and down the stairs. Not completely horrible, but also not a sought after experience. We arrived at the Port of La Goulette at 12:30am and witnessed an almost stampede to get off the boat.
We read that the border control in Tunis can be formidable and we were prepared for bribes. We printed every single document for where we planned to be between the port and New York City in French, Arabic, and English and arranged to have our host pick us up.
Often while traveling US passports afford a privilege that others are not privy to. Tunis was an example of this. We handed over our US passports and were shooed through every check station with very little questioning.
Our host Nabil was a saint! When we exited the border control station the sidewalks were packed with people offering rides, selling food, and looking for their loved ones. Nabil swooped us up and then gave us a driving tour of Carthage on the way to Sidi Bou Saïd. He pointed out the best grocery store (where they won’t charge the Americans 5x more) and the best bank to exchange money at. As soon as our heads hit the pillow we were out!
The next morning we stopped by the café Nabil suggested for a rose cardamom latte (WOW) and then adventured to the grocery store. Dates and amazing cans covered in Arabic script full of harissa met us as we collected provisions for the week.
It was also at least 110°F every day we were there. In a stroke of genius we realized we could start shifting our schedule to match New York City time and take advantage of the cooler nights, so that is exactly what we did!
Tucked on the main street in Sidi Bou is a gorgeous homage to traditional Tunisian life. Dar El Annabi feels like someone just stopped living in the house and set up a ticket booth at the front door in the 90s. Traditional and historical items surround things like a VCR. The views from the top were really special and being able to enter the prayer rooms and drink mint tea were appreciated privileges.
From 1909-1921 a French painter named Rodolphe d'Erlanger had the Ennejma Ezzahra Palace built (Tunisia was a French colony from 1881-1956). He is said to be responsible for funding and implementing the white and blue building motifs throughout Sidi Bou Saïd. The palace was a gift to wander through. It took us a bit to find the door, but once we did it did not disappoint.The day we visited was a toasty 114°F and the palace was cool and refreshing inside. A true testament to the power of engineering in the days before air conditioning. Today, the palace is a museum that houses the Center for Arabic and Mediterranean Music. You can tour the palace virtually and listen to the music collection!
The Tunis médina is a wandering, mystical maze of goods trading. From the 12th-16th centuries Tunis was considered one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. The médina is centered around a central mosque and the souqs (shops) radiate out in all directions. We dove in and headed to Dar Slah for a nourishing and traditional Tunisian lunch. Imagine lamb roasted with potatoes, dates, and figs. We then hit the narrow alleys in search of goods to stuff into our packs for the folks we love. The whole complex is below ground apparently so when camels came in loaded with goods they could be easily unloaded. It also kept everything refreshingly cool compared to the ambient temperature outside.
We had been warned that folks will approach you and act as your friend, making suggestions, and showing you things you must see only to demand payment for their services at the end. We wandered in and looked around and tried to find our way and then we got twisted around. As soon as we passed the same point for a third time a man popped out and started to suggest, guide, and ask questions in very good English. We also read that a firm “no thank you” usually does the trick. We are here to report that five firm no thank yous released us from the spell of the unwanted guide. A little flustered, we attempted to make our way back toward the entry gate and somehow ended up in the back alleys outside of the beaten path. Five months in the Ballarò, which is truly just a one thousand year old Arabic médina stuffed in what is today considered Italy, prepared us to tread bravely through the trash-ridden streets as we passed dead kittens swept up with the rest of the day's waste. We made it back to the beaten path with no incidents at all, but have a deep and profound understanding for the mysticism of One Thousand and One Nights as it sort of felt like we were lost for that long.
The greatest gift of being in Tunisia was the undeniable kindness of her people. We have been on the road for nearly a year now and the kindness we encountered in Tunisia is second to none.
We made our way to the airport and flew Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca. We can not recommend them enough! The seats had ample leg room and they fed us on a three hour flight! In Casablanca we just booked a hotel by the airport and discovered that if you have a layover longer than eight hours Royal Air Maroc will put you up in a hotel and pay for it! Next time, friends, next time. We arranged an evening tour of the sights and we are so glad we had a tour guide! He picked us up and took us around to the key places, Hassan II Mosque, Rick’s Cafe, and the médina. We aren’t normally big sight people, but getting between places was most fascinating.
Our flight to JFK was early and it was fun to slowly collect the familiar swagger of the Americans as we waited at the gate. We have new eyes that can clearly see what makes us so unmistakable in the rest of the world. We were also swiftly reminded that black bodies are not safe in the presence of authorities in the United States as we navigated Moroccan customs with a black man from New York City. There was no denying we were headed back.