Adventures in Tunis

On a recent weekend afternoon, I ventured from my residence 20 kilometers northeast of Tunis to downtown Tunis with two friends.  We met at the terminal train stop of La Marsa Plage (plage is beach in French) and paid our 40 cent fare for the 40-minute ride into Tunis.  Our ride traversed the entire length of the train line—from La Marsa to Tunis.

The Tunis-La Goulette-La Marsa (TGM) train.

The ride started out pleasantly—the train cars are not fancy, but they are clean and fans mounted on the ceiling and the open windows keep the air moving and relatively cool, even on a hot day.  As the train made brief station stops on the way to Tunis, I chatted casually with my traveling companions about inconsequential topics.  Soon, though, our attention turned to the commotion at the other end of our train car.  The train was just leaving a station stop; without fully understanding what was happening, I saw two young men stumbling and trotting off of the train.  I initially concluded that they barely made it off the train before it started moving, having not realized at first that they were at their intended stop. 

Quickly, though, it was clear that something else was going on—these young men were not awkwardly tripping away from the train because they were absent minded; in fact, they took advantage of a woman standing near the exit door of the train, stealing her purse and slipping out of the door as the train was leaving the station, making it impossible for the victim to react in time before the train left the station.  The victim and her family frantically exited the train at the next stop, and several passengers in our car shouted out window to the personnel at the station, explaining what had happened at the previous stop.  I was powerless to do anything but clutch my bag a bit tighter for the remainder of the ride, even though my bag contained nothing more than a water bottle.  It was a good reminder to me that even as an experienced traveler I need to be cautious and attentive when I’m out and about.

There was no more excitement on the train for the remainder of the ride to Tunis.  My fellow travelers knew how to get from the train station to our destination, the market (or Souk) in the old city, so we started the 20 minute walk down a broad boulevard to the entrance of the Souk; along the way, we passed cafes, stores, a theater, and several side streets with more of the same.  The scene had a very European feel—even on the last day of Ramadan when the cafes were closed in respect of the day-long fast.

The market is prominently announced with what once was the gate to (or from) the old city of Tunis.

Gate at entrance of old city of Tunis

Once in the old city, we followed a maze of narrow streets past vendors of souvenirs, clothes, carpets, shoes, and sweets.  After walking the narrow streets for 15 minutes, we faced a “T” intersection and paused to decide where to go next.  As we paused, a Tunisian man suggested that we should go see the panoramic view of the old city that was nearby.  He showed us the location on a map mounted on a nearby wall.  The three of us walked in the general direction that he suggested, without a great deal of interest in reaching the precise spot he showed us.  Soon, we realized we were on a dead-end road and when we turned around, the same man was there and offered to take us to the location he had suggested.  Knowing that he would soon become our tour guide that we would be obligated to compensate, I told my traveling companions that we could refuse his services and go our own way.  But we all agreed that it would be worthwhile to get a tour through the maze of streets in the old city.  Our guide spoke some English but was much more comfortable speaking French; my traveling companions spoke limited French, so even my limited French proficiency came in handy as he explained things along the way and as we had questions about the significance or age of the sites we saw.  Our first stop was a panoramic view of 9 mosques (and much of the rest of downtown Tunis).  Other stops included a museum that held the tombs of many prominent ‘kings’ (called Bey) from the Ottoman Empire, a local carpet cooperative, and a perfume vendor.  Despite high-pressure selling, none of us bought carpets or perfume.

After spending roughly 2 hours with us, we compensated our guide generously—probably a bit too generous in retrospect, but with an important holiday—Eid al Fitr—around the corner, it felt like the right thing to do.  (Eid al Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.)  Also, the experience not only provided us with a good information tour of the old city of Tunis but also gave me an opportunity to practice speaking French.

Once again on our own, the three of us enjoyed the narrow streets of the market at a casual pace and spent a considerable amount of time in one welcoming shop in particular. 

The narrow streets of the Tunis Souk

 

Finally, late in the afternoon, we left the old city and returned to the train station for the ride back to La Marsa.  Back in La Marsa, we tromped down the long beach as the sun settled over the horizon.  Walking in close proximity to the Mediterranean was pleasant enough, but negotiating the sand made for a bit of a workout and even with the sun beyond the horizon, the combination of heat and humidity made it a sticky, sweaty affair.  The rolling waves just a few feet away mocked me as I nearly swam in my increasingly saturated clothes.

It had been a nice day but I was ready for the comforts of home, so I decided to leave my traveling companions for the night.  My 30-minute walk home was lovely—there was a faintly festive mood in the air.  Tunisians had just recently broken fast for the final time this Ramadan.  I imagine they were experiencing a mix of emotions—proud to have completed another month of fasting; saddened but also relieved to leave behind the strict routines mandated during Ramadan.