OK - here is a VERY well kept secret - Tunisia is awesome - who knew??? I arrived with LOW expectations and discovered that Tunis is a mini-Paris with sidewalk cafes, open markets and lots of beautiful people speaking in French. I was so pleasantly surprised that I am almost without words.We got in about midday yesterday and received scavenges for yesterday and today. For this leg, we can scavenge for the entire time with another team (if we want) – which makes planning
much easier. We set out immediately to take a train to Carthage (yes, of Hannibal fame) which was only a short, standing-room only, mildly smelly train ride away. The ruins were really cool. We had to go to Tophet (an area that was used for human sacrifices – mainly children sacrifices). The stone on the left marks the sacrifice of a boy child (awful even to think about).From Carthage, we went on to a truly captivating little town called Sidi Bou Said – which I have never heard of – and is one of the coolest place I have ever been. It is built on a hill by the sea
and is a smaller- but equally romantic - version of 
Mikanos. Every building is white with blue trim – and the tradition is to do decorative and creative things with your door. The weather was cool and crisp and we drank mint tea (with pine nuts floating on the top – don’t ask me why, but that is the tradition here) at sunset at a restaurant that over-looked the sea.TUNISIA - DAY 2
Today we were up at dawn to get the first train out to Sousse to see an old fort (not that 
impressive) and then on to El Jem to explore the roman coliseum that was used to film the movie Gladiator. 
Talk about impressive. And, unlike the coliseum in Rome, you can climb all over this one – and I mean all over - like down in the catacombs and up to the rafters. We stood in the middle of the coliseum and visualized what it would have been like to walk out there as a gladiator into a duel to the death.
Since today was Sunday, we also had to go to the Sunday Market – which we discovered was a locals market that sells housewares, clothes etc. (as opposed to the typical tourist trap
souvenirs). My favorite was the cloth sellers who were selling head-scarf material by the yard (as Tunisia is a Muslim country, many of the women are scarfed).
impressive) and then on to El Jem to explore the roman coliseum that was used to film the movie Gladiator. 
Talk about impressive. And, unlike the coliseum in Rome, you can climb all over this one – and I mean all over - like down in the catacombs and up to the rafters. We stood in the middle of the coliseum and visualized what it would have been like to walk out there as a gladiator into a duel to the death.Since today was Sunday, we also had to go to the Sunday Market – which we discovered was a locals market that sells housewares, clothes etc. (as opposed to the typical tourist trap
souvenirs). My favorite was the cloth sellers who were selling head-scarf material by the yard (as Tunisia is a Muslim country, many of the women are scarfed).
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