African Adventure

Africa.  Of all of the stops on our cruise, this was the one that we were looking forward to the most.   Not that the other stops were anything short of impressive, but there is just something about checking another continent and country off of the bucket list that adds something to the WOW factor.  And it would not disappoint.

We were off the ship as soon as we were cleared to do so.  This is the one and only stop that we booked the ships tour.  It was the one thing B made me promise before booking the cruise.  He trusts that I can handle myself and the girls in almost any situation, but northern Africa is an unknown to both of us.  It is a new language with an unknown alphabet, a continent I have never set foot on and a lot of unknown elements about culture and customs. It just made sense to both of us to have someone to guide us through our visit.  And it also ensured that we will see the sites in the fullest way.

First stops, Carthage.  I say stops because Carthage is a city and not just a single site.  But first a bit of history...

The land was first inhabited by the Berbers as far back as a millennium B.C. and, over the course of 200 hundred years, they built up a prosperous and thriving city.  Around 814 BC, the Phoneticians arrived.  The mixture of the two peoples resulted in the creation of a brand new culture and language that we now know as Punic.  This new people would play an important part in the history of Northern Africa for the next 600 years as they reigned over land, sea and wealth.  Their dominance would last until the final of the Punic wars, three of which were fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC - 146 BC, and ended with their defeat.  Not only did the Romans defeat the Punic's, they would almost completely obliterate their culture, all traces of their language, and most of their technology.  The word Punic in Roman times actually meant treacherous.

The area continued to thrive under the Romans rule, but ended up in piles of rubble and covered by layers of dirt and debris after the fall of Rome.  For hundreds of years there was almost nothing left of the ancient city.  And actually, though they have made strides in uncovering the riches and artifacts that have lain under dirt for thousands of years, progress is slow and only about 15% of ancient Carthage has been unearthed at this time.  Which means maybe another visit will be in order when they have uncovered more.  But for now it also means that you have to travel by bus to the sites that have been discovered and excavated.

The theater was our first stop.  When the Romans ruled the land, there was a law that there must be theaters and forums in every town with a population of 5000 or more.  This particular theater was for comedy/tragedy.  There are others solely for gladiator fighting and horse racing.

Our second stop was a small, but wealthy village a short bus ride away.  The land here is in good shape and it is amazing how many details are still beautifully visible.  Unfortunately, the area, which includes the graveyards of the wealthiest of inhabitants, were ransacked years ago and now must be guarded at night.  Thankfully, they didn't destroy the site, they merely took the jewels and gold.

The girls are sitting on the outside walls that marks the perimeter of the front garden of one of the main houses in the village.  

The room above is the dining room.  It is the largest room in the house and always had the largest doorway - solely for the purpose of being able to bring in the sheep, cooked but still whole, so as to impress the guests.

The atrium (above) and the rooms off of it were the center of the house where the family lived.  The hallway (below) would lead out into the entertaining parts of the house, but not before you entered into another small vestibule.  This vestibule was always guarded by armed men, in case one of the wives (yep, one of) decided it would be a nice night for a walk, or wanted to join the men at dinner. She would be immediately apprehended, taken to her husband and probably beheaded in front of their guests.

Thankfully, my girls don't live in such times and felt free to do as they pleased without the threat of losing their heads.

One of the sarcophagi that was looted.

Interesting how different even the license plates were.

Back on the bus, we traveled to our final stop in Carthage - the museum and Byrsa Hill.  We only briefly wandered through the bottom room of the museum, as we were running short on time, but we did have a bit more time to wander around the grounds outside in what is called the Hannibal District.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the original Punic settlement and where Hannibal Barca, one of the most famous military generals of all time and perhaps the greatest military strategist ever known, was raised.

Once again we boarded the bus, and this time traveled to the highest point in the town of Sidi Bou Said.  Famous for their whitewashed walls and blue doors (it reminded me of Mykonos, only a bit more run down).  It is an artists village on the sea and where most of us did our shopping for souvenirs.  Because we had small children, it was recommended that we shop here instead of going into the Medina (the large and must more famous market).  The Medina can be loud and overwhelming for even the adults so it could be troublesome for children.  And I am actually glad we took their advice.  The markets here were still beautiful and we also had the added bonus of knowing that the products sold here were authentic.  The artists that display their works within the shops are from the art schools in Tunis and the money goes to support their continuing education.  A bit pricier but I am OK with that when it goes to the right places.

We wandered, we snapped some pictures and marveled at the views.  We selected our souvenirs and then spotted the perfect lunch spot.  High up on a roof top terrace, overlooking the sea, with sun shining all around. We slaked our thirst, sated our hunger with authentic couscous and were blessed to be right there when the call to prayer sounded.  Simply Amazing.  There are no words to describe how magical and peaceful it was to experience something so powerfully overwhelming.  It was a once in a lifetime experience and I know the girls and I will never forget those moments.

Our time was drawing to a close, but we still had one more adventure.  After we went through immigration (we had to re-enter the EU after all) and emerged at the dock, we were greeted by camels!  For only about the equivelent of $5 we could saddle up and take a short ride.  How could we say no?

The three girls went first...(MadHatter isn't scared, she just had to lean way forward to hold on)...

Then the Mama's got to ride with their girls.  Though, Stinkerbell had decided that the one ride was enough, so it was just me and MadHatter.

Back on the ship.  Overwhelmed with all we had seen today, we completed our journals, had some dinner and fell into bed.  Exhausted.  Excited.  And especially appreciative of all we got to experience today.

Our Sicilian Adventure

We set sail from Rome at exactly 6 pm.  And headed directly south, following the coast for the next 18 hours, until we hit Sicily.   We were scheduled to dock at noon. Which left E and I a few hours to hit the gym, and for the kids to play in the Kids Club before grabbing a quick lunch and finishing just in time to watch the boat pull in to our first port - Palermo.

We were lucky enough to have a private tour guide in the form of a fellow expat and friend of E's.  M lives about two hours away from Palermo, but was gracious enough to arrange babysitting for her kids after school so that she could come for a quick reunion with E, and to help us navigate the city.  Our first stop - the Norman Palace.

Striking a pose before touring the Palace.

The Norman Palace has a storied history. A long and storied history.  The first building was completed in the 9th century by the Emir de Palermo (it's Arabic beginning) and parts of the original are still visible.  When the Normans conquered Sicily in 1052, the palace was transformed from an Arabic palace into a multinational administrative and residential building for the ruling party.  Then, during the reign of the Swabian emperors, it became the seat of the poetry school.  And later, the Bourbons added reception rooms.  It truly is a multicultural building but perhaps the best place to see the Arab-Norman-Byzantine style that prevailed in Sicily back in the day is the Capella Palatina (Palatine Chapel).  The mosaics were stunning, the wooden roof unforgettable and the throne is simply one of unparalleled elegance.  My pictures don't do it justice...

Cinderella's coach - only older.

All individual tiles!

That wooden, carved ceiling!

We walked up stairs to see the residences, only to find out that they were closed on Tuesdays...Boo.

Our personal driver had to get back to pick her kids up from school, so we said goodbye and set off on foot down the main drag - Vittorio Emmanuel.  We stopped to take a picture (or 10) at the Palermo Cathedral...

And a few snapshots of our three girls being silly - and yet- oh so cute...

It was Carnival after all...

A bit farther down the street we visited the Fountain of Shame in the Piazza Pretoria (Church framed plaza).  This famous fountain was designed in the mid-1500's for a private villa and promptly rejected because of it's lewd and crude nature.  So, of course, the city of Palermo snapped it up, installed it in a square ringed with churches and flood lit it at night so that it is on display 24/7.  When it was first unveiled in 1575 it caused an outrage among the citizens, who named renamed it the Fontana della Vergogna or, Fountain of Shame.  

We tried to visit the churches that ring the fountain, the Santa Caterina and the church of San Guiseppe dei Teatini, but both were closed for the afternoon siesta.  We could have waited around but we still had some wandering to do.

We were glad we kept up our wanderings, because we stumbled onto some fun things to do and see...

We finally made our way back to the ship.  We had just enough time to do our journals for the day, and then get ready for formal night.  It was the first of two on our itinerary, and the one that was hosted by the captain (which meant free drinks for happy hour).  The girls looked lovely and E and I were so glad to have them for our dates that evening at dinner.

But the three Cinderella's were beat (and so were we), so we didn't linger after dinner.  After all, we needed our beauty sleep because the morning would bring us to our most anticipated stop of the trip - Tunis!