«A Night in Tunisia» is a great 1942 tune written by Dizzy Gillespie. In December 2007, we spent several nights in Tunisia, but had no chance to hear Dizzy...
To believe in tourist guides, «Tunis is a city that lies somewhere in between the ancient and the modern. The city is not very Arab, nor is it very African. And even though you might have heard otherwise, it's not so European either». Actually, you may find that Tunis is a somehow mysterious city, mixing the old and the new, and several cultures at the same time.
"CANTABRIAN MOUNTAINS - We flew through Paris to get to Tunis. The advantage was that, at sunset, the views from the Cantabrian Mountains were absolutely stunning"
"KARTHAGO LE PALACE - The hotel, located on Gammarth Hill, along the Mediterranean Sea, had interesting views towards the sea"
"GOVERNMENT SQUARE - The large square hosts the Government quarters and is amazingly clean. It makes a sharp contrast to the narrow streets of the Medina. The National Monument, surrounded by the flags, takes the centre of the Place"
"MINISTRY OF FINANCES"
"FOUNTAINS - At Government Square and close to the Prime Minister's Office"
"THE MINARET of the Kasbah Mosque"
"PM'S OFFICE - The Prime Minister's Office is housed in the Dar el Bey, once a royal guesthouse. Deserted in the evenings, the area is quite busy during the office hours..."
"DAR EL JELD is a converted 18th century Ottoman residence, with a beautiful tiled courtyard, wonderful stucco decorations and lovely Moorish furnishings. Traditional Tunisian food such as prawn kebabs and lamb stew comes next..."
"MEDINA - Ready for shopping? Prepare to bargain..."
"FLAGS"
"CEILING"
"HAMMAMET - the so-called Tunisian St. Tropez - is one of the top tourist destinations in Tunisia. Amazingly, there is some kind of a Disneyland there, with fake reproductions of many of the most important monuments in Tunisia, including minarets..."
"SAND ROSES - Supposedly from the Tunisian Sahara Desert"
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Paz from New York was so kind to pass these awards to me. I'm truly honoured and delighted!
Thank you Paz!
***
Azer Mantessa made another music with some of my pictures. He named it GMG Travels the World and is an amazing work! I'm thrilled: 8 minutes and 11 seconds of a wonderful video (pictures included ;))! Thanks Azer!
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59 comments:
Now, another incursion in Maghreb after Morocco… Tunisia is an interesting country and a nice place to stroll around! It makes sense to include it on the list of countries to visit. Hope you enjoy!
My pleasure to pass the awards to you! ;-)
Love your Tunisia photos. Visiting your blog always takes someplace exciting.
Paz
Je l'ai visitée en 1985, elle a dû changer depuis! j'ai beaucoup aimé. Des soupirants français qui faisaient leur service militaire en Algérie, quand j'étais jeune, m'avaient ramené des roses des sables, je vais les chercher si je les ai encore.
Je viens de visualiser le travail d'Azer, félicitations, du rêve pendant plus de 8 minutes.merci à vous 2.
I visited Tunisia a couple of years ago, and found it charming. Shopping can be a bore, but the sellers didn't bother me. The ruins of Karthago and the village of Sidi Bou Said I liked the most on my trip.
أنا أحب الهندسة المعمارية العربية
والكتابة أيضا
Nice pictures. I love the Moorish-Arab charm of the old quarters of Tunisia. That said, the Med Sea is as charming as always, even from the African side!
I'm rather surprised to see people wearing warm things, I thought Tunis is an ever-lasting summer :)
And I loved the mountains photos - stunning scenes!
Thank you for visiting and commenting my blog!
Gil
I'm simply awed by these pictures, particularly those of Cantabrian mountains!
The Mediterranean Sea too looks wonderful with its blue-gray waters!
Very impressive pictures
Cheers
Rakesh
Hi GMG.. Tunisia seems to have same architectures as those in the Middle East, very much alike. And the language, I wonder if it it's arab, the writing looks one.
Your aerial photos look like it came from google earth. I know though that you took them yourself. You're very professional in those 3d photos. I salute your expertise.
Hi Gil,
Beautiful pictures from the mountains out from the plane, very inviting photos from the small lanes and from the beaches and congratulations to your award and the video...Wow...you got now fame!:)
Many kudos going your way for these fantastic photos of mountains, beaches and street and building scenes. Enjoy!
Joyce
Another beautiful spot in this wonderful world of ours.Congrats on the the awards. I will go by and view the video clip with your photos. :o)
j'adore la Tunisie, j'ai travaillé à Tunis, Hammamet et à Nabeul (a cote d'Hammamet). C'est vraiment très beau. Tes photos me font revenir en arrière, bonjour la nostalgie.
Félicitation pour tes Awards bien mérités.
je n'arrive pas a m'abonner a ton RSS ? je ne comprends pas pourquoi ?
Oh gosh, those mountains are gorgeous. You know just looking at the photos I'm imagining myself being at the same place and I could feel how relaxing and comfortble it is. Hmm... it just makes me a happy girl.
thats awsome, Gil,
even the colours are gret and :yep! we have been in Marocco too, but just NOT this part in Tunesie not, but we saw 'Tanger' and 'Marrakech' and more (desert) by our own car, I remember the small streets,tthes shops, carpets and minttea, the nice (sweet)food , the busy markets, a lot of homeless cats too.
This are really nice shots and the different weather is suprisingly, it looks good there in any weather.
Mine is here: www.joannwalraven.blogspot.com
Good weekend wishes for me
Greetings from JoAnn
these are wonderful photos!! have always dreamed of going to Tunisia!
A city mixing cultures? Then I will feel home if one day I go to Tunis.
Very nice video of your almost round the world tour. Tunisia is beautiful and lots of lovely activities going on there. Always love viewing the places you visited. Your map is almost all covered in red. WOW. Well done. You really should earn the title of visited the whole world. I guess it is easier to ask which country you have not visited than to ask which countries you have visited...lol. Have a nice weekend.
Gorgeous place especially the awesome views towards the sea. It seems fun to visit the Hammamet and I'm intrigued by this photo of sand roses.
Desspite your recommendations,I feel possibly your and get a mixed impression. The views of the Cantabrian mountains and from your hotel are however without any mixed feelings, just fantastic!
When I look outside it wouldn't be bad to be in Tunisia now ;-) Nice photos of the flight and the beaches and fabulous buildings.
Looks like an interesting place. More photos please :-)
Nice shots. I really like the variety on the sky and the water falls.
Oooooh, another beautiful post with awesome pictures. Very nice! I don't know much about Tunisia, so it was very informative.
Love the mountain pics:)
the gloomy greek weather made good conference attendance LOL.
mountain views - stunning! its like gil earth vs google earth ^_^
I enjoyed it very much Gil. I always love your airplane shots and in this post I found the sand roses most fascinating. (gee...wonder why?) grin. Have a great week wherever you are. ~ Lynn
You make every place you go very interesting.....very nice! Hope all is well with you!
Trotter,
Congrats on your awards, and as usual, another beautiful trip. Those mountains are beautiful.
Rhonda
another wonderful round of travel, thanks!
Hello Gil. Congratulations on the award! Thank you for the lovely tour. Great pics, as always.
Have a wonderful week and take care.
Lisa
GMG, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving the comment.
Lovely post and great pictures! It’s always a pleasure to visit your blog and know about different places around the globe.
You too have a great week ahead & happy blogging.
P.S: there is something waiting for you, come and pick it up from my blog :)
the view from the sky is great. thanks again for the wonderful tour around tunisia. such a lovely place.
Hello Gil,
You have a good collection of interesting photographs some showing the Islamic architecture.
Congratulations on the Awards Gil. You deserve them.:)
You do take us on some spectacular travels. I quite agree with what you said about the city being a mixture of old and new and of several cultures. Impressive.
The Cantabrian mountains look absolutely magical...and Tunisia looks like quite the place to visit. :)
Oh, and congratulations on the awards...you absolutely deserve them!
Merci pour tes superbes photos.
J'ai vécu avec ma femme 2 années en Tunisie de 1969 à 1971. Nous étions dans le Sud à Medenine près de Djerba.
Eu nomeio o Blogtrotter para o "Este Blog é 100!"
http://cocktailspt.blogspot.com/2008/11/este-blog-100-e-oscar-2008.html
Gil... guess what?? This morning I met with a woman who is newly arrived here in Tirana.... and guess where she is from?? Tunisia!! How serendipitous!!
Hi Trotter...a bit pushed for time myself. Sorry I ignored last week's...loved but not lost, Old Chap. Never been to Nth Africa so mighty psd to see it here. My knowledge sort of hovers around ancient tragedy plays about Hannibal and the Romans and Carthage....all a bit passe!!
Congratulations and great shots - love the changing colour in the sea and the sand roses. Interesting about the Tunisian cultural mix.
Awesome shots over the mountains - as well as the other ones too. There sure are some fantastic architecture and details!
*whistles admiring*
You visit the best beaches. I'm jealous.
wow very beautiful place!
Love the mountain shots especially-they look like paintings! Congrats on the video--will go watch it now!
Tous les chemins passent pas Paris...
:)
Même sous la pluie, et je dirais grâce à la pluie ce voyage en Tunisie est magique: les couleurs y sont différentes sur le gris.
J'adore la photo du dessus, très bien composée, avec l'hôtel en coin et la mer qui fait des lignes.
C'est beau les roses des sables, ce n'est pas rose d'habitude ? Cela doit dépendre : en Algérie où ma tante vivait dans l'oasis de Ouarga, elles sont roses...
Whoa! Amazing pictures again. Congrats on the award too.
Those beach photos are wonderful! I love the aqua.
Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comments.
joy
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I'm especially intrigued by your text description of Tunis. You caught wonderful light and sky in your shot of the PMs office. How much is there that remains of old Carthage other than in the museums?
Hi Folks! You know how glad I am to read you here! Thanks for taking your time to drop a note!
Tonight we had some awful news coming from Mumbai, India, one of the places I was planning to visit in the (near or so) future! Hope that none of my Indian visitors (their families and friends) was affected!
Paz,
Thanks again for the lovely awards. That says much more about your kindness than about the excellence of this blog… ;))
Lyliane,
En vingt trois ans c’est sûr que Tunisie a changé… Mais tes roses de sable sont peut-être encore plus belles que celles que j’ai vu…
Les video qu’Azer a produit sont magnifiques!
Susupetal,
It’s great that you could remember something from your trip to Tunisia in this post. There is still more to come, including the Blue Village…
Hélène,
La traduction du Word m’a donné «I est a aimé l'arabe architectural de technologie» pour la première phrase et rien pour la deuxième… Pour moi, c’est du chinois!!
Kyh,
The medina of Tunis is quite interesting. And the old «mare nostrum» came quite well on these pictures!
Irina,
Wow. It’s lovely to have you here. It’s true that we caught some rain and a rather cold weather…
My pleasure to get to your wonderful blog!
Rakesh,
The Cantabrian are stunning, in particular the «Picos de Europa! As far as the Med Sea colours are concerned, I was lucky enough to be at the right place on the right time… ;)
Bridge,
Tunisia is an Arab country in the Maghreb - the northernmost country on the African continent, and the smallest of the nations situated along the Atlas mountain range – and has the modern standard Arabic as its official language.
Gil’s Earth rather than Google’s (but far from being a professional) is what you’re seeing (including the Cantabrian… ;))!
Sue,
Must confess that the Cantabrian Mountains came better than what I imagine when I took the pictures!!
Fame? Just remember the well-known musical…
Joyce,
Thanks. It’s the first time I get a kudos on this blog!
Tawnia,
Thanks! Hope you have enjoyed the video; I think it’s absolutely stunning!
Olivier,
Alors tu connais bien la Tunisie: Tunis, Hammamet, Nabeul, il ne te manque que Djerba pour faire le tour du Club Med…
J’espère que le RSS marche; autrement, je ne saurais pas aider… ;))
Cutie,
So easy to make you a happy girl? I’m thrilled… ;))
JoAnn,
You haven’t been in Tunisia? But you have been in the desert, and driving yourself; that’s incredible… ;))
Ah, but the mint tea, the carpets, the markets and the cats, you wouldn’t miss it… ;)
Jennifer,
Dreaming? Start packing!!
Therese,
A mixed culture is your habitat… ;)
Alice SG,
Full round the world tour, I’ve only made it twice… 1996 and 1998! Anyhow, I can only say that I’ve visited more than half of the countries represented in the United Nations… But, you know, it’s not such a small world! ;)
Asian Traveler,
Hammamet has an amazing fake mini-Tunisia… The sand roses are also a bit weird, to say the least… ;)
Peter,
It’s a bit strange, and that’s the minimum that we may say. Well ranked as a competitive economy, but raising some mixed feelings, you’re right!
I had the chance to catch the Cantabrian and the Mediterranean at the right time; was also surprised to get those colours… ;)
Ingrid,
Don’t think you’ll get some guaranteed sunny days this time of the year. I had my share of rain, and can’t say it was that warm… ;)
Tinsie,
Interesting, indeed! You’ll see the best collection of Roman mosaics in the world: coming next in a blog near you... ;)
Barb,
Waterfall? You mean the fountain? That’s an amazing place…
Ron,
You’re welcome! And you’re not alone in the group of those who don’t know much about Tunisia…
Leo,
That rain was a gift: the conference room was crowded… ;))
Gil’s Earth? Have to register the patent… ;)) Credit you with the name… ;))
Lynn,
I usually travelled the aisle in the airplanes, to avoid being stuck; but when they leave the window seat free and my camera isn’t far, some pictures may be caught… ;)
I knew you would love the sand roses; some say they should be rose, but, at least at night, they looked golden rather than rose!
Neva,
That’s very kind of you; but unfortunately, I’ve no Midas touch power… ;))
Rhonda,
Glad to read you here!
MKiwi,
You’re welcome!
Lisa,
Great to see that you settled and are back to the blogosphere!!
Alok,
Thanks for the award. You’re most kind!!
My pleasure to visit your blog!
Norman,
The sky was clear, so I had the chance to pick some interesting shots…;))
Celine,
Thanks! There are some interesting buildings in this set of pictures…
Rune,
It’s an interesting city! With a long, long history!
Vagabond,
Thanks! Magical is quite a good word to describe the show of the Cantabrian Mountains!
Daniel,
1969-1971 en Tunisie; ça a du être une aventure beaucoup plus intéressante qu’une visite en 2007… ;))
João,
Obrigado, mas este blog passa um pouco à margem desses «concursos»…
Kim,
Amazing! One of these days you’ll post on a Tunisian experience in Tirana… Serendipitous… (Great word to be used here)!
Roon,
Thought you were thinking of Africakorps and Montgomery taking care of them in Alamein… rather than Hannibal Barca and the Elephants crossing the Alps… ;)
Julie,
That sea was a treat; lucky to be there at the right time!
Lifecruiser,
Thanks for leaving your comments here!
Lisa,
That beach was a bit rocky! Actually, some of the best beaches are close to where I live: Algarve, Portugal!!
Piika,
Glad to see you back commenting here!
Kuanyin,
The mountains came out quite nicely! Hope you enjoyed the videos!
Lucie,
Je croyais que tous les chemins menaient à Rome… ;)
La photo de l’hôtel et de la mer résulte plutôt de la chance que de l’expertise du photographe!
Les roses que j’ai vu sont dorées, comme dans la photo… ;)
Indrani,
Thanks!
Joy,
It was an amazing moment to catch the aqua pictures!
Ted,
The PM’s office had such a dark sky behind when the sunset light was hitting the white walls that the picture came out pretty well… ;)
Almost nothing left in the ruins of Carthage…
Gil, I enjoy very much this post about Tunisia.
Coming to your nice blog is always a great pleasure for me!
Have a good day!
Pietro,
Thanks! Always a great pleasure reading you here!
The incredible mountains, then the sea. What a trip!
Louise,
One day I'll make the Cantabrian on land; Picos de Europa definitely deserve some pictures...
Now this place looks a lot more relaxed. Very pretty surroundings.
Lady,
A nice hotel by the Mediterranean Sea, nice views, resort lifestyle... ;))
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