Exploring a visit to Tunis.
Tunisian tourism is among those things that surprises you. You get there believing you have a strategy, a checklist, perhaps even a colour coded schedule, and within an hour the city gently laughs at you and follows its own mind. Tunis is not here to overtly impress you. Like someone who is certain they are interesting and has no need to show it, it simply exists assuredly.
Tunis seems fairly familiar from the outset. Cafes, traffic, folks glued to their phones, and the ubiquitous sound of someone arguing with a cab driver abound. You then enter the medina and all of a sudden your feeling of direction, time, and personal space gently resigns. Uninterested in Google Maps, the streets bend and turn and soon give up and urge you to "explore nearby". Whether you like it or not, you will look around close by.
The medina is the place in Tunis where tourism truly reveals its character. Leather bags, brass lights, spices, and carpets abound in stores—far more expensive than your wallet would like. Shopkeepers welcome you like an old friend they are delighted to see once more, particularly your wallet. The negotiations have a rhythm that seems to be half show, half athletic competition. You play like you don't care. They act as though they are not insulted. Everyone knows how this will turn out.
Naturally, food is a big story character. Particularly often seen are couscous, brik, grilled fish, and pastries drenched in honey. Harissa merits a particular note as it will instill humility in you. You'll believe you can handle spicy food. Harissa will nod politely and prove you wrong. Still, you'll come back for more because good food is always preferable to transient discomfort.
Tunis spreads out into neighbourhoods outside the Medina that seem unexpectedly peaceful. White and blue houses pose casually for your camera amid leafy streets, faded colonial structures, and seaside neighborhoods like La Marsa and Sidi Bou Said. You'll snap too many pictures then question why they all seem the same but still choose not to discard any.
The rate of tourism in Tunis—not only the attractions—distinguishes it. Time is needed by people. Coffee is not hurried. Discussions meander. Sitting in a café for an hour doing nothing may make you see this is the most efficient part of your day. Being a visitor here may make one uncomfortable. You started to understand things rather than spend time musing over life. Tunis insists you must do both.
You'll feel like you've merely touched the surface by the time you go. You'll tell yourself you'll be back, maybe learn some Arabic next time, surely eat less bread, and at last grasp how the buses operate. Whether you follow through on those commitments is a different matter, but Tunis won't care. It will be there, calmly sure, ready to gently disregard your plans once more. |
