City Style and Living - Spring 2008 - (Page 48)

There is nothing like the wondrous display of stars in the late evening in Tunisia - so close, they seem to shimmer just above our heads, so clear and unobstructed by trees, buildings, or clouds, that the whole sky radiates with their pure light. The stars are not neatly patterned but beautifully arrayed in a sort of natural chaos. For the first time we grasp, perhaps a little, the enormity of the celestial heavens. It is because this is a land dominated by desert, flat, lowlying, that our eyes, accustomed to the mountain views of Calgary, are awed. When dawn breaks, we see the Mediterranean Sea cradling the beige desert gentle, flowing, near. For days we become accustomed to a waking reverie – stars in the evening and azure water against whitewashed buildings during the day. We are touring the seaside region of Cape Bon in the Northeast of the country, only 145 kilometers from Sicily. Inspired by images of El Jem, the Roman amphitheater, we excitedly plan a trip. Ironically, we never get a chance to visit El Jem. Instead, we are never far from the sea. On a map, Cape Bon looks like a rhinoceros horn jutting into the sea and it is here that many of the exploits that made Tunisia a rival of ancient Rome took place. T 48 | SPRING 2008 | citystyleandliving.com past orchards and groves of olive trees, we see small houses where any shepherd may stay for the night. “On February 22 a huge fete takes place where each family slaughters a sheep,” explains Yamen Ben Alaya, our driver, a young man in his twenties, dressed in crisp twenty-first century business attire. Incongruence is at the heart of life in Tunisia. Though nightclubs, modern commerce, skyrises, and packaged tourists, mainly from Europe, abound, sheep-herders, donkeycarts, and camel riding Berbers are equally commonplace. There is an eerie rhythm in this land that alludes to Biblical times and before. It exists just below the surface of modernity. Where Carthage fell and Africa was born, where Phoenicians conquered and Islam predominates, in this diverse nation, the past breathes as true and relevant as the present. It is late February and this nation of 10 million is preparing for a festival. Shepherds wearing their kachabia, a hooded cloak (that any fan of Star Wars would instantly recognize) parade their sheep about the countryside and into the towns – hoping to sell some of their herd. In staccatoed Arabic, men shout prices and heated bargaining takes place until a sheep is finally exchanged. As we drive Its architectural leitmotif of blue and white has lured artists for decades. Its pebbled streets lined with cafes are situated at the edge of the sea. Soon we are touring Carthage – ruins of another era that were the site of the Punic wars. Walking past eight foot tall Roman columns, weaving our way through what were once bustling streets, it is difficult not to feel transported. Like most of Tunisia, Carthage traces its history to invading Phoenicians who eventually gave way to Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Muslims and subsequently French. The ruins themselves are extensive, spread out among six sites, and though Yamen drives us to many of the sites, we do not see them all. Then, as though ancient and modern can be spanned in the breadth of a short drive, we are in Sidi Bou Saïd. Known to European tourists as a Mediterranean hotspot, the town is reminiscent of Santorini, or Capri. Its architectural leitmotif of blue and white has lured artists for decades. Its pebbled streets lined with cafes are situated at the edge of the sea. We quickly run into a shop and give Yamen the money to buy some Tunisian wine (in this country winemaking predates the introduction of Islam but for the sake of decency we let him buy the wine) to accompany our lunch. Far below the city we gaze down at the beautiful modern docks. also jewels with the minutest details that look like they may have come from the present-day souk. It strikes us again that this is a country of baffling continuity. The museums do not just hold old relics, but artifacts that relate seamlessly to what we see in the towns and cities every day. This fact becomes more startling at the Bardo museum in Tunis. The museum houses one of the most impressive collections of Roman mosaics anywhere in the world. We visit room upon room of tiny pebbles or cut stone fashioned into Roman gods, animals, sea creatures and every other form imaginable. There are Opposite: A young boy exists a shop with a bag of sweets. First page: a beautiful lacework peacock graces the entranceway to a home. http://citystyleandliving.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of City Style and Living - Spring 2008

City Style and Living - Spring 2008 Contents Editor's Note Behind the Cover The District Need It Want It Fusion Sweet Secret Restaurant Inspiration Eat Like a Locavore Covet Helen of Troy Prêt-à-Porter Anatomy Of Spring Fashion Trends Secret Garden Passport Bookcase Great Eats in Maui Tunisia Ombudsperson Horoscopes Final Thought

City Style and Living - Spring 2008

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