"Edge of the Roman and Ottoman Empires" Tunisia by acommon1

Gem of a place to spend time. You would be surprised. Lovely country.

Resting at the top of the Sahara, Tunisia touches the crispy blue Mediterranean Sea. Here, the dry Atlas mountains almost lean just up near the Mediterranean Sea.

This country is frequented by French, Italians, Germans, and, now, plenty of Russians. Yes, Russians. Out of all my travels around the world, this is this first that I saw a number of souvenir shops with jerseys with Russia (CCCP) logos. How times have changed? US of America, please wake up.

The common language is "french" but most speak Arabic and Berber too.

Very dry.

Plenty of security. There is security everywhere. Three to four hours in country, there were police officers issuing speeding tickets. Sounds normal. What if I told you that these officers only held a "laser speed" gun and didn't even have a car? When an auto was flagged down, the automatically pulled over then backed up to wait their speeding ticket. Now, that is discipline.

The general public follows the laws but note that here the watchful eye of the government is everywhere.

Patrols everywhere.

As in Europe, here, there are many cafes. Regardless of the cities size, you can find cafes to lounge in. Guys, there is just one catch. If you expect to see some beautiful Tunisia woman comfortably sipping some coffee ... GOOD LUCK. Just a bunch of guys.

Local women lounging around are hardly seen in public ... unless they're tourist.

The architecture here (from centuries ago and even the new) will amaze you!

Former Roman Settlement (Tunisian Interior)

Crossroads. Many have trekked across this land. The conquers came from the East, West, and North.

Carthage. The birth place of Hannibal. Punic Wars.

Scipio Africanus the Younger carried out Rome's vengence. Rome came here with a vengence. They sewed the lands with salt to destroy lands from ever being used for croplands again. And, so, 2000 years later the land remains mostly void of arable land to grow self-sustainable grains. No longer a land where grains grew freely mostly on their own. The Romans knew how to punish a country or land or people for centuries. That is what they did to the future generations of the land.

Under Ottoman rulership for just over 400 years.

This was the final North African battleground during World War II. The German's fell back to Tunisia as their defenses crumbled. Disjointed German command didn't help the Axis' situation inevitable departure. German's High Command no longer had faith in Rommel.

At Kasserine Pass, near the Algerian border, the US Army made their first European Theater blunder here. Overwhelmingly, our forces came from the west without out proper reconnaissance. They entered a German trap. Superior numbers didn't matter. It was an embarrassing blow. They ran right into Rommel and his Afrika Corps.

Sometimes out of mistakes come potentially great things. The general that made the Kasserine Pass mistake was replaced by a gentleman with a great WW2 future - Patton. Gen. George Patton took the reigns then turn things around. The rest is history.

I walked the dusty path leading to Kasserine Pass from the East.

Tunis Dining!

Love the food. Seafood. Couscous! Chicken. Squid. Lamb. Veggies.

I utilized a resort as a core location to venture out from. They had a Caribbean theme. You would not believe the number of Russians. Hundreds. Even few Germans. To think they once were enemies. Few black Africans were on the resort. Nice people but only stayed here to sleep.

Tunisia is a good resort option for families that want to relax on the Mediterranean Sea. Many go to Sousse.

Just a bit North of Tunis, you'll find a hilly coastal town of white building with blue shutters. Huge doors. Big windows with many shutters for privacy. You'll find many diplomats and expats.

Enjoy.

• Pros:Safe. Tons of History. Great food. Affordable. Good value. Efficient airport. Taxi & Limo guys are cool.
• Cons:Hot sand. Not a place to meet women. Merchants should be watched.
• In a nutshell:Loved it. The government's done well. They should invest more in "solar" energy even if they have oil.