Sunday 16 November
Up at the disgracefully early hour of 5.40 and ready for breakfast at 06.00. We were packed and ready to go for 07.00 and we left Hammamet for the last time en route for El Jem. This town is rightly famous for its amazingly preserved colosseum. Although we were impressed with the one in Rome when we saw it some years ago it pales into insignificance alongside that of El Jem. Because we arrived relatively early in the day we had the added advantage of very few other tourists sharing the place with us. Consequently, photographs were easy to take and could be done with almost no other people in. We were able to wander at will throughout the site after our guides had given us a very detailed tour. It was particularly encouraging that the toilet facilities were immaculate! There is not much else at El Jem, but as we drove out of the town we stopped briefly at the mosaics museum. Although only small, it has an astounding array of beautifully displayed mosaics and other artefacts from the surrounding area. Well worth the stop.
From El Jem we drove south along the motorway to Sfax, a very large industrial city (apparently the second city in Tunisia after Tunis itself). There is a large medina and we had a very pleasant stroll around there and as tourists in a town unfrequented by tourists we were an object of some curiosity. At the end of our walk round the medina we were taken to a coffee shop on the terrace of one of the city walls where we had their speciality, mint tea with pine nuts, which was totally and unexpectedly delicious. It is apparently International Diabetes Awareness Day today and the inhabitants were being offered free diabetes tests, which seemed popular.
After we left the medina we drove for about 10 minutes to the Restaurant Roma, where we had yet another splendid lunch consisting of fried battered fish, spaghetti, tomatoes and two other sorts of salad, followed by tangerines and mint tea. Delicious, but very filling.
From Sfax we headed further south on the coast road where we noticed a distinct change in the vegetation from serried ranks of olive trees to palm trees. We briefly stopped for a drink and comfort break at a roadside café before heading still further south towards Gabes, another large industrial town, its main claim to fame from a touristic point of view appears to be the only maritime oasis in Tunisia. We stopped to examine this and, in addition to the date palms, saw pomegranates, henna and grapes under cultivation. Date palms don’t grow particularly well here as they like to have their roots in water and their heads ‘in the fire’ but, being on the coast, Gabes has high humidity and high rainfall so the dates are generally not of high quality. We learnt to our surprise, however, that the sap of date palms can be collected for a period of up to four/five months with quite high liquid yields (after which the palm dies). We were able to taste this sap and it is very pleasant (similar to coconut water). The dates themselves are perfectly edible, just not of the highest quality.
After leaving Gabes, we headed south on a road increasingly busy with cross-border traffic (the border with Libya does not require Tunisians to hold visas; they are the only nationality to have this exemption). Surprisingly, fuel is much cheaper in Tunisia than in Libya, despite Libya being an oil-producing country. There seems to be a great deal of shipment of consumer goods and foodstuffs back into Libya by returning drivers. The road was under repair, too, which slowed us down more than a little.
At the town of Mareth, where we turned north-east for Jerba, our guides explained that this area had seen heavy fighting in 1942/43 between French, Italian and British (Desert Rats, the 8th Army, under Montgomery) and German (the Afrika Corps, under Rommel) forces. From my vague knowledge of this campaign, the north-African landings (Operation Torch) must have been around here somewhere. As we write this, we are driving towards the ferry crossing of approximately 3 kilometres to the island of Jerba.
By now, it was dark (the sunset had been spectacular) and as we arrived at the ferry we were able to board immediately without waiting. Moments later, the ferry was full and set off for an uneventful voyage across the 3 km strait. On arrival at the island, the coach drove a few yards to the rest rooms for those who required the facilities, which were, I gather, not spectacular. From there we drove across to our hotel, the Palm Azur, another big resort hotel, markedly less friendly in atmosphere to the Sol Azur in Hammamet.
We had to take our own luggage to our second-floor room (no lift) and were initially baffled about switching on the lights as no-one had explained the master switch system. However, all was soon resolved and we discovered that we in fact possessed a suite, not just a bedroom. Dinner was at 8.00 and included complimentary wine and water which was nice, although only the red wine was really drinkable. The food, too, was lacking in terms of choice and quality, although the desserts were fine.
At 21.50 we decided to retire to our room, finish this journal and have a glass of brandy. Unfortunately, tomorrow is an early start with an alarm call at 07.00 for an 08.15 departure.
Monday 17 November
Yet another early start and the alarm call scheduled for 07.00 hours was 10 minutes late. Nevertheless we were already up and about. We went down for breakfast which, to be frank, really wasn’t that wonderful and I think we have been spoilt by the previous hotel. Anyway, we survived, returned to our room, organised all of our stuff and were ready to board the coach for an 08.15 departure.
We set off on a round tour of Jerba island; our first stop being the fishing port where we saw the pots for octopus fishing and then inspected a portion of the day’s fish catch. We then drove to the capital town, Houmt Souk, where we had a guided tour of the market, including the fish market and fruit/vegetable stalls. We then gathered in a café for drinks before boarding the coach and setting off for the Ghriba Synagogue; the only one on the island and the scene of a terrorist outrage in 2002. Security, not surprisingly, was high.
We then left the island via the seven kilometre causeway which also carries the main water supply and had been a Roman road. Once onshore we followed the minor roads in the direction of our lunch stop, Tataouine, but on first arriving there we went to a patisserie producing a local delicacy called corne de gazelle (gazelle’s horn), a sweet sticky peanut, almond and sesame seed mixture wrapped in pastry, deep fried and coated in honey and sugar. Pleasant, but a little goes a long way. We were not sufficiently enamoured of them to buy a supply. With the free time left we strolled round part of the town centre but it would seem they are not used to, or geared up to, tourists.
We then left Tataouine town and drove out towards the Berber village of Chenini where we had lunch. This consisted of bread with very strong harissa followed by a large plate of fried turkey slices, a potato mixture with cumin and herbs and raw tomatoes and onions, which was delicious. Pudding, perhaps not surprisingly, was another corne de gazelle each, obviously not as fresh as the ones we had just sampled and really not that exciting.
After lunch the group divided into heroes and wimps. The heroes set off and climbed towards the mostly ruined and deserted buildings clustered around the hilltop. A few dwellings are still occupied, however, and we were invited in to one of the houses to get a closer look (for one Dinar, naturally). One of the ladies inside the house was weaving a rug on a home-made loom, which was interesting. Amazingly, there were retail opportunities even on the hilltop, despite the fact that few tourists visit there. I managed to get some postcards and a pretty Berber bracelet. Tim was in with the wimps who only went up one level and then wandered along looking at the view and into one of the abandoned houses. It was nevertheless quite remarkable how comfortable the house felt in terms of temperature and in terms of the facilities it had. Several of the natives had housed animals at our level, including sheep, goats and a very large but extremely affable camel. We then strolled back down to the bus, not much in advance of the heroic party. I was glad to have been on the wimps tour as Jean needed uphill assistance and Janet needed help coming downhill. As the only male it fell to me to provide it.
Returning to the bus, we set off towards another Berber village and en route were given an impromptu geology lesson from John Easter. The Berber villages hereabouts had been seriously damaged in the rains of 1969 and only now has the Tunisian government, in conjunction with UNESCO, designated them a World Heritage Site, with the result that money is being spent on preserving/restoring them.
Our next stop was Douirat, another Berber village, with the present village in the valley and the remains of the old village on the mountain. By now it was beginning to get dark and the wind was getting decidedly chilly so a photo stop was all we had. We were, however, able to see the extensive Berber cemetery on the outskirts of the old village.
We drove back to Tataouine and stopped briefly at the Museum of Geology and Paleontology. This, although small, was actually very interesting and well worth breaking our journey to experience. We left a minute or two after 17.00 as the skies darkened and rain began to fall. The hotel was only a couple of miles away and as we clambered out of the bus a beautiful double rainbow was visible. We checked in and as we write are sitting in our cosy, unpretentious room, waiting for dinner at 19.30 hours. Alan has said we shall dance from about 21.00 for half an hour or so. Our hotel is quite basic, although friendly, and the biggest problem seems to be a lack of heat in the rooms. They have switched on such heat as is available, but it is still a trifle chilly. I had a shower before dinner and immediately regretted it as the facilities were basic, there was no soap and it was all rather Spartan. Off to dinner and it was actually so dimly lit in the restaurant that it was difficult to see what we were eating. So much so, that we mistakenly took a bowl of what we thought was soup, only to discover that it was a bowl of tomato sauce to go with the spaghetti. However, we sorted it all out in the end and had a perfectly pleasant meal. Alan had asked us to do a couple of dances in the bar area to show our guides and driver what we do, so we did Newcastle and a very simple longways dance. There were heaters in the bar so it was all very cosy. We spent a few more minutes doing some work with Kathy’s little PC before retiring to our room and to bed. Despite the existence of extra blankets and pillows, it was not the most comfortable of nights and we woke up feeling rather cold.
Tuesday 18 November
The usual early start and we had the option of eggy bread for breakfast, which was rather naughty but very nice We were all packed and ready to leave at 08.15 and set off back into Tataouine and from there to Ksar Ouled Soltane, one of the apparently best preserved such Ksour. It proved to be an amazing place in exceptionally good condition and, like many Tunisian historical sites, now comes under the auspices of the UNESCO World Heritage scheme. It is easy to see why this should be so. Prior to arriving here, we had imagined that people lived in these structures as a matter of routine, but it transpires they were effectively store houses for olive oil and foodstuffs, only being occupied as residences when the outside village environs were under threat.
From here we returned to Tataouine and headed due north to Medenine. On reaching Medenine we were told that this town originally consisted of a large Ksar, which in total had over 6,000 ghorfas (rooms). During the 1960s most of the ghorfas were demolished by the government. We were taken to one of the three remaining areas, where we were able to taste some freshly-baked Berber bread and look round the site, going into the rooms. Although interesting, it was not as impressive as Ksar Ouled Soltane. We stopped then for coffee and a comfort break.
From Medenine we drove along the newly-reclassified (by the Tunisian Army) surfaced roads towards Matmata, stopping briefly at the Berber village of Toujane. Between Toujane and Matmata the road snakes through some totally spectacular scenery, which included partially- destroyed (by a flood in 1969) Berber villages, and which inspired George Lucas in his mid-1970s epic, Star Wars. In Matmata we stopped for lunch and had a bowl of very nourishing soup with bread followed by an egg and parsley brique, then couscous, very hot harissa, chicken, potatoes and veg and finally a very sticky confection which may or may not have had pomegranite jam in the middle (looked like a fig roll though).
From here we moved on to the village of Tamezret, famous for its troglodyte dwellings. We stopped here and had a guided tour. Shortly after leaving here, we stopped for a photo opportunity and a rosemary tea with almonds and then went on our way on another recently upgraded road across the northern edge of the Sahara, ending up in Douz, where we had a camel ride. Our group were all dressed identically with orange burnouses and we set off on two very amiable camels and with an equaly amiable camelleer. He chatted to Kathy in Arabic and French, gave us lots of photo opportunities and generally did a first-class job. We enjoyed this very much indeed. From here it was two minutes to our smart hotel, which is nice and warm, has a good shower and provided an excellent dinner. Our guides took us out at 20.15 for a brief stroll into the desert to look at the stars. This proved interesting as we struggled to recognise unfamiliar constellations.
Wednesday 19 November
Yet another early start. This time we had to be up and in the coach ready to leave at 08.00 hours, we managed this, but with only minutes to spare. At least we weren’t the last ones on the bus. The hotel had been warm and cosy and we were sorry to leave it.
We drove north from Douz through several areas of palm trees, some of which seemed to be watered by hot water emerging from artesian wells. Apparently, this water is 60 degrees centigrade, and has to be cooled to 40 degrees before it can be used for irrigation purposes. There is certainly a shortage of water in this area, as witnessed by the number of dead and dying date palms. We passed through Kebili and began our journey towards the great salt lake (the Chott el-Jerid) but we stopped almost immediately to look at some very weird sand formations (at or near Telmine) rather like the pinnacles in Australia. We walked through these and came out at a little Berber shop where the owner had a spectacularly attractive peregrine falcon as a pet, plus lots of desert roses for sale, and also dates and post cards. Kathy took photographs of the falcon and we bought some desert roses. From here we set off on our run across the great salt lake (Chott el-Jerid) which until comparatively recently was usable by 4x4 vehicles only. Now, as a result of Tunisian army handiwork, it is a tarmaced highway. Halfway across, we stopped for a short break and were able to examine the surface at close quarters, which is extremely weird; a super-saturated salt solution. We then continued on to the end of the road and the town of Tozeur. Here the bus stopped and we piled out and went for a walk with Adel round the medina. Initially we had found ourselves in the meat section of the market and Borhen had indicated that he would buy us lunch from here. After we had been around the medina and had spent time in a handicraft shop we went back to the main square and in a side street Borhen had magicked up a street party from where we were able to eat barbecued camel and harissa with chips, bread and bottled water. Dessert was mandarins. It was great fun – a memorable occasion.
On the way back to the bus we bought some dates and left them in the bus before joining our 4x4 vehicles for a trip into the desert. We set off and drove for about 15 minutes before stopping briefly at a site of no particular significance but where a mirage could be clearly seen. To our surprise the next leg of the journey in the 4x4s was up and over dunes of varying sizes; all very exciting and a good example of what the vehicles can do. Ours was a Toyota Land Cruiser, but there were Nissan Patrols in the party too.
Our next stop was the film set built by George Lucas for Star Wars, currently being restored by the Tunisian authorities. Inevitably, there were the 1 Dinar jewellery merchants! From leaving this site we drove for about 15 minutes across the desert to another highway which we travelled for some miles until we reached a spectacular mountain oasis (Chebika) and the more enthusiastic amongst us climbed around the site with Borhen. Intriguingly, the water emerging from the mountain was luke-wam and not, as I had imagined, icy cold. We stopped for a few minutes where we were able to have an ice cream before moving on a short way and looking down at another mountain oasis with two waterfalls (Tamerza) where ‘The English Patient’ had been partially filmed. The light was by now beginning to fail so we moved quickly to our last stop, the so-called Tunisian Grand Canyon (Mides) which, although not large, is quite spectacular. It is very near the border with Algeria. We had to leave after only a few minutes and retrace our steps to Tozeur. We checked in at the hotel and went to have dinner at 20.00, which proved very pleasant. We were able to check our e-mails, look up a few things on the web and generally organise things before finishing this journal and retiring to our room at 22.45.
Thursday 20 November
As we were not moving on today, breakfast was slightly later, with an alarm call at 07.45 and departure from the hotel at 09.00. Breakfast was the usual sort of thing; nothing special but perfectly acceptable.
At 09.00 we walked out of the hotel into the museum next door and spent an informative ninety minutes being shown round by Adel. The collection was excellent and seemed to cover many aspects of Tunisian life. The displays were good and Adel was a most informative guide. We then had a short break whilst I had an ice cream and then left for a short run in the coach to the town centre where we were decanted into four-seater carriages pulled by horses. The carriage-ride took us through part of the town and then into the oasis, which is vast; we understand that it’s the biggest desert oasis in Tunisia. Normally, these trips are non-stop, but our guides arranged for us to disembark, walk into the oasis proper and see at first-hand the harvesting of the dates. This was fascinating as young lads in their teens or twenties would scramble up the palms and sever the bunches of dates, lowering them down to those on the ground. Large sheets of plastic were put round each tree whilst this was going on in order to catch the dates dislodged by the harvesting process. The older men in the team seemed to be occupied with quality control, but all of them found our presence intriguing and they were very friendly, encouraging us to eat dates like they were going out of fashion. We reboarded the carriages and wended our way through more of this vast oasis, seeing not only the date palms but all the other crops grown in the shade, including bananas, pomegranates and henna. When we returned to the road, we disembarked and walked back to the bus which was parked where we had picked up the 4x4s yesterday.
From here we drove past the hotel and back out of Tozeur on the road towards Nefta and the Algerian border. This road skirts the northern edge of the Schott el-Jerid. Although we were due to stop in Nefta for lunch, we nevertheless drove straight through and out to a small factory where they make bricks by hand. The whole process was demonstrated to us and it is incredibly simple, making use of local materials, and is apparently not particularly labour-intensive. All the buildings in Nefta and Tozeur seemed to be faced with local brickwork and this may be a legal requirement. It is certainly an effective and attractive expedient.
We drove into Nefta once more and parked in the town centre right outside the restaurant.
Lunch was fresh bread, a brique with and egg and parsley filling, followed by a sensibly-sized portion of grilled chicken, mixed salad and chips. Dessert was mandarin oranges and fresh dates. It was a very nice lunch.
Back on the bus, we set off for a brief trip to the water source of the oasis at Tozeur at La Corbeille. This was very unspectacular, but it was clear from photographs shown to us by Adel that some thirty years ago the water supply had been very much greater. Now, the water supply in Tozeur is in serious trouble. The inevitable souvenir-sellers were disappointed, although a young lad with a donkey did earn a Dinar by having his photograph taken.
The coach took us next to the old town of Ouled Ech Cherif where we had a most enjoyable walk round the medina, looking at the interesting architecture and interacting with the locals, particularly the school children who had just been released from their labours. They (and particularly the boys) behaved like school children everywhere. After our walk round we had a drink in a café in the main square.
We then drove back to Tozeur, stopping for a few minutes to allow the purchase of alcohol. In a Moslem country such as this, a transaction of this kind is apparently carried out in some degree of subterfuge, although the results certainly seemed to please people who were buying local wines at prices considerably lower than those charged by the hotel. It must be said, also, that it was by no means only tourists who were purchasing alcohol; there was a steady stream of locals doing the same thing.
Our last port of call for today was at the Belvedere Rocks where we were to observe the sunset. These rocks, only a short walk from the hotel, are spectacular lumps of sandstone, with steps cut into them so they may be easily climbed. The sunset was as spectacular as one could have wished; both looking directly into it and looking back at the back-lit scenery to the east of us (which looked like part of the Atlas mountain chain).
Friday 21 November
Up early for an 08.30 departure, which was slightly delayed because of the presence of HRH Prince Andrew in our hotel. There were those in our party who wanted to go and see him. From Tozeur we drove to Metlaoui, where we were to board the daily departure of the ‘Red Lizard’ train. We arrived in plenty of time so that we could guarantee seats and at 10.30 precisely the train left and rattled its way through the Selja Gorge. There was an opportunity half way through the trip to disembark and take photographs in stunning scenery and at the end of the outward trip the same applied. The return trip was somewhat quicker as it was downhill and we arrived back at Metlaoui station at exactly 12.00 noon.
From here, we drove to the restaurant ‘Les Jardins’. Here the food was, frankly, rather disappointing when compared with other lunches we have had on this trip. Still, it filled a hole and we were then able to move on to the town of Gafsa. On arrival we were taken by our guides on a most interesting stroll around the town market, which is not in any way geared up for tourists, so we were able to stroll around without hassle. We also went round a couple of ordinary shopping streets where various things were pointed out to us; a most interesting aspect of the afternoon.
Next stop, a few yards away, was the Roman baths at Gafsa. These are now completely empty of water, confirming the severe shortages of water experienced in southern and central Tunisia, and which seem to us to bode very ill for the future. There was also a nice little museum with interesting prehistoric napped flints and the remains of quite spectacular mosaics. It was the plan that we would stay overnight in Gafsa and we shortly thereafter arrived at our hotel. This proved to be yet another modern property, with enthusiastic staff who nevertheless lack control from the top. The rooms (with an upstairs bedroom over the downstairs living area) proved to be exceedingly cold and we were unable to get the heating to work. Fortunately, after dinner, a member of staff rectified this. Before dinner, Kathy and other members of our party went next door to a wildlife park which was apparently disappointing. This proved to be a small zoo, the conditions of which upset a number of the party. However, it is shortly due to undergo considerable refurbishment, so hopefully the situation will improve thereafter.
Dinner, at 19.30, was completely chaotic. Vast numbers of guests all arrived in the dining room at the same time and overwhelmed the organisation. It was a shame as the food seemed quite reasonable. There was rather less choice than in any of our other hotels, especially with regard to desserts. We returned to our room where I sat and read for a while and Kathy did clever things with this machine with regard to photographs. We then wrote this journal up to this point. Tomorrow is a very early start as we return to Hammamet for our last evening in Tunisia. Fortunately, by now the room is getting comfortably warm and we should be able to survive without too much difficulty.
Saturday 22 November
Fortunately, the room remained warm and I slept well. Kathy was later to bed, having spent time doing the photographs on her laptop. Our alarm call was, as scheduled, at 05.45 and we went to the restaurant for a perfectly reasonable breakfast. The departure time from Gafsa was 07.00 and on this, our last day of the holiday, we began to make our way northwards back to Hammamet. The road ran north-eastwards for 98 kilometres, during which time the sun rose over the hills to our right and it was easy to note a change in the vegetation from palm trees to olive trees. We did not see any more camels today. At Gebalet Ouled Asker we turned north-east to the town of Sbeitla, where we stopped and saw Diocletian’s Gate and had a guided tour right round the entire site of the Roman town. This had a strange air to it as it was largely buried, rediscovered after Tunisian independence in 1956 and rebuilt using original stones and some artistic licence. Nevertheless, it was quite impressive, especially the forum and the three temples of Juno, Jupiter and Minerva. There was much evidence of bathing facilities, both public and private, and also Christian remains which had been built over by the Moslems. Some of the mosaics on the site were stunning. There was a large amphitheatre, very little of which had been original (just the orchestra pit) but the rest had been sympathetically reconstructed in line with surviving buildings of this type. We walked back to the coach and drove on to a little mosque and Koran school, which are nowadays just opened as tourist attractions.
From Sbeitla we once again headed north-westwards for 117 kilometres to Kairouan. This city was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1988. Our first port of call were the Aghlabid Basins, a kilometre north of the medina, built in 860 AD, one of the most important hydraulic masterpieces of the Arab world. We had a view of these from the terrace of a coffee shop (and retail opportunity) where we were able to try the local speciality (something beginning with M), some of which we also purchased to take home. From here we moved to the great mosque in the centre of the medina, also known as the Mosque of Sidi Oqba, the founder of the city. This is one of the oldest and largest places of prayer in the Islamic world and the fourth most important pilgrimage destination after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem (see pp238-9 in the Eyewitness Guide for a more detailed description).
From the mosque we went to have lunch at a pleasant restaurant (with stunning décor). The usual soup, hot meal and fruit - very good, home-cooked food. From here (where Kathy was able to get help with her forthcoming speech in Arabic) we moved a few yards down the road to the inevitable carpet warehouse. Our visit followed the usual formula of a short introduction to the mechanics and a hard sell. No-one purchased a carpet but, equally, the staff seemed unperturbed. The carpets were stunning, however; it was only forthcoming holiday expense which prevented Kathy from buying one.
Now began our last leg of the journey back to Hammamet. It looked like rain but didn’t come to anything. Our guides thanked us or choosing TWS and themselves and Kathy was called forward to make her thank you speech in Arabic, which impressed them no end. Back at the hotel, we emptied out the bus and were met with a glass of mint tea (delicious, and much appreciated). It would seem that our pick-up time for the Bristol flight tomorrow is 07.20 at the hotel, so we will be getting up early (but not as early as some!). Although today had been an early start it proved also to be an early finish, so we had plenty of time to laze around and unwind. Dinner was in the usual place at 18.45, and up to the usual standard.
Alan has planned an hour’s dancing to the Playford Pops CD from 20.00 to 21.00 but in the middle of this I had to go and settle up our room bill as the cashier went off duty at 21.00. We did some very nice dances, ending at about 21.10. The penultimate one was Step Stately, which I did with Zoe; it was a bit chaotic as neither of us knew the dance and we did it without a walkthrough. The very last dance, Mr Isaac’s Maggot, was lovely and Will was able to dance with Zoe and, indeed, danced very well. At the end of the dancing we said goodbye to those travelling at times other than ours and I retired to bed, still feeling distinctly below par.
Kathy and Hazel went to the Memphis bar for a drink (pink lady for K and fresh orange juice for Hazel) as there was to be a snake charmer there during the evening. He eventually appeared rather later than advertised (after dancing, some of which was in the form of a glorified line dance executed by a team of lads, and some of which involved the punters). Initially, the snake charmer showed us a white scorpion, then two small snakes (not sure what these were) and finally three cobras (husband, wife and mother-in-law!) which were fascinating - they didn’t take their eyes off him for a moment, and he did seem to hypnotise one of them (it wasn’t at all obvious how he did this, though). When the charmer approached the snakes, or antagonised them in any way, they hissed (a very deep, loud sound) and one of them even spat venom across the stage at him. A most interesting show.
At this point, apart from last-minute packing, we retired to bed.
Sunday 23 November
Although our pickup was scheduled for 07.20, we were required to be available from 07.05. Accordingly, alarms were set for 05.30 and we struggled into life for the last time on this holiday. Breakfast was a somewhat subdued affair as no-one was particularly looking forward to going their separate ways.
Back in our room, we finished packing and moved everything out to the lobby. The coach turned up bang on time at 07.20 and, apart from me feeling distinctly unwell, we had an uneventful run to Habib Bourguiba Airport at Monastir. Here we checked in en masse and everything went very smoothly. We boarded the flight on an Airbus A320, which took off for Bristol 90 seconds late. Lunch was very pleasant (a roll and butter, bangers with mash and peas, sticky toffee pudding and crackers with cream cheese. Flight time is 3 hours 5 minutes and as we write this we are in the last 30 minutes and have commenced our descent to Bristol. The weather has worsened and we’ve gone through some CAT. We had an amazingly smooth landing and there was a ripple of applause from the passengers when the plane came to a halt. This appeared to amuse the cabin crew, who then pointed out that it was the birthday of one of the passengers and asked us all to wish him well. As we disembarked from the aircraft into a 9°C gale we really felt the difference between North Africa and Bristol! Formalities were dealt with very quickly but we were slightly alarmed with the time it took for our baggage to appear on the carousel. However, it did so eventually and so we all said our farewells and set off for our homes.
It was an excellent holiday and Alan, John Semple Travel and TWS deserve full credit for this experience. There may be those who would carp at some aspects of the trip, but we are not amongst them, having enjoyed every single minute.
