Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

The Georgetown folks had organized a private tour to the famous city of Carthage. So after breakfast, we headed over in a van which ended up being filled with other wedding guests - the ride took about 25 minutes. Carthage itself is not only famous for its history, but is the wealthiest area in Tunis and the president of Tunisia lives here. The villas were quite beautiful from the outside - an example below:



Here’s a map of the city which sits on the Gulf of Tunis and was an important training hub and the capital of Ancient and Roman Carthage:



Our first stop was to the sanctuary area where they committed sacrifices of animals and children. We saw many steles and an in-progress excavation. Our Italian friends were surprised how close we could get:











From the van, we observed the Punic Port which was circular in nature and included an island in the middle:





On the way to the famous baths, we saw another necropolis:





Here are the famous Antonin baths with a view of the sea:











I remember as a kid learning about different types of columns: ionic, Punic, Carthaginian, Hellenic, and Roman. It was fun walking around the ruins:



We then headed to Byrsa Hill, which had beautiful views:







Here is our obligatory group photo which included others from the wedding who were in a different car:



Also at Byrsa Hill, was the St. Louis Cathedral which is no longer operating as a Catholic Church and is used as a community and cultural center:







We then returned to the hotel for some relaxing. I rested in the room and enjoyed the thermal baths and the hammam spa.

Tonight on the eve of the wedding, is the “all white” party in Sidi Bou Said. The town is known for its blue and white and Jason described it as “the Santorini of Tunisia”. Apparently, the famous artist, Paul Klee used to live here which is a fun fact as Papa Kim loved Klee’s work.

The bus dropped us off and we walked up a steep hill. People kept asking us “what was the occasion?” As they were surprised by the group, all clad in white. At one point, we took a group photo, and a group of Chinese tourists took a picture of us as well. I thought it was pretty funny as people continue to ask me if I’m Chinese, which is common when I’m abroad, but we actually saw some Chinese tourists today!

We had fun taking photos as the light was absolutely beautiful as the sun was setting…

















The party was scheduled to be at Dar Zarrouk which had beautiful views and free-flowing passion fruit Mojitos and Moscow Mules:





The lovely couple:



With their parents:



And all of us:



After sometime outside on the patio, we moved inside to dance up a storm, do some electric slides, and watch some dance-offs. I also learned how to the Jerusalema which is a song and dance that had gone viral. The wedding DJ was absolutely amazing and now I understand why Jason invited her!

I didn’t take any photos while I noshed on appetizers, danced, and chatted with new friends and old classmates who just arrived today. Maybe a few will get uploaded later in the group album, but I did take a selfie with these lovely ladies while on a dance break!



After the party was over, we descended the hill and boarded the bus back to the hotel. What a “night before the wedding” party!