About Djerba Island

Legend has it that Ulysses’s ship was blown by strong seafaring winds to Djerba Island, the land of the lotus eaters. Once on the island, his crew were fed the addictive lotus flowers, by the lotus eaters. His crew quickly forgot about all else and did not want to leave.

If you come to Djerba Island, you might just have the same problem, but it won’t be because of eating lotus flowers. It will be more related to the sunny warm weather that you can count on, when, even in winter the temperature doesn’t normally dip below 15C. Djerba has many features: long stretches of beaches, many resorts, hotels and Les Maisons or Chambres d’hotes (small guest house or bed and breakfast) Hammams, and Thalassotherapy centres that use sea water, seaweed and massage treatments for relaxation and improved health.

You can ride a camel or go horseback riding on the beaches of Djerba and there is a major 18-hole golf course which at certain points looks out to the Mediterranean.

Djerba has a famous historic centre for pottery at Guellala that goes back thousands of years and for centuries it was the sole manufacturer of ceramics in Tunisia.

If you are a history buff, then Guellala’s Museum is not to be missed with it’s beautiful and colourful displays of Djerban life. Houmet Souk’s Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions is another must see. I also visited one Roman archeological site. Djerba Explore Park has lots of activities including getting your picture taken with a baby crocodile.

Maybe you’re beginning to see why lotus flowers don’t even have to enter the picture, and why Canadians wanting to escape the worst winter months might find a pleasant escape on the island of Djerba with lots of activities to take in. Here, it’s not just about a beach holiday, there are excursions to take around the island, towns to visit, many unique and historic things to see, spa treatments…and lots of relaxation.

 

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Dar Belhadj Restaurant, Tunis Medina

If you are looking for typical Tunisian food, this is the restaurant to go to. The restaurant opens at 7:00 pm for dinner and was a 5-minute walk from the Royal Victoria Hotel and is located right in the Tunis Medina. It was very easy to find. When I walked through the Medina to get there, the Medina had transformed itself, it was quiet, all the shops were closed up, it was like another place!

The Dar Behadj occupies a former palace so is very ornate with lots of tile work, colourful painting, curtains separating intimate rooms off to the side, a very atmospheric experience. The mint lamb was recommended, so I had that, and it was very good. Before the main course, they bring you some appetizers which are included in the price of the meal. For 49 Dinars, which translates to just over $21 CAN. at today’s exchange rate it is a great deal. Very much recommended! The musician is playing a sitar.

Because it was later in the evening when I finished my meal, one of the waiters walked me back to my hotel, typical Tunisian hospitality.

Following are photos from the restaurant. The photo quality isn’t as good as usual because I was using my cell phone.

 

Bardo Museum

The Bardo Museum has the largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world and traces the history of Tunisia through its vast collection of mosaics, statues and other artifacts. It’s collection of mosaics comes from many sites throughout Tunisia including Carthage, Dougga and Utica. It also houses many  marble statues that come from Tunisian sites such as Carthage and Thuburbo Majus. The collection in nothing short of breathtaking.

Sidi Bou Said

Sidi Bou Said is a suburb of Tunis with Mediterranean charm in spades. Sparkling white buildings are graced with doors and shutters often painted a brilliant blue, like the sea that surrounds it. Winding cobblestone streets lead to art and artisan shops and artists ateliers.

An enchanting multi-level hillside restaurant, Cafe Sidi Chebaane with blue umbrellas and colourful cushions set on sofa-like seating areas entices visitors to linger over coffee or enjoy a typical Tunisian meal or pastry, wile you admire the sea, marina and Gulf of Tunis beyond.

Photos of Sidi Bou Said and myself with new Tunisian friends.

Carthage

The ruins of Carthage are scattered over quite an area, not far outside of Tunis, in fact a 10 Dinar (about $5 Cdn.)taxi ride will take you there from central Tunis. Once there, if you’re energetic and like to walk you can access the sites this way, or if it’s very hot weather, there are many taxi drivers in the vicinity who will gladly guide you around and wait for you as you visit the sites.

A bit about Carthage. It was founded by the Phoenicians in 814 BC. The Phoenicians were from the area of present day Lebanon and were very skilled sailors throughout the Mediterranean Sea. The history of Carthage is a complex one with many civilizations leaving their mark on this famous and ancient city. After the Phoenicians, the Romans, Vandals (a Germanic tribe), the Byzantines and Arabs all took turns dominating the area. This wasn’t the end of wars and various cultures and countries dominating what became Tunisia the country, but it did gain independence form the French in 1956.

Following are photos of some of the most compelling remains of ancient Carthage.

On Byrsa Hill, visitors will find the remains of  Phoenician Villas, many Roman statues, the St. Louis Cathedral and the Carthage Museum. See also a view of modern Carthage.

The Antonine Baths, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were built by the Romans (Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius) in the second century and they were once the largest in Africa. They were destroyed by the Vandals in AD 439.

 

Roman Amphitheatre: It was built in the mid 2nd century AD and could hold 10,000 spectators. It was one of the largest in the Roman Empire.

 

Royal Victoria Hotel

I stayed four days here in Tunis at the Royal Victoria Hotel. I asked them to send transportation for me to the airport when I arrived. It is worth doing, even though you are paying more for this service — the service was just under $30 Cdn. When you arrive from overseas, one is tired and jet lagged, so arriving at the airport and meeting someone with a big smile and holding up a sign with your name on it is comforting and knowing you will soon be in the comfort of your hotel, safe and secure.

This hotel used to be the British Embassy, and has been transformed into a beautiful, atmospheric hotel, typically Tunisian in design, with much tile work and beautifully painted door and ceilings. I stayed in room 309 with a lovely balcony overlooking the square below and the Bab Bhar or Porte de France, a gate that is the gateway to the Medina.

So on one side of this gate is the Medina side the old section, and on the other side is the new part of Tunis, or Ville Nouvelle where you find Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the central thoroughfare of Tunis with modern shops, Banks, hotels, cafes and restaurants. There is a central promenade line with trees and the end of this avenue, a statue of Bourguiba and a clock tower.

Hotel photos to follow:

Back to the features of the Royal Victoria Hotel: it is quiet, clean, good security, very pleasant staff, beautifully appointed, with a generous breakfast. For me it was a perfect location with steps away from the Medina and the Ville Nouvelle. Highly recommended!

Medina

Like most Medinas, the section with shops or “souks” is bustling with activity, the residential area is much quieter and makes up 90% of the Medina, the remaining 10% is made up of shops. Historically, a Medina was surrounded by a wall, but the Tunis one no longer has walls around it. The Tunis Medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Within the Tunis Medina you will find palaces, mosques, libraries, historic buildings…and lots of cats. The souk part of the Medina is divided into areas for leather, clothing, pastries, breads, essential oils, herbs, lamps, metal items, carpets, olives, fruits and vegetables, etc. If you can’t find it in the Medina, you probably don’t need it!

One of the most distinctive features of the residential section of the Medina are the decorative doors, painted different colours, with various designs created by the use of black metal studs. The designs created by the metal studs tell the story of the people who live behind them. Blue and yellow seem to be popular colours in Tunis, but there are other colours used as well. Many have a door knocker in the shape of the “Hand of Fatima”, a symbol used to protect against the evil eye. The layout of the interior of the house has a distinct pattern with a central courtyard and rooms going off from this central core. I love wandering through the Medina!

 

 

Djerba Island

Items to come

Tunis, Tunisa

Items to come

Donegal

Donegal Town in County Donegal is located on Donegal Bay at the base of the Bluestack Mountains. The River Eske flows into Donegal Bay. Like most Irish towns it is charming and picturesque with a town centre known as the Diamond, which is an open pedestrian area surrounded by hotels, shops, pubs, restaurants and coffee houses. One restaurant that stands out that I visited several times was “The Blueberry”, with lunches, dinners and delicious desserts.

While in Donegal I stayed at the Abbey Hotel, which was very conveniently located because upon arriving in Donegal by Bus Éireann from Letterkenny, the bus stop is right in front of the Abbey Hotel, and even better the hotel is right on The Diamond.

While in Donegal I took a boat trip on Donegal Bay and visited Donegal Castle. From Donegal I took a day-long tour with Donegal Tours (www.donegaltours.ie), which I highly recommend as a tour company. They use smaller mini vans which makes the atmophere of the tour more friendly and enjoyable.

With Donegal Tours, I visited the following point of interests:

The spectacular Slieve League Sea Cliffs are one of the highest marine cliffs in the whole of Europe, with a six hundred metre drop down to the ocean, part of the Wild Atlantic Way. Glencolmcille and the Folk Village is a collection of beautiful, traditional thatched cottages. It offers an insight into how the local people lived over the past 200 years. Ardara, a Heritage Town, is home to the ‘Donegal Tweed’ and one of Ireland’s best known traditional centres of tweed and knitwear production. Final stop was at the Glengesh Pass a glaciated valley that was created 12,000 years ago.

When I left Donegal, I caught the bus right in front of the Abbey Hotel with direct service to Sligo. Once in Sligo, I took a train back to Dublin where I stayed one night before taking a plane back to Ottawa.

 

Letterkenny

Letterkenny from its Irish roots means “Hillside of the O’Cannons” and is the largest town in County Donegal. The best part of Letterkenny is that it is close to one of the most beautiful parks I have ever visited, the Genveagh National Park and the Glenveagh Castle and Gardens which is set in 16,500 hectares of mountains, lakes, glens and woods.

Glenveagh Castle was built between 1870 and 1873, by Captain John Adair, and is defined as being “castellated” which means it has battlements like a castle, but it is not used for defense. Surrounded by the famous Glenveagh Gardens, its construction in a remote mountain setting was inspired by the Victorian idyll of a romantic highland retreat. John Townsend Trench designed it.

The first photos in this mosaic are of the town of Letterkenney and include street views, its major church, an antique shop, a monument and a very interesting hat shop that I would definitely go to to buy a hat if I was to go to the Queen’s races!

The photos following the ones of the town are those of Glenveagh National Park and Gardens. I hope that I have captured the beauty of this incredible place.

Westport

Westport is a town in County Mayo at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland. A popular tourist destination, it scores high marks for quality of life. It won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008. In 2012 it won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run by The Irish Times. The famous pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick lies 10 km west of the town, forming a backdrop to the town and Clew Bay.

Westport House is a much visited tourist attraction owned by the Hughes family. It is situated in a parkland setting with the lovely Carrowbeg River nearby along with terraces and garden views.

There are several forest walks starting at Westport House. One walk takes you to The Quay and Clew Bay. The quay was once busy port but it is no longer used for commercial shipping, but is now known for its many warehouse conversions, restaurants, pubs and a museum. From here, one gets an interesting perspective of Ireland’s Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick.

A shorter Looped Riverside Walk, of about 1.5km, starts at Westport House, goes across the lawn, over the old stone bridge and follows the Carrowbeg River to a red bridge which takes you back to Westport House and charming views of the house. Near the old stone bridge you can rent a Swan Pedaloe to explore the little lake there.

Grace O’Malley was a pirate who defied Elizabeth 1, the English monarch, for almost 40 years by plundering English ships and fiercely repelling the forces that tried to take her family’s land. She was born around 1530 to Owen O’Malley, the chieftain of a clan who ruled the area around Clew Bay for more than 300 years. During that time, they built wealth from both piracy and legitimate trade with France and Spain.

Listowel

Listowel is also known as the Literary Capital of Ireland, as many famous Irish authors come from Listowel and the annual Writers’ Week is held there at the beginning of June. For example, John Brendan Keane (1928 – 2002) was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, famously known for his play “The Field”, which was also made into a movie. He was very much influenced by the local population and the patrons of his Listowel pub (which today is run by his son Billy) from which he based some of his characters on.

Listowel is a typical, friendly Irish town with everything within walking distance of its colourful main street and with many restaurants and pubs. You’ll never have to walk far to find a Guinness. The River Feale runs alongside Listowel with a charming scenic river walk through forested area that passes by an ancient stone bridges and leads one to a lovely garden with flowers in bloom when I was there in June.

I attended the Listowel Writers’ Week in June 2018 and what a bustle of literary activity it was, from literary workshops, plays, political discussions, poetry, talks and author interviews, author readings and even a literary and historical bus tour to Ballybunion and a stop at The Thatch pub in Lisselton.

I thoroughly enjoyed Writers’ Week and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Irish writers, Irish theatre and have a bit of “craic” (defined as Irish fun, gossip, jokes, entertainment or lively conversation) at one of the many local pubs, or at the Listowel Arms Hotel where registration for the writers’ week was held and where many events took place. The Listowel Arms Hotel is a traditional hotel run by the O’Callaghan family and is located right in the centre of this quaint heritage town.

Listowel hosts many other annual festivals including the Listowel Races in September and the Listowel Food Fair in November.

Across the street from the Listowel Arms Hotel is St. Mary’s Church and within the church is St. John’s Theatre, the venue where the many plays during Writers’ Week took place. St. John’s Theatre is a premier venue for the promotion of the visual and performing arts and features the best local, national and international in theatre, music and dance. Annually St. John’s hosts approximately 160 arts events comprising of 80 theatre presentations, 60 music/dance events and 20 exhibitions.

Listowel Castle was the last bastion against Queen Elizabeth I in the First Desmond Rebellion. It was built in the 15th century and was the last fortress of the Geraldines. It has been restored to some of its former glory and is one of the best examples of Anglo-Norman architecture in County Kerry. It is open to the public for tours on a daily basis.

I left Listowel by bus to travel to Westport. The bus stop was right on the town square a two-minute walk from the Listowel Arms Hotel. Nothing is too far away in Listowel!

Ballybunion

Ballybunion is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic Way, 15 km from the town of Listowel. The famous Castle Green, where Ballybunion Castle sits, divides the two main beaches, with the Ladies Beach on the right and the Mens Beach to the left, names given to the fact that both sexes swam on separate beaches on the orders of the local parish priest, who, in days past, walked it daily to ensure the rule wasn’t broken. A wonderful tradition of Ballybunion is their Seaweed Baths, featuring sea water with kelp.

The ruins of Ballybunion Castle stand proudly on the cliff top overlooking the sandy beaches. It was constructed in the early 1500s by a branch of the Geraldine, the Fitzmaurices, who were lords of County Kerry.

Introduction to Ireland

I traveled to Ireland in June 2018. I absolutely love Ireland, the scenery is pastoral with its many shades of green, its towns are charming and colourful, and the Irish are friendly and hospitable. It’s no wonder that the Gaelic expression “cead mile failte” which means “one hundred thousand welcomes” truly applies in Ireland.

The 2018 trip included a few days in Dublin, a trip by train to Tralee, County Kerry to visit friends and to revisit Killarney National Park. I went on to travel to Listowel where I took in several events related to their Writers’ Week. I traveled by bus from Listowel to Westport, Westport to Letterkenny and Letterkenny to Donegal. From Donegal I went by bus to Sligo where I caught a train back to Dublin.

Bus and train travel throughout Ireland is very efficient and comfortable and I highly recommend it as a way to get around. No need to adjust to driving on the left-hand side of the road along narrow roadways. I’ve heard that some people take to it like a fish to water, and others white knuckle it the whole time! I decided not to tempt fate and figure out which kind of driver I was.

Killarney National Park

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Killarney National Park, just outside Killarney town offers an unparalleled experience – a ride in a jaunting cart pulled by …

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Barso School, Baaratpu, Rajasthan

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On the road in India

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  What an experience travelling the roads, cities and highways of India. In the city there is constant honking and …

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Orchha Fort in Orchha

The Orchha Fort was built following the founding of the Orchha State in 1501 AD by Rudra Pratap Singh. The Orchha Fort complex houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, temple and other edifices. It is located in Orchha town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

The fort complex, accessed from an arched causeway, leads to a large gateway followed by a large quadrangular open space which is surrounded by palaces such as Raja Mahal or Raja Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, a temple, gardens and pavilions. Notable architectural features in the fort complex are projected balconies, open flat areas and decorated latticed windows.

In and Around Orchha

Amber Fort in Jaipur

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The Amber or Amer Fort was built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh and is one of the finest examples …

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Royal Ghost Town in Fatehpur Sikri

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Fatehpur Sikri is a magnificent fortified ghost town and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded as the capital …

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Agra Fort in Agra

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The Agra Fort, built between 1565-1573, is a huge red sandstone fortress started by Emperor Akbar. Shah Jahan, who built …

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Taj Mahal in Agra

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The famous and beautiful Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site …

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Khajuraho

The Kajuraho Temple Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a group of Hindu and Jain temples. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.

Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by the 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers Of these, only about 25 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers. Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.

Varanasi

One of my most moving experiences was going on a boat ride on the Ganges to experience the cremation of bodies in the evening. It was moving because it is a ceremony that goes back centuries and is so much a part of Hindu religious belief and culture. While out on the Ganges, everyone on our tour group put small candles onto the river to remember people close to us who had passed away.

We returned to the River Ganges early in the next morning before dawn to see the sun rise over the waters of the Ganges. It is one of the most beautiful sites I’ve ever seen. I hope my photos capture this incredible experience.

Varansi, on the banks of the Ganges in North India, is one of the oldest cities in the world. Archaeological remains dating back to the year 1200 BC have been found at Varansi. Varanasi was important for both Hinduism and Buddhism and both appeared to coexist peacefully.

It is the holiest of the seven holy cities in India. Death in Varanasi brings Hindus salvation (moksha). This means the cycle of reincarnation ends and you go directly to heaven.

There are about 200 Hindu funerals (cremations) per day at Varanasi at various ghats along the Ganges River. Ghats in Varanasi are riverfront steps leading to the banks of the River Ganges. Most were rebuilt after 1700 AD. The city has about 88 ghats, most of which are for bathing and ceremonies, while two ghats are used exclusively as cremation sites, where the bodies are burned and the ashes thrown into the Ganges.

Cremation is extremely important to Hindus. They believe it releases the individual’s spiritual essence from the transitory physical body so it can be reborn. If not done, the soul will be disturbed and not find its way to its proper place in the afterlife and come back and haunt living relatives. Fire is chosen as the method to dispose of the dead because of its association with purity and its power to scare away harmful ghosts, demons and spirits.