My Hotel, El Iberostar Mehari Djerba

 

 

El Iberostar Mehari is a four-star hotel located on the east coast of Djerba Island in the tourist zone where many of Djerba’s hotels are found.

Mehari Iberostar has much going for it from the point of view of well appointed, clean, comfortable rooms; decor is a modern, international style. The grounds and buildings are extremely well maintained. An outdoor pool is unheated, and like most at other hotels is not used much until the water heats up sometime in mid-March, but to balance the lack of an outdoor pool during the cooler months, there is a heated indoor pool that has a very pleasant ambience filled with light.

Facilities include tennis courts, boulodromes for petanque, (a game that originated in France where players or teams play their “boules” towards a target ball), an archery court and a space for occasional dance lessons and Zumba by the outdoor pool. A spa centre offers a Hammam (steam room), and services such as massage, body wraps with seaweed, facials, manicures and pedicures, etc.

An animation team runs many programs, for both adults and children during the day and evening which I will explain further on in this entry.

A tasty and abundant choice of food, served buffet style, replicates the typical Mediterranean diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Where Iberostar could improve is with first impressions as guests arrive for their stay, meaning that a genuine sense of welcome would go a long way. There is no doubt that the reception staff is professional at their work, this is not in question. And once I got to know several of the reception desk staff they were charming and helpful, freely offering their time with computer and administrative issues, and this is when their warm personalities came through. Communication of facilities and programs to new guests would be helpful, perhaps an information session?

Grounds and buildings of El Iberostar Mehari:

 

 

Delicious food is a top priority that contributes to an enjoyable stay. El Iberostar Mehari comes up with spades in this department.

 

 

The many activities available at El Iberostar Mehari are often led by a member of the animation team. They include aqua-gym, fitness, organized walks, yoga, archery, petanque, Zumba and some dance. I notice the animation team doing more outreach with guests to encourage participation. As well there are tennis courts and horseback riding organized by the hotel. One animator offers many programs specifically for children during the day and early evening.

 

 

At the hotel’s beach there are camels and horses to ride, rented by individuals independent from the hotel. The beach offers long stretches for walks and where one can see fishing boats in the distance. On the main road there are caleches to hire.

 

 

The animation team offers nightly entertainment including dancing, skits and karaoke. I must also add that all members of the animation team are terrific dancers, many of them self taught. They get guests up and dancing which makes for great fun, and for me was delightful.

 

 

The hardworking animation team:

 

 

Some personnel from the hotel including Anis Chemli, general manager, David, assistant manager, my favourite waiter, bartenders.

 

 

It’s great to make new acquaintances:

 

 

And having new experiences, such as making hummus with the chef at the El Iberostar Mehari.

 

 

Midoun Fruit and Vegetable market, Friday

I’ll let the following photos speak for this most colourful market. The market travels around to different locations on the island and on Friday it is in Midoun. Midoun is Djerba’s second largest city after its capital, Houmet Souk.

There are Souks in Midoun as well.

As well as a charming Cafe called Sidi Bou Said, which captures the charm of a suburb of Tunis, called by the same name, Sidi Bou Said, with its whitewashed walls and blue accents.

While I was in one of the shops of the Midoun market looking at essential oils, I kept hearing an occasional loud, booming voice coming from nearby, I finally asked the shop keeper what the heck it was. It turns out it was just some local men playing a very lively game of dominos.

Erriadh Village

I visited Erriadh once when I did a tour of the island with Marhag Lotfi, a local taxi driver, but I found the village so enchanting that I had to return to discover more of the wall murals, connected with the project Djerbahood, which makes this small village well known on the island. I heard that many artists are going to return this year to Erriadh to do more wall murals. Following is a collage of more of Erriadh’s beautiful wall murals.

A few photos of my young  guide in training who offered to show me the newer wall murals created in 2018 and 2019. He was a most charming, polite and competent junior guide and I am sure he will go far.

My young guide was also able to recommend a local restaurant in Erriadh that servers couscous and the Tunisian “brik” which consists of a thin pastry, with a filling, which in this instance consisted of some mashed potato, harissa (a local spicy paste), parsley, a bit of salt, and most important an egg. All of these ingredients are placed on the pastry, the pastry is folded over to make an envelope and then deep fried.

The finished product below:

I started out by ordering one and it was so delicious that I had a second one. The thing about eating a brik is that the egg yolk remains fairly runny, so there is definitely a method to eating it so all the egg yolk doesn’t run out, which was my case. I had more yolk on my fingers and face than in my tummy!

As luck would have it, as I was eating my second brik, some local Tunisians sat at my table eating brik and couscous, and they showed me how to eat one without the egg dripping all over you. They said you have to sort of suck up the yolk so it won’t drip. I was definitely better at it the second time, but I think I need a lot more practice which will not be a burden because these briks are absolutely delicious. Note the merriment of the local Tunisians as they observe my attempts at eating my second brik.

Some typical Tunisian dished below. This small local restaurant was obviously very popular as there was a constant lineup for food. I did not attempt the hot green peppers yet, maybe tomorrow, or the next day after I’ve mastered the brik!

 

 

 

 

Touring Djerba Solo

There are many places, even as a single woman, on Djerba that you can visit on your own from your hotel. I’ve walked from my hotel along the main road, where there is sidewalk in some places, but not everywhere, but it is not a problem. There are always many taxis along there as well as many horse-drawn caleches, so if you tire of walking, a ride is close at hand.

Personally, if I want to go for a nice long walk I prefer the beach, but just to explore the area, I have walked along the main road and that’s how I came upon the Djerba Golf Club. I visited the club house, had a coffee there and saw portions of the golf course. If I had visited it more extensively I would have seen the portion of the course that borders the Mediterranean, which is the most scenic part.

Here are a few photos of the Djerba Golf Course an 18-hole course which is an all-season golf club:

 

Along a good part of the East coast of Djerba is where most of the big hotels are located; it is called the Tourist Zone. From my hotel, I am about a five-minute walk to the Djerba Golf Club.

Where I am staying, at the Mehari Iberostar Hotel, I’m a 10 Dinar (about$4.50 Cdn.) taxi ride to go into Houmet Souk, the capital. I’m a little further away from Houmet Souk than some of the other hotels, but we’re talking a difference of a dollar or so by taxi. I visited Houmet Souk, its Medina and museum on my own and walked around quite extensively without any bother.

Now, because I’m of retirement age, I don’t get bothered by the local men as much as a younger woman would be, but honestly if they are trying to ask you out or go for a coffee, all you have to say, firmly, is that you want to be on your own and you don’t want to be bothered, they will respect that, in my experience anyway. Or just tell them your husband or boyfriend is waiting for you.

From my hotel, a taxi into Midoun, the second largest city on Djerba will set you back, at most, $2.00 Cdn. with tip. I went into Midoun to a Hammam called Bakouche, a very traditional Hammam that the locals use. The hot room and gommage (a rub down with a coarse cloth to exfoliate) cost me 10 Dinars, again about $4.50 Cdn.

It was a very busy place. The hot/steam room was quite small but boy was there a lot of activity! As each woman goes in she gets a pail that she can fill up with either hot or cold water (or a combination of both) to splash on herself as she sits and allows the steam to works its magic. There is a constant lineup to get water, so you have to be on your toes, but there is, I observed, a certain social order, where everyone waits their turn and seems to know whose turn it is to fill up your pail, which is surprising because it’s a really noisy, ruckus place.

Ladies are either steaming, washing their hair, doing their own gommage, or just sitting and relaxing. By the way, this is no place to be shy, everything is off except the lower underwear! When I finally got my gommage, I had requested that she do it gently, as I have sensitive skin and had recently taken some sun. Well, that request was pretty well ignored, and the largish masseuse went at me with a vigour that was both admirable and unnerving.

Here are some photos of the outside of the Hammam, as no photos are allowed inside for obvious reasons. There is a hair stylist on site who will also tint your eyebrows.

 

While in Midoun I was able to find a traditional underground oil press, called a massera, that now functions as a museum. I know that on the mainland of Tunisia, in more remote areas, these traditional oil presses still exist, and still use a camel to pull the heavy press that squeezes the oil out of the olives. Here are some photos of the massera:

 

Just yesterday, I visited Djerba Explore which is composed of three distinct sections: the first part was the Lalla Hadria Museum, a museum of pottery, textiles and jewellery and other artefacts, mostly from Tunisia, but there were also items from Morocco and Turkey.

One could easily spend a good part of the day here at Djerba Explore as there are also some shops and a few restaurants.

Photos of the Lalla Hadria Museum:

 

The second section is Djerba Heritage, which is like a folk village and  demonstrates the typical life of Djerbans in a “Al Menzel”, where extended families lived together. Today, there aren’t many of these traditional Menzels still in existence on Djerba.

Within the confines of the Menzel, each family had its own living quarters and cooking area, but there were other areas to crush grain, weave, make pottery, store olive oil, etc. There would be many small courtyards outside the living quarters which I found particularly enchanting. These would be the equivalent of our summer decks or patios.

Photos of Djerba Heritage, or the Al Menzel:

 

The third section of this complex was the crocodile park. Quite an interesting combination with this last addition!

I met an employee of the crocodile park, Manwar, who was very informative about the life of the crocodile, so it was actually fascinating to learn a great deal about these reptiles. One thing that is particularly interesting is that they go back to the time of the dinosaurs and have changed very little from that time.

The crocodiles at this time of year are more or less in hibernation because it is winter on Djerba, thus they are very inactive.

I was very happy to see a lot of protective fencing between the crocodiles and visitors, as another thing I learned about the crocodiles is that although they look very inactive, if you were to fall into their space, they are all of a sudden very quick and protective of their territory so you wouldn’t have a hope in hell! Photos of the crocodile park:

 

Touring Djerba Island part 2

This is the continuation of my tour with Marhag Lotfi, my taxi driver, who often does tours of the islands, airport transfers, or working from day-to-day transferring people around the island.

 

Guellala, on the southern coast of Djerba and used to be called Haribus in ancient times. Haribus appropriately means “pot”. As far back as Roman times, this area was the main pottery centre and for centuries, Djerba was the sole manufacturer of ceramics in Tunisia. There are about 400 shops working pottery in this area. The traditional shops mine their own clay, going up to 80 metres deep to retrieve the clay for their pots.

I descended into one of these clay mines to see where they excavate the clay. It is labour intensive work, as the men working the mines have to descend a narrow passage, load up their basket with clay and carry it back up. I was tired just from climbing the tall steps back up to ground level!

Many of the larger pots you see below, with a narrow opening at the top are used to store olive oil. Large conical shaped pots with a larger opening are used for grains or dried fruit– these pots are mostly left unglazed. Many ceramics used for cooking or serving food are glazed in colouful colours.

Photos of a typical Guellala Pottery Centre,Chez Ben Minoune and surrounding country side.

 

Very close to the Guellala Pottery Centre is the Guellala Museum of Popular Traditions, a museum that captures the Djerban day-to-day life. Djerba has a strong Berber presence, Berbers inhabited parts of North Africa, including Tunisia, from about 4,000 BC. They had a nomadic lifestyle and many have embraced Islam, but continue to embrace their own traditions such as way of dress and linguistic differences.

Photos of Guellala Museum:

 

In the area near Guellala we visited an ancient Mosque(see below) that is 950 years old. It is here that women of the island still come to pray and enjoy solitary time.

 

Nearby we stopped at an underground funerary. There was no sign outside this small cave-like structure, but Lofi said it was very ancient, perhaps going back to Phoenician or Roman times.

 

Going back along the coast towards Aghir, we stopped at a Roman archeological site with the remains of marble columns, bases for the columns and some “capitals” the top of the column, and some intricately carved pieces. One statue here looks strangely like someone from Canada. See below.

 

Our last stop was at the charming fishing village and beach area of Seguia.

 

If you come to Derba, I highly recommend taking a tour by taxi rather than with a big bus load of other tourists, this way you have more time at the places you wish to see more of and greater flexibility as the driver starts to understand what interests you the most, weather it’s touristy stuff, history, etc.

There are some things here on Djerba that you can see on your own. For example, a taxi into Houmet Souk is very doable on your own to visit the town, Medina and fish market. Because the village of Erriadh is such an interesting, I will definitely go back on my own for another visit.

Also the Djerba Explore Park is something you can also visit solo and spend the day. At this park you can see a Museum with lots of crafts, textiles and jewellery. You also visit an “Al Menzel” a typical way extended families of the island would live in a small community setting. There is also a crocodile Park at Djerba Explore where I learned everything about crocodiles. Stay tuned I will be writing about Djerba Explore Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touring Djerba Island

 

I didn’t expect that there would be so much to see on Djerba Island. I was lucky to have the manager of the Iberostar Mehari Hotel, Anis Chemli, recommend a guide, Marhag Lotfi (shown above) to take me around the Island by taxi to visit many places over about five and half hours. He was an excellent guide, explaining many things about the island, its culture, customs and history. He was also very good at taking some creative photos of me as we toured around, so I will share those as well.

Our first stop was the Borj El Ghazi Mustapha, a fort just outside Houmet Souk near the fishing port. It was first built in the 13th century over the ruins of an ancient Roman city. It was given its present configuration by a Spanish garrison of 6,000 soldiers in 1560. The Spanish soldiers were exterminated by the Turks in the same year. Like most countries at that time, there were many battles and hostile takeovers.

Visiting the nearby fishing port is a real cultural experience, as well as fishing for many varieties of fish, fisherman here also fish for octopus using special pots, once the octopus is inside the pot the octopus can’t get out. The fisherman sets many of his pots in the sea for some time then pulls the pots back into his boat using a special hook. Every pot has the fisherman’s mark on it so it won’t get mixed up with others.

Nearby the fort and fishing port I had the good fortune to see pink flamingoes, lucky because they will be soon migrating away from Djerba. They stay on Djerba for the winter months from about October to sometime in February.

Erriadh is located in the centre of Djerba Island where Muslims, Jews and Christians (a minority) live side by side comfortably in this small, traditional village. The village is known for the famous nearby synagogue, Ghriba, and also for the 2014 project, Djerbahood, which involved artists from all over the world coming to Erriadh to paint 250 wall murals throughout the village.

The traditional village of Erriadh and its wall murals:

The nearby Ghriba synagogue is a site where Jewish people make pilgrimages to. It is the oldest synagogue in Tunisia and much revered by Jewish people.

Ghriba synagogue

We happened upon this colourful market, just outside of Erriadh.

Medina of Houmet Souk, capital of Djerba

I cannot resist wandering around in the Medina, wherever it may be. so the one in Houmet Souk was no exception. What was interesting in this Medina was an area of wall murals, so I’ve divided my photos into two categories, one with typical scenes of the Medina and another section with wall murals. There was also a fish market close by to the Medina where you can buy your fish fresh and have one of the local restaurants cook it the way you like it

Unlike the Medina of Tunis, this one did not have a large residential area, it was mostly made up of “souks” or shops. Houmet Souk translated into English means “City of shops”.

Beautiful wall murals in the Houmet Souk Medina.

Houmet Souk Medina, fish market and mosques. as I was walking in the Medina I heard a click-clack sound, stopped at the door where the sound was coming from and saw that it was weaver, who invited me to watch as he wove his cloth. He said he did weaving for those who are going to be married, using silk. Weddings are a big occasion on Djerba infused with many traditions.

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.

 

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: