October 28, 2022 In the city of Kairouan visiting the Great Mosque and attending a home hosted meal.

Mosques are as prevalent in Tunisia as Baptist Churches are in the southern US.

The Aghlabid Basins, of which only two survive today were built in the 9th century to supply water to the Medina. They are 420 feet in diameter and 16 feet deep. Water was brought to them by way of a 36 mile aqueduct, then distributed to the Medina via underground pipes. Meanwhile in what is today known as Europe….

I’ll let the readers supply a title to this photo.

The old and the new coexist in this and most mosque towers.

Tile is what gives mosques their unique charm.

Separation of the sexes are fundamental. Here the men.

Here the women.

This little boy was so cute and all the group were taking photos of him when he entered. Also, note difference in how the men and women dress.

It was a different feeling among the group when was lovingly carried by his father when leaving after undergoing his circumcision.

Simple, yet beautiful.

The Great Mosque.

Two blocks with Roman inscriptions, the one on the left is upside down. To the builders of the Mosque they were just blocks of stone.

A vanishing point photo that doesn’t quite vanish.

Another reuse of Roman ruins.

Interior.

We met with this Imam who would supposedly answer any of our questions. Most of the dealt with why do the leaders of Islam never denounce Islamic terrorists. If you think our politicians are good at evading answering questions, I’ll tell you this man put them all to shame. The bottom line to everyone was Islam talks peace and respect but does the opposite.

Our home hosted meal was hosted by a three generation family who all lived in the same building. Brothers and their families on opposite side and the grandparents on another floor.

Best brik I ate in Tunisia. And when I told the sister-in-laws exactly that they were talking so fast I couldn’t understand them, but from their faces I knew I’d made their day.

The father/grandfather flank by his two sons. The sons operate a highly successful coffee shop and the family is well off.

October 27, 2022 Trying to post the missing days.

Linda’s expression says how she was feeling today, but look what was waiting patiently behind her.

These two cats ended up eating more of Linda’s food than she did.

How you know you aren’t in Kansas.

Cat at a rest stop.

About every fourth jump it would touch the object of its desires. Never could time the photo to catch the touch.

Life in one of the villages we passed through as seen from the bus window.

Water is life.

More Roman ruins was on the day’s agenda. Linda has a thing for mosaics.

The tiles in the wall mosaics are small compared to ones in the floors.

Walking in the footsteps of the Romans an the streets they walked on.

Mosaics on the walls of a pool.

Temples of the Roman Capitoline Triad of Gods. Jupiter in the center, Minerva on the left and Juno on the right.

She always likes to touch the roman ruins. Though by this time she was getting very tired.

Some places beg a photo. This was one of them.

What can I say, I have really enjoyed the salads during our time in Tunisia.

One thing we noticed in Tunisia, and it might simply be the time of the year, but there were very few flowers to be seen.

This section of road had dried peppers hanging like this about every 500 feet next tot he road.

Our hotel room, little did know it would our place of isolation a day from now as the group moved on, and we spent 3 days and four nights, never leaving the room during that time.

Gate to the Medina in Kairouan where we were staying.

Camel powered well pump that was constructed in the 970’s. And no, it is not the original camel that walks in the circle today to pump water.

Rugs are a big seller.

Whether true of not, we were told it takes a month to create a rug on the loom like this.

Looking at all those rugs and constantly refusing all those best deal anywhere offers if I would buy one here, was hard work, so a brief period rest was in order when the salesman left.

October 25, 2022 Only one night in the Sahara, then two nights without the internet.

Sahara sunrise images.

Breakfast was simple.

Posing in front of our tent.

Tracks where something crawled across the sand last night.

One thing which is always present during the day are flies.

Another bumpy ride out across the dunes.

A road across the sand.

The oil company maintains these roads.

A paved road in the desert, again, thanks to the oil company.

Today was the day to ride the camels.

A foot designed for walking in the sand.

Hands across the desert.

Everyone got to ride.

Some larger dunes.

Museum of life in the desert. This one was displaying wedding dresses.

The sexes are strictly divided, the men on the right, the women who do all the work are on the left.

The fabrics they weave are course but the designs are intricate.

Another design.

Fuel stop near a town market. Buy fuel cheaply in Libya sell it for a high price in Tunisa.

A cobbler near the market.

A true craftsman.

The cobbler’s motorbike. He said he bought new some 45 years ago and the the only two things he would never depart with were this motorbike and his wife.

This spicy dip has been served at many of our meals.

At the end of the meal is a small cup of hot mint tea.

Hot water comes out of the ground and goes through the cooling tower in the background.

Further cooling the water.

Tunisia has a salt lake.

Anything to get the tourists to stop and hopefully spend some money.

A city of bricks.

By decree a certain amount of every structure must be built from brinks.

Inside an oasis.

We stayed in this raised bungalow in the oasis.

The deck where we ate breakfast each morning.

These dates were hanging right beside the deck.

The interior.