A lot of people who live in Algeria or Libya will travel to Tunisia to shop. There are goods available here that are difficult to obtain in other North African countries. There is also a more western approach to shopping in general.
As I toured around Tunis, I expected to see something that I'll label as a 'tourist area'. Some part of town where the locals over-emphasize the culture/area and sell tacky goods that somehow represent the area. When the big cruise ships lumber into port, the people have to go somewhere to find their trinkets. Right?
Yesterday, the Scottish gals and I decided to explore another neighborhood that has been suggested as an 'ex-pat community'. In this case, the relocation specialists have determined that this area has all the things/attractions that needed to sustain a western lifestyle. The local guides tell you if an area of town has night life and restaurants, or is a quieter family neighborhood.
The Scottish gals have seen the quieter neighborhood where I've picked a house, now they want to see the other areas. I'm just along for the ride. I'm enjoying the companionship. I studied my Google map, picked a destination and made this suggestion: "if we get a taxi to take us to Zephyr, we can walk down to the beach from there." At least it looked viable from the map. So that's what we did.
Zephyr is a shopping center. A small upscale mall. We walked through and admired the year round Christmas decorations. It's located in a neighborhood called LaMarsa. It's a young, hip, happening place with lots of night life available. We walked down the street and found the public beach access. THIS is the tourist part of town.
There's a wide promenade that is raised to street level. It's lined with palm trees, park benches and trash cans. Across the street are shops and cafes of all types. Towering behind are rows of apartments and flats that could be, and probably are, weekly rentals for tourists.
We wandered down the promenade, then down the hill to the beach. The public beach access has palapas and chairs for families to use, and a line of portapotties. The beach here is wide and flat. If you use your imagination, you can picture it at the peak of the season with lotion scented sunbathers as far as the eye can see. There is also one beachfront cafe that appears to serve only seasonally.
I know it's currently the off season because I kicked off my shoes and went down to the waterline to dip my toes in the Mediterranean. And the water was COLD!! There were a few hardy souls in the water and my estimation of their manliness was enhanced after I took this photo. I could not have gotten waist deep in that water to save my life!
Once again, I was struck by the fact that no one was in on the water. Regardless of temperature, a beach like this in the US would have had some surfers, wind sailors, jet skiiers or kayakers having fun in the surf. That's why they make wet suits, right? So you can get out on the water even when it's cold. But as far as the eye can see, no watercraft. No kite flyers. Although I didn't see surf that was good enough to make guys with boards travel across the globe to 'catch one', it was certainly enough wave action to keep a kid with a boogie board happy. But no one was in the water beyond the brave waders.
This area of town has it all for the tourists. There's train access if you want to get downtown. There's plenty of shops and restaurants in walking distance. And there's a gorgeous beach with views of the Mediterranean. I can only assume that this is one of the undiscovered gems that travel agents have been keeping quiet about. Even off season, there should be more people out taking advantage of this kind of beach. It was just lovely. Certainly the kind of place a local could take the family and head down to for a day of rest and relaxation.
So, save your pennies. Plan to come visit me and I'll take you there.
--Sandee Wagner
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