Tunisia is confused. Or maybe confusing. It bills itself as a Muslim country. In fact, according to the most current census I could find, 99% of the 11 million + people who live there claim to be Muslim. So you can imagine how surprised we were to see people drinking beer and wine in sidewalk cafes. And alcohol for sale in the local grocery stores. Oh and miles of vineyards along the 50 or so kilometres from Tunis to the port of Hammamet. (Though this last is really not surprising if you know that some very nice wines are produced in places like Jordan and Lebanon.)
Side note geography lesson: So, for those of you unfamiliar with the location of Tunisia… It is on the North African coastline, situated along the Mediterranean, between Algeria and Libya. It is a smallish country in size (at least compared to its neighbors) and like its neighbors Algeria and Morocco, it is a former French protectorate.
The primary spoken language is a dialect of Arabic which to my ear does not sound as harsh as literary Arabic that we hear in UAE. That said, most of the inhabitants also speak French. Though they gained their independence in the 1950s, French is still taught in addition to Arabic as part of the standard curriculum in schools.
Though truly Arabic in culture and tradition, Tunisia is a very liberal and tolerant Muslim society. There are many equality laws on the books. Divorce is legal and polygamy is outlawed. Women can choose whether or not to wear a headscarf, can work outside the home without permission, can own and operate their own businesses and have access to birth control. All of these things differentiate Tunisia from most other Muslim Countries.
All of the above lends to the distinctly European feel of Tunisia. The French left their love of food as well. The cuisine in Tunisia though decidedly Arabic, has a wonderful French twist and flair, and was delicious everywhere we went.
We went to Tunisia for a weekend to check out another potential boat purchase. Our hotel was located city center in the capital of Tunis. The b
oat was moored in the coastal resort town of Hammamet. (Years 
ago there was a Club Med located not too far south of that town that has since closed.) The coast of Tunisia is beautiful. 
Though to be honest, I have not (yet) seen a coastline along the Med that I didn’t think was beautiful. The color of the water is spectacular, and it hits up against white rocks or white sand it is stunning. This time of year the weather is perfect! High 70s/Low 80s during the day and down into the low 60s at night, with a light breeze coming off of the water.
The big picture is not entirely pristine. The streets of Tunis give away the third world status of Tunisia. They are narrow, crowded and dirty, 
and lined with people begging or aggressively hawking wares of dubious origin and quality. In the Medina, we saw stands on the fringes of the old souk selling extremely used clothing and shoes. It was packed with locals sorting through them. The souk itself was fabulous. 
There were so many fresh fruits and vegetables, all local, not one imported. Eggs, meat and fish also availa
ble. We bought a whole kilo of strawberries and ate most of them as we walked through the
market. The cost? 6 Tunisian dinars for the whole kilo, about $1.20 per pound. He threw in a handful of the jasmine blossoms for me to keep in pocket as I walked along too! The artichokes had me wishing our hotel room had a kitchen!
Not so much the meats though…
For us, Tunisia was an extraordinarily inexpensive place to stay. Our
hotel, one of the nicest in town, was only $72/night for a suite, including tax. Meals averages $4-5US per person. Dinner on Friday evening was a starter, main, bottle of local wine and aperitif for less than $55us. And it was reeeaaallllyyy good.
On the other hand, this status makes Tunisia an excellent vacation spot. Our driver told us that the cost to rent an ocean view 1 bedroom apartment in Hammamet for a month would run about $400US. There are other resort towns further south that are in more or less the same range, some a little more and some less 
depending on size of the town and popularity. Tourism used to be a large part of the Tunisian economy, but has dropped off a lot since the revolution that resulted in the ouster of long-time leader Ben Ali in January 2011. The revolution was more civil resistance than violent revolution (meaning protestors did not resort to violence, though police did) and the demonstrations led to a democratic government. Tunisians do not understand why those who used to come regularly view the country as unstable as a result. In the eyes of those who live there, the country is much safer and a better place to be. That said, we were there on Easter weekend, and in Europe, the Monday after Easter is a holiday. The traffic on the roads was horrendous, and the town of Hammamet was sold out for the weekend, so maybe Tunisia is making a comeback!?!?
I am sorry that I didn’t get photos of the hand painted tile work and pottery they make here. It is outstanding! Very detailed and appears to be high quality.
We arrived back in the UAE via a nonstop flight into Dubai, and bus transfer back to AD. It was a quick weekend and the heat at home was a reminder of the impending summer weather. Time to schedule India!