March 2004

The Road to Tunisia - Day 5

On Thursday we were in a hurry to get to Bir Bourekba Train Station to take the train to El Jem, one of the top places to visit in Tunisia.  There were no taxies waiting at the hotel at 5:30 AM so we walked about five blocks in the dark down to the main road to flag one down. 

As we entered the Chef de Gare to buy our tickets I could hear the radio playing the same Islamic call to prayer I had heard on TV the night before.  That night Woody Woodpecker (speaking Arabic) suddenly stopped and the picture changed to black and white while a man sang the Islamic call to prayer.  For five minutes the camera roamed around the Great Mosque in Kairoun, and then just as suddenly there was Woody Woodpecker again.

As soon as the singing at the train station stopped the clerk issued our round trip tickets.  

The modest looking train arrived on time and we settled into our seats.  The train was filled with old women traveling with big duffle bags, and businessmen with brief cases.  Along the way to El Jem we passed signs with exotic names like Enfida, Hergla, and Sousse. 

It was a foggy morning but even with a limited view of the countryside I could see that it was mostly flat.  It looked like Florida in the US only covered with a lot of those 55 million olive trees we’d heard about earlier in the week. 

At El Jem we quickly walked to the other side of the tiny train station to try to figure out where we were but we could barely see through the fog.  As we walked into the crowded early morning street we felt unsure of where we were going.  The suddenly the mist cleared and right in front of us only a block away we could see the giant red stone four story Roman Coliseum.  The scene took my breath away.

After paying the equivalent of $3.50 each we climbed the steep wide marble steps to the first level.  On and on we climbed until we reached the top and could look down into the arena where 30,000 people, rich and poor used to cheer as lions fought to the death with prisoners and slaves.  It was magical.

In the middle of the arena was a giant oblong opening in the ground.  This was for raising and lowering the cages for the lions to enter the arena.  We found our way down the narrow steps to see the places where the animals and slaves were kept.  It was scary and dark.  You could almost hear the lions roaring and the cries of those who were about to die.  Cat loved it.

When we were satisfied that we had seen every inch we climbed back up to the marble seats and ate the picnic of bread and cheese we’d brought from Hammamet. 

Our next stop was the Archologic Musee.  Finding this place was not easy but just as we were about to give up we saw the sign.  This place turned out to be one of the best museums I’ve ever visited, and we were the only visitors. 

The museum, which is actually part of the ruins of a large Roman villa, is a new find.  It was discovered about 20 years ago when they decided to dig there to create a thermal bath. 

There were displays of different Roman construction methods including the way they used four inch clay cylinders with knobs on the end and linked them together to form the door arches.  At every turn there was something more incredible then before.

After walking around for a while admiring the giant pictures made of little square tiles, the man who restored the Roman floor mosaics offered to give us a tour.  The villa had hundreds of huge mosaics showing life 2000 years ago.  Cat’s favorite was the one of Luna, the moon goddess.

Back at a sidewalk café in front of the coliseum we ate salad with tuna.  Men on motorbikes whizzed past us, and old men pushed carts loaded down with produce.  School children called out “bon jour” on their way to school.  El Jem is definitely a friendly place.

Promptly at 2:00 we made our way back up the street, past the outside market to the train station to wait for the return trip.  Even though the train was quite late we didn’t care because we were looking forward to the rest we’d have on the way back.  Just as I was about to fall asleep I heard the conductor passing down the isle to punch everyone’s tickets.  Behind me I could hear the gruffness of his voice, and the frustration of the passengers.  I was too sleepy to translate what they were saying into English.

Suddenly I realized the nasty conductor was talking to us and he was saying we had to get up and move to another car.  Jay asked if we could pay more money to stay and the guy barked, “No!” in English.  Off we went to the next car where there was nowhere to even stand, and that’s where we stayed for the hour and a half it took to return to Hammamet.

What a day it had been…Roman ruins, mosaics, friendly (and not so friendly) people.  Tunisia is an amazing place.