Gallery Roadtrip

Ok, rewind the timeline a bit. Pre-exhibition, the gallery guys from Espressioni went on a bit of a roadtrip to buy some new supplies and products for the gallery. We shopped, we ate, we photo'd, and I even got to put my hand to the pottery wheel! We went to Moknine to buy pottery (the city is well known for its hand crafted pottery) and I was pivileged to spin some clay and (with the guidance and helping hands of the master potter) even came out with a decent creation...if I may say so. Sorry, this creation stayed at the studio so this one-of-a-kind creation is not available for sale. I was to take it as a momento of my time there but just didn't know how to tuck it in the suitcase...or finish it off without a kiln?!

Take a look...

En Route....

Today I'm en route to the homeland. Thanks you for following me here...come back in the next few days for some final posts "from" Tunisia.

Train Travel to Tabarka

Had a great couple days at the northern, coastal town of Tabarka. Beautiful scenery with lush green fields, trees, and sea side charm. Here are some pics...

L'exposition: ZOOM Sur la Tunisie

It's game day...the photos are hung, the chocolate covered peanuts are ready, the text-invites sent, and live music is playing. There are many more photos to come (like my tv interview!) but here are a few I have ready from the set-up.

Check back in the next couple days for more images...

Trip to Kairouan

Last week, a friend and I went for a day trip to Kairouan. We hopped in a louage for the 45-minute trip through the farmlands to Kairouan where we walked (and walked, and walked) and enjoyed the famous makroud delicacy (it's cookie-ish but "cookie" would likely be considered an understatement...Lonely Planet calls it "a date-filled semolina cake soaked in honey, which can be found everywhere". Everywhere indeed!) We saw many sights like the Great Mosque (originally AD 670 / rebuilt in 9th Century) and enjoyed fresh, well water thanks to a steadfast camel who walk around (and around, and around) to draw the water up with the water wheel at Bir Barouta (story below).

Now, allow me to turn the commentary over to the good folks at Lonely Planet...

"The central coast of Tunisia and its hinterland (good word!) is home to the country's most diverse rand of attractions: fortified medinas, which protected cities from invasion and grew wealthy on the trade of the Mediterranean and the Sahara; beach resorts catering to the modern pursuits of sun and surf; and the single most impressive Roman monument in Africa (the colosseum in El-Jem). It's also Tunisia's Islamic heartland, with Kairouan ranking only behind Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem as on of the holiest cities in Islam.

The origins of many cities in North Africa centre around the chance discovery of wells. As a modern traveller on the barren plains of the Maghreb, you'll appreciate why such sites were chosen for cities. But Kairoun was different.

Kairouan was founded in AD 670 by the Arab general Okba ibn Nafaa al-Fihri and takes its name from the Arabic word qayrawan, meaning "military camp". According to legend, the site for the city was chosen after Okba's horse stumbled on a golden goblet that lay buried in the sands. The goblet turned out to be one that had mysteriously disappeared from Mecca some years previously. When it was picked up, water sprang from the ground - supplied, it was concluded, by the same source that supplied the holy well of Zem-Zem in Mecca. The legend survives at Bir Barouta in the heart of the medina."

Well, there is much more that could be shared but here are a few photos from our day trip....in lieu of more words:)