Ancient Carthage Tunisia and The Bardo Museum Tunis

Hard to believe after three days in Tunis: Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classical world. Carthage is a suburb of Tunis. Tunis today is a dirty garbage littered metropolis with no charm.
We went with Diann by taxi.
The Roman Amphitheatre
It hosted the most popular shows in North Africa, dedicated in particular to animal exhibitions and gladiator combats, and, to a lesser extent, capital punishement known as "condemnation to beasts” (damnationes ad bestias), in which the condemned person was killed by wild animals.

The Baths of Antoninus or Baths of Carthage are the largest set of Roman baths built on the African continent and one of three largest built in the Roman Empire. They are the largest outside mainland Italy. The baths are also the only remaining Thermae of Carthage that dates back to the Roman Empire's era. The baths were built during the reign of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.

Roman Baths were like community leisure centres back in the day. Hey I am going to take a public bath, possibly exercise in the gymnasium in the nude, if I work up a sweat I can bath again, meet up with the neighbours and catch up on the news, very chummy, good way to reduce social isolation.

The big theatre where Stevie Wonder and other famous entertainers have performed

At the end of the day Mohamud Ali our affable English Speaking driver dropped us off back at the train station.
Diann got out too and we went to lunch in a sort of upscale food court.
Jeff and I tried the strawberry smoothies - so refreshing.

Although there were a lot of flies this seems the cleanest place we have been.
We needed this day. Yes Carthage is what we came to see. The basically tourist free ruins of Carthage. Very tidy. The air seemed clean. No bad smells. Peaceful and quiet. We can breathe.
Back on the street I am seeing the garbage, smelling the smells and once again I think dirty unsanitary third world.
So much garbage and filth. Maybe we live in the slums. Maybe??!! Don't panic, I know some people are terribly poor, fewer are fabulously rich. It's just not that great to walk around here, or take local transit. Not an especially tourist friendly place. Tourists are marks. Forget repeat business. If you came on a tour you would be spared the grittiness.

21 Nov Bardo Museum
We took the tram 50 cents. First we waited for 50 minutes. No schedule. Then we squeezed on and stood in a huddle, and over the next hour got squeezed more and more tightly, major claustrophobia, Jeff, Diann our 80 year old new friend and me and hundreds of Tunisians crammed into a filthy train.
Do you remember the Arab Spring? 2011. It started in Tunisia. Not quite so hopeful anymore.
Here at the Bardo Museum in 2015 ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 21 tourists. Yet here we are today, having a look, a bit overwhelmed by the vast scope of the museum, confused at the layout, but glad for the overpriced cafe which is an oasis, we forget the filthy streets, the smell of sewer, the human mass on the trolley where our bodies were plastered onto strangers bodies where people can't get off at their stop just trapped inside, it's a nightmare! When we fought our way off at the Bardo stop I was literally drenched with sweat.
But now on the cool patio of the Bardo sipping mint tea - temporary respite from the squalor.


There is an extensive display of mosaics - and many look soft like carpet or tapestry, really amazing.

There are hardly any tourists and most exhibits are accessible, you can walk right up and touch them.
Not the ceilings though and there are some fabulous ceilings.

Sculptures, coins, pottery, plasterwork that resembles lace, this building was a palace in the 16 century.

Admission to Carthage - everything there is 12 dinar and admission to the Bardo Museum is 13 dinar.
The Bardo closes at 430 and they were turning off the lights as we left.
We took a cab back 15 dinar well spent!!