Cape Angela, Bardo Museum, Medina, Sidi Bou Said
Tunisia surprised me. I expected history, landscapes, and good food. I did not expect the comedy, the misadventures, the wind battles, and a group that kept me laughing from the moment we touched the ground. This country delivered everything from deep history to desert chaos and joy. Let’s start at the beginning.
About Tunisia
A quick snapshot before diving in.
Location
North Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, is bordered by Algeria and Libya.
Population & Language
Around 12 million people. Arabic is the official language, but French will carry you far.
Religion
Islam is dominant, with hospitality woven into the culture.
Currency
Tunisian Dinar (TND). These coins humbled me fast. I thought I had 40 dinar. It was 40 cents.
Geography
Deserts, mountains, coasts, salt lakes, and Roman ruins. Tunisia gives five landscapes in under two hours.
Historical Fun Fact
Rome conquered ancient Carthage and named the region “Africa.” That name went on to represent an entire continent.
Accommodations
Here’s where we laid our heads, warmed our bones, and reset.
- Four Seasons Hotel Tunis
- La Kasbah Hotel Kairouan
- Ksar Rouge Hotel Tozeur
- Camp El Raml (Sahara Desert)
- Iberostar Waves Mehari Djerba
- Tunis Marriott Hotel
Pre Trip: Cape Angela
I arrived early, planning two days of soft life. Tunisia said not so fast. My “leisure day” required an 8 am pickup. Why the hard life insists on finding me, I’ll never know.
I thought it was a group tour. Nope. A private one. Just me and my guide.
He assumed I was French because of my name. I disappointed him with “American,” but he perked up when I mentioned my Haitian roots. Then he asked me something no one has ever asked: Do you identify more as American or Haitian? My answer was American. That answer sat with me the rest of the ride. Something to unpack with my therapist later. lol
The drive was scenic, with meaningful stops including:
On the way out, we passed brown sheep. Brown. Sheep. No one ever told me sheep came in that color. I stood there shocked.
By the end of the tour, my guide kept repeating “You are in Africa,” with such pride that it shifted the energy of my whole day.
Day 1: Touchdown and Introductions
When the girls arrived, they immediately dove into TikTok antics. Grown adults acting like it was the first day of class. Passports out. Voices loud. Energy big. I knew this group was going to be unforgettable.
Day 2: Tunis and The Medina
After breakfast, it was time to understand where we actually were. Tunisia wasn’t easing us in. First stop was the Bardo Museum, and that was intentional.
The Bardo isn’t just a museum. It’s Tunisia’s memory bank. It holds one of the world’s largest collections of Roman mosaics, but it also preserves the stories of the Berbers, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Arabs, and Ottomans. Every empire that touched this land left a footprint.
Inside these walls, you see Africa before the rewrite. You see who we were before anyone tried to rename or redefine us.
Our guide reminded us that the history many of us grew up with is incomplete because it wasn’t written from our perspective. It was written by those who arrived later and needed the narrative to serve them. African history didn’t begin with colonization. It began here.
Walking through the Bardo with that understanding changes everything.
- The mosaics aren’t art. They’re receipts.
- The statues aren’t stone. They’re evidence.
This is why we travel. To see the truth for ourselves. To witness it, not the edited version.
After the Bardo finished educating our entire soul, we made our way into the Medina. Spices, vendors, twists, turns, it felt like Tunisia was running us through an obstacle course. The group was dodging everything but the lessons.
Then we continued to Sidi Bou Said, where the views are usually give calm Mediterranean beauty. Instead, Tunisia said absolutely not. All four seasons showed up within two hours. Sun, wind, rain, and cold, the weather tag-teamed us, and that coat never came off. Cute outfits stayed packed. The elements won.
But even through the chaos, Sidi Bou Said still delivered.
Blue doors.
White walls.
Coastal views that hit even when the weather doesn’t.
Tunisia came with culture, coastline, chaos, and climate confusion. And we survived it.
Day One did exactly what it needed to do. Tunisia said, Let’s start with the real story.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where the mountains, waterfalls, mosques, and the Sahara start testing our strength and giving us stories we’ll laugh about for life.
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