Palermo and Tunis

I woke up about 6:30 and went to the window to see that we were nearing land once again. By 8:00 am we were docked at Palermo, the capital city of Sicily. The land is fertile in the area and is famous for its production of citrus fruits. We docked right next to another cruise ship, the Costa Concordia. It was not quite as large as the Fantasia. We could watch people out on their balconies and they could us. T & K had ordered room service (no extra charge) so had coffee on their deck. It was a warm day with a forecast of +22.

We missed the restaurant breakfast as it closed at 9 today, so went to the buffet instead. Then we went to the upper decks, found a vacant "basket" and I settled down with a good book. Howard and Todd had a game of shuffleboard. Before long it was lunchtime. The buffet was very busy but we found a table at the far end. I had salads, one with octopus. It was kind of rubbery!

After lunch H & I went back to the upper decks, found a basket chair and had a good rest. Then we went for a walk around the ship and stopped on deck 14 for some yummy ice cream. T & K went on shore and did their walking in the city of Palermo.

At five o'clock the ship was enroute to Tunis, Africa, our next stop. Our cruise ship travelled at night and docked at a port most days.

We were up early on Wednesday as we were to meet in the theatre at 7:45 for our excursion to Tunis, Africa! I didn't want to miss the chance to say I've been to Africa! We were given stickers with our bus number 14 to wear on our shirts. Then we filed out to the row of buses waiting for tourists. English was the language on our bus and our guide was quite fluent.

We went first to the ancient site of Carthage, the Phoenician -Roman city which lies 18 km from Tunis. It is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. I remember hearing about Carthage in history lessons, but it was not my favorite subject so not much of that information stayed with me. I'll have to do some research when we get home now that I have actually visited the site. The remains of the Baths of Antonius were some that were still partly standing. One column had been rebuilt to give an idea of the size that it had been.

Then the bus made its way to Medina, a typical Arab market in Tunis. We walked though narrow streets and passage ways, always keeping site of our guide holding the number 14 sign above his head. We wouldn't want to get separated from the group in this place! We visited a carpet sellers and were given a "sales pitch" there as various colours and sizes of hand made rugs were laid out on the floor in front of us. We were assured that carpets could be shipped back home where ever we were from. I think three of our group bought rugs. One couple that we met was from Calgary so it was fun to meet fellow Canadians on this cruise. We were very much in the minority! We continued through the sellers area and Kristy bought two wool and silk scarves from one. We were given another sales pitch from a perfume seller. I'm not sure how these sellers were chosen, pehaps they are friends or family of our guide!

We all made it safely back to bus 14 and drove through the modern city of Tunis with its wide streets, skyscrapers and busy sidewalk cafes. Our guide assured us that Tunis is a safe place to visit. Agriculture is the main industry in this area with tourism second. We were back to the ship by noon, in time for lunch at the cafeteria, which was a real "zoo". We enjoyed a quiet afternoon in our cabin and relaxing on our balcony. The ship left port at 1:00 pm so we were on the move today with no stops for the next 24 hours.

This was formal dress night so we showered and dressed for dinner. Tonight we also met Captain Ferdinando Ponti, and had our picture taken with him. Cocktails were served for all passengers before dinner. Our friendly waiter didn't give me a menu tonight -he said it was Howard's turn to choose! That came about because after I would order, Howard would often say "I'll have the same". Tonight that wouldn't work! The marlin steak was great, as was the nut ice cream. We stopped and took pictures by the staircase with its sparkling steps and shiny brass rails. The string quartette was playing again so we sat and enjoyed their music before heading to the theatre for an acrobat concert at 9:45. The captain and nine members

of the crew were introduced and the captain brought greetings in several languages. We were surprised when the first one was English. The show was excellent with some great acts done on the trampoline as well as four "monkeys" doing tricks on a pole. Strong muscles on these fellows! Then we were off to our cabins for a good nights sleep.