Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Monday 31st of December
08.34 I've woken up slightly stiff. I have slept well in my bed at Hotel Carlton (http://www.hotelcarltontunis.com) in Tunis but the mattress is a bit hard.
09.48 There will be no more breakfasts in 2018. It will be so-called "own time" before the check-out from here, time when each traveller does not have to think about anything in common that has to do with the travel.
10.36 This morning's big question consists in the fact that we do not really know what to do before the train departs at 12.20.
10.51 The smoke from a water pipe smoking man wriggles out through the open door. Some of the smoke aroma also reaches us. Outside, trams pass by. We're back at Big Coffee. However, there will be no crepes today. We'll settle for some morning coffee.
11.24 With new coffee in the systems, we are heading towards the railway station, Gare de Tunis. From there the journey south begins.
11.48 SNCFT can be read on the train set to take us south to Sousse. It's almost time to go by train in our 46th country. It says first class on the ticket and the cart but it doesn't feel that way. The seats are a bit crooked and we see no direct extra comfort here. By the way, SNCFT means Société Nation Season des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens. It is the state Tunisian railway.
12.24 Our train has finally been set in motion. The journey towards Sousse has begun. What will we see in the next two hours?
15.55 We are checked in at Le Monaco Hôtel & Thalasso (http://www.hotellemonaco.com) in the northern part of Sousse, the part of the city which basically consists only of different hotels and restaurants. We are now waiting in the lobby to get our passports back. What does Thalasso mean? Well it is a form of treatments that is made by using salt water. This is offered here at the hotel.
21.46 This is going great. First, a collection of side dishes to awaken the appetite. Then a soup served with parmesan and vegetables. A troubadour named Amin entertains by playing various hits. Previously, he gave up playing Still loving You. Now he has more success with "Billy Jean".
Tuesday 1st of January
Christer is having a break at Big Coffee.
Time to pay!
Gare de Tunis.
Christer is walking towards the 1st Class car.
This is what the train looks like inside.
Twin cities square, Sousse.
Our new home.
Peter in our "studio" at Le Monaco Hôtel & Thalasso.
We have wonderful views from our balcony.
The sun is fighting the clouds.
This year´s last sunset.
Peter is visiting La Veranda.
Is it a late lunch or an early dinner?
Starters together with the drinks.
El Ons is wishing all guests a Happy New Year.
Entertainment in Restaurant El Ons.
00.01 Happy New Year! This time I will not take it in several languages. I'm not either going to sum up how many countries we have visited during the past year, or prophesy the upcoming year. We sit on the balcony and it's quiet in town. Not much fireworks here. The year was celebrated as mentioned with Efes beer with fruit flavour.
00.15 We have, in the past eleven years, celebrated the New Year in three different continents and ten different countries. We've done it twice in Spain. Now awaits a new year with new trips and plans. 01.11 Let's see how we will sleep in 2019. 08.22 It went fine to sleep in the room called studio. Besides, it's been good for me to splash in the tub. There was not much space, but it went fine. In the absence of a tub plug, I used the plug I brought with me since 2005. It has mainly been used to retain the water in the washbasins in which we washed clothes. 09.02 I have during Christer's shower been sitting on the balcony for some reading. Now let's get ready for breakfast.
We are leaving the hotel to explore the world outside in 2019.
The beach in Sousse is not so inviting in winter.
It really is low season now.
09.58 It was perhaps not the most complete breakfast I had eaten and the coffee machine was fussy and did not want to share. With the assistance of one of the staff I received my refill.
10.29 Exactly at the minute ten years ago we were in our room in a snowy Košice. Then we felt lazy and had just decided not to go to Hungary. Now we are also lazy and there will be no trip to Hungary. 11.00 Our door bell just rang. Now I have promised the woman who rang the bell that she can clean up within 20 minutes. Until then, I think we've left the room. Why just twenty minutes, well despite three years of study in French it was the only number I remembered. Of course, it could be worse. 11.26 We are once again looking out over the Mediterranean. We are about to wander towards the central parts of Sousse. It is windy today and huge waves roll in from the sea. 11.44 To avoid crowds and nagging people, we have walked along the beach promenade Corniche Boujaafar. There have been some corniches over the years. 12.02 The wind is waiting for us outside. We ourselves are waiting for American coffee, not German, inside Deutscher Kaffee. By the way, what is German coffee? We were asked if we wanted it. By the way, didn't we wonder this summer in what language Coffee was called kaffee? Our café is located in the Central Park here in Sousse, near the Boujaafar mosque.
Walking against the wind towards central Sousse.
People are still fishing despite the windy conditions.
Christer at Deutscher Kaffee.
A happy man and a coffeedrinker from Bjästa.
12.40 Things do happen in the city centre. We've seen a screaming man in a turban, been offered to buy a carton of cigarettes and a pack of napkins. A gentleman has wished us happy New Year and wondered if we wanted a beer. Sure, we want a beer, but I'm sure it'll come with more than that. I'm sure he wanted to get paid.
13.05 We walked away to the railway station that sends the trains to the neighbouring city of Monastir. Then we turned back again. Now we've had to find shelter for the rain. It is also windy. Not good at all. 13.32 On the table there are, are among the edible, bread, mayonnaise, harissa and olives. We are at Planet Food (http://www.planetfoodcornichesousse.com) to have lunch. 14.03 During lunch, guests and upcoming guests have had trouble coming out and in through the sliding doors. The automatism was complicated and hand power was needed. It was a bit comical to see people who are used to automatic doors that did not come up with the idea of using their hands to get in. Will we get out when we finished our meal and paid? 14.41 There was no problem getting us out. On the way home, I bought some souvenirs. Now it will be mostly nothing for a while. 15.41 While waiting for time to move on, we intend to read in our books. 16.56 The door bell rang again, this time we got towels. A rainbow appears on the horizon. 17.51 An economic calculation has been made. I guess it's going to fail, but now we know we need to withdraw 200 dinars. German coffee is coffee, brandy, cream and a little more. Feels like a variation of Irish coffee. The question is whether that was what was referred to or whether they were just asking about a German coffee brand.
Habib Bourguiba is out riding on his horse in this city as well.
Lots of flags in central Sousse.
Tourist ships in the port.
Lunch at Planet Food.
A rainbow is visible during the afternoon.
18.13 Now it is time to move to action again.
18.52 We haven't withdrawn any money and there has been no visit to a cafe either. Plans change quickly. Instead, we are waiting for a dinner at the California Grill. 20.17 It did not become the most delicately prepared meal on the trip. But it stopped our hunger. Now we are at the small café Tostado in the vicinity of the hotel. It's a bit simple here and a lot of chairs. A smaller amount of small pennies were used as payment. 20.41 It's nice to come home and just wiggle our toes. 22.14 We have zapped through our channel range on the TV. It is an impressive array of channels from Algeria, Yemen, Libya, Qatar and Sudan to name a few. Now it became Palestinian television, have we seen it before? 23.31 Some long-range news. Brazil has today elected a new president, Jair Bolsonaro. It's been a while since we've been to Brazil. A little heftier long-range news, the space probe New Horizon has passed the asteroid Ultima Thule that spins around 6.5 billion kilometres from the sun. We won't ever go there.
Tonight´s dining spot, California Grill.
Christer and this evening´s meat.
We are finishing off this evening at Tostado.
Wednesday 2nd of January
08.19 The water in the shower took some time to get warm even this morning. Certainly, cold water fresh me up, but there are limits.
09.47 I'm sitting in a chair. The chair is on the balcony connected to our studio. A new day here in Sousse will be organized. We are planning to among other things to see the Medina, the oldest part of the city. 10.42 Christer just said, I think that this will be the place. He has through Google Maps found a cafe along the path we intend to walk. It's a different stretch than the one we imagined yesterday. The stops are basically the same. It's just the order that's changed. We want to avoid entering the Medina where it is as liveliest and most vendors. 11.03 We have wandered through nice neighbourhoods and then crossed the railway track that we came along the day before yesterday. Let's go left and walk back to the centre. 11.33 The score in the basketball match between Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors is 111-118. We're in a nice cafe, Sweet Time. Just now we ordered coffee and juices. I happened to order Jus de lemon instead of Jus de citron as it says in the menu. Well, the waitress didn't look completely confused. Just before we got here, we saw a gas station from OiLibya. There, a litre of diesel cost 1.75 dinars or 60 cents. We also saw the same petrol company in Kenya the other year.
Peter is writing down some notes on the nice balcony.
Mongi Slim Boulevard, Sousse.
Our fruit juices are soon arriving.
A nice coffee and juice stop at Sweet Time.
12.31 The waitress served us what we ordered. We wandered further towards the Medina and now we sit outside the wall around the older parts of Sousse. We are on a bench in Medina Park west of the Old Town.
12.50 We moved along the wall and now we are ready to find our way into the swarm of the Medina. Nearby there is also a museum, Sousse Archaeological museum. 12.56 It went fine to find a way in and to get through in the Medina. A lot of different things were sold but we were left alone when we walked by. It was probably a good idea to get into the medina from the direction we did. We got a quiet hike with the opportunity to look around and photograph. 13.08 Music flows into the restaurant Dar Soltane. We ordered the lunches. The waiter came and showed up a whole fish just before ordered. Were we interested? This authentic Tunisian restaurant is located near the Grand Mosque deep inside Sousse medina. 15.17 We were treated to lemon ice cream, mint tea and a caramel as a dessert. We thanked ever so much for the great service and kindness. The way home went out of the medina and along the corniche by the sea. It has been yet another day of walking.
We have found Sousse medina.
We are having a stop in Medina park.
This is where we are.
Christer behind the archealogical museum in Sousse.
We are walking through Sousse medina.
Christer is heading for another minaret.
16.08 It is again time to replenish with caffeine and literary works. All this will be ingested on our balcony.
17.59 A new evening is here and we are making a new attempt to take us to a cafe. How's it going this time? 18.30 It went better tonight. We wandered north and have a table at Twins Café. We're sitting right across from the California Grill where we had dinner last night. Coffees ordered. It will also be cheesecake for Christer and three scoops of ice cream for me. 19.17 The ice cream scoops were served in a tall glass surrounded by whipped cream and cold coffee. A minus with Twins Café is the fact that just as at almost everywhere in Tunisia, people are smoking. This is a minus when it comes to travel to this country. 20.42 The Algerian TV channel HAMS TV shows a feature from Seven House Restaurant in Algiers. The quality of the sound could be better. The reporter doesn't extend the microphone to the person he's talking to. Result; there is no answer at all.
The restaurant Dar Soltane. Here we´ll have today´s lunch.
A fantastic environment inside Dar Soltane.
View towards Sousse Ribat.
A fountain and a short minaret.
After having seen "I love Tunis" the other day it´s now time for "I love Sousse".
The fishermen have given up.
21.06 We have had enough time in this room. Let's go back out. We're about to have a late dinner.
21.24 It is beautiful interior inside the meat restaurant Farmer's Steakhouse which is located at the intersection above our hotel. A small waterfall drops into a pond in here. Now I have to stop for a while. So, now we have got the cutlery. Now we just wait for what we ordered. 21.50 The food is good but maybe not as good as we intended. Does the restaurant attract guests with its appearance? Do they know people come here anyway? It may also be that our longing for good meat made expectations far too high. 22.15 It's time to say thanks and find our way home again. It's close to home, so I think it's going to be okay. 23.26 After a quarter of the second period in the quarterfinals in the ice hockey junior world championship between Sweden and Switzerland, it stands 0-2. It is a small tradition to follow this tournament via the internet during our new year's travel.
Peter is visiting Twins Café.
Tonight´s dinner will be at Farmer´s Steakhouse.
Ambitious design inside this meat restaurant.
Thursday 3rd of January
00.24 There were no more Swiss goals in the match. Unfortunately, there were no Swedish goals either. Thank you and good night from the ice hockey junior world championship and good night from us.
08.13 A cloud bank blocks the sun that rose an hour ago. In the ice hockey junior World championship there will be semi-finals between Finland, who defeated Canada and Switzerland as well as Russia against the United States. During the night, the Chinese probe Chang'e has landed on the far side of the moon. It's the first time a probe lands there. We ourselves will soon land in the breakfast dining room for today's first meal. 10.03 Like so many times before, we are watching CNN. We are also trying to figure out when we check out and walk away from Le Monaco. The planning takes place in the room and not on CNN. There they talk about the shutdown of authorities in the United States. Today, the Democrats take over power in the House of Representatives. 10.39 Now we shall, just as the sun in the sky, slowly move to another horizon. 10.47 We have checked out and left our hotel Le Monaco behind us. We have had a great stay in our room/studio with a nice balcony. The breakfast, on the other hand, has been disappointing and the whole hotel has had a clear atmosphere of off-season, a feeling that the most interesting things here take place during some other time of the year.
Our bags are ready for departure.
Christer climbs into the local train to Monastir.
On the train Sousse-Monastir.
Christer takes his first steps in Monastir.
Tunisian flags along Avenue Trimeche.
11.02 We have made a short stop on a wall along the corniche/promenade. On the way here I was offered to buy a pack of cigarettes for 3 dinars, $1. No thanks, I said, I don't smoke. Ok, said the salesman, 2 dinars, 70 cents, then? Do they know that there are people who don't smoke? Can they even imagine it?
11.35 It went fine to walk to the commuter train station Sousse Bab Jdid. Now Christer will go and buy tickets in a hatch. 11.55 It was hard to wait standing with the luggage on the back before the doors out to the platform opened. Our journey with the commuter train towards the neighbouring city of Monastir costs only 1 dinar. 13.08 After half an hour's journey, among the shortest between two sleeping resorts on any trip, we arrived at Monastir. We managed to get off on each side of the commuter. However, we found each other again and also Hotel Esplanade Beach. However, it was not so easy to find the entrance to it. Here we were asked to fill in a card and also received the message that they do want cash payment. This time we got room 150 with poor, non-existent internet connection. 13.57 Our departure was slowed down by the plastic piece that the key hangs at and that should be placed into a slot to make the electricity work stuck. It was the tape around everything that stuck. Much has happened earlier, but this was something completely new. Now we go towards lunch and also withdrawal of money to pay for our room.
Hotel Esplanade Beach. We are probably the only guests here.
Peter is resting in room 150.
We have a seaview from our balcony.
We have arrived to the restaurant Dar Chraka for lunch.
North African sausages, merguez.
14.21 There was a baby bottle on the outdoor table to which we were referred. Inside it was full. The baby bottle was soon picked up by a father who apologized. Today it will be lunch at the Tunisian restaurant, Dar Chraka. We are in a courtyard inside the medina of Monastir.
15.03 Once again just enough food and flavour. The time has come to get more money. 16.01 We have, after withdrawing 450 dinars, paid for two nights of accommodation to an elderly gentleman with a hat here at Hotel Esplanade Beach. After that, we have seen a little more of the city, including a mausoleum for former President Habib Bourguiba who came from Monastir. It blows a lot down by the sea. 16.41 Cocoon Resto & Café has received our orders for two cups of coffee from. It will be, since the supply of pastries is limited it, only coffee. 17.18 The price of coffee has risen since the beginning of the trip. Through the wind, a calling is heard, a calling to prayer. We recoup ourselves on a bed each in our room.
A stone dromedary and the Bourguiba mosque.
The fortress Monastir Ribat, here is where Monty Python´s "Life of Brian" was filmed.
Some visitors have climbed the tower.
Cimetière de Monastir.
The Habib Bourguiba mausoleum.
19.03 I have now continued reading in the latest novel by Ian Rankin. Christer has draped himself in his blanket. It's time to find a suitable restaurant for tonight's dinner. It is a shame that we do not reach the internet here in our room. A week ago we had just left Sweden.
19.45 We have gone down to try your luck in the hotel restaurant. The older man promised that a good dinner would be arranged for us. There are plates, cutlery and glasses set on about ten tables. We have ordered pepper sauce, a piece of meat and beer. 21.10 Our dinner began with a small appetizer, followed by a vegetarian pasta dish, a semi tender fillet and finally coffee. The coffee served in wine glasses first made me think it was different. Everything was good but a little more expensive than we are used to. Everything was handled by the old man. 23.07 We have been in the country for a week. Out there, it keeps blowing. Can't it blow somewhere else?
The son of the city, Habib Bourguiba, was the ruler in Tunisia from 1956 to 1987.
Big waves in the Mediterranean today.
Peter makes a note in his journal.
A glowing sun sinks behind the Bourguiba mosque.
We are having our dinner in the hotel restaurant.
You can see 31 photos from December 31 in this photoalbum.
You can see 34 photos from January 1 in this photoalbum.
You can see 44 photos from January 2 in this photoalbum.
You can see 49 photos from January 3 in this photoalbum.