Saturday - tennis tournament. Jenny scores the highest of all the players taking part during the round robin phase. Paired with Doug for the semi-final, they are knocked out by Benta and Asisa who in turn lose in the final to Chris and Debbie.
Lunch at the marina and we finally succeed, after much haggling, in getting Jenny a leather bag and water-colour.
Early departure on Sunday for flight to Gatwick where we not only get ourselves an emergency exit row seat with decent leg-room but also manage to get a vegetarian meal in spite of it not having been ordered as it should, which turns out to be remarkably good.
Friday, 4 May 2007
Tunisia 27 April 2007
Another early start. Coach north into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Thuburbo Majus, founded in 5th century BC. 

Extensive site with Capitol, forum, winter and summer baths, a public gymnasium and private houses.
Continued on through changing scenery as the hills become more evident. Pass through villages with men sitting out drinking thick, black coffee. In spite of reforms, it is always exclusively a male pastime.
Tunisia 26 April 2007
Bus across flat, low-lying plain to Kairouan, through endless fields of wheat.
Visit the 9th Century Bassins des Aghlabides - part of the city's original water supply system - and the Zaouia Sidi Sahab - a shrine to one of Mohammed's companions.
Visit the Grande Mosquee de Sidi Oqba, North Africa's oldest and most important mosque built in 7th century. Interior has world's oldest mimbar (pulpit) from 9th century.
After excellent lunch we drive round the city walls and are taken to a carpet shop - presumably the guide is on commission. Sales technique is the same the world over. First you see a carpet being made with the individual knots being tied in place (funnily enough the woman doing this had vanished from the frame when we emerged from the salesroom). Then you go through into the sales room and are served a glass of mint tea. Then they start to roll out the carpets in front of you. One after another after another after another. Each more fabulous and expensive than the last. Bizarrely, thinner carpets are more prized in Tunisia. Thicker ones, that appeal more to us from the frozen north, are less valuable. The only escape is to stand up and walk out, which we did, after Kathryn showed way too much interest and looked set for the duration.

After an hour we finally get away and drive to El Jem. We pass through miles of olive groves (though Nick managed to miss these somehow). The amphitheatre, better preserved than the Colosseum in Rome, could hold 35,000.
We returned via Monastir where we were taken to the mausoleum of Habib Bourgiba, the first president of Tunisia after independence in 1956. There's something uncomfortable about this hero worship a la Lenin/Mao etc but the small collection of personal artefacts yields an amusing insight. His passport and identity card give his profession as "President of the Republic of Tunisia". Whatever qualms we have about his dictatorial style, he maintained a secular rather than Islamic constitution and instituted reforms to improve womens' rights. "He abolished polygamy and so we all now have monotony."
Visit the 9th Century Bassins des Aghlabides - part of the city's original water supply system - and the Zaouia Sidi Sahab - a shrine to one of Mohammed's companions.

After excellent lunch we drive round the city walls and are taken to a carpet shop - presumably the guide is on commission. Sales technique is the same the world over. First you see a carpet being made with the individual knots being tied in place (funnily enough the woman doing this had vanished from the frame when we emerged from the salesroom). Then you go through into the sales room and are served a glass of mint tea. Then they start to roll out the carpets in front of you. One after another after another after another. Each more fabulous and expensive than the last. Bizarrely, thinner carpets are more prized in Tunisia. Thicker ones, that appeal more to us from the frozen north, are less valuable. The only escape is to stand up and walk out, which we did, after Kathryn showed way too much interest and looked set for the duration.

After an hour we finally get away and drive to El Jem. We pass through miles of olive groves (though Nick managed to miss these somehow). The amphitheatre, better preserved than the Colosseum in Rome, could hold 35,000.
We returned via Monastir where we were taken to the mausoleum of Habib Bourgiba, the first president of Tunisia after independence in 1956. There's something uncomfortable about this hero worship a la Lenin/Mao etc but the small collection of personal artefacts yields an amusing insight. His passport and identity card give his profession as "President of the Republic of Tunisia". Whatever qualms we have about his dictatorial style, he maintained a secular rather than Islamic constitution and instituted reforms to improve womens' rights. "He abolished polygamy and so we all now have monotony."
Tunisia 25 April 2007

Wednesday - morning of tennis.
Took a taxi to Sousse for lunch. Visited 8th Century Ribat, a fortified Muslim monastery with views over the port, 9th Century Grande Mosque and Medina.
Plunged into the souk and haggled over a lamp, again walked away. Returned to Port El Kantaoui as the threatened drizzle materialised. Rain stopped play for the afternoon in the best Wimbledon tradition. At least Cliff didn't show up to lead a singalong.
Tunisia 24 April 2007
Cooler day - ideal for sight-seeing. Early start for trip to Tunis with an ambitious itenary.
First stop the Medina in Tunis. Visit 9th century Jemaa ez Zitouna mosque. Wander through the souq discovering the jewellers section, the household goods, the turkish secton, the perfumers, carpets and leather markets. Here we haggle over a leather bag for Jenny. Visions of the whole place going up in flames as each hawker proves the quality of the camel leather by demonstrating it is impervious to the flame of his Zippo cigarette lighter. We run out of time and walk away.
Next stop the Bardo Museum with a fascinating collection of mosaics from all around Tunisia including places we intend to visit such as Dougga. The mosaics are so lifelike - animated and with light and shade and perspective that won't be seen again in Europe till the Renaissance.


Tunisia 22-23 April 2007
Set all the alarm clocks on arriving back from Winscombe badminton social (pub skittles - don't know why but badminton players seem to have an affinity for pub skittles) as we can only have an hour's nap before getting up again to pick up Steve just before 1am for the drive to Gatwick. Steve is ready when we arrive and we make good time, Jenny and Steve keeping me awake while I drive by arguing about gender differences.
Check in at North Terminal opens at 4am, then we queue through passport and security checks behind a very camp, Hollywood guy who chatters non-stop to cover his nerves.
Jenny and I have breakfast, anticipating correctly that food on the flight will be unappetising, while Steve buys duty free alcohol and tobacco to see him through the holiday. Jenny spots Debbie, also from David Lloyd Bristol, who, it transires, is also on the holiday. So now there are four of us - maybe Jenny and I won't look so odd as a couple on a Solo's Holiday.
Legroom on First Choice charter flight would cramp a five year old. We're so tightly wedged in that Jenny, who can normally cope by putting her knees up the back of the seat in front is unable to manage even that.
Short transfer to hotel El Kanta in Port El Kantaoui. Check in and bags taken to our separate rooms. Rooms practically identical so we opt to move my stuff into Jenny's room - shock, horror! (Will we be first people to go on a Solo's Holiday as a couple and come back single? Or wll we find ourselves featured in next year's brochure as "True Romance blossomed on Solo's Tennis Holiday"?)
Go for a wander and find restaurant in the marina serving freshly caught fish. After lunch play a couple of sets with Steve and Debbie.
Monday - Dawns hot and sunny for a full day of tennis. Maryette the tour leader organises us. The three women who've been before Pam (big, blonde ex-PE teacher), Jane and Vicky from Ireland. Barbara - good player, from Devon, who flew in separately from Bristol (wish we'd organised that!). Benta - probably the best player of the lot of us. Chris - a middle-aged left-hander who will end up looking like Rumpole of the Bailey (probably). Nick - a nice, but vague man who drifts serenely through life, oblivious to much that is going on around him. Andrew - a bit aggressive and, it turns out, a bit of a would-be Lothario. Doug - a nice guy who works in insurance and looks like he should have 2.4 kids etc. Harry - tries to be the life and soul but ends up being a bit of a bully to the staff - seems unhappy and drinks too much to avoid facing it. Asisa - not her real name, one she took on after travelling in Turkey. Kathryn - dark and slim, enjoys being the centre of attention from the men.
Good coaching session during the afternoon. Brought on my forehand though it's still nowhere near Jenny's standard.
Check in at North Terminal opens at 4am, then we queue through passport and security checks behind a very camp, Hollywood guy who chatters non-stop to cover his nerves.
Jenny and I have breakfast, anticipating correctly that food on the flight will be unappetising, while Steve buys duty free alcohol and tobacco to see him through the holiday. Jenny spots Debbie, also from David Lloyd Bristol, who, it transires, is also on the holiday. So now there are four of us - maybe Jenny and I won't look so odd as a couple on a Solo's Holiday.
Legroom on First Choice charter flight would cramp a five year old. We're so tightly wedged in that Jenny, who can normally cope by putting her knees up the back of the seat in front is unable to manage even that.
Short transfer to hotel El Kanta in Port El Kantaoui. Check in and bags taken to our separate rooms. Rooms practically identical so we opt to move my stuff into Jenny's room - shock, horror! (Will we be first people to go on a Solo's Holiday as a couple and come back single? Or wll we find ourselves featured in next year's brochure as "True Romance blossomed on Solo's Tennis Holiday"?)
Go for a wander and find restaurant in the marina serving freshly caught fish. After lunch play a couple of sets with Steve and Debbie.
Monday - Dawns hot and sunny for a full day of tennis. Maryette the tour leader organises us. The three women who've been before Pam (big, blonde ex-PE teacher), Jane and Vicky from Ireland. Barbara - good player, from Devon, who flew in separately from Bristol (wish we'd organised that!). Benta - probably the best player of the lot of us. Chris - a middle-aged left-hander who will end up looking like Rumpole of the Bailey (probably). Nick - a nice, but vague man who drifts serenely through life, oblivious to much that is going on around him. Andrew - a bit aggressive and, it turns out, a bit of a would-be Lothario. Doug - a nice guy who works in insurance and looks like he should have 2.4 kids etc. Harry - tries to be the life and soul but ends up being a bit of a bully to the staff - seems unhappy and drinks too much to avoid facing it. Asisa - not her real name, one she took on after travelling in Turkey. Kathryn - dark and slim, enjoys being the centre of attention from the men.
Good coaching session during the afternoon. Brought on my forehand though it's still nowhere near Jenny's standard.
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