The Bardo Museum in Tunis holds what is probably the finest collection of Roman mosaics in the world. The mosaics date mostly from the three centuries before and after the birth of Christ. In a restored thirteenth-century palace, the rooms hold displays of mosaics, some of which are in exquisite condition, on the walls, in glass cases and in the hallways. Some of the mosaics look like oil paintings from only a few feet away, while others, draped over cement blocks, almost look as soft as blankets.

The ancient city of Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC and figures prominently in Virgil's epic poem, the Aeneid, probably written between 29 and 19 BC. Now a prosperous suburb of Tunis, Carthage was among the most important cities of the world. The earliest settlers, the Phoenicians, built a port that included covered storage for more than 200 warships and a separate commercial harbor, nearly 3000 years ago. The remains of this port are still visible. The Romans controlled Carthage for several centuries after about 150 BC. The photo below shows the remains of the Antonine baths at Carthage, once the third largest baths in the Roman world.

The marina in which we stayed was in a jewel of a village called Sidi Bou Saïd, named for a 13^th century mystic. Its whitewashed houses are striking against the turquoise water and the blue Mediterranean sky. At right, you can see that the local residents often paint the doors blue and decorate them with patterns of black painted nails.

Our marina was the site of the sailing events of the Mediterranean Games during our visit. One afternoon we took our dinghy out into the harbor and watched the competitors (Lasers and 470s) turn at a racing mark, where we could see them hoist their colorful spinnakers for their downwind run. On another day, we went into the indoor stadium in the town and watched Turkey beat France in the women's volleyball semifinals.