another mosque inside the Medina

Upon returning to Tunis in December of 2007 I realized that this picture is very misleading. The mosque is the domes and the top of the minaret in the background. The domes in the foreground may belong to a disused zowia. The rest of the picture is just some store fronts.

The Grand Mosque inside the Medina

Inside the Medina

The Medina of Tunis

More stuff near the port

What am I doing here?

If you know me quite well then the fact that I went from Kiev to San Francisco to Tunis in less than two weeks and all for fun should come as no surprise. If you are just getting to know me than I can only explain by telling you that I'm a little crazy.

Carthage

This has to be the most disappointing UNESCO site ever. There were piles of trash everywhere, and a guy grazing his sheep among the ruins. What exactly do they do with the 7 dinar people pay to get in?

Near the port

Tunisian food is really good!

And you eat it with your hands. They gave us westerners some forks but we didn't use them.

Tunisia!

Tunis is totally not what I expected. The blend of European, Arab, and African influences makes for a very interesting place.

London again

I'm taking advantage of my 10 hour layover in London today and going to see some good art. Stops included the Kenwood House and the National Gallery. Both were free and both have paintings by Vermeer. Three more today means I've now seen 12 out of about 37 of his known works.

May Day immigration protests!

Literally my final hour in San Francisco and I finally stumbled upon something worth taking pictures of.

My first real visa!

And the reason for my trip to San Francisco. I'm actually being a bit generous as it was a really easy visa to get. Nothing special was required, no health certificate, no official invitation, no certificate of conversion to Islam, and I got it the same day I applied. Still, this is the first time I've had to apply in advance to visit a country.

Todays flight

American West - Phoenix to San Francisco

Things worth coming home for

The chance to meet Bloc Party and see them in concert, plus Ethiopian food with my brother in Tucson.