Tunisian Highlights: A Diverse & Desirable Destination

Editor's note: This is a guest post written by Lucy Hudson.

Offering dramatic desert landscapes, historic cities, warm Mediterranean Sea waters and atmospheric little restaurants in which to spend an evening, Tunisia is a North African sun-drenched beauty spot.

Around seven million visitors arrive in this inviting country each year, mainly to enjoy its boast-worthy beaches, but if you can tear yourself away from the stunning coastline there’s a lot to see and do in fascinating Tunisia.

Small costs, big fun

North African countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia have always provided excellent value for money in terms of accommodation options, restaurants and activities. The low prices for dining out, sightseeing and travel mean you can pack a lot into your holiday at very little cost. The bonus of a Tunisian holiday is the all year round sunshine, with companies like First Choice continuing to fly out through the off-peak season for those seeking winter rays. 

The Mediterranean coast

The shimmering waters of the Mediterranean Sea will provide idyllic views as you relax on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Picturesque, white and golden sands are the norm here and La Marsa, Raf Raf and Tabarka are just three examples. Hammamet is one of the country’s most popular beach towns and it exudes an unspoilt and traditional atmosphere with a distinctly Moorish feel. Don’t be surprised to find vendors offering camel rides at some of the more touristy options; there’s enough room along this coastline to find a secluded stretch of sand if you’re looking to escape the crowds.

The traditional and the cosmopolitan

Tunisia is a perfect mix of the contemporary and the historic, and you’ll find a diverse range of towns and cities once you start exploring. The capital, Tunis, offers traditional and colourful markets set amidst its narrow jumble of ancient streets, and you can easily stumble upon a mosque or historic palace by accident. Head to Port El Kantaoui and you’ll find a chic harbour with modern restaurants serving the freshest of seafood dishes. Hammamet is without doubt one of the prettiest resorts in the country with whitewashed little houses overlooking the immense 10km of beach; the sunsets alone make this trip worthwhile.

Explore the island of Djerba

Just off Tunisia’s south coast lies the idyllic little island of Djerba and an excursion by boat should be on your itinerary. This island gem offers the clearest turquoise waters in which to swim, surf, water-ski or enjoy whatever water sport action floats your boat. The island is similar to the mainland in that it boasts its own ancient medina where you can haggle for goods before dining in the many authentic restaurants. Don’t miss the charming little fishing port area or the ancient synagogue of El-Ghriba in Erriadh, said to contain the oldest Torah in the world.

Uncovering Tunisia’s history

If you want to spend some time exploring ancient Tunisia then this is a country that offers eight UNESCO world heritage sites. The most famous attraction is the incredible ruins of Carthage, which date back to 814 BC. For only a few dinars you can wander through the 10 different archaeological sites and view the remains of the Amphitheatre and the Antonin Baths. The Dougga and Bulla Regia Roman ruins are another excursion well worth taking and the impressive hilltop site includes the Temple of Saturn and the majestic columns of the Capitol. Down at Medina of Sousse, you will find an old commercial and military port that is typical of how traditional towns looked in the first centuries of Islam.

Adventure activities

Whether you fancy a trip into the Sahara Desert or a tour around some famous film locations you are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities in Tunisia. You can travel through the enchanting Sahara by jeep or camel before trying out some skiing and go-karting across the dunes. If you’re a movie buff you can visit desert locations made famous in films such as The English Patient and Star Wars; the salt lakes of Chott el Djerid and the Matmata dwellings should not be missed. Nature lovers can take a trip to Ichkeul National Park in the north to explore the huge freshwater lake teeming with pink flamingos, storks and geese.

Tunisia offers something to suit every taste whether you’re a beach lover, a culture vulture or simply want to relax and become immersed in a different way of life. This is a country that will definitely provide some unforgettable travel experiences and memories at pretty much any time of the year.

Image by www.sqfp.info, used under the Creative Commons license.
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Lucy Hudson works in digital marketing and likes to share tips on holidays, online shopping and writing, through blogging! She is also a keen swimmer and is learning to be a pro at Pilates.

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There's a bizarre hill in North Lithuania that you should check out.

Filled with overgrown wild grass, this field would have looked just any other field in Lithuania if it hadn't been for the gigantic mound of crosses that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Going to the Hill of Crosses for the first time is like seeing something out of this world - frankly, it looked totally bizarre and quite a bit alien. There are hundreds of thousands of crosses here on this hill in Siauliai, north Lithuania, and every year thousands of Christian pilgrims come here to add their contribution to this hill overflowing with crosses and crucifixes of every kind, shape and size.

It feels surreal going up the steps of the hill. It's just an experience so far removed from anything else I'd ever seen before in my life - wood crosses, metal crosses, rosaries hung on crosses, crosses that look like sundials, simple and elaborate.

The story of Siauliai's Hill of Crosses is surprisingly unremarkable for a site of pilgrimage. Nothing about the site has anything to do with saints, churches or miracles performed here. It's simply a symbol of the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism.

One day, someone stuck a cross into the ground of this earth and people followed suit. (No, really.) No Virgin Mary crying blood tears. Just someone doing something that others wound up doing, until eventually the Hill of Crosses happened.

It's remarkable to see some of the detail on the crosses that are here though. I'm not religious, and although my secondary school was Catholic, it just never appealed to me. Still, there's no denying the craftsmanship and artistry that's put into some of these pieces - intricate wood carvings of all shapes and sizes and decorated in all manners.

There's even a tiny little Lego Jesus.

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Vilnius could have been 'just another' European city, but these things happened.

Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, to the unacquainted can seem like just about any other European city. There aren't any Big Bens, no Eiffel Towers. The architecture, like many other European cities, is old, largely made of brick and stone, and bears a heavy early Christian influence. While Vilnius may not seem, at first sight, to be anything to look at, it is nonetheless a city that is charming in many other ways.

First, Lithuania is surprisingly tourist-friendly, especially in comparison to neighbouring Poland. For Adeline and I, Vilnius was a day-stop on our road trip up to Siauliai to see Lithuania's Hill of Crosses; the well-marked roads and signs in Lithuania were a welcome contrast to the maze of Polish roads that made sense to none but the locals.

Let me introduce you to Šaltibarščiai.

(If you don't know how to pronounce that word, don't worry - I don't either.)

Šaltibarščiai is a Lithuanian variety of borscht, a shocking pink cold creamed beetroot soup which is absolutely perfect in the scorching heat of summer. It's creamy but not a sickening gelat creamy ('gelat' means something like 'wearisome' in Malay), a gorgeously delicious appetiser.

In fact, it was so good it would be a crime for me not to give you the recipe for making a great Šaltibarščiai on your own.

INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
1 pound beets, peeled and shredded
1 large cucumber - peeled,
quartered, and sliced
1/4 cup minced chives
1 bunch fresh dill, mince

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the eggs into a saucepan in a single layer and cover the eggs with water by 1 inch. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 minutes; drain. Cool the eggs under cold running water in the sink. Peel and chop the eggs.
2. Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl; add the eggs, beets, cucumber, chives, and dill. Stir gently to combine. Chill in refrigerator for 1 full day before serving.

Very quickly, two extremely hungry Singaporean girls discovered that food in Lithuania is by far and large pretty cheap and offers amazing value for money. Eating al fresco in summer, with appetiser and main course and paired with a passion fruit and mint mocktail - all for under SGD15? SOLD.

This rice and salmon dish cost me less than SGD10.

The food is incredible, but so is the rest of the city, which suddenly seemed a million times more interesting now that our stomachs were filled. Secondhand books being sold from a vintage suitcase for 1 Lithuanian lita? That's less than 50 Singapore cents. If I had it my way, I'd've bought the lot.

Our purpose now turned to getting lost in and discovering all of Vilnius's many pretty winding streets, being curious about every tiny little thing.

Here's Adeline being her usual photographer self.

Vilnius could have been a city just like any other. But thankfully, the experiences of exploring a new city in a new country with a wonderfully adventurous friend and delicious food more than made up for it.

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