If you follow the main Habib Bourgiba street on its north-east route from Carthage, you will reach the charming hillside village of Sidi Bou Saïd overlooking the Gulf of Tunis. Although most of the homes in the vicinity are also whitewashed with some blue trimming, the entire village of Sidi Bou Saïd boasts of this. As you walk up the cobblestone street to the top of the hill (only residential traffic is allowed), you soon find yourself caught in the atmosphere. Here, people sit at one of the local cafés (including several in which women can actually feel comfortable) and enjoy the sweet green tea with pine nuts, admiring the view of the Mediterranean, the architecture, or the many visitors.
Although Sidi Bou Saïd is on the agenda for most tours, the village is also a favorite for locals. Along the main street shopkeepers encouraged passersby to come into their shops to buy souvenirs such as pottery from Nabeul, carpets from Kairouan, "Sidi Bou" birdcages, and much more. Jasmine sellers with their white robes, red chechia hats, and jasmine behind their ear held out their fragrant wrapped jasmine bunches on a shallow woven platter hoping for a sale.
I especially liked wandering through the narrow cobblestone streets (many barely wide enough for a small car to pass through), admiring the studded doors, blue ornate window grills, and bougainvillea gleaming in the bright sunlight. After admiring the view of the turquoise sea and its graceful sailboats, I would often head down the hill to the Petite Suede, a wonderful little Swedish café with the best cake in Tunisia. |
Sip sweet green tea with pine nuts at the famous Café des Nattes
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Museum Conservatory Overlook by Melissa Enderle - oil pastel
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With such beautiful scenery and great light, it's no wonder that Sidi Bou Saïd is a favorite for artists. Painters such as Paul Klee and August Macke were drawn to the area. Sidi Bou also has a great music conservatory, essentially now a museum of the former palace of the Baron d'Erlanger, a musician who came here for his health. |
Beyond the domes and arches of a mosque is the turquoise Mediterranean sea in the Gulf of Tunis
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