Try out Tunisia

I don't want to assume your ignorance, but it doesn't seem like anyone knows about Tunisia. Or if you do, it is rarely mentioned. I hope I can change this and peak your interest, because it is a beautiful country full of friendly folks and adventures to be had. 

When people go to the Mediterranean, it's usually the north side - Spain, France, Italy, Greece.

The masses don't seem to consider the opposite side of the Mediterranean, especially Tunisia, because it is almost hidden within a sandwich.

The bread of the sandwich, the farthest opposing sides, are Morocco and Egypt. With the pyramids in Egypt, and it seems Instagram for Morocco, they have developed quite the name for themselves in the tourism world.

The next two opposing sides of the sandwich as we move inwards are Algeria and Libya. We're advised not to travel to Libya due to the crisis, and Algeria, while generally safe, doesn't seem to have the same reputation still as Morocco or Egypt.

So if things are getting more uneasy as we move into the sandwich, why check the center? That's exactly where Tunisia is, tiny and smushed between two countries that don't have the best reputations, yet still carrying the same qualities of it's more distant neighbors who are widely visited.

Tunisia sandwich below: 

Here are two hooks to grab your attention:

If you enjoy Star Wars, you can go to Tatooine in real life - that setting was not a green screen, rather Jebil National Park in Tunisia.

What if I told you that you could skip the Colosseum in Rome to see something of the same (or even more) astonishment, minus the crowds?

You maybe would guess this image above is in Rome but it's actually El Jem Amphitheater in Tunisia. If you're attracted to roman ruins, Tunisia is insane for this - regretfully the government doesn’t have enough money to excavate what is out there, but you can drive anywhere in the country and see half buried remains everywhere. The ruins scattered through most of Europe are full of tourists, those in Tunisia are like off the beaten path ruins (more pictures to come).

Anyway, should you venture to Tunisia, fly in to Tunis - which can easily be done by way of Paris. Why through Paris? The French had colonized Tunisia :(

Generally in the Tunis area you could spend 2-3 days, depending on what you want to do.

My hotel room in Tunis - Majestic Hotel, roughly $68 a night - https://www.google.com/maps/pl...

The Medina of Tunis is obviously worth running around and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. In case you are not familiar with what a Medina is, it's basically the old part of an Arab city that is full of markets, art, tradition, etc, etc. They can be crazy labyrinths you get lost in which is half the fun. 

In Morocco they say that you get haggled in the Medinas, the good news about Tunisia is that since they have less tourists, people aren't chasing you through the Medinas to buy rugs. They are a lot calmer. The Ez-Zitouna Mosque as well in the Medina is worth a visit. Below is a picture of walking through the Medina:

Food I ate at a restaurant with a random man I met, we had bonded because we almost got hit by a car when crossing the street.

Close to Tunis is Carthage, which is the more fancy part of town. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities way back when. It served as the capital city of the civilization of Ancient Carthage/later Roman Carthage. Look up the Punic wars - when Rome and Carthage went at it with each other for 23 years.

Beautiful right?!? Aside from that in Carthage, you have the President of Tunisia's house, and posh people who probably have money because they colluded with the French :/ 

A fun fact is that I accidentally walked onto the President of Tunisia's property and was stopped by police, I thought it was a museum.

There are taxi drivers all across the area who will pick you up and drive you around to all the attractions. The price is pretty fair, I can't quite remember, but nothing shocking. They'll take you to ruins all throughout and give you some history, they can walk with you or wait in the car if you want to be alone. So don't be startled if guys are inviting you for a fun ride.

If you have made it this far, I need to come back and complete this post lol