The Lézard Rouge, Tunisia
A wonderful old train journey through spectacular gorges and desert scenery in the luxury of a train that once belonged to the Bey of Tunis.
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Le Kef is a three-hour bus journey South of Tunis.
We arrive in time to have a look around the kasbah, the old fort that overlooks the city. It is interesting, but the main highlight is probably the views over the surrounding countryside.
Our hotel at Le Kef is probably the worst one we have ever stayed in (the one in Suez would run a close second) but for the price we are paying you can’t expect too much (the bedroom is clean but the shower and toilet area were inadequate to say the least). I regret my choice, but it’s only for two nights, so I convince Jen it will be alright.
Make sure you pay a visit to the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires. This ethnographic museum in Le Kef is one of the best of its kind; excellent displays covering arts and crafts and traditional customs that help you understand the local culture.
The caretaker at the museum was excellent. He spent a lot of time explaining the displays and answering our questions.
Our real reason for staying at Le Kef is to use it as a base to visit Dougga, the old Roman town about 70km North. Dougga is a site of some of the best Roman ruins around.
A wonderful old train journey through spectacular gorges and desert scenery in the luxury of a train that once belonged to the Bey of Tunis.
Dougga is one of the best of the ancient Roman town sites we have seen, a good rival to Ephesus in Turkey.
Considered to be the spiritual home of Sufism, Nefta in the South-West of Tunisia near the Algerian border is also home to 350,000 date palms.
It’s worth all the steps up to the Molyvos Castle. Besides the view, you pass a lot of shops on the way up.
Skiathos is a small Greek island with some historical significance – it was here in 1807 that the blue and white Greek flag was first flown. The ceremony took place at the Evangelistria Monastery which is about 10 minutes out of town (or around 2 hours if you walk).