Bizerte, Lake Ichkeul, & Cap Serrat (Northern Tunisia)

[Author's Note: I arrived in Tunis on September 10^th, 2010 and left two months later. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia on December 18^th, 2010, a day after the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi. I missed the festivities by about a month or so. Some would say I dodged a bullet but I cannot help feeling like I missed the boat. How often do you have the chance to watch history unfold from the front row? It is interesting for me to go back and read about my experiences at the time. Yes, I could almost taste repression in the air but if you told me the powder keg was about to ignite I would have been incredulous in the extreme. Yet, there it was boiling just beneath the surface. Keep this in mind when reading my Tunisia posts. It makes for a fascinating subtext.]

Oct 26^th, 2010 - We headed 66 km north of Tunis to the seaside city of Bizerte and found a quaint sh**hole in which to lay our heads for the evening. There is, of course, much more commodious lodging but none of them seemed worth the extra expense. After leaving our bags behind we made our way down the street for a bit of lunch followed by a look around. The old port and medina area is a nice place for a saunter. Something about the cobblestone walkway along the small bay lined with colorful fishing boats and cafes makes one almost want to doze off. Not a bad place to watch the world go by.