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A little outside of my grandparents' hometown of Sfax, surrounded by olive fields, you can find the Roman ruins of the coastal town Lunca. We toured the area as well as visited a saint buried there, before heading to the beach to enjoy the sun and sea.
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I was so excited to see my first amphitheatre in real life! It was as awesome as expected and it was so fun to try and imagine how it might have looked and been when it was new and full of people!
It was also really cool to see this merging of time periods and cultures between Rome and Islam, with the gorgeous Grand Mosque—and its green door—right next to the arena.
It's hard to capture the sheer scale of the amphitheatre, so a lot of these images or just glimpses at various parts of it.
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After resting a bit in Mahres, we decided to do some more touring. Our first visit was to Sousse, to see the Great Mosque, built in 851 during the Aghlabid dynasty. It has a gorgeous courtyard and domed tower which probably functioned as a minaret.
The Mosque felt as old as it looked, which is to say, ancient. There's a sort of quiet awe that overcomes you to be in places like this.
Notice the Kufic script on the walls, one of the oldest Arabic calligraphic type!
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After completing our visit of the zawiya, we decided to head into the Old City for some lunch, shopping, and to pray (once it opened for prayer) at the Zaytuna University.
I love revisiting places I've captured before. It's a lot of fun to take different shots or capture different perspectives of similar places, or even to get a similar shot as before but with more experience and better equipment! Such is the case with the first photo below—the last time I'd visited Tunis I'd wanted to capture the Tunisian flag banner against the architecture, and I did it again but from a different viewpoint.
It's like a bookmark in my memory and also in my photography.
I love revisiting places I've captured before. It's a lot of fun to take different shots or capture different perspectives of similar places, or even to get a similar shot as before but with more experience and better equipment! Such is the case with the first photo below—the last time I'd visited Tunis I'd wanted to capture the Tunisian flag banner against the architecture, and I did it again but from a different viewpoint.
It's like a bookmark in my memory and also in my photography.
I also love visiting souqs; they're always a treasure trove of sights and sounds and experiences, tunnelling through stone archways and branching out into a hundred alleys.
One moment, colourful woven verandas form a roof overhead, the next moment you step into a pool of blazing light beaming down upon you, and in another moment you're walking through cool shade, sidestepping other people, carts, mopeds, stray cats, and little tables of diners and vendors with carts bearing everything imaginable.
You also get the sense that souqs are, at heart, timeless. The wares and fashions may change, but souqs feel like they exist in a liminal space, and at any moment I'm always convinced I'll bump into someone from a very different time, a hundred years past or a hundred years from now, just rounding the corner.
One moment, colourful woven verandas form a roof overhead, the next moment you step into a pool of blazing light beaming down upon you, and in another moment you're walking through cool shade, sidestepping other people, carts, mopeds, stray cats, and little tables of diners and vendors with carts bearing everything imaginable.
You also get the sense that souqs are, at heart, timeless. The wares and fashions may change, but souqs feel like they exist in a liminal space, and at any moment I'm always convinced I'll bump into someone from a very different time, a hundred years past or a hundred years from now, just rounding the corner.
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The next site we visited was the zawiya and khalwa of the great scholar and saint Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili. It was a beautiful place in the midst of a large cemetery. The tiles were hot beneath our feet and the colours vibrant on that blazingly sunny day, our surroundings emanating a near tangible sense of peace and rest despite that it was undergoing some repairs. The caretakers were very sweet and welcoming, as they always are in these great places.
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Earlier this year, I took a twelve-day vacation to Tunisia with my parents. I've only visited twice, once when I was a baby, and once in 2011. I was happy to go back, and was very much looking forward to a vacation of sun and sand and sightseeing.
Sidi Bou Saîd is a gorgeous place, visually reminding me of Santorini with all the blues and whites and the homes clinging to cliffs leading to the sea. We stayed at a lovely little Airbnb with stunning views. I enjoyed breakfasting on the balcony in the sun, perusing one of the Regency romances I'd brought along with me for some light reading. Below are the views from the Airbnb and a little of the interior.
Sidi Bou Saîd is a gorgeous place, visually reminding me of Santorini with all the blues and whites and the homes clinging to cliffs leading to the sea. We stayed at a lovely little Airbnb with stunning views. I enjoyed breakfasting on the balcony in the sun, perusing one of the Regency romances I'd brought along with me for some light reading. Below are the views from the Airbnb and a little of the interior.
The colour scheme of the town was, apparently, introduced by French painter and musicologist Rodolphe d'Erlanger, who also helped preserve traditional North African music and instruments. Below is a gallery of sundry sights around town, including that of Museum Dar el-Annabi, which was a treasure trove of historical artifacts and beautiful architecture.
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I was feeling like running away and doing something wild, and also I was tired of waiting for other people to be free to enjoy the autumn foliage with me, so I took myself out to Mono Cliffs.
I, uh...ended up getting a little lost on the trails? And then my phone (with the picture of the map trails on it) died and I was absolutely freezing...and I had also not told anyone except an online friend where I was going. (Do not be like me, this was dangerous).
So I marched along hoping to end up, at some point, somewhere near the parking lot. I passed some other hikers, including another female Muslim solo hiker (!) and sang aloud to keep myself motivated and not panicked.
I, uh...ended up getting a little lost on the trails? And then my phone (with the picture of the map trails on it) died and I was absolutely freezing...and I had also not told anyone except an online friend where I was going. (Do not be like me, this was dangerous).
So I marched along hoping to end up, at some point, somewhere near the parking lot. I passed some other hikers, including another female Muslim solo hiker (!) and sang aloud to keep myself motivated and not panicked.
Honestly I was very unprepared for this hike. But! Nothing bad ended up happening, alhamdulillah. The weather was wild though; within the span of three hours I experienced hail, snow, rain, and sun! The foliage absolutely popped off though, check out the slideshow below.
I also spotted some cool fungi!
But the following are my favourite shots of the day! The texture? The colours? The patterns? Absolutely incredibly stunning, subhanAllah.
(told you i'd be back soon!)
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hey, yes, let's pretend it hasn't been four years since i updated this site.
enjoy my little video attempt!
see you soon! (i promise!)
enjoy my little video attempt!
see you soon! (i promise!)
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My friend K and I decided we were, as recent graduates, long overdue for a vacation—or a staycation, actually, where we would be tourists in our own city for three days and four nights.
Day 1
Morning: Breakfast at Versus Coffee (ft. colourful latte and matcha green tea), a writing session, and some photography!
Noon: A mani+pedi and a hand & shoulder massage at the women's only Sweetgrass Spa!
Lunch at Planta Burger! This here's the Jackpot with bbq fries. Sooooo yummy.
Evening: High tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel. Absolutely delectable food, delightful tea, and lovely rooms!
Day 2
Morning: breakfast at Dineen's and some more writing.
The best way to get around with friends on the weekend is a TTC Day Pass
Commerce Court
St. James Cathedral
Inside St. James Cathedral
Gooderham Building
Cool N2 Nitrogen Ice Cream
Graffiti Alley
Noon: Exploring iconic Toronto areas and making our way to Kensington Market and Ozzy's Burgers for lunch!
My kind of wall: covered in books!
Lavender white hot chocolate!
Warming up at FIKA Cafe and indulging in their increeeedible lavender white hot chocolate! Very floral but not too sweet.
Day 3
Breakfast at Sud Forno's, lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory, and a day spent chilling and walking around Old Town Toronto.
All in all, we had a great time, but this guide only features about half of what we did and saw! We also went to The Papery, Hanji Gifts, Midoco, St. Lawrence Market, Ten Editions Bookstore, Mr. Pen, and Curiosa.
Have you ever taken a staycation? Leave a comment and tell me how it was!
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Terre Bleu, a gorgeous lavender farm you may have seen all over instagram and facebook, was a place my family, friends and I had been wanting to visit for ages. So one weekend, although it kept threatening to rain, we finally made the trip, and had a lovely time.
We first surveilled the decadent fields while sipping lavender lemonade, licking lavender ice cream, and nibbling on lavender flavoured cheese (not pictured). Lavender is a subtle flavour, sort of floral, sort of savoury.
The fields were alive with the musical hum of hundreds, maybe thousands of busy bees pollinating. It wasn't as frightening as you might think, being surrounded by bees. It was awe inspiring, watching these tiny little critters fly about and nuzzle the flowers, hard at work.
Terre Bleu has their own beehives along with their bees, and we were able to see a queen surrounded by her workers, and the happy, wiggling dance that bees do to communicate to their fellows.
If you get a chance, do go and visit Terre Bleu!