Things that one brings home with one!!

It is now officially autumn here in Rome – or 'fall' as the northern hemisphere folks tend to call it.  And that seems reasonable because the leaves are starting to gather at the bases of the trees although we are yet to see the autumn tones in the foliage.

Last night it stormed and rained quite heavily for Rome and now we seem to be in for some extended cooler weather.  The ferrogosta is done!!!

The warm weather began this year perhaps at the end of June and never became unbearable.  Just a lot of warm, reasonably humid nights and bright, hot clear days.  

Now all the Romans seem to be back in town – the public transport is crowded, the traffic troublesome again,  the roads harder to cross, and the shops and restaurants are open.

So where did they all go to in the few weeks of summer?

We found out to some degree when Ian tripped to Tunisia for a work meeting involving the five Maghreb States – Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.  Of these, only Libya is non-French speaking with it sharing English with the universal Arabic.  So this was a great opportunity for Ian to brush up on his French language.

Tunisia is a very popular tourist destination for Italians, Spaniards, the French and eastern Europeans – most of whom fly home via Rome's Fuimacino Airport on one or other of about five flights per day.  Our meeting was organised at very short notice and the four of us coming from Rome found ourselves delayed in Tunis for varying lengths of time.  This was the very end of the summer season and the migration home had begun.

So a two-day meeting became a 6 day trip for Ian.  What to do with a weekend in Tunisia?

Tunis itself hasn't the appeal that, say, Cairo has.  It is fairly urbane with not much conservation of the old or exotic.  We did have a delightful workshop dinner at a wonderfully restored old house (now restaurant) in the medina or old covered market.  A chap with a lantern met us at the entrance and guided us through the winding, narrow streets covered by vaulted ceilings.  Good food, spectacular surroundings and a traditional musician in lieu of the standard 'piano' made for a great night.

So with Ian's party having 'done' Tunis, they moved to the beach resort area of Hammamet, about an hour's drive east.  And there Ian discovered what many Europeans believe is the holiday to have.

The accommodations were very spectacular – a large hotel on the Corniche – in keeping with the white with azure blue trim that is the signature of Tunisia.  But surprisingly, the hotel had a guest-house feel to it with the expectation that every meal would be had in the massive, all you can eat restaurant cum cafeteria.  And as one departed the breakfast mayhem, the 'Red Coats' stood patiently waiting to arrange our day with archery or yoga classes.

Mostly Ian just went to the beach – a beach with reasonable yellowish sand and loads of thatched beach 'umbrellas' that stretch as far as the eye can see in either direction, although to the north, from sea-level the scene was complicated by a huge marina full of huge yachts about 800 metres from our beach club.  That's correct – our beach club.  This is the big, big difference to Surfers Paradise.  All of these beaches are private.  Although one is free to walk along the shore-line which is regarded as everyone's – you just can't sit on the beach.

The water, warm and soft, but effectively still and with a lot of black algae when we were there.  The trick seems to be that you whip across the road before breakfast and put your towel on a lounger so you can come back at leisure and laze about in the sun.  So the novices like us have to take what they can get – mostly right at the back.  So not a great view of the water but a great view of the tourists.

There must be some European Union directive that mandates that if you are a woman, you have to wear a bikini on the beach.  To quote Ian - “Of the thousands of women I saw, only four wore one piece costumes to my recollection (the one pieces that were only bikini bottoms are not included in that number but there must have been another half dozen of those)”.  When Ian says “the thousands of women I saw” he refers to his ability to see however the term “I saw” was often apt.  You see almost all of these bikinis, gracing people of all shapes and sizes, and ages young, mature and old, seemed to have shrunk since they were used last year.

Most tourists, both men and women, who go to such places are clearly well heeled.  Indeed they are certainly well fed.

Personally, Ian found the two days to be pretty dull with not much excitement and pedestrian 'surf'.  I think they might go wild on the Gold Coast.  But I guess the absence of a private beach and beach 'boy' to carry the lounges about, and surf that would probably kill them might be a turn-off for these folks.

So they take back with them a lot of tans and probably the memories that are identical to the memories they had at the last resort they stayed at last summer.

Ian, he brought back a special souvenir in the form of gastro-enteritis – seven days of acute awareness of self, or at least of one's digestive system.  As two in the party shared this ailment, we think it may have been a virus that contaminated some of the food they ate.  But the condition was not terminal and now Ian looks even thinner and fitter.

As this blog is published we are but two weeks away from transiting Hong Kong on our way home to Brisbane.  So sometime in the next two weeks we must decide what we will take home with us.  We have  expanded a little and set up our little home in Rome and will have to jettison much of this.  We have some more clothes and will have to buy another suitcase.

But fortunately, the most important souvenirs – memories – take up little space.  For these continue to grow, even now.  For example, we attended the Italian wedding of a staff member this week.  A beautiful and happy ceremony and a to-die-for post-wedding lunch over-looking the forum.  Very special.

The other compact items to carry home are our digital photographs.  So far in 2008, Cathy and Ian have taken 8 300 photos – mostly in Italy.  So we are so much looking forward to showing everyone of you every photo when we get back to Brisbane.  We're sure you cannot wait!!!!

Arrivederci!!!