Tunisia - 29 September 2010 (2)

Amphitheatre of El Djem

Amphitheatre from Restaurant

Amphitheatre of El Djem

After a fruitless search for a cup of coffee, we got back on the bus and headed on to El Djem.  This was definitely my favourite place in Tunisia as the amphitheatre there was most impressive.  The amphitheatre was the third largest after the Colosseum and Capua and has three storeys.  It is still the highest building in town.

Amphitheatre of El Djem

Amphitheatre of El Djem

Ruth led us to the entrance to the amphitheatre and then left us to get some lunch.  After wandering round for a while, we decided to go to a restaurant immediately opposite the entrance.  It was probably not the cheapest restaurant, but what a view!  The waiter spoke quite good English and kept mentioning Leeds.  I suspect he had enjoyed a fling with someone from there as Leeds is not quite on the tourist trail – though perhaps it should be with the Armouries, Armley Mills, Kirkstall Abbey and Butterfly World.  I had omelette and chips with Tunisian salad (mostly white cabbage and tomatoes).  The chips were really hot – a rare pleasure – but the best treat was a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.  During the second half of my first stay in Egypt, I had lived on freshly squeezed orange juice and I was expecting to enjoy it quite often on this trip.  To my great disappointment, it was offered just twice on the whole tour.

Corridors of Amphitheatre

Me at top of restored seating

After lunch, Lotfi led us inside the amphitheatre.  It was so stunning, I involuntarily said “Wow!” several times.  I would have liked to have been able to stay there for hours, soaking up the atmosphere and exploring every corner.  Unfortunately, Lotfi spent a long time explaining what happened there and, by the time he had finished, we were issued with the dreaded “back on the bus in 20 minutes”.  During his talk, Lotfi took us underground to see the cells where they kept the gladiators and the wild animals before they went on.  While we were down there, we had to walk round the men who were carrying out restoration work and avoid the puddles from the day before.  At one point, we had to walk a plank to keep our feet dry.  We went right down to the far end and saw the ramp where they unloaded the wild animals.

Amphitheatre of El Djem

Amphitheatre of El Djem

During our free time, we dashed through the corridors, which allowed access to the seating and climbed to the third storey.  Then we crossed to the new, restored seating on the opposite side to get good views of the old section of the building.  I did not rush to get back to the bus on time as I knew it would not go without me.  In the end, quite a few of us walked back together because Anne, Robin and Sue had tried to walk round the other way, but had come to a dead end and had to retrace their steps.  Just as we got back, I saw a camel resting his head on the pavement.  Unfortunately, he lifted it as we approached.

Amphitheatre of El Djem

View of El Djem from Amphitheatre