Ramadan is a month long holiday for the Islamic world that consists of fasting, prayer, and community service. Many cruisers see it as a major inconvenience, as liquor isn’t sold in the stores, all local restaurants and cafes are closed during the day (less than half were open at the marina), cannons are fired at sunrise & sunset, etc.
We actually enjoyed it. We tried to be respectful of the locals fasting during the day (though we certainly didn’t fast), and town came alive at night. We usually have dinner, watch a movie, and go to bed, but instead we found ourselves going into town to see how the locals celebrated. We managed to get tickets one night to a local concert. I wish I knew the lyrics or even the background, as everyone was singing and many were up and dancing to many of the songs.
We also tried Iftar, the dinner that is the formal breaking of the fast. You have to make a reservation, and once seated, you can’t start eating until the cannons fire signaling sunset and the end of the days fast.
But my favorite were the pastries. The Tunisians love their pastries and when the sun goes down the sugar comes out. We tried quite a few, but my favorite by far was something that I likened to a Boston cream pie: a choux pastry square with a creme patisserie filling and a little chocolate coating. I had to limit how often I went, as these little desserts only cost 40 cents a piece!
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