Another delicious breakfast at our bed and breakfast: hazelnut pudding, eggs with Tunisian cheese and dried peppers, fresh bread, lemon cake, strawberry smoothie, strong coffee. No chocolate bowl today.

From here we walked to the area that we have now learned is best to get a taxi from. We hopped into one and started the 40 minute drive out to the Uthina ruins. For the last 10 minutes we drove alongside the tall aqueduct that the Romans built to bring water down from the mountains and all the way to Carthage. It is in better shape than most modern infrastructure in the area.

The drive was hot and stuffy and stoppy and starty. Towards the end Millie was complaining of carsickness and I was preparing for the worst: using Nick’s hat as a puke receptacle. Luckily we arrived with our breakfast still inside. Our taxi driver offered to wait for us and when we looked around and realized we were in the middle of nowhere, we took him up on it.

As has been the case with all tourist attractions in Tunisia, it was nearly empty. We paid 18 Dinars ($6) for our tickets. And then were let loose to explore wherever we wanted.

The first thing on the trail was a massive arena. Nick explained how people used to fight to the death, which was probably unnecessary for a 4-year-old but got her imagination going. It was cool to hear how our voices amplified in it. As we walked around in the passageway on the outside, we noted how all modern day arenas are still designed in the exact same way: a circular hallway with access to stairs down into the stands.

This was cool but it got 10x cooler when we found stairs that took us into the underground tunnels and basement under the entire stadium. Nick continued to paint the picture by explaining this was probably where they kept lions and horses.

We then walked up the hill to the Capitol building. Most was gone by now but some huge columns remained. Again, we were able to access the vast tunnels and basement that sat below the stairs.

We walked back down the hill to an area of houses and baths. A common tactic I deploy to keep Millie walking is to “see if we can find treasure”. Every step delivered something special – shards of pottery, some glazed, a spout, shiny rocks, etc. We have no idea when these are from but it still felt special to pick them up and know someone had made them a long long time ago.

From afar the homes looked like piles of rocks, but as we got closer we were greeted with incredible mosaic floors. Adding to my retirement bucket list: learn how to do this and copy one for a bathroom floor.

We couldn’t believe how extensive and well preserved this whole site was. It seemed strange that no one visits it and that it is rarely mentioned on “must see near Tunis” lists.

After a couple of hours of exploring we got back in our trusty taxi and headed back to town. Millie slept the whole way. When we arrived our driver asked for more money, which we handed over. When I was younger and traveling I would haggle and always feel like I was being ripped off. I don’t know if it’s maturity or having more means now, but I’d rather just pay extra to avoid an argument. He got our family back safely and that is all that matters. (For the record it was only an extra $10)

We stopped for drinks and a chapati for lunch. Chapati stands are on every corner and one in particular always has a long line so we had to try it. It’s a wrap with (get ready…) American cheese, mayonnaise, grilled chicken, French fries, lettuce, and harissa. Kind of gross, kind of good. I’m glad we tried it.

Today is Sunday, Millie’s movie day, which she reminded us every 15 minutes since waking up. We returned to our room for her to have some movie time. I’m not sure who was more relieved for the downtime, her or us.

After that was done we played in the room for a while. Today’s activity was writing songs and making up dances to them. The lyrics to one of her love songs was “I love you so much I want to kiss my mom”.

We learned that all but one decent restaurant were closed on Sunday. Even though we were still half full from our chapatis we needed to get out of the room and went out to dinner. When our food arrived we realized we weren’t hungry and could have saved the money. A lesson for next time: just because it’s meal time doesn’t mean you have to eat.

Since Tunisia is a Muslim country there hasn’t been any alcohol at restaurants. Nick’s been ordering alcohol free beers with dinner, and Millie has gotten into the habit of trying them. She loves them. It was quite a sight tonight seeing her chug the end of his beer. We should probably put a stop to it before we start drinking the real stuff again.