Our Trip to Sicily

Last week, we packed our bags and flew 45 minutes to Sicily, where we would be staying during our week-long October break. Getting there wasn't easy; we arrived 8 hours late because of a delayed flight. After the longest day of waiting in our entire lives, we set foot in Italy and stayed in a beautiful hotel in Palermo. Front our rooms, we could see the Mediterranean Sea as well as an impressive cliffside. The mountainous terrain in this region was something we weren't aware and we were taken aback by the grandiosity of the place.

Street in Castiglione di Sicilia

After driving 3 hours in a cramped European vehicle, we finally arrived at our cottage-style home in Castiglione di Sicilia, a small mountain side town near Mount Etna; one of the main attractions in Sicily. Castiglione was beautiful. It featured a medieval castle that lit up at night and a magnificent 360 degree view of the surroundings, including Francavilla di Sicilia, another small town, and of course Mount Etna. Words don't do justice to this breathtaking and charming village, so here are some photos we took during our frequent visits.

Castiglione di Sicilia

View from Castiglione di Sicilia

View from Taormina, Sicily

Another highlight of the trip was the Alcantara gorge, located 20 minutes away from where we were staying. After taking a tour of the place with a top-down perspective, we lowered ourselves into gorge with the help of a trusty elevator. We were amazed at the blue, almost turquoise water and the smooth cliff sides.

Top-down view of the Alcantara Gorge

Another photo of the Alcantara Gorge

I think we most appreciated our visit to Mount Etna, which definitely lived up to our expectations. Although we did not climb to the summit (3,329 metres high), we were speechless looking down from the Silvestri crater, one of the most elevated plateaus in the region. Another interesting thing to point out is the fact that the dirt was red and black. Piles of pumice and black dust covered the place, while basalt formed by eruptions jutted out of the sides of the mountain. It was quite the day, we even got to see an ambulance helicopter take off, to Aidan's delight.

Silvestri Crater, Mount Etna

Even though our flight home was delayed from 1:15pm to 5:00am the next morning, we got home safe and sound the following Sunday. It had definitely been the perfect vacation, with tons of things to do and see. To see more photos from our trip, click here!

Small island in Taormina

Tour of Our Historical Neighbourhood: Carthage

This morning, we packed our snacks and set off on a tour bus to discover the history of our neighbourhood; Carthage. The tour was set up by the school, ACST, and Dorsaf Kouki was our tour guide. She is Hannah's arabic teacher, as well as a native of Carthage, so she knows everything there is to know about this amazing sea-side town.

View of hillside from Punic Ports

We started off at the Punic Ports, right down the road from where we live. In the Punic era of Carthage, this port acted as a secret military base, invisible to invaders. During the Punic Wars, that lasted almost 200 years, the Carthaginians used this area to surprise-attack the Romans, who would finally win the war and destroy Carthage in the following years. On the central island of the port, we could observe ruins of a forum from the Roman era.

Ruins of old Roman Forum

Among the Roman landmarks, some Punic era ruins have survived to this day. Near the end of the trip, we visited Byrsa hill, which features another impressive Roman forum, but not in ruins. On the hillside, Punic era buildings and houses still remain. The reason for this is the following: when the Romans took over Carthage, they built on top of the existing structures, preserving them extremely well.

Preserved Punic buildings

We also visited a place that us North Americans would call a cemetery. Here, humans were cremated and used as sacrifices, years ago.

Overall, we had a nice morning and it was interesting to find out all the history that lies, literally, in our front yard.

Click here to view more photos from our adventure in Carthage!

German and British Resorts in Hammamet

In the past couple of weeks, we have taken two trips down to Hammamet, a sea-side tourist area that offers a variety of resorts, beaches, etc...

The first resort we stayed at is called Aldiana and is German owned. It's an all inclusive resort that offers two swimming pools, a buffet, bars, a beach, volleyball courts, a golf course and a hotel where people (mostly Germans) can stay. The food was great, and it offered great entertainment.

The second resort we stayed at was British and just down the road from Aldiana. Manar Holiday Village, however, featured water slides, which occupied most of the kids' time during the weekend. Like Aldiana, it was an all inclusive resort, but much bigger. For example, it had 4 swimming pools and a much bigger beach area. Although the entertainment was great, the food wasn't as good as at Aldiana. 

Check out our photo gallery of these two trips by clicking on this text!

Come back soon!

The American Cooperative School of Tunis

Our sole purpose for coming to Tunisia was for Mom and Dad to teach at ACST, and so far the school has not disappointed us. Located in La Aouina, a district of Tunis, the school features an amazing campus as well as features that aren't possible in North America. For example, there are no hallway walls, it's just open air. The school is built with white plaster and concrete, as well as blue finishing touches, blending in with, well, everything in Tunisia. The floors, countertops and stairs are made of marble, considering that the material is readily available here.The campus is equally stunning, with palm trees, plenty of green space and a fountain and amphitheatre as main attractions. Check out these pictures that I took of the school.

Campus grounds behind the school and amphitheatre

Marble staircases with white and blue colour scheme

Palm trees and fountain on campus

View of the front of the school

Another look at the campus

Hallways that blend with the outdoors

As far as academics go, the school offers an Elementary School, that ranges from grades kindergarten to 5. Then, there's your typical Middle School with grades 6 to 8. Last but not least there's the High School, from grades 9 to 12.

Overall it's been incredible so far going to school at ACST and meeting people from all around the world. We are truly fortunate. Check back soon !

Click here to see more photos from the school!

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-Ethan Proulx

Our Arrival in Tunis

Our adventure to Tunisia began on August 7th. After saying our goodbyes, the Proulx family jumped into a shuttle which transported us and our 24 bags to the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport in Montreal. Despite minor complications at the baggage drop-off, we successfully boarded an AirFrance plane destined to land at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, France. There, we transferred to our other flight to Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

Once at the Tunis airport, amidst the frequent smokers, telecommunication advertisements and muslim women, we managed to recuperate 16 bags that flew to Tunis with us. The remaining 8 were picked up the next day by Dad. Subsequently, we dragged our sleep-deprived and jetlagged selves out of the airport and were driven to our house in Carthage, Tunis. We were speechless when we entered our 7-bedroom tunisian-style home. The architecture and the size blew us away. Even a few days after we moved in, the family was still discovering little nooks and crannies, including a full-fledged bathroom hidden away in a closet !

We eagerly picked our rooms, showered and headed out to American Cooperative School of Tunis director Allan Bredy's house just down the street, for the annual "new teachers dinner", where we got to meet our parent's colleagues. After an amazing swordfish catered meal, the new teachers were invited to introduce themselves and speak a little about who they were. Later on, we returned home and got some much needed sleep.

The next day we got up fairly early to be driven to the school, ACST, where Mom and Dad had meetings with Allan Bredy and his team. While Hannah, Noah and Aidan were taken care of, I decided to wander around the school. I was amazed. Unlike schools in North America, the school was basically outdoors, meaning that it is composed of open-air hallways and staircases.

Later on, we ate lunch at a modern sea-side restaurant in La Marsa, a small town on the Mediterranean. It was surreal, so picturesque. A picture is worth a million words, right ? Here is a panoramic picture Mommy took with her iPhone.

Overall it has been an interesting, eventful and amazing first couple of days in Northern Africa. Check back soon to read more about our experiences.

-Ethan Proulx