Rachel and I are constantly striving to live our best lives, and we’re feeling pretty good about things. Our daily routine begins early with yoga and meditation for me and high-intensity interval training (HIT) for Rach, followed by a bracing morning swim in the sea. But it’s not just about exercise and fitness for us; we take the time to appreciate the beauty around us during our daily beach walks. We feel truly blessed to be able to experience it all together.
Cabs can be a bit hit and miss here, so we decided to walk into town and take the tram in to Monastir. It’s about an hour and fifteen minutes north and carves through the parched ochre landscape, with nothing but those fantastic old olive trees, guiding the way. Upon arrival it should have been a short walk through the Medina to get to the Ribat, but due to a map-reading error on my part, we got off a couple of stops early and ended up taking a cab anyway.
We arrived at the impressive fortress built in the late 8th century, one of several scattered across the top of Africa, this one was used to accommodate fighters and religious students and serve as early warning systems from Morocco to Egypt, for would-be invader’s. Although we had seen a couple of impressive Ribat’s in Morocco, this one was particularly awe-inspiring. It’s situated right next to a stunning beach, an expansive cemetery, and it looks like a big sandcastle! As you enter, you find yourself in an open area that leads off to upper levels with what we assume were religious dwellings and a prayer rooms. You can also walk along the fortress walls, which provide fantastic views all around. Finally, there’s a watchtower and at the top of 100 very narrow steps up to the crow’s nest.
“The Life of Brian” was also shot between this fortress and the amphitheater at El Jem, which interestingly it’s still banned in certain countries around the world.
Dream Chasers 