Lonely Planet

GLOBETROTTEROctober 2017 Lonely Planet Traveller 21SHUCKSAPPEALFirst choice for oysterpurchases on France’s Île deRé is a local fish marketstall, but if cravings forcrustaceans hit outsidebusiness hours, you cancount on this new 24/7oyster-vending machineopened by L’Huîtrière de Ré.COFFEEGROANSGlobalisation continues apacewith the news that a century-old historic teahouse in Kyotonow sports a familiar mermaidlogo: the city’s latest branch ofStarbucks lies within. In a citywith a millennium of teahouseculture, what, we ask, does aFrappucino bring to the table?LOVEHATETime to return to Tunisia?I visited troglodytedwellings in and aroundMatmata, including onethat was used as the settingfor Luke Skywalker’s homein Star Wars Episode IV.``````There were no other visitors at the Roman townof Carthage and that made it even moremagical. The views from the hilltop ruins wereepic. I felt I was looking out at the same scenesas the Romans once did.``````Driving across Tunisia’s salt-lake deserts, with nothing to see but flat blanklandscapes, was incredible. My eyes started to play tricks on me and I learnedfrom the driver how salt-lake deserts produce mirages: what you see is the sunreflecting off the dried salt. After a full day’s driving, I thought we wereapproaching a pool of water, but, nope, it was a mirage!``````Sidi Bou Said is a pretty townabout 12 miles from Tunis, withall its houses painted white andblue. It has lots of little artisanshops and cafés, and interestingnooks to explore. It proved to besuper-photogenic.``````Two years after terrorist attacks at the resort town of Sousse, the FCO has lifted its travel warningfor most of Tunisia. Lonely Planet’s Middle East expert Helen Elfer is just back from the country.Here she shares some of the highlights from her visit to this ‘most unique and welcoming place’.``````Tunisians say they grow the best dates in the world.I joined a date-palm festival in Douz, eating fruitfreshly shaken from the trees in a beautifulman-made grove.``````No trip to Tunisiawould be completewithout somecamel-spotting and itwas thrilling to seewhole herds of themwandering throughthe desert.