Tunis, Wellness Day & Anthology

Here’s a recap of our port stop at Tunis and my wellness day on Explora II. Plus our fancy dinner at Anthology. Check out my Explora II cruise post here, and our previous port stop in Trapani, Sicily.

Midway through the cruise we stopped at Tunis, Tunisia. Having just done 4 intense travel / touristy days in a row, I knew I would be craving a mid-way rest day where nothing was scheduled. Thomas the Adventurer decided to book a sightseeing tour of some of the ancient ruins in the area, so we did our own things this day! I had planned to meet him to browse the markets, but once we got there we learned it was a 45 minute shuttle just to get to the markets, so I ended up just staying on the boat the whole time.

Tunis

Thomas’s tour left fairly early in the morning and went for most of the day. They went to a market, followed by the UNESCO-listed Medina of Tunis and ruins of ancient Carthage. While he said the ruins were nice to experience, the market was crowded and filled with cigarettes.

Wellness Day

For my wellness day, I started with my favorite chia pudding and fruit bowl at the Marketplace.

I spent some time walking the track on the ship and checking out the views from afar.

Spa Massage

My next stop was a massage at the spa! They had a promotion where if you booked a massage on a port day you got a bonus 30 minute mini-facial, so I got to do a massage/facial combo that was heavenly.

I also spent time in the sauna, pool, and salt room!

This sauna wasn’t as fun as the ACAC one filled with 10 girlfriends chatting it up!

I had a great little lunch out on the deck and enjoyed some sparkling rose too!

I parked myself at the pool and waitied for Thomas to return from his trip!

Anthology

For dinner we had a reservation at the fancy restaurant: Anthology! This one is offered for an extra fee ($$$), and we used the almost 1,000 Euros of on-board credit that my sister got us from her company and an Explora promotion for both the massage and the upgraded dining experience.

The lobby bar in the middle of the ship.

Anthology was very elegant, and the service was impeccable. I also loved the dishes!! The view of the sunset was also stunning.

We started with sparkling wine, lobster bisque, and a little roll topped with mozzarella and basil.

Appetizers

I wish I had more romantic descriptions of everything – I had Sicilian prawns and Thomas had caviar with lobster!

Salad Course

We both got this salad with pea cream, arugula, asparagus, morel, and Sicilian almonds. I LOVED the creativity! Everything we had here was so creative.

Pasta Course

I had Radicchio risotto with goat cheese, and a 25-year aged balsamic drizzle.

Pop Rocks Palate Cleanser

My favorite dish of the night was this palate cleanser granita made with lemoncello, lemon and lime zest, and POP ROCKS! Yes, the candy that pops in your mouth! It was so cool.

Main Course

We both ordered the Wagyu beef with porcini-stuffed Swiss chard and a truffle potato cake. Did I mention we had a different small wine pour with every course?!