Salon de the Opera

Yesterday was a sunny, quiet day. Workers were planting trees in the little park that our appartment overlooks and I managed to make a perfect Turkish coffee. In the afternoon, I discussed possible PhD-projects with people from my university. I picked up Rihanna Gaga from the nursery and was told she had enjoyed herself - played cheerfully, slept well, ate well. Then she went to bed early and only woke up late this morning.

In short, yesterday could have been a perfect day if terrorists hadn't attacked the Bardo museum in the centre of Tunis and killed 21 people. Most disturbing about the whole story is the cynicism behind the attacks: it is clear that they were aimed at tourists, targeting one of Tunis's major attractions and taking place at the very start of what seemed to be a promising tourism season. Tourism is one of the main pillars of the Tunisian economy and had only recently started to recover from the fallout after the 2011 revolution. Thus, the attacks are obviously meant to halt that recovery, destroy the economy and thereby create chaos in the land.

Today is the day after all of that. It is again a sunny, quiet day. After Rihanna Gaga has eaten her mornign porridge, we get ready to go. Like a few weeks ago, we head for the row of cafés overlooking La Marsa's corniche and the see beyond, just around te corner from where we live. We stop at the first café of this row, Salon de the Opera. Despite the blue sky, the weather is still quite chilly and therefore we decide to sit inside. Opera has a bit of A Viennese touch to it, with soft yellow walls, mirrors and a kind of faux baroque interior. We sit down at a table in the back, from where we can still see the blue sea - and everytime Rihanna Gaga sees it, she cheerfully shouts 'Sea!'

We order the same as at Fregola three weeks ago: all cafés around here have a pancake stand, so we take a chocolate banana pancake.I order a tea with pine nuts - a Tunisian peculiarity, which is exactly what it says: a small, sweet tea with a handful of pine nuts in the glass, which tastes much better than it sounds - but they only serve this kind of tea in the afternoon. I've noticed this at other places as well: the special, sweet Tunesian tea is only served after about one o'clock. They do, however, serve hot water with tea bags, which I take instead I also order an orange juice for Rihanna Gaga.

As we wait, I enjoy the calm atmosphere. Some elderly people sit in the café, chatting or quietly looking at the water. Rihanna Gaga struts around the place, trying to get people to smile at her. There is little sign of chaos in the land, but this could be deceptive: La Marsa is a bit of a bubble that often remains untouched by the turmoil of the goings on in Tunis. I am sure the attacks are on everyone's mind, but outwardly one notices nothing. And I have to say: I am glad of this. Of course, people have asked us if we felt we should leave the country, but for now, I see no reason why. People didn't leave France after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, did they? Of course, one should remain vigilant, but it seems nowhere is really safe anymore. As my colleague put it yesterday, we live in the age of violence. I wonder, though: did we ever not?

Rihanna Gaga is given a cherry bonbon by an elderly man, but luckily she takes it for a toy because of the shiny wrap and after playing with it for a while, she puts it in my bag. This is one of the things one has to get used to as a European: while sugar is considered all but poison for babies and toddlers in the Netherlands and no one would dare to give food to a child without asking the parents first, here strangers constantly offer candy to very young children. Another thing is the smoking inside of cafés. Admittedly, the woman in front of us asks whether it would disturb me, even pointing to Rihanna Gaga, but although I make a gesture that is neither yes or no, she then proceeds to, she then proceeds to light her cigarette. The fact that I don't take any decisive action is probably going to cost me responsible parent points. I just hope it will be warm enough to sit outside soon.

When the tea and orange juice is served, Rihanna Gaga returns to our table and starts sucking on the straw in her glass of orange juice with gusto. Then she leaves again, charming our friendly waitress who is totally bewitched by her. After having been picked up and cuddled by her, Rihanna Gaga returns once again and starts shuffling empty chairs around our and other tables - one of her favourite pastimes in cafés.

After the pancake is served, Rihanna Gaga eats small bits of it which she enjoys it thoroughly. I try to give her pieces with as little chocolate on them as possible, but this is tough because it is
more chocolate spread with pancake than pancake with chocalate, with the whole thing basically drowning in melted nutella. After that we soon leave, with Rihanna Gaga waving and blowing kisses to the enchanted waitresses. A strong wind has started to blow over La Marsa.