To 9:30 Mass at St. Félix Church, just beyond the train station. We're about ten minutes early, which turns out to be a good thing, as there are preliminaries: it's necessary to establish how many people understand each of various languages which may be used. There are quite a few putting their hands up for French - possibly including people whose first language it isn't. Quite a few also for German, a surprising number for Polish, a few English and fewer Italian. So the Mass is a mixture, with readings in various languages, singing in German and Latin, the body of the Mass in French and a sermon in both French and English. The explanatory bits before and after are repeated by the versatile priest in several languages. Impossible to tell what his mother tongue is, though it's something European. The English and French sermon is provided by his black assistant.
The congregation is surprisingly large - about 175 people. there are chairs for nearly 200 and benches along the side. No kneelers, though the more devout, mostly Poles, kneel regardless. Despite, or perhaps because of, the language difficulties, it's all over in forty-five minutes. Besides, an evangelical congregation of some description takes over the building at eleven.
Another trip to the souq. First a futile inquiry re a new clasp for J's gold chain. Forty dinar?! Not likely. We eventually fare slightly better on the purchase of a tin of shoe polish. Two dinar, the young man says. but, we protest, it's only one dinar at the Magasin Général. This seems to take the heart out of the bargaining, and we end up with the shoepolish and a reel of thread for a dinar.
There are four clocks in the Sousse Palace lobby, purporting to represent the times in Tunisia, London, New York and Tokyo. the hour hands are, of course, at four different points - but the minute hands are all set at different points as well.
While tables are not assigned, people do tend to adopt a usual spot and return to it. Interestingly, one older couple have opted to sit side by side rather than opposite each other. Their table is near one end of the room and their chosen seats give them a shared view of the room as stage, and it is a theatre of considerable comedy - from costume to food choices - and occasional bits of bravery and gallantry.
JAWORSKI TRAVELS