Amazing

Just had the most amazing meal. Tonight, this past two hours, is exactly why I travel. I had a moment. I love having moments. You know, where you just feel so content and right and happy and you know that right at this particular moment, all is well.

Anyhow, we went to a restaurant in Houmt Souk, the main town on Djerba Island. A fish restaurant, right on the harbor. Apparently Roman Polanski filmed a move around here, called "Pirates" (never saw it did you?) and there are all these pirate ships left around. Someone parked one of them on the harbor and turned it into a restaurant, but it is NOT cheesy at all. IT was gorgeous. It was sunset when we arrived.

And oh what a sunset. A sunset like from Star Wars, the first one, REAL first one, not the fourth one that they say is first. You know, where Luke is looking out into the sunset and there is this huge red sun (and this is Earth, so there was only one.) Warm, yet cool, breezes from the ocean. Fisherman bringing in the last day's catch out in the water. Two musicians played Andalusian Malouf music (I asked what kind it was and that is what they said it was), on mandolin and tabla, and they sang in perfect harmony with each other. The music was so amazing, I could listen to it every day until I died and not get tired of it.

A moment, I tell you.

Fresh fish. (A bit too fresh, I swear it was looking at me.) Shrimp, dorado, sea bass (not mutated thank you very much), calamari. Tunisian salad, my new favorite. Little Tunisian pastries, a mix of French and Middle Eastern in style. Tunisian rose wine. (I've been drinking that stuff like crazy!) Mint tea.

Ah yes. Life is good. It's moments like tonight that make you realize what life is about. It's about the transcendent experience that pulls you out of you, out of your brain, and makes you realize that there is so much more to life than what you know day to day. The quiet moments of beauty and contentment. They come all too rarely, but I think that is for a reason. The reason? So you realize how special it is when it does happen.