Gondar

Saturday is market day in Gondar and the place to go for a wander having arrived overnight from London.

Making the connecting flight in Addis was an achievement from sitting on the tarmac at 6.30, clearing immigration, collecting baggage, changing terminals by following the road signs then jumping the check in queue, not to mention the two security scans to pass through before being the last person to squeeze on the bus to drive around the tarmac in search of our plane, which had also been rescheduled ten minutes earlier for a 7.50 departure.  Having somehow made it onto the plane I was sat next to an old chap, who after crossing himself several times on takeoff, spent most of the 50min flight with one hand over his eyes and the other firmly gripping the hand rest, leaning into my space - not to mention he stank & didn't speak a word of English. 

Spice market  

A couple of lads from the hotel took it upon themselves to show me around. We took some time to walk around the various markets before my first taste of njera, the local staple food. Njera is a kind of sour pancake, the equivalent of naan or roti in India. On top of which the meal is served. I can already safely say it won't be the highlight of my trip to Ethiopia. 

Having visited the local (empty) stadium I had time for an afternoon nap before meeting up with group I will be travelling with the next 3 weeks. It's a not untypical drago group of 16 spanning 8 nationalities. 

Sunday morning we went as a group to cover the cultural highlights of Gondar with a local guide. 

Gondar castle

The UNESCO listed Gondar castle is one of a few in East Africa, King Fasilades built the castle having picked Gondar as his capital in the 17th century. It's relatively well preserved, with the lion cages in use as recently as 1991. The baths that also bear his name are in the process of being filled for a forthcoming annual festival that will see hundreds of people throwing themselves into the water. 

King Fasilades Baths

Debre Birhan Selassie church

Debre Bhiran Selassie church hails from the late 17th century. It is one of the few remaining churches from the era to have survived. Inside, the walks depict a number of biblical scenes alongside a depiction of St George slaying a dragon - seemingly a sufficiently well celebrated event to name a beer after him. The ceiling is covered with the faces of angels, remarkably vibrant in comparison to the walls. 

Angels on the church ceiling

Having completed this cultural tour a few of us stopped off at the local Dashun brewery for lunch and a fine draft beer. Unfortunately it's not possible to tour the brewery but it looks like a large, modern setup.