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So just a recap on the round trip we did afterwards cause i was lazy updating:
Sun 16/8/2009 Damascus -Hama wednesday 19/8
Sunday
Leaving the house, byebyes to Evelina, Karin, Modaffar, Bashi &Lucas
taxi to the Syria-taxis, breakfast at a gas station on the way before we arrived at the border, customs all went smooth, only 30min wait in overall on the Syrian side (compare to the poor US-citizens we met who waited for 8 hours or 16 hours..). On the way calling to hotels in Damas, cause all seem to be booked, but getting lucky and booking Sultan Hotel. In Damas, checking in at hotel, walking around at the bazaar of the old city, dinner at the fancy pancy place where we felt totally underdressed, shopping some and more: scarfs, spices, art (the woman and the man paintings from Amos) then shisha at the little cafe on west side of Umayad mosque with some locals ->back to bed
Monday
Wake up, breakfast at hotel and walking in to the old town again. Some shopping and then Umayaad Mosque which is very impressive beautiful! Also visit to the beside laying grave tomb of the great Saladin and fresh squeezed orange juice in the sun. Minipizzas&pastries for lunch and then back to hotel to collect the bags. Bus to Hama, in Hama in the evening, checking into Cairo Hotel, dinner at the fancy pancy Orient Hotel restaurant.
Tuesday
Wake up breakfast, taxi to Crac des Chevaliers. Beautiful views, driving up the hill road climbing like a snake. Castle very beautiful, views over the whole landscape, a hot day, climbing up and down all the places lots of photos.. Eating roasted corn outside before the drive back.
Back in Hama in the afternoon, Boel in internet, while Måns to barber to shave and the friendly barbers talk him over to get his eye brows waxed and the insist on waxing mine too, and I promise to go back next time I'm in town :)
Walk to the Noorias (great water wheels feeding water to the city aqaducts), wandering around, finding the Oriental Batman an antique store, chatting with the owner's son who's a computer engineer working in Hama, walking forwards the narrow alley ways, dinner at a roadside shawerma kiosk, walk up to the citadel (high hill where park on top) to see the sunset, chat with some local kids, back to hotel to confirm hotel booking to Aleppo, afterwards change of clothes and to the Afyaman (?) fancy pancy restaurant for night cap and shisha, very good lemon mint juices there!
Wednesday wake up, no time for breakfast, Boel not feeling good stomach ache. Bus to Aleppo, getting into hotel, a nap. We found an internet cafe to update the home people (and confirming the ski trip to Engelberg Switzerland for january), walking around, fixing my golden gladiator sandals at a shoemaker (he puts some 10 naulaa in them takes 5 minutes and charges less than an euro!) the Christian Quarters out of the map somehow totally miscalculating our location, finally we find the christian quarters, find a nice place for a beer (a roof terrace). Then we buy some more scarfs and at a "plaza" see a show by local male dancer groups (very good!), then we find the Christian churches, but the doors are all closed, so we pose for some pics infront of them. On our way back we see some boys enter the doors, and so we ask to get to do that too, and there is a young priest welcoming us. When we enter the courtyard the three boys just entered start singing and it was just amazing, the dark courtyard, and their choir boy voices. We are told when asking that they apply for the seminar choir. We enter the church and it is beautiful, and it feels so peaceful to be there in that God's room, distanced from all the noises of the streets and look at the beautiful paintings of biblical stories we know so well. It's such a sharp contrast to the Islam we have been surrounded by the past month, with all unfamiliar customs and rules and tales. Somehow after the overdose of Islam this is almost a religious experience, it feels like a confirmation that no, we are not morally corrupted all together, that "our world" has a strong and good religion, that is open enough to let everyone define the level of their commitment. Even for a nearly non-believer like me. Afterwards we stop for deserts and then back to hotel to sleep. Boel's stomach is bad again.
Thursday Aleppo
Thursday mornign we sleep in, and Boel is quite sick. I go out wiht Måns to get some breakfast and then we have to change the room, because there was some misunderstanding with us staying only one night when we were booking for 2 nights. Boel sleeps and Måns and I go to sort out our travel plans to Turkey. Later on we return to check on Boel and she feels a bit better and joins us for exploring some more of the city, this time to the citadel. Unfortunately we have missed that the citadel is closed early, so we can't get in it at all! As we are hungry, we frantically look for a restaurant but there are only fast food places right next to the entrance. We walk around the side of the citadel and then find another fancy pancy restaurant (we seem to have a skill for it!). Unfortunately Boel misses most of the delicious meal, prob the best at the trip, because she can't eat. On the way back we walk beside the Umayaad mosque of Haleb, and err to cross through the meat market: the smell makes even me feel for puking! I was concerned about Boel who is traveling to Damascus alone the next day.
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