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My colleague from A.S.B.U. [Arab States
Broadcasting Union], Ali, took me on a tour and showed me a rather fine
town house. Seen here, rooms look down onto a courtyard, partly under
cover to provide shade from the intense summer sun. |
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| There were some rather fine oil lamps
tucked into alcoves around the courtyard. |
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Eventually, it was time to trek back to
the Carlton. The sun was down giving a nice sky behind the street lights
Once again, Liptons seem to have a fairly
strong presence. |
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This colourful monument stands next to
Alumawiyeen Square which is one of the busiest road intersections in the
city. |
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| The sun disappears into a sky reddened by,
I'm sad to say, the pollution of a city which largely heats its homes by
solid fuel. The geographical situation of Damascus does not help the
situation when a high pressure area settles. |
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I was keen to try the local wine, 'Nectar' it
proclaimed. The description was in French rather than Arabic. And the
wine? Well, suffice to say that on subsequent evenings, I chose Lebanese
wine. My colleagues confirmed that wine from the Lebanon was generally
easier on the palate, not unlike Cotes de Rhone.
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I have to say, the white from the
same vineyard was more to my taste, but a bit on the sweet side. |
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Whilst on the subject of drinks, I also
had a glass of beer from the BBC, the Barada Beer Company. |
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and whilst we're on things tall
and slim, the hotel has neatly solved the problem of guests losing their
keys, mine was fastened to a chunk of solid brass weighing as much as a
bottle of wine! |
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Towards the end of my stay in Syria, my hosts
kindly took me on a conducted tour of some of the most important
historical sites near to Damascus. The air is clear and cooler, thanks to
a wind from the north.
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We headed off to the north east of the city towards Maalula
along fast empty highways. Maalula is the heart of the origins of
Christianity. In the town, most people still speak Aramaic, which was the
language of Christ. |
| When we reached the town, carved out of the
spectacular Limestone cliffs, we parked up to visit the convent of St.
Takla. I couldn't resist this picture of a local bus. Ali said, 'That's
not even a particularly old one, Mike!' |
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