July 23, 2005
A view of Gonder
I just thought you would like to see this view of Gonder, taken early yesterday morning from the balcony of the city's top-of-the-range Goha hotel. (It is about a half hour's walk uphill from the centre of town but a great place for a coffee, a sit-down and a chat.) The rains had fallen heavily during the night, freshening everything up and leaving a beautiful mist over the whole city.
It is amazing what a few weeks of rain can do to the Ethiopian countryside in general. Almost overnight, hills and fields that are usually cracked and brown get covered in grass and other shrubs, all bright green - the kind of intense green you see in those old 'technicolor' films.
I don't know enough about Gonder to officially name it as one of my favourite places in the country just yet. (We were on a very quick, working trip so didn't have time to explore.) But it is definitely worth a second visit. Most people, of course, come to Gonder to see its collection of ancient castles and churches, a collection that has earned it the name "Africa's Camelot".
You can see the castles - just about - in a series of photos showing the view in a panorama on my Flickr site.
It is made up of five photos from left to right - one, two, three, four and five.
Posted by aheavens at July 23, 2005 10:56 AM