Eritrea
It has been a long time since I arrived in an airport where I was transported back in time. There were three foreigners on the plane and clearly the Eritreans, now with some freedom of movement, had been shopping in Addis or further afield. I have never seen so much luggage per capita!!
It was a ten minute journey to the old city centre with its wide, palm lined, Italian vias. My first impression was of a city fossilised or trapped in time. My hotel, Albergo Italia, epitomises a salubrious past now faded into decay. The rooms are still grand but little investment has been made or indeed was possible. No SIM cards, no WiFi... isolated from the World beyond. There cannot be many countries like this still in existence?
I guess I expected something like Addis but no, Asmara is completely different. It’s clean, very safe and poverty, at least on the surface, is less apparent. The country is fifty percent Christian and fifty percent Muslim living in harmony, like Ethiopia, with each other.
In an often-forgotten corner of the Horn of Africa, Eritrea’s capital boasts one of the world’s finest collections of early 20th-century architecture – with UNESCO awarding it World Heritage Site status. We visited the opera theatre, Roma and Impero cinemas, old Italian villas - the layout and rationalist, cubist and Art Deco architecture making the CBD, by African standards, unique.
The people are, everywhere, wonderful. There are maybe 1000 tourist a year making it one of the least visited countries anywhere. They are not easily photographed possibly due to shyness or cultural taboos.
After two days in Asmara we drove to Keren. Here there are Tigre people, Bilen and Tigray! The town had a distinctively Arabic feel and again we were challenged to take photos! The weekly market was vibrant and comprised of two distinct facets, livestock (camels, sheep and donkeys) and convenience goods, spices, fruit and vegetables.
Read MoreIt was a ten minute journey to the old city centre with its wide, palm lined, Italian vias. My first impression was of a city fossilised or trapped in time. My hotel, Albergo Italia, epitomises a salubrious past now faded into decay. The rooms are still grand but little investment has been made or indeed was possible. No SIM cards, no WiFi... isolated from the World beyond. There cannot be many countries like this still in existence?
I guess I expected something like Addis but no, Asmara is completely different. It’s clean, very safe and poverty, at least on the surface, is less apparent. The country is fifty percent Christian and fifty percent Muslim living in harmony, like Ethiopia, with each other.
In an often-forgotten corner of the Horn of Africa, Eritrea’s capital boasts one of the world’s finest collections of early 20th-century architecture – with UNESCO awarding it World Heritage Site status. We visited the opera theatre, Roma and Impero cinemas, old Italian villas - the layout and rationalist, cubist and Art Deco architecture making the CBD, by African standards, unique.
The people are, everywhere, wonderful. There are maybe 1000 tourist a year making it one of the least visited countries anywhere. They are not easily photographed possibly due to shyness or cultural taboos.
After two days in Asmara we drove to Keren. Here there are Tigre people, Bilen and Tigray! The town had a distinctively Arabic feel and again we were challenged to take photos! The weekly market was vibrant and comprised of two distinct facets, livestock (camels, sheep and donkeys) and convenience goods, spices, fruit and vegetables.
