Dec 12th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
"Prego," said the Italian woman sitting behind an elevated counter. She waved me into one of the dining rooms, bedecked with rich wood paneling and white tablecloths draped over the half dozen tables. I was given a menu, which listed the canon of Italian cuisine: sausage and polenta, spaghetti alla vongole, and a colorful and fresh-looking anti-pasta bar, among others. It would be perfectly ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
AddisAbaba posts
The best Italian restaurant in the world?
Dec 12th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
"Prego," said the Italian woman sitting behind an elevated counter. She waved me into one of the dining rooms, bedecked with rich wood paneling and white tablecloths draped over the half dozen tables. I was given a menu, which listed the canon of Italian cuisine: sausage and polenta, spaghetti alla vongole, and a colorful and fresh-looking anti-pasta bar, among others. It would be perfectly ...Tomoca: the best little coffee house in Africa
Apr 25th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
Ethiopia has a lot of great attractions--castles, medieval cities, even werehyenas--yet the thing visitors rave about the most is the coffee.
And why not? Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia. Legend has it that long ago a boy was tending his flock and saw his goats eating unfamiliar berries off a bush. Soon they were dancing around and looking happy. The boy brought some of the berries home to ...The worst zoo I ever saw
Apr 21st, 2011 at 9:00AM: I feel sorry for my Harari friends.
During my stay in Harar, Ethiopia, they were so hospitable, so eager to ensure I had a 100% positive impression of their city and country. For the most part I did, and I left for the capital Addis Ababa with lots of great things to say about Ethiopia.
They should have warned me not to visit the Lion Zoo in Addis Ababa.
It's billed as a natural wonder, ...Getting to Harar: riding the bus through eastern Ethiopia
Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
It's good to be back in Ethiopia again.
I've noticed some changes since my last trip to Ethiopia. More high-rises are going up in the capital Addis Ababa and ATMs have finally appeared. The Internet is faster too, although it isn't the full broadband promised by the government.
Addis is fun, but my real destination is Harar, a medieval walled city in eastern Ethiopia. The whole city is a ...Addis Ababa: Ethiopia's new flower
Apr 23rd, 2010 at 1:30PM: When I talk to NGO workers who have worked all over Africa, most say their favorite posting was Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia's capital is a young city, founded by the Empress Itegue Taitu in the late nineteenth century. She named it the "new flower", and while the pollution and crowded streets don't give a very flowery impression, it's still an enjoyable and easy city to visit.
I've already ...First impressions of Ethiopia
Mar 22nd, 2010 at 9:00AM: They say first impressions are lasting impressions, and while that's a cliché, strong first impressions of a country can tell you a lot.
I've been in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, for four days now. My wife has just joined me and I'm treating her to a two-week road trip around the historic northern part of the country to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Memories make the best ...Coming attractions: Ethiopia
Dec 8th, 2009 at 10:30AM: There aren't many countries that can truly call themselves unique. France has great cuisine, but so does Italy. India has challenging and beautiful mountaineering routes, and so does Peru.
But Ethiopia really is unique. It's the only African country that was never colonized, and as far as paleontologists can tell, it's where the human race evolved from our earlier ancestors.
Ethiopia's Great ...Archeological adventures in East Africa
Jun 8th, 2009 at 8:30AM: Ethiopian Airlines has teamed up with the Tanzanian Tourist Board to offer a unique travel experience to East Africa, in which travelers will go on an archeological adventure that will send them in search of the Lost Ark and to the depths of the Olduvai Gorge, believed to be the "Cradle of Mankind". The eleven-day journey begins in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, and quickly moves to the ...Famous Fossil 'Lucy' to Visit U.S.
Oct 26th, 2006 at 9:59PM: The first time I'd heard of Lucy was at this afterhours spot in LA. A friend of mine had taken me there promising I'd love the reggae music and low-key atmosphere. I did. Red, ites, and green paint coated the walls crying out RAS-TA-FAR-I. Posters of Selassie, famous Reggae stars and the Lion of Judah were pasted up over much of the paint and red lighting tinted the rooms. Everyone paid attention ...
