After having started my Saturday with a 9 o’clock meeting and then spent the rest of the day in the office, I snuck out in the afternoon to do a few hours of sightseeing in Addis. Upon the recommendation of my taxi-driver, who has taken me to and from the office all week, I went to see the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Actually, my driver really thought I should see Lucy, who was of course found in the Awash Valley in Ethiopia in 1974, and who is here at the Natural History Museum, but I wanted to be outdoors after the few hours I was off work. When I got back from the guided tour, my driver asked me if I enjoyed it, and I told him that my guide had shown told me bible stories about the pictures in the stained glass windows, and told me to go to see a palace in Northern Ethiopia where one of the figures allegedly was from, to see for myself that archeology proved the bible stories true. My driver smiled and said “I think that here, you have learned about 10 percent of our history, but now you need to go and see Lucy!” Not very impressed with the bible stories, in other words! 

After that, I met up with a colleague from a partner organization and we went to a little crafts center, where women were making traditional Ethiopian textiles, baskets, and jewelry, and also giving classes. It was very nice and I bought a textile bag. 

We ended the day with dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. Since I am garlic intolerant, Ethiopian food can be tricky, but the chef managed to make a delicious meal for me, with vegetables wrapped in injera. So four well-spent hours off work! Here are a few pics, with more on my IG: @asagiertz, including why the Holy Trinity Cathedral has a fresco of the League of Nation’s Assembly Room in it’s dome!

Shopping at Salem’s and dinner at Yod Abyssinia.