asmara

after a four hour bus drive through the country we arrived in asmara, the capital of eritrea, which looks more like a city in italy 100 years ago than what you would expect a town in africa to look like. first the trip itself was such an adventure. it was fun and pleasant. the roads were in great condition and there was hardly any traffic at all. we enjoyed the views of the dessert, and the mountains and the two towns we passed by. the entire countryside seemed very poor but clean and beautiful. Asmara itself was extremely clean for a city capital.


it was also full of cafes and restaurants. this trip was a treat to our stomachs. we had a delicious italian lunch (colonial heritage is extremly visible in the food) and right afte some coffee and pastries, only to be followed by fruit juices and later drinks, and then in the next day the same good stuff all over again, and all this great food for very little price. we enjoyed a little inexpensive pension and walked around the city for hours admiring the architecture. it was such an interesting and different trip away from the boat.







we also visited a war graveyard with hundreds of trucks, amphibious and tanks used over the years in the long war with ethiopia. We were amazed of the amount of vehicles piled on top of another making a 10 meter wall for at least a few blocks long. it is quite shocking to see so much evidence of war in the country. we saw it everywhere. on the streets, in buildings and in the people themselves. we had never seen so many handicap people together. We did not ask of course but assumed they were victims of the war.