Final Day in Gondar

My final day in gondar was a relaxing one. After breakfast i went back to the matket to wander around and sat and drank coffees while watching the street scene. Two things i haven't mentioned: the macchiatos here are incredible, like tiny, perfect lattes. Also there are pool halls her everywhere. Typicaly just a one room place with a pool table and nothing else, but they seem to be very popular.

After that i visited Debre Birhan Selassie, a beautifully decorated church dating back to the late 1600s, found at the end of a lovely walk on a countryish road just off the piazza. It was wonderful, but my relaxation was interrupted by a fellow who wanted to talk to me about my life in Canada and was very intent on getting to the bottom of whether i was truly happy. By the end of the conversation, I just didn't know any more. But i did enjoy the church.

After that i enjoyed a lazy lunch and cigar and lengthy bit of reading at a restaurant near my hotel before catching a tuk tuk to Kuskuam, which is the ruins of the palace of the Empress Mentewab, from the early 1730s. It was in a peaceful, albeit somewhat eerie setting on top of a small mountain and was great for a visit, although the solitude was somewhat broken by a group of school children who were entertained by following me around and jumping out to say hello and then run away.

The evening brough thunder showers and another power outage, so i spent the evening at the hotel reading by candlelight and reflecting on the day. Gondar was wonderful - much better than i had expected based on the accounts of other travellers, who said the sights were swell but that the constant hassel for money was exhausting. This was not my experience. I found it to be an interesting and restful place and could have easily spent more time there, but i had a flight the next morning to Lalibela, where more exploration would await.