Dar Alnoor Damascus

... even much more than Dogubeyazit in Turkey. Later on at the hotel, they had the temperature shown outside the building and it was 12 degrees. It felt like I was back in Aberdeen!<br><br>Anyway, Ahmed spoke to a taxi driver and gave him directions to a hotel he had recommended. We then said our goodbyes. However when I got into the taxi, the taxi driver suggested another hotel, the Al Majed. I havent heard of Ahmed's recommendation before but Al Majed was mentioned in my guide ...

... ate the best schwarmers (kebabs or souvlaki's at home) with real garlic sauce (heaven) we've had. It was a fantastic day!!<br><br>I should really mention the superb and cheap food that you get here. Felafels, kebabs, boreks, shish tawook (boneless chargrilled chicken pieces with a spice seasoning), incredible salads are the daily fare, and we have also tried mensaf, fuul, fattah and many local mezzes as well. You really eat well here for barely ...

... explode your stomach a few hours later. While I was waiting for my sandwich someone asked me where I was from. Hesitating a second I finally said the US, and all of a sudden I had a crowd of curious onlookers. Some of them shook my hand and actually thanked me for choosing their country to visit. This warm reception was unexpected...even better than the discounts for being Canadian in Lebanon. <br><br>By the way, I have learned why Canadians are so beloved in ...

... 2:30pm -ish. We were hungry so we ordered food from this awesome little bakery and walked around while we waited for the food. Maalula was neato. Built into the hills, small town-ish, and like Seidnaya a mix of Christian churches and Mosques. Finally the food was ready and although we had to wait half an hour for it it was so worth it. Freshly baked goodies, oh my. Little pizzas, middle eastern quesadillas, and Master Cola which is Syria's brand of Coke...I ...

... so nothing could go wrong. <br><br>On purchasing our tickets for the bus we were asked if we had our visas already. "No, don't be silly why would we have a thing like that." "OK we only wait for you 10 minutes than, and then you find your own way to Damascus." "Can we pay just to the border?" "Either way same price." "Sounds like a deal. Done."<br>We sat in the front seat with bags on laps so we were first off the bus ...

... would have a better appreciation of many of the artefacts discovered at the sites we had yet to see. A statue of the Goddess Ishtar from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Mari means so much more once you've actually been there. Man that must have been hard to type. Fi edited lots of ...

... with no pre-obtained visa. So for about 4 hours we waited while the passport was checked through in Damascus. She was worried that she would be rejected and would have to turn back and enter Jordan again. Luckily, no such "Plan B" was needed. We entered Syria together with another American girl named Katie (from Falls Church, VA) who teaches English at a private school in Amman and was seeking some holiday time in Damascus. The ...

... the night with a local music and singing and the whirling dervishes, who made me dizzy just watching them! Our last day in Damascus.....we headed back into the labyrinthe of the souk and found the hamam...ladies day...We entered the main room, which was lush and comfy. In the middle of the room was a huge fountain with lush plants, carpets on the floor and surrounding the walls were high benches where you can get changed and sit around chilling ...

... stopped me and asked me to leave. Couldn't get the logic there. Later, a German doctor told me that they were anly 50 Jews left in Damascus and that the synagogue was in decay. Similar to the situation in Antakya... Had chicken Shwarma near the eastern wall of the Umayyad Mosque and drank a fresh glass of pommegranate juice. Later, had Turkish coffee at a coffehouse called an-Nafura. I was surprised to learn that they call the coffee "Turkish" here, because I know ...

... on Syria. Here is the story: <br> 2 American journalists had been in Lebanon and decided they wanted to cross the border into Syria (illegally and journalists aren't allowed to enter Syria). People knew that they had gone to Syria but that was it. After a few days no one had heard from them and one of their parents called a newspaper and said that they child was missing in Syria. Every 5 minutes the news in America was saying how 2 journalists were missing in ...