Mandaloun Hotel-Restaurant Aleppo

... that caring Heli served him all the way to his bed. <br><br>We ate every day at the Falafel Palace as we called it, a fast food falafel place where you get a falafel sandwich for 30 Euro cents. The owner, an old man who seemed to be at least 150 years old even gave us falafels for free and eating at the table where spicy sauces and peppers were shared among the crowd a young man even offered us to eat his falafel!! the people here are really so nice and their ...

... the shade and observing the locals and tourists alike. Then I went for a late lunch at a rooftop restaurant. I cant remember the name now but the service was so slow. I waited 10 minutes for them to just give me the menu when I asked for it the moment I walked in. And the place was not that crowded. In total I spent over an hour there. The food was ok but expensive. One thing I find about Aleppo is that its not easy to find a place to eat here as in Turkey. There's only the ...

... the border to Aleppo.<br><br>Admittedly, taking the bus in Turkey is a novel experience. To start, the central bus station Otogar (auto-garage) is full on: large enough to merit naming a metro stop for it, there are 168 different bus companies operating out of numbered kiosks which encircle the main plaza atop the subway entrance. Working the ring in a tribute of price comparison to Adam Smith, I pitted the salesmen against one another until I was down to a ...

... Antioch) Gate, a gate that had stood for well over 1,000 years. On passing through the gate we were immediately into the heart of then old souq &#8211; alive with all kinds of interesting sights and smells &#8211; everything you could imagine was on sale, but especially spices, soap jewelry and textiles. The souq in Aleppo definitely feels older than the one in Damascus, and has a more adventure-friendly rabbit-warren layout ...

... tanned Syrians with deep hazelnut eyes.<br>'Britannia' I respond warily, expecting a sales pitch.<br>'Welcome to Syria' They beam, and walk on leaving you oddly refreshed by their genuine pleasure at having you in their country. Often I would be called over to share tea or food with old men or families picnicing in public squares. Always seated next to the head of the family I would be treated to the best that they had, a barrage of questions and not a few curious ...

I've just returned to Damascus after spending the past 3 days in Aleppo which is about 5 hours north. Aleppo is known for its cuisine, amongst other things, and it did not disappoint! After spending almost 3 weeks in Iran eating mostly lamb and chicken kabobs, yogurt, a tremendous amount of rice, tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers, it's been fantastic to have meals where they actually use a lot of spices and flavors and have a wide ...

... amazingly long central walkway that was still in a fairly decent state, and beautiful surrounding countryside. Here Tom (the Brit) and I met Bob the american, who I happened to bump into the next day in Allepo! The dead cities were great (the main reason I decided to do the trip north), stone houses and ruins that pretty much looked like the inhabitants had just up and left. On a windy moor, the city we visited, called Serjilla (I think) had been deserted for 15 centuries ...

... However, there is a significant percentage that do not. Always amazed to see how Christian communities can live peacefully while so close to the Muslim majority. I heard an Imam preach just minutes before reaching the Maronite Cathedral. There seems to be no industry in Syria's second biggest city. The economy revolves around trade and small crafts. There are numerous Turkish brands that are readily visible. Namely, Lassa, Vestel and Tofas ...

... un ciel ouvert grandît. Autre point important, les quelques mais massifs espaces verts casés dans le coin de ce gros quartier (chose rare) et, à titre plus anecdotique, les nombreux cinémas dont la programmation oscille entre arts martiaux (Van Damne superstar), séries B et porno (Lady Chaterley passait dans le cadre de ces séances de stimulations ...

... concept of forming a line to get to the teller! So, after that brief unpleasant encounter at the border-post, where window washers use big fire hydrants on the windows that almost get blown inside from the force, I started towards Aleppo. The city of one very big 'market' (it's the best way to explain it) , which is the only reason I am headed there and to get to my next destinations of course. The idea of this labyrinth ...