Syria - first impressions

So maybe I give my heart away too easily but after half a day in Damascus I am already falling in love with Syria.

I arrived yesterday in the early evening and the city is an assault on the senses - in contrast to the rather homogeneous looking Egyptians, Syrians are a diverse mix - many look more European than Arabic. Also thrown in to the melange are plenty of other Arabs from the Gulf who come here for the shopping and cooler climate, and a few bus loads of Iranian burka clad tourists I saw wandering around. Dress varies wildly - from the completely covered in black women (burka, veil and even eye coverings) to short, tight jeans, fluorescent lycra clad modern women with hair flowing in the breeze and everything in between. (Something that still strikes me is the way even within a group of women who are clearly good friends the range of covering will vary - it is not uncommon to see a women completely covered with veil and all walking hand in hand with her friends wearing jeans and a t-shirt. It makes me wonder whether they discuss the matter between themselves, or look down or up at each other about it)

As is to be expected in a place that claims to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world history drips out of the walls, runs along the roads and in to the gutters. Everywhere you look there are buildings from a different historical period - the odd Roman column and arch, a 2nd century synagogue, the first grand Arab mosque, grand old Ottoman houses, 20th century French modernist buildings and space age Iranian funded Persian style mosques/tombs. Throw in more souks (street markets) than you can throw a stick at, and the wafting aroma of a million perfumeries and it is not that difficult to transport yourself back in time.

This morning being Friday means that almost everything is shut, however I still managed to spot what I am going to have for breakfast for the next week: chocolate croissants (but real croissants), mini herb and lemon pizzas like in the Turkish bread shop in Sydney Rd, baklava and some other delicious looking sweet that is caramel on top and cream underneath, and what I finally opted for - fresh hummus served on a paper plate then decorated with tahini, olive oil, chickpeas, tomato and parsley so it looked like a work of art - and it tasted even better. Washed down with fresh coffee, needless to say I was one very happy camper.