Returning to Damscus

It’s nice to be back in Syria. I spent three weeks here in 2007 and fell in love with the place. The streets of Damascus remain unchanged, unsurprisingly for the world’s oldest city. The old town’s narrow streets invite you to wander, to lose yourself in their charms and as it’s now the last few days of Ramadan the streets during the day are quiet and peaceful whereas as soon as iftar, the breaking of fast, comes the streets suddenly take on a whole new life and the markets bustle and heave until very late into the night. People smile when they see a foreigner and the word “welcome” breaks spontaneously from their lips.

My meetings here went well and my trip is beginning to take shape with plenty of new ideas and possibilities.

Today is Eid, the end of Ramadan and kids swarm the streets having been given a few pounds and they are making sure they get the best out of them. The mood in the city is jovial and pretty much everything closes down now for a about three days. Of course the Christian areas will go on much as before.

Tomorrow I will visit one of the holiest sites for Christians in the Middle East and one where strangely Muslims also come to pray.

- Dave