Friday, June 18, 2010

Damascus: Nawfara coffee shop to Bab Touma

After a heart-stoping coffee at the Nawfara coffee shop, we navigate ourselves to Bab (Gate) Touma, using Elias’ map.  Most of the “streets” are wide enough for pedestrians only.

Damascus alley_1

Vines grow from one side of the alley to the other.

 

Damascus Alley_2

Buildings almost meet overhead.

 

Buy me

Buy me! Buy me!

 

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Pat clutches the map, and presses on.

 

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Enticing doorways.

 

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Riotous colour.

 

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Pat presses on.

 

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Another beckoning doorway.

 

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Enough to start a shisha shop in Boondall.

 

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The colours and textures amaze me.  I am in a dream.

 

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“Are you coming?”  I’m in trouble again.

 

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Stripes.

 

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Looking up.

 

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“What are you doing?”  (Taking pictures).

 

Vines

Vines across the alley way.

 

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How old are some of these buildings?

 

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I can’t believe these alley ways (pity about the wiring though).

 

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Another restaurant beckons.

 

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Another seductive doorway.

 

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Looking down, looking up.  Yes, they could be eucalypts.  We saw quite a few in this part of the world.

 

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At last (probably through the efforts of our trusty map reader), we arrived at Bab Touma, the Gate of Thomas.  Named after the last of the Byzantine defenders of Damascus, the Gate of Thomas marks the entrance (or exit) to the Christian Quarter of the Old City.

Note that here, only the gate remains – none of the walls.

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