New Flower

It is Sunday evening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and we are watching the Aston Villa vs. West Ham Premier League match. The Commanders vs. Eagles game starts at 11:00 pm tonight. Now that Dan Snyder no longer owns the Commanders, I’m rooting for them.

Now back to travel. We arrived in Addis Ababa at 1:30 this afternoon. We have an overnight stay here because our flight to Seychelles departs tomorrow morning. When you have an overnight connection with Ethiopian Airlines, they provide a free hotel and meal vouchers, and the visa requirement is waived.

We checked into the Skylight Hotel, which is a five-minute walk from the airport, though we took the shuttle bus. Jane had pre-booked a three-hour city tour, so our guide, Eyob, picked us up at 3:30, and we were off.

We were both surprised by how modern Addis Ababa is. We’ve been to Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana, but neither city is as developed as Addis Ababa. The city is very clean, with no litter in the streets—quite unlike what we were accustomed to seeing in India. Construction projects were happening all over the city, and people were even working on them today, despite it being Sunday.

The name Addis Ababa means “new flower.” The city is home to the headquarters of the African Union Commission (AUC), which focuses on promoting peace, unity, and development across the continent.

Our first stop was the Ethnological Museum, located in the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES). The IES is housed in a historic building called the Gebre Selassie Palace, situated on the main campus of Addis Ababa University. Built in the 1930s during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, the building was originally part of the emperor’s palace complex and served as his private residence and office. Eyob guided us through the museum’s galleries, providing us with detailed and fascinating insights.

After visiting the IES, we drove up toward the mountains to get a panoramic view of the city. On the way, we passed the United States Embassy.

We then headed toward the city center and passed by the marketplace. Since it was late on a Sunday afternoon, most market stalls were closed. The only activity was people selling secondhand items on the streets, including clothes, shoes, and rugs.

Since coffee originated in Ethiopia, we stopped for a delicious cup at Tomoca Coffee, which is housed in the city’s original train station.

Unfortunately, we were unable to see Lucy, the famous fossil, because the National Museum is closed for renovations.

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon in Addis Ababa. Eyob was very knowledgeable and an excellent guide. Tomorrow, we wake up early for our flight to Seychelles.