Damascus trip report

Yours truly had the good fortune to visit Damascus recently. This Middle Eastern city of about 3 million people was surprisingly lovely. It has busy streets, but a relaxed atmosphere in the Old City and in the quiet neighbourhoods. The shopping was to die for. Gold and silver jewellery, carpets, shawls and other textiles, handicrafts are sold in this historic trading city. Cafés and restaurants were abundant in some areas of town. The warm sunny weather was also a welcome break for this Ottawan. The predominantly Muslim, Arabic- speaking population gave me a great cross-cultural experience. Here then, is my list of the 5 main similarities and differences between Ottawa and Damascus.

Similarity # 1: Traffic drives on the right

Difference # 1: Drivers rule in Damascus and pay little attention to pedestrians. Watch out before stepping on to the road! Now, back in Ottawa, I am a bit disoriented - do I walk out in the road just because the "walk" sign is on, or do I wait for that car to possibly drive right on through?

Similarity #2: Coffee is popular in both cities.

Difference # 2: There are very few chain coffee shops in Damascus. Most are either traditional coffee houses (typically attracting an older male crowd) or restaurants catering to a younger co-ed set. I found two European chain outlets near the biggest hotel. Bars and restaurnts serving alcohol, on the other hand, are much less common in Damascus, though they do exist.

Similarity #3: Middle eastern fast-food (think shawarma, felafel, hummous) is widely available.

Difference #3: The food is really tasty in Damascus and costs much less (25 Syrian pounds or 50 cents Canadian for a chicken shawarma). They sometimes use different spices than we typically find in fast-food outlets in Ottawa. Fresh citrus juice stands are also common there. Bakeries make amazing savoury and sweet pastries.

Similarity #4: Both cities have many shopping opportunities.

Difference #4: Ottawa is dominated by big-box malls and indoor malls, whereas Damascus (warm weather and all) favours the small shop, preferably in clusters on shopping streets and in the famous markets in and around the Old City. Rather than drive to the big-box, Damascenes frequent small shops in their neighbourhoods. There is a store selling dry goods beside a bakery next to a butcher, next to the real estate office, a pharmacy, and then a hair salon followed by a shawarma shop and finally a hardware store. On the next block is a toy store and a women's clothing store. Down the street is the re-upholstery workshop.

Similarity #5: Both cities have street signs to help you know where you are.

Difference #5: The signs in Damascus are in Arabic, which I can't read... so I frequently was rather lost. People were always friendly and willing to help. Just like the time I visited New York and constantly became turned around. Anyway, I always said a polite "shukran" (thank you) to each helpful person and enjoyed the adventure.

Loch Ness and the Windy Beaches

During the second half of May I went to Scotland with Greg and four other wacky friends. Let me say much whisky and ale was imbibed, but not so much as to interfere with many fantastic days of climbing hills, walking over sandy beaches (without removing our wind-breakers and scarves of course due to the cool temperatures and active "breezes"), and shopping in local crafty stores. The newspapers were full of British MPs' expenses scandal as it unfolded. Not that we paid much attention to that.

Rock stars go snowshoeing and play golf

This weekend I played Rock Band with some friends. Or is it called Guitar Hero? Any way it was fun. Some of us were a bit shy, though I seemed to gravitate easily to the rock musician persona. I sang a Blondie song and pictured myself on stage in tight spandex day glo green leggings and pouffy bonde hair. Then I played bass guitar on a Rush song, while Greg did the awesome vocals. D. had practiced a lot we could tell, because his guitar work was virtuoso.

The next day I went out with Greg and two other friends snowshoeing at a quiet edge of Gatineau park for a spell. It was peacefully snowing as we went through the bushes, while blobs of snow from branches around us fell on our shoulders, and for the unlucky, down our necks. We saw squirrel tracks that disappeared at the spot where a birds wings had made a mark in the snow. We saw an entry way to a small animal's den, maybe a fox or raccoon. We saw open water at a stream, flowing below openings in deep layers of snow.

Then we played Wii golf and Wii bowling.

Red Tulips Bloom First

Greg and I went to Dow's lake last weekend at my urging, to see if any tulips were up yet. Sure enough two beds of red tulips and one yellow bed were blooming. The 100 or so other beds comprised tulips in tight bud formation. I learned from a photographer there that the red tulips tend to bloom first. Given the chilly week, I'm not sure much has changed by now. If you want to see the red ones, go now. Next week they will be fading!

Things to Do on a Long Weekend

This long weekend has been great. Four days off work present the ideal opportunity to up the work-life balance quotient. My strategy has been to enjoy the first three days and set aside Monday for chores.

First, I got an early start by shopping Thursday evening for clothes at the Rideau Centre. I was able to buy a gift for Greg, a top for myself, and some other necessities. For example I found a scarf that makes my brown coat and green hat match (the scarf is brown with green accent). Awesome. And it was on end-of-season sale of course. As a result, I had no desire to spend any of my four day weekend shopping.

Friday to Sunday involved rest, visiting family, an outing to Merrickville, and movie night. Greg and I watched Pirates and the Caribbean 3 at my place. We heard some good invectives like "ya yeasty codpiece." In Merrickville we saw all the chochky stores (this does not count as shopping, just browsing). Chochky stores sell things to decorate your home with, like little replica violins and guitars. There are nice art galleries there too, but we only went into one that had a lot of turned wood bowls, which were quite gorgeous. Lunch at the Yellow Canoe was perfect, with curried cauliflower soup and sandwiches. Visiting family involved several visits and feasting opportunities.

Today is chores: taxes, homework, etc. How nice to have already enjoyed all the essentials of life this weekend.

Walking in the UK

I just finished reading Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island (1995), a travellogue in which the transplanted American author walks about the United Kingdom complaining of poor urban planning, inconvenient train schedules, and rain. He also found some lovely scenery and churches and such. It was a good read for fun. I recommend it particularly if you have been to England, Wales, or Scotland, or if you are thinking of doing so.

Long before my own trip to the UK in 2006, I used to think up places I would like to see there. I wanted to see Jane Austen's house, or her grave, or places her books were filmed. Then I discovered George Eliot, and I wanted to see her house in London. When I eventually made it to the UK, I ended up having less specific plans, though I did see London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, the Isle of Skye, and the town my great-grandfather's family came from near Glasgow.

So, you can imagine my sympathies for Bill Bryson when he wrote, upon visiting Oxford:

I decided to have a walk to Sutton Courtenay for no reason other than that George Orwell is buried there and it seemed about the right distance.

On his way there, things got interesting:

A bit further on the path had been covered with loose chippings, presumably to make the going easier, but in fact the chippings stuck to my muddy boots so that it looked as if I were walking around with two very large currant buns on my feet.

And on it goes. In Blackpool, a seaside resort gone a bit to seed, the author became positively livid about the British way of dealing with the challenge posed by sewage disposal in the sea to the tourism prospects of the town. He writes that in order to adapt to stricter public health regulations, the British government declared that Blackpool and other seaside towns did not actually have beaches. Since the water there contained levels of bacteria that went right off the high end of any "turdometer" by which these problems are measured, it was necessary to declare the beaches not to be beaches, you see.

My own travels today took me to the Gatineau Park for an early ski. What an amazing gorgeous sunny bright freshly snowed upon day!

Surveys, Songs, and Scottish Stuff

The votes are in. It turns out that you, my dear readers, want me to tell you about my unique perspective on things from my own little look-out post onto the world. You want mis-adventures and adventures, mine and perhaps those of other people; something original and something true. Well, well. That sounds like a bit of work!

Okay, I agree. I will try. No movie reviews or recipes. I think I'll have to work my way up to being truly captivating though. The challenge is great. Today, a short report on recent events.

Friday, I went to see Jim Bryson perform at the First Baptist Church in Ottawa. P. and I arrived, as directed, shortly after 7pm when the doors were set to open. There we ran into G. and E. who were seated in some nice mid-pew seats. The church, at Laurier and Elgin, was lovely -- I had never been inside. It has a plain interior, but lovely wood work on the ceiling and lower walls. The music didn't start til after 8 so we had plenty of time to talk. It was interesting to hear about G.'s fabulous new bed and discuss mattress quality options with all assembled. Opening act Baby Eagle had broken his hand, so he had a short-notice stand-in guitarist to play for him, while he stood by the microphone looking like he felt naked without a guitar. He was good in a sweet alterna-troubadour kind of way. Jim Bryson played solo and then played with his band. It was a very good show. As you might expect it was a bit subdued, though some of the faster paced songs really rocked. The highlight came when 5 audience members helped out with shakers on Sleeping in Toronto. Talk about a gangly fun-loving gang of shakers, on stage with Jim and eventually all 5 of his band mates too.

This just in: A new walking path is about to open in Scotland, created by a gang of gangly retired Ayr Rotary Club volunteers. The Ayrshire Coastal Path should be a fabulous walk. Back in fall 2006 I went to Ayr with G.M., and visited Culzean castle nearby (nearby by car anyway) which is on the walking path. The house itself, the grounds, and the view over the ocean were fantastic. The garden had tropical plants like palm trees. It was amazing and I truly recommend a visit to Culzean Castle if you are anywhere in the vicinity. Thanks to J. for news of this important walking development.