Fasilidas Castle
Yohannes' library

Spent most of the weekend working on revisions for the Higher Diploma handbook. Really it needs more time but I’ve done as much as I can bear. We ran yesterday morning and it felt like hard work. Also finally did the tourist thing in Gondar – went round Fasilidas Castle. I have to say it is well worth a visit. We started off badly as we all had to pay 50 birr entrance, which is a lot for Ethiopia. Ethiopians pay 5 birr and we tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a volunteer’s rate.

The Royal Enclosure is quite extensive and a bit of a haven in the middle of town. Once you are in you don’t get hassled and the grounds are good for bird spotting or just sitting amongst the trees and the ruins. Fasilidas Palace is the oldest castle and the most impressive. Emperor Fasilidas declared Gondar the capital in 1636 and it continued it’s prominence until the 1800’s. Fasilidas son, Yohannes 1 built a library and his son, Iyassu built his own palace. A couple of other Emperors put their own building up making quite a complex. Enough history, here are some photos. If you want a place to stay while you visit you better get a move on – we will be finishing here early next year.

Iyasu's Palace