Aleppo, Syria

The next morning some of us decided to check out some Ancient Roman ruins in the area, including a pagan temple that had been converted to a mosque. It was a pleasant morning, strolling around crumbling stones on a windy hilltop. After we hung out on the hill for a bit, we headed back into town when we were stopped by a farmer/shepherd who invited us to his rooftop terrace for tea and cucumbers.

When we arrived back into town, our cab driver invited us in for tea, which turned out to be a full (and absolutely delicious) breakfast. After eating, the men and women separated to talk. The women are less likely to know any English, so we used the old fallback--sign language-- to communicate. One of the women had sixteen children! How she could ever keep their names straight I do not know. Absolutely lovely people. Syrians are so hospitable, it blows my mind.

We were supposed to leave for Aleppo in the mid-morning, but since we had such gracious hosts, we didn't head out until the mid-afternoon. After some downtime, we headed out to explore the city. The spice markets were interesting, though the scent was slightly overpowering. We checked out an ancient mental asylum before stopping by a shop to purchase olive oil soap. (I also purchased an Iraqi diner with a picture of Saddam on the front. It's my most bizarre souvenir to date, but then I haven't purchased too many souvenirs.)

That night we celebrated Adam's birthday at this very swanky restaurant. Of course, it was dirt cheap because we were in Syria. A few people stayed out fairly late, but I headed home because I was bone tired.

The next morning we woke up and headed off to some fruit juice stalls for breakfast. I decided to have a banana/apple smoothie and some cheese toast. Five minutes after I consumed all of this I felt like yakking my guts out. I think the dairy products were all made from sheep's milk, and it is definitely nausea inducing. Therefore, I did not explore the citadel and instead lounged in the grass and napped. Fortunately I felt better after resting. We shopped a bit at the markets before boarding the bus for our next destination, which I will discuss later because I am out of time!

P.S. Dustin, I will be doing the chicken dance for you. I will try to write you next chance I get, but the internet is kind of scarce here in Syria.