There was no doubt in our minds of today's first date - one with Lucy (the one with diamonds, courtesy of course of my fellow Liverpudlians), at the National Museum. Although she has her own room, we felt that -for someone who is obviously so vastly important in Ethiopia - perhaps a little more could have been done for her? In fact, in some ways, the video extolling homo sapiens idaltu (of whom none of us had ever heard, to our shame) was more impressive.
Yet more crowns of emperors (in somewhat better condition than we have seen in other museums).
The ethnological museum (housed in Haile Selassie's former palace) was actually very informative and well laid out, and took things by subject rather than in strict chronological order etc. Ethiopia obviously as its own type of Aesop's fables in the childhood section.
Then it was on to a totally self guided tour (i.e. wandering around) of the market- said to be the largest in Africa, with 13000 people working in 8000 businesses (almost totally uncovered) - I cannot imagine how many thousands, tens of thousands, of shoes we saw! On the walk back to our hotel, we passed a couple of ladies demonstrating the power of Aerial washing powder, so I now have one very clean handkerchief! We also saw a man stuffing mattresses in the street - now I know on what we are sleeping!
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