Passport to…
Words: Yves Stranger It may be off the beaten tourist track, but despite its challenges, Ethiopia’s capital city contains serious cultural highlights TOUCHDOWN The clean, shaded avenue that takes you from the airport to the centre of Addis – as residents fondly call their city – is a riot of shopping malls and bars. When [...]
Words: Yves Stranger
It may be off the beaten tourist track, but
despite its challenges, Ethiopia’s capital
city contains serious cultural highlights
alt="The Mercato, a huge outdoor market">
TOUCHDOWN
The clean, shaded avenue that takes you from the airport
to the centre of Addis – as residents fondly call their city
– is a riot of shopping malls and bars. When it comes to
café culture, don’t forget this is the land that introduced
coffee to the world. Fresh fruit smoothies are another
speciality, with more unusual ingredients like avocado juice.
SLEEP
The Sheraton is the quintessential luxury hotel here, with a
thermal swimming pool and international feel [in the town
centre, near Arat Kilo, +251 (0)11 517 1717]. There are also
plenty of good mid-range hotels, like the Dagim Millennium
[near the African Union, +251 (0)11 372 0300]. The Itegue
Taitou is more charming and time-worn [Piazza, +251 (0)11
156 0787], and also in Piazza is the cheap and cheerful Baro
[+251 (0)11 157 4157], a favourite of the backpacking crowd.
EAT
Injera is the traditional bread here: unleavened sourdough
bread accompanied by a wide variety of wots or sauces. Both
The Habesha [Africa Avenue, +251 (0)11 551 8358] and
Fasika [just off Africa Avenue, near Olympia, 251 (0)11 555
4193] are traditional restaurants and good places to start
dipping into Ethiopian cuisine. Addis has hundreds of cafés,
like The Lime Tree [Africa Avenue, in the Boston Partners’
building, +251 (0)11 663 0872], a favourite of expats.
THE SIGHTS
The legacy left over from the Italian occupation of Ethiopia
from 1936 to 1941 is evident in street names, for example
the Mercato, but it is more Middle Eastern souk than Italian
mall. Electronics from south China and spices from northern
Ethiopia are sold side-by-side in its labyrinthine alleyways
and myriad shops. Walking through the Piazza in the old
town centre is a more tranquil experience, especially in
the cooler evenings. Walk from Charles De Gaulle
Square to Arat Kilo, taking in the silver and gold shops,
then turn down towards one of the Selassie Cathedrals,
full of white-clad worshippers. If you keep going down past
the ‘Old Palace’ (Emperor Menelik’s) and the ‘New Palace’
(Emperor Haile Selassie’s) you’ll come out at Meskel Square,
a bustling place full of crowds, footballers and courting couples.
THE MUSEUMS
The excellent Museum & Library of the Institute of
Ethiopia Studies [near Siddist Kilo, +251 (0)11 111 9469]
holds a vast archive of Ethiopia-related material. Its artwork
collection represents not only the northern Christian highlands
but also the animist south and Muslim Ethiopian cultures.
alt="Addis Ababa is the location of one of the Sheraton’s ‘luxury collection’ hotels">
SHOP
The strip along Churchill Avenue has a wide selection of
shops selling traditional goods from all over the country.
Monoxyle furniture from the south west and 19th century
swords rub up with amber beads and Argobba jewellery. For
gorgeous hand-woven body wraps and shawls, head to Shuro
Meda, at the end of the road above the American Embassy.
NIGHTLIFE
With its sophisticated décor, Club Alizée [on Africa Avenue
next to airport, +251 (0)11 663 9884] is the cocktail bar of
the moment. Panda (next to the new Medanialem Church,
+251 (0)11 661 4504) is a large music venue where you can
hear local bands. On Monday nights, there’s live jazz at Le
Bateau Ivre [in the Kazanchis quarter, +251 (0)91 169 9925].
