Passport to Addis Ababa
Words: Sally Howard The fast-modernising Ethiopian capital is one of Africa’s most accessible cities, with good coffee, busy shops and stylish new bars TOUCHDOWN The nexus of rising Addis, the Bole district is a gathering ground for would-be entrepreneurs, global hotel brands and Ethiopian mall cats alike. For a flavour of a modernising city, pick [...]
Words: Sally Howard
The fast-modernising Ethiopian capital is one of Africa’s most accessible cities, with good coffee, busy shops and stylish new bars
TOUCHDOWN
The nexus of rising Addis, the Bole district is a gathering ground for would-be entrepreneurs, global hotel brands and Ethiopian mall cats alike. For a flavour of a modernising city, pick up a macchiato (a local favourite ever since the days of the Italian occupation, made from black-as-midnight Ethiopian beans) in the Lime Tree Café in the Boston Spa building, or at Kaldi (Ethiopia’s version of Starbucks, with three branches in Bole).
alt="The Medhanialem Church shows Ethiopia’s sometimes incongruous architectural influences">
SLEEP
If you’ve birr to burn [Ethiopian currency], the sumptuous Addis Ababa Sheraton sets the bar for high-end hotels throughout Africa [Taitu Street, +251 (0)11 517 1717, www.sheraton.com ]; the Queen of Sheba offers sprawling suites and a rare aura of efficiency at mid-range [Asmara Road, +251 (0)11 618 8282]; and The Taitu has creaking wooden floors and unmatched atmosphere for US$10 a night [+251 (0)11 156 0787].
EAT
Fasika Cultural Restaurant belies its touristy exterior with great traditional food and authentic tribal dance [Bole Road, opp Sunshine building, +251 (0)11 551 4193]; fans of steak tartare should try Yohannis for its kitfo, a traditional raw minced-meat dish [near to St Gabriel’s hospital, Hiya Hullet].
SHOPS
Tourists from across Africa and the Middle East throng to buy gold and silver jewellery by weight at the shops lining Churchill Avenue in the Piazza area. Or snap up shawls, traditional handwoven fabrics and curios at the Women’s Fuelwood Carriers Project, set up to offer female wood-carriers a less backbreaking
income [300m west of Entoto market, Arat Kilo].
SIGHTS
The Filwoha Hot Springs [in the hotel named after them, +251 (0)11 551 9100] led King Menelik to establish his capital city in Addis in 1887. Walk the handsome Menelik II Avenue to view a number of historic buildings offering an insight into Addis’s past, including the Haile Selassie-era Church of Kidus Istanfus,
set in a lush garden, and Africa Hall, once the HQ of Selassie’s Organisation of African Unity.
MUSEUMS
Most of Addis’s museums will only demand an hour or two of your time. Skip the National Museum, instead the Institute of Ethiopian Studies offers a more colourful overview of the tribal traditions of this diverse country [Addis Ababa University, +251 (0)11 123 9774].
alt="Addis Ababa’s luxurious Sheraton hotel"
NIGHTLIFE
The weekly Wednesday jazz night at The Sheraton’s Gaslight bar is where all the hep-cats hang. The brilliant-white Wabe Berha [Bole Kefle Ketema, Kebele, + 251 (0)11 662 2436] is the best of a breed of style bars to have sprung up in Addis in the past year.
COMING UP
The All-African Leather Fair, for shoes, handbags and other goods from across the continent [20-22 January, Bole Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa]. For further information go to www.whatsupaddis.com
