Addis – a foodie’s paradise

It would not be wrong to say that our 5 day stay in Addis revolved around food. Addis truly is a foodie’s paradise and what’s even better is it’s really cheap.

Ristorante Castelli – many famous people have dined here and I can see why – the Italian menu is fantastic with everything from prosciutto crudo to mozzarella to homemade fettucine pasta al tartufo to risotto con funghi to tiramisu to crème caramel. With an entrée, main, dessert and shared bottle of Ethiopian wine, the grand total only came to around $20. It was so good I went twice.

Habesha – everyone seems to get here around 9pm or so – barely anyone was around at 7pm when we arrived. The local music and dancing is a highlight and the Ethiopian menu was extensive too. It’s worth trying the tej (local honey wine).

Serenade – I had planned to eat only the ravioli with parmesan, spinach and pinenuts in this Mediterranean restaurant, but after seeing the felafel curry I had to order it too. The saffron icecream with cardamom and cloves was actually the reason we came here and it didn’t disappoint. And the fresh orange hibiscus juice was also delicious.

Taste of India – the tofu chilli fry entrée was so huge I had trouble finishing my sweet Navratan fruit and vegetable Korma, but the dry red Ethiopian wine seemed to help wash it all down.

Whilst our focus was on food, we still managed to see the main sights.

Entoto Market – apparently now called Shromeden, we bought a traditional Ethiopian outfit here that will serve as “everyday wear” for Kris.

Merkato – a minivan from piazza to merkato costs 1 Birr 40 (less than 10 cents). Supposedly the biggest market in Africa, we focused our attention on the dedicated souvenir section and spice alley with honey and butter shops – the butter is smeared into a recess in the wall and you can see finger smudges where people have scooped it out.

Churchill Avenue shops – the antique souvenir shops were nearest to piazza – our favourite was one with a winding staircase and an Aladdin style cave filled with old treasures.

Ethnological museum – it’s located in the university and used to be Haile Selassie’s Palace. You can visit his bedroom, bathroom and safe although it made it hard during a blackout that occurred when we were there (relatively common).

National Museum – the highlight for all of us was seeing the partial skeleton replica of Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis, discovered in 1974 and estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago. She was nicknamed ‘Lucy’ after the Beatle’s song ‘Lucy in the sky with diamonds’.

Holy Trinity Cathedral – it was all locked up when we arrived but after we paid 50 Birr, we were told to “Follow that monk!” The monk unlocked it for us and then excitedly encouraged me to take photos of everything. The most interesting part was seeing Haile Selassie’s (and his wife’s) pews and tombs.

Herbal Beauty Spa – it was hard to resist when you can get a 1 ½ hour hot stone massage and a pedicure for 350 Birr ($20).

And then I guess you could add to the list of sights this random one…Shaun and Karen were wandering around the centre when they came across a man on a bike with a very unusual (live animal) 'backpack'…!

Photo courtesy of Shaun and Karen