The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

This picture already tells you half the history of this mosque. It was first an Aramean temple, then a Roman temple, then a church and now one of the most magnificent mosques in the Arabic country's. But for me it is most importantly such a vivid place. All kind of people walk here, pray but also just enjoying the peacefull place and the sunny courtyard. I sat against one of the pilars for half an hour just taking in the atmosphere

Trees and Magda

Me against my pilar

Trip into Syria's Christian history

On the third day we took a taxi into the country. Sand, mountains and amazing views.

All the way to this monastary. It is a 1000 years old, but only since 30 years it is in use again. It is now eucomenic, and a wonderfully welcome place.

To get there you have to make a little walk, surrounded by these amazing desert jasmins,

And up all these stairs....

Inside there is this amzing little chapel from 1100 bc and there are still fresco's there that are just as old.

Paradise

Hell

Art outside

Then we went to krak de chevalier. That is just amazing. Read the history here

Flowers in the desert have got something very special about them.

Culinairy Syria

Eating and drinking in Syria for me is a real feast!!! Sweet and savory, food and drinks. Here you see, we were only just out of bed and bought these sweets. They don't taste very nice, but the look of them just makes you want to buy them!!!!

Everywhere you can buy fresh juice. They will juice oranges, pomegranets, mullberries, strawberrys and what else, for you in a pretty glass, ready to enjoy on every cornor of the street

In spring time fresh vergetables are no problem!

As Syria is very close to Turkey, Turkish coffee with cardamom is a common drink.

Outside, enjoying Roman remains in the middle of a shopping street

This is my absolute favorite! Baba ganoush! Very different from the baba ganoush we have here in Holland or I know from Marokko. It is roasted eggplant, finally chopped with a knife, mixed with springonions, bellpeppers, nuts, and pomegranate. And ofcourse olive oil. You eat this with flatbread.

Ofcourse Hummus.

In Damascus you will eat in a restaurant like this. There are so many of these old damascene houses that are restored and in the courtyard there are restaurants. Most of them have a roof over the restaurant. Warm in winter nice and cool in summer. This one has an orangetree in the courtyard.

And this I had never had before. It is lemonjuice mixed with fresh mint. Amazing!

The core of Syria "the suq"

Syria is great for all kinds of sights and all kinds of historical places. But for us, the most amazing still is the everyday life! And the best place for that to be found is the suq (market). It is just amazing how different life can be in an other country!
Here some suq pictures. Above flowers, and a lot of them, for tea and coffee.

Suq's are themed. This picture is made in the sweets suq. Everywhere little shops and stands with sweets in all colours and flavours.

As you can imagine this was made in the fabric and clothes suq.

The two women with whom I travelled. In blue Trees, and in green Magda. (sweets suq)

The overall view is just amazing with all the colours, the flags and all beautifull different people.

Click to enlarge

Last minute creative friday

Aangezien ik in Syrië was heb ik helaas deze week niets gemaakt voor creative friday, maar net toen ik vandaag uit mijn werk kwam kreeg ik een email van Cheryl dat de eerste popjes van de doll-swap waren aangekomen, en die kon ik dus mooi even posten op creative friday. Ik heb al mijn popjes gebaseerd op natuurlijke elementen en dit zijn de vuurpopjes. Geschilderd met ecoline en vleugeltjes gegeven van sprookjesvilt. (haarkleur, zwart met rood gemengd)

As I was in Syria this week I had nothing to show on creative friday, but when I came home today I received an email from cheryl that the dolls I made for her for our doll-swap arrived. So I did have something to show to you all. I made my dolls inspired on natural elements and these were fire. I coloured them with liquid watercolours and made there wings of woolfelt. (hair colour black and red mixed.)

Buurjongen op bezoek - Neighbour playing

We hadden Bram van de buren een paar uurtjes op bezoek, hij is in de leeftijd dat zelf eten een hele ontdekking is. Uit de keuken van Mare had hij een plastic vork gehaald en daarmee at hij zijn aardappeltjes, maar ook wilde hij daarmee Mare graag voeren. En ook de yoghurt moest gegeten worden met die vork....

We had our neighbour "Bram" here for a few hours, He is in the phase that he is learning how to eat all by himself. He took a plastic fork from Mare's play kitchen. He ate his patotoes with it and fed Mare with it. He even wanted to eat his yoghurt with it....

Ja natuurlijk moest Mare dat toen ook proberen

And ofcaurse Mare had to try that too!

Bram was ook meteen dol op Mare haar meisjes speelgoed, hij heeft een half uur met dit tasje door de kamer gewandeld.

Bram also fell for Mare's girly toys, he walked around with this purse for half an hour....

Zeer vroeg voorjaar - Very early spring

Eindelijk is er in ons huis een ware seizoenentafel gekomen. Al heel lang was dit het plan, en al heel veel popjes heb ik ervoor. Meerdere plekken geprobeerd, maar nu is het rond! Op de eettafel staat een dienblad met een seizoen tafereel erop!

For so long I wanted a season-table. But I never found the right spot or place. Finaly we have one, and here is the first scene. Mare loves to look at it, and she very carefully plays with the dolls.

Het is het hele vroege voorjaar. Met koning winter nog hoog op zijn troon. De ijspegels zorgen nog voor kou, en onder de grond slapen de wortelkindjes.

It is the very early spring. King winter still on his throne and the icecles making sure it is cold. The rootchildren are still sleeping under the ground.

Maar daar waar vrouwtje dooi met haar bezem de sneeuw wegveegt worden de eerste wortelkindjes wakker en krijgen groene sprietjes die ze boven de aarde uitsteken!

But where lady thaw brooms away the snow, the root children awake, and stick there little green sprouts above the earth.

Vrouwtje dooi heb ik deze week gemaakt! Ik ben erg dol op haar, en vind haar erg mooi geworden.

I made lady thaw this week, I like her very much and think she turned out very nicely!

Ik ben vooral heel tevreden met haar gezichtje

I especially like her face.

Verder ben ik druk bezig voor deze swap. Maar daar kan ik je nog niets over laten zien... later meer.

And I am very busy with this swap, but that ofcaurse is still a secred, so no pictures yet.