in the streets of damascus

the street called straight

damascus

damascus is a fascinating place and possibly the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. the streets are lined with old, old buildings, many decaying badly, some renovated or in the process of being done up, others divided up into a warren of homes. often the streets are so narrow that the wooden overhangs almost touch. there are arched entrances to lanes and buildings, ancient wooden doors leading into houses, shops and stalls... putt putting trucks, bikes and pedestrians.





the hotel we stayed in used to be a merchant's house and has a beautiful internal courtyard with tall orange and lemon trees, laden with fruit. it's paved with marble mosaics and at the far end there are two marble steps up to a platform with long sofas and cushions. there were candles around the fountain at night - magical atmosphere.



woodsy relaxing on the hotel rooftop, overlooking old damascus





the souq al hamidiyya is fabulous





sampling the best icecreams in the souq - delicious but quite a serious proposition for rory who was determined to get it back to the hotel before eating any.

the dead sea

one weekend we drove south to the dead sea, the lowest point on earth, 400m below sea level. we stayed at a VERY luxurious resort.
checked in at the simple little reception desk...



...and moved into our rooms, which opened out onto private terraces and gardens and our own swimming pool. beyond the pool you looked across the dead sea to the hills of palestine. it's a fabulous place!



went down to the beach to see if the water really is as buoyant as they say....it is. it's a 25% saline solution, soft, silky and warm, and holds you up without any effort on your part - you just float, a very strange sensation, especially when your legs and feet rise and pop out of the water. you have to do a sort of dog paddle standing up to stop your legs flipping you up and over.



rory was back in a giant sand pit again so was completely happy.



some people were having gooey black dead sea mud smeared all over them and then stood around, legs akimbo, or strolled up the beach, waiting for the miracle cure.



we decided not to bother and went back for a swim in our pool while the sun set over the sea.







rory kept babar entertained





and we all had a wonderful time!

a day in the life of rhyley

i like to start the day with a few tai chi exercises....



then i move straight into sketching






followed by more creative work using chalks, my preferred medium



the weekly drones' club meetings give me a chance to discuss the latest trends with my contemporaries



and present papers giving my views on a range of subjects



i like to squeeze in a daily session on the accordion



browse through the latest overseas catalogues for my fashion accessories






and flick through a novel or two before dinner



it's a busy life but someone in the family has to do it!

valley of tombs

the ruins at palmyra spread across to the valley of tombs on the horizon to the right.


the valley is dotted with funerary towers, tall square-based structures built from blocks of stone, usually with four or five levels.




some are in remarkably good condition, others crumbling away in the desert sand.


a tomb with a view


and another


the sarcophagi were slotted into vertical niches and sealed with stone slabs carved with effigies of the deceased. we saw quite a few of these in the museum, with lovely sculptures of faces, some showing figures with clothing and jewellery carved in fine detail.