Meeting Fekrou Kidane in Paris

During a seven-day trip to Paris, I came across someone I could recognize while dinning at an Ethiopian restaurant one night.Shyly, i asked him if he was Fekrou Kidane. He admitted that he was. When I asked him whether he would give me an interview for this article, he graciously invited me to his apartment on the following day.
The 78-year-old Ethiopian who had a distinguished career in the local sport and Olympic world has been living in Paris since 1976, although frequently travelling to other parts of the world. He lived in Lausanne Switzerland for 12 years where he was serving as a senior official of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He is now advising the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), working from home doing email and Skype video conference. Find the full story here.

Beautiful Amsterdam

After Bologna, our next destination was Amsterdam. We first flew from Bologna to Paris and took a train up to Amsterdam, passing Brussels on the way. After the train delivered us to Amsterdam Central Station a little earlier before midnight, we were picked by Rediet Abiy, a wonderful longtime friend who would host us at his apartment with his girlfriend, Ana Rodrigues.At their place, we were fully rewarded with good conversation and the comfort of belonging (for four days). On the day time, we were on our own, as Rediet and Ana were working. Locating places using a map was kind of exciting and challenging. We had to go out and figure out the directions of the museums without someone pointing us in the right direction.

A Day in Venice

During our stay in Italy, we had also the good fortune to visit Venice (Venezia as the Italians call it) in a day trip. This 1,500-year-old former trading port is nothing like that I have seen before. It is a city that has to be seen to be believed. The richness, the color, the light, the texture, and the history make Venice overwhelmingly beautiful, or in the words of the Lonely Planet guide ‘a strange surreal city in which everyday life seems somehow more dramatic than elsewhere’.

La bella bologna

After a month and week stay in France, I headed to northern Italy’s city of Bologna with my girlfriend. The plane left Paris late afternoon, and we landed in Bologna, capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, two hours later. We have a reason to visit the city as I have a sister who lives there. When we arrived in Bologna, my sister and her children were waiting for us. In quick time we were ensconced in their nice apartment, not far from the airport. We set the program to do some sightseeing the next day with the list of suggestions from my sister and her husband.

Day Trip to Nîmes

Nîmes is a small city at the border of Provence and Languedoc. It is home to the best-preserved Roman Arena in the world, where the traces of the 2000 year long history are visible everywhere. The eclectic mix of Roman, Spanish, and French flavors are apparent in the city’s architecture. It was another city that visited in day trip while we were staying at Sète.

Little Venice in South of France

Another scenic train ride from Toulouse to Sète, further south.
Once we arrive in the quaint city of Sète, the first job is to meet Marie-Louise and René Schneider , whom we find waiting on the busting train station. Marie-Louise and René, a wonderful couple whom I accompanied in their one month travel to Ethiopia would be our hosts for three days. After an afternoon stroll through the calm, boat lined canals, taking welcome respite from the sun, our hosts leads us down the pretty tree-lined promenade that runs alongside the water.

Albi, The Red City

Our visit to the medieval town of Albi, about 40 miles from Toulouse, was a memorable one. Prior to my trip, I knew absolutely nothing of the town nor had I even ever heard its name. It had been recommended to us by our host, Ariane, who drove us there. Upon arrival in the city, I was pleasantly surprised to find such a delightful town. Its red bricked buildings shine brightly under the sun and reflect perfectly upon the Tarn River, giving rise to the nickname of la ville rouge. It has a charming historic city centre, which we barely explored due to our limited time, but would certainly reward a couple of days of amiable strolling.

France’s Pink City

On Friday, we made our way to the train station in Bordeaux, which is an old and charming structure. After a train ride of only two hours the train pulled into Toulouse, a city on southwest France.

Bordeaux: a City Named Desire

We spent four days in Bordeaux, southwestern France where we were graciously hosted by Yves Foubert. Yves, a friend I have known in Ethiopia, left his well-located and cozy flat for us. He also arranged for us to visit the beautiful wine village in the rolling clay-limestone hills around Saint Emillion and le Cap Ferret (Bassin d’Arcachon), which is open to the Atlantic Ocean by ‘passes’ or channels.

A blooming beautiful village

We are continuing our visit to different historical or artistic towns in north western France, and one my favorites among that we visited this past Monday was Rochefort-en-Terre, a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany, which has been voted one of France’s most beautiful villages and as a result is one of Brittany’s most visited sites.