Day 18 Our daily Bread…

FOR THOSE OF YOU IN A HURRY THE SYNOPSIS: I strolled through the Old Town a bit more specifically searching out the old Damascene court-yard villas.   On my way I encountered bread makers, crafts people, and peeked into houses off the beaten path a far cry from those posh villas...LIFE PAST AND PRESENTI put old Damascene court-yard villas on my agenda today.It had been a long day yesterday, so I decided to stay local today.  Sorting and labeling photographs takes a good two hours each day and I know that falling behind even one day is detrimental; so I caught up with yesterday before leaving the house.   The days here have been absolutely gorgeous.  60 degree weather and sun is my kind of a world and perfect for a walk.These villas had been recommended to me by an art historian from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, who conducted an official survey of them here, last year.  A display at the museum is in the making and I hope to see it someday.  Lonely Planet to the rescue:  It had a whole list of them.  I am sure there are more, but those were a good start.Damascus must have been an incredibly prosperous town judging by these villas.  The materials, the craftsmanship, the aesthetics, the attention to detail, the pure luxury that shine through the design and layout of these villas is a testimony to that wealth.Most of the villas have in common a very plain exterior, a small and narrow entrance way and then the big surprise:  a glimpse through a door opens up a view into an interior courtyard that must have seemed like paradise coming in from the dusty hustle and bustle of town.  Always square or rectangular with a huge arched opening that faces north, each court contains a fountain, fruit trees, grassy areas and flower beds.  Depending on the wealth of the owner there will be passageways leading to one or two, even three further court yards.    The floors are often created of differently colored marbles.  Windows, doors and staircases that face the courts are decorated with inlayed stone, carved and plastered wood work and painted decorations.  Walls contain niches for displays and colored lamps that must shed a wonderfully romantic light into the courts at night.  Symmetry and geometry are the overwhelming forces of design.  Because of the trees, there are birds everywhere.  Together with the sound of the water they create a pleasant acoustic backdrop to the visual feast.  These houses are either still privately owned, or in some cases have been converted to hotels, cafes or offices.  But visitors like me are welcome to stroll around.    That was a real treat!On the way home I decided to stray from the main avenues of the souq and to roam the side streets and the outskirts of the old town.  It was wonderful to come across the various workshops – the metal smith, the coffee roaster, the basket weaver, the cabinet maker, the artists,  and the bread makers.  Bread is made fresh everywhere.  Last night, the restaurant had its own bread maker.  First, they roll the dough, which then is flattened and whirled into a pizza-sized thin wheel which they slap against the inside of a stone oven which has a fire going inside.  After a few seconds the bread is removed, nicely browned with little bubbles.  There is nothing more rewarding than a fresh, warm bread right out of the oven.  Except that one of the bakers smoked while working and I just saw the ashes on his cigarette getting longer and longer and longer and then they were gone…  Into the bread?Roaming the side streets also shows you the other side of living.  No more white marbles with red, green, blue and yellow inlays.  No more birds and fruit trees.  Gray, gray, and more gray.  Dust and decay.  All modern construction is using cement and much construction that builds on preexisting old mud and wood substance adds clinker blocks or cement to it.  Gray, gray and more gray.  Nobody seems to bother to put some plaster on the outside of clinker block construction.  So little paint could go so far.  But despite the overwhelming grayness of the living quarters, I am not sure if I can automatically attribute gray with poor.  I found a surprising number of satellite dishes on every cluster of homes.     But there is no question that there is a lot of poverty hidden behind these walls.  On my rides through the countryside I have spotted a lot of tent villages as well.  I am not sure if here in Syria they are a sign of poverty, migrant workers, or Bedouins.  I will have to ask a local.Speaking of locals… on my way home from the Internet last night, I ran into Mohammed, the suitor.  He was overjoyed to see me.  He asked about my whereabouts and told me that he had been telling his aunt all about me if I would be willing to meet her?  In the West my answer would have been:  Nice try, dude; get lost!  Here – I believe him.  There is an aunt and he did tell her about me.  And so I agreed to meet with him tomorrow to visit his aunt.  In Shahallah!Good night for now.