Asmara - Post Report Question and Answers
What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Just seeing the city. It's BEAUTIFUL. Summer has beles (prickly pear) fruit, which is delicious. The restaurants are fun. If you can get out, it's neat to see the geology of the rest of the country. - Apr 2021
So, I have not gotten out of the capital much yet, but the architecture and art here are amazing. I highly recommend going to any art exhibits you see advertised. You won't be disappointed. Also, just going out and getting a macchiato is a nice way to chill out and talk to people. (Bar Gianna is a great place for a macchiato, but I should say it's a "guy's bar." I've never seen a woman there who wasn't working behind the counter.) Get a good driver/tour guide to take you around to see the buildings and the escarpment. - Dec 2019
Asmara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its mid-20 Century Art Deco and modernist architecture, mostly built by the Italians during the colonial period. Architecture buffs will be delighted, though many things are a bit dilapidated around the edges. It's also a city fully of flowering hedges and trees. Old coffee houses and cinemas delight. I also find the Eritrean people warm and delightful. This is such a thoroughly unique place, unlike anywhere else I've ever been. Everyone says that. It's a singular place and culture, whose past cultural influences interweave Ethiopian civilization, the Ottoman Turks, the Italians, the Egyptians and other Arab influences, the Brits (briefly), and their own rich local tribal traditions. - Feb 2019
The Dahlak islands are not to be missed. Best snorkeling of my life. Trips to Addis are now possible, and Dubai/Cairo are easy trips. - Sep 2018
The highlights were really the people (Eritrean and expat) that I met while in Eritrea. We had some great times, despite the general difficulties. The country has a WEALTH of opportunity. I enjoyed the slow pace of the country. I enjoyed the trips to Massawa (the coast). I enjoyed the hospitality of people. - Dec 2016
