Entoto Mountain visit

On Sunday we headed out to Entoto, a low mountain on the north side of
Addis Ababa, about 300 meters above the city. Not only does this provide
an awesome view of the entire city, but getting away from the exhaust
fumes from the traffic in the roads below was, quite literally, a breath
of fresh air. Entoto hosts Maryam Cathedral, an octagonal structure
built about 150 years ago, as well as the Maryam Museum which features
religious garb and royal paraphernalia from the era of Ethiopian Emperor
Menelik and Emperss Taitu (1889-1913), of interest to tourists and
student groups alike. In fact, there was an enormous student group at
the exhibit that day, and they all sat on the floor--taking up almost
half of the one-room museum--to listen to what we assumed to be a
history lesson by a local priest. We were lucky to see the entire
exhibit before the speech started, so we headed on to Menelik and
Taitu's palace just beyond the cathedral. A self-appointed guide led us
through the compound and gave us excellent explanations in English about
the use of various buildings as well as how the walls and ceilings were
constructed.