A day in Addis Ababa

Mercato, Africa's largest open air market
 Trip to the Seychelles and Addis Ababa

• Photo Review: Ethiopian Star Gold Lounge, Addis Ababa Airport (ADD)
• Photo Review: Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa
• Photo Review: Mango House Seychelles LXR 
• Photo Review: Canopy by Hilton Seychelles Resort King Junior Suite
• Exploring the Seychelles
• Photo Review: Air Seychelles Salon Vallee de Mai (SEZ)
• Photo Review: Hilton Addis Ababa King Duplex Suite
• A day in Addis Ababa

Video on YouTube

Flying with Ethiopian from Stockholm to the Seychelles gave us the chance to do a stop-over in Addis Ababa on our return flight. We could have stayed at least 2 days but my work wasn't that just flexible. Of course, we made the most of our stay by booking a half day city tour where we visited the top sights in Addis Ababa: St. George Church, Mercato, Mount Entoto, the National Museum of Ethiopia where the famous Lucy is found, and of course the Ethiopian coffee ceremony (where else can you taste the best coffee than in Ethiopia where coffee originated). We really loved the tour of Mercato, the largest open-air market in Africa as there were just so many things to see - the sellers have their own block/area so people just know exactly where to go when they need something. Along the way, we also saw the newly opened Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, the Menelik II Square and the Unity Park. Because of the ongoing security issues outside of Addis Ababa, it was the only place we could explore, but seeing how diverse the landscape is, we hope we can be back in Ethiopia and explore more! Below are some of the things we visited during our short stay in Addis Ababa.

St. George Church: this octagonal church was built in 1911.

Mercato, which was started by the Italians, is now Africa's largest open-air market. It may seem chaotic but on the other hand, it was very interesting for us to see it 👍

Unity Park: entrance fee is 20 USD. Make sure you have enough time to visit the park as it is really huge according to our guide.

Fantastic views of Addis Ababa from Mount Entoto.

The Emperor's Palace: This served as Menelik II's capital before founding Addis Ababa.

Entoto Maryam Church

National Museum of Ethiopia: Here you will find the fossilized bones of Lucy, the famous primate who could walk upright.

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony: Knowing the fact that coffee originated from Ethiopia, I (as a non-coffee drinker) could not just sit there and watch others drink a cup of coffee. It was a dream come true to finally be able to drink this coffee 👍 The sprigs on the coffee is called Tena'Adam giving it more flavor.

Menelik II Square: This is located in the heart of the Addis Ababa, with an equestrian statue of the Emperor in the middle.

Adwa Victory Memorial Museum: This newly opened museum commemorates Ethiopias historic victory at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.

Trying the Ethiopian food: this one is injera (fermented soft bread), tibs (Ethiopian stir-fried beef) and shiro (stew with powdered chickpeas).

Fir-fir (this was served on the breakfast buffet during our stay at the Hilton Addis Ababa 👍

If you want to see great views of the city, a stay at the Hilton Addis Ababa (this is the view from the Executive Lounge) would be perfect.