The source

We flew north from Addis Ababa to the town of Bahir Dar located on Lake Tana, the largest lake (3500 km2 area) in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile flows south from Lake Tana and then west across Ethiopia and northwest into Sudan. The Blue Nile joins the White Nile at Khartoum in Sudan, and then as the Nile, flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria, 5223 km from where it all started. Within 30 km of its source at Lake Tana, the river enters a canyon which is about 400 km long. This gorge is an obstacle for travel and communication between the north and the south of the country. The power of the Blue Nile can be appreciated at the Blue Nile Falls, which are 45 m high and located about 40 km downstream of Lake Tana. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Nile). As well as being the source of the Blue Nile, Lake Tana is also famous for the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Monastaries and churches which are located on its islands and peninsulas. We caught a boat to the Zege Peninsula and after a 30 minute uphill walk through the coffee plantations and general tropical undergrowth, arrived at the Ura Kidane Mehret Orthodox Monastery. We spent time photographing the obliging priests and the monsatary, which like many orthodox churches, is built in the round. It is also highly decorated with beautifully painted, colourful and vibrant frescoes depicting Ethiopian saints and the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The really interesting visit was capped off by the invitation of a local family to share coffee in their traditional home.

Lake Tana in the afternoon light.

Sunset at Bahir Dar on Lake Tana.

As we headed out onto the lake to visit the Ura Kidane Mehret Monastary local farmers were heading home in their papyrus canoes with a load of vegetative material, likely to be for the feeding of animals.

A good reason to be wary when paddling flimsy canoes on the lake.

The islands and peninsulas of Lake Tana are home to a number of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Monasteries and Churches . Most were built during the 14th to 16th centuries.

The outer ambulatory of the Ura Kidane Mehret Monastary.

Church frescoes and the doors leading into the Inner Sanctuary

The priests of the Ura Kidane Mehret Orthodox Monastery. Payment is required to photograph the churches and the priests with the funds used to support the upkeep of the buildings.

Serious windows.

The coffee ceremony is typically performed by the woman of the household and is considered an honour. The coffee is brewed by first roasting the green coffee beans over an open flame in a pan. This is followed by the grinding of the beans, traditionally in a wooden mortar and pestle. The coffee grounds are then put into a special vessel and boiled. After grinding, the coffee is put through a sieve several times. The pot for brewing the coffee is usually made of pottery and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout. The host pours the coffee for all participants by moving the tilted boiling pot over a tray with small, handle less cups from a height of 30 cm without stopping until each cup is full. The coffee ceremony may also include burning of various traditional incense. People add sugar to their coffee, or in the countryside, sometimes salt or traditional butter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_ceremony).

Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses. When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over (https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-injera.html).

We stayed at the Abay Minch Lodge in Bahir Dar. I have to say that you don't expect to see an armoured personnel carries (albeit past its use by) gracing the entrance to a very nice lodge. I am presuming that is a left over from the Ethiopian Civil War which occurred between 1974 and 1991 (although I could have this wrong).