I don't know if it is the injera or the local chilies (berbere), or maybe all the local coffee I have been drinking, but there is something hard to describe here, an almost mystical quality. I mean, this area is called Gondar for one thing. People here resolutely believe that it was here that Mary and young Jesus fled when escaping King Herod. The Ark of the Covenant, of biblical and movie fame is also believed to be here. In fact the island in the second picture, is where many believe the Ark was first kept after it was taken from Israel. In fact you can see the exact spot where it was kept for several centuries. It actually makes sense to me that if you were trying to protect an object of such significance, one would want to take it to a place where it could not be easily found. And this place certainly fits that description. Way up in the highlands, historically inaccessible and far from major trade routes and then on a tiny island in the middle of a pretty big lake (even today it takes 2.5 hours by boat to get there). I don't know myself but like I say, there is something that makes one want to believe.