Thursday, March 14th:
We left for Erbil today. John and Mary will leave for Cyprus in the morning and Andy's parents will arrive for a two week visit.
I always enjoy the drive to Erbil. Not only is it nice to get out of the city, but the scenery varies a great deal during the three hours it takes us to drive there.
John found this car seat at the second-hand market. He refitted it with straps from Henry's old car seat and voila! Henry had a new seat ... now, how many men does it take to buckle a baby in?
Saddam destroyed all of the trees, so this is where the storks build their nests:
A picnic or wedding celebration:
When we arrived in Erbil, we picked up our fellow CSM teachers and headed to Royal Family Mall for some Chinese food (a novelty for us Duhoki's). Henry didn't seem to appreciate it as much as we did:
Just like a food court back home (almost):
After a little shopping, we went back to our host's house, ate dinner, and rested up for the trip back. John and Mary woke up around 2 and went with Andy and Lisa to the airport. Nelson's headed off for Cyprus while Andy and Lisa picked up Andy's parents.
Friday, March 15th:
I had a leisurely morning, then the Bishop's picked me up (they were staying with a different family) around 11am.
We took Andy's parents to the Citadel, which was all ready for Nawroz (the Kurdish New Year):
Fresh-squeezed juice, YUM!
Andy's parents:
After the Citadel, we went back to Royal Family Mall for one more Western meal, then took the scenic route home (going further east then circling back around to Duhok).
Faithful Magnum took us over some rough terrain:
Zander and Opa:
The Bishop's:
Things We Saw Along the Way...
A castle on a hill:
A city tucked between the mountains:
Beautiful mountain ranges:
Blasting out the mountainside:
Rocky hills:
Crossing the river Zaab:
Lots of green grass!
Beautiful rolling hills:
Amazing rock formations:
A beautiful sunset (one of my favorite parts of the drive):
