Remembering Syria!

Every day brings more pictures and stories of the killing and destruction that has engulfed Syria.  And every day I remember our trip to Syria three years ago.  Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra, Hama, and more – enjoyable, interesting, memorable.

Especially in Aleppo, the focus of fighting in recent weeks, I try to determine if the streets we walked, the restaurants we ate in, the neighborhoods in which we stayed, have been destroyed.  I haven’t been able to find out.  I do know that the old, famous market area has burned.  We spent a fascinating day wandering the narrow lanes of that souk.  A tragic loss.

We never felt a concern for our safety.  People were friendly.  All seemed peaceful.  I knew that under the surface there were tensions, but they were never visible to us.  What a shame this civil war is.  I can only be thankful we made the trip when we did.  It’s unlikely we could do it again – at least for a very long time.