Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The present
church
was built in 1961 by Haile Selassie, against the wishes of the local
priests, after hearing a prophesy that a new church would ensure a long reign. It's monu-
mental and pretty awful on the outside, but the stained-glass windows are attractive.
It's got one of the most interesting
church museums
in Ethiopia. Besides the usual ec-
clesiastical items there are Italian guns, giant cooking pots, crowns of past emperors and
their wives, musical instruments and an old wooden shackle. Fifteen minutes up the hill
from the monastery is Tekla Haimanot's
cave
, where the saint is said to have done all his
praying. It's also the source of the holy water. A
monument
in front of the church me-
morialises the hundreds of innocent priests, deacons, and worshipers who were massacred
here by the Italians following an assassination attempt on the notoriously brutal viceroy
Graziani in 1937 (he was later imprisoned by the Italians as a war criminal for crimes
against humanity).
Though the local guides insist this small stone-arch
Portuguese bridge
(Birr22)
was
erected by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it was actually built at the turn of the 19th
century by Ethiopians: though in the old Portuguese style. The narrow span makes a pretty
picture and the gushing (in the rainy season) cascade just below it is even more impress-
ive. The 300m access trail running along the edge of the Jemma River Gorge starts at the
Ethio-German Park Hotel.
Sleeping & Eating
HOTEL
Ethio-German Park Hotel $
( 0116-563213; d without view Birr200, d/f with view Birr250/400; )
Just past the
turnoff to the monastery, this simple lodge, owned by an Ethiopian man who fled the Derg
to Germany and his German wife, makes the most of its gorge views and is a popular pit
stop for those driving north, and a weekend getaway for residents of Addis Ababa. The
more-basic-than-you'd-expect rooms have solar lights and hot water and those facing the
gorge sport little porches.
The menu (mains Birr30 to Birr50) is limited to a handful of pasta and local dishes
(fasting food is available daily), but they're both pretty good. A coffee ceremony costs
Birr150 per group.
