“For thy love’s better than wine”
January 1, 2009 at 7:47 am 5 comments
Ask any newari between “AbebyeSuQ” and “Qebena” what comes to his/her mind when the word “I love you hotel” is mentioned, and a laughter full of mirth follows. “It’s where teenagers go ‘fonQa’ siyizachew'” he/she would tell you, with a wicked smile on the map, “for an electric power house, it didn’t have much of a light. So they stand outside its door and start meJenaJening. Street kids and bums sleep in it too”.
The fact that the building has been standing there ever since the city of Addis started getting “yeMebrat Hayil”, more than 114 years ago, and a Lij Tefferra Ras WorQ planning (though Author/Historian Mamo Wudineh’s insistance) to re-erect every one of it’s century-old stones at Ankober is a news to most.
The tall edifice that bore the name “I love you Hotel” on one of its walls, proudly looking over what used to be the forested hills behind British Embassy’s expansive electric fences, is no longer with us. It’s been demolished to pave the way to civilization, in the form of a ring road stretching from Megenagna to Arat Kilo. But thanks to people like Eskinder, it lives in the hearts of those who had their first kiss infront of it. And a mystery to those of us who never passed it by without wondering what really goes inside it’s confined walls.
Ladies and gents, I present to you:
Related post: A Eulogy for “Sholan Geremew”
Entry filed under: Latest Posts.
My e-Shoe Box 
1.
Midwestern_Habesha | January 1, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Dear Habesheet,
I love your knack for storytelling … may I dare say, it borders to a “Shakespearean proportion”.
Thanks for giving this humble sidetegna a virtual window to peek into emmama Ethiopia, just enough to satisfy, momentarily, the insatiable nostalgia that never goes away.
Please do keep us abreast
Ye arba aratu tabototch yitebqush
Happy 2009
2.
abesheet | January 2, 2009 at 5:52 am
Midwestern, you obviously haven’t met some of my readers 🙂 . But i’m glad to have you here. Hope we’d make your stay enjoyable.
3.
Mazzi | January 2, 2009 at 8:20 am
I second Midwestern_Habesha above about your unique knack for storytelling. Ordinary and otherwise mundane events back home are often portrayed in almost poetic ways when described in your writing. You have no idea how your blog, your stories, and your views on all things including current affairs back home serve indeed as virtual windows to those of us on this side suffering from nostalgia of all kind and starved for anecdotes from home besides politics.
So thank you for that :-).
4.
alem1 | January 2, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Oh No! I was not aware that solitary building was dimolished. that is sad. I used to see it each time I pass by there and wonder what it used to be. thanks for the story Abesheet.
5.
sistu | January 4, 2009 at 11:43 pm
wow, I guess i was trying to imagine another building in my mind. I kinda remember it now. Thanks for the photo and also thank you to Eskinder. btw, Abesheet I saw the youtube tribute for it. It was very beautiful. Nice work, Abiti!