a winter fairy tale city

a glimpse of San'a in a brief stopover ... I entered the city with a half charged photo camera and the large smile of Hussein , the taxi driver and his big smile showing his children .

I was almost tiptoeing into the streets as old as history, as old as the sand: the peace of the town were making me wanting to be silent, not to break this enchanted sleep.  

San'a is a dream dreamt by children and shares its same sweetness , as if the houses were made of gingerbread and coated in sugar. 

On the other hand , this was a true fable and no witch was lurking in the dark, but in the gentleness of the air it was as if you could hear a distant music of children and crickets. Maybe it is the sound of the happiness of the holiday. 

 The city was like a bubble suspended in another world, a world before that our world became a popart object.

The town slowly was waking up and the people gently coming out

I did not remember this girl , i did not remember her as this picture, I remember rather when she burst out laughing and ran away, to friends or family I do not remember either

 

I was hesitating to enter the Mosquee, I was so unexpecting this encounter that i did not even have any shawl to cover and yet the people invited me inside and urged me to take pictures, and even then they did not pose , they were just being who they were , giving the gift of self as generously as their town was letting me wander.

then the pictures ended with the battery of my camera and I cannot tell other than with my words the colours of the bazaar, the laughs and jokes with some merchant and his scared little son, while waiting for the taxi to get unblocked, the break at the tiny square to have lamb and lemon juice, the benevolent looks and smiles.

I just wonder now; in this world in turmoil , that these dear friends are doing fine and are doing better than some years back when we briefly crossed our ways for a short afternoon... I just long to see them again

 "you are a good person" Hussein said when i got out of the taxi , I could not feel more proud of the sincere love I felt for this city , for its people ..."not as much as all of you , I should have said "