Interesting times

This evening we went out to a going-away get-together for a friend who is moving to Qatar. The bar we were at was an approximate 20 minute walk from our house, and the weather is finally a little drier and cooler, so when we left we decided to walk home. Well, it turned out to be an interesting walk. Not 2 blocks from the hotel the bar was in, we look up to see lights flickering in an apartment overhead. At first we thought it was a party, but it quickly became apparent that the apartment was on fire! The curtains caught just as we got close to the building, which eventually resulted in the patio windows shattering and glass and sparks falling on balconies--and spectators!--below. We got closer with the intention of going in the building to alert the watchman or security guard, but people were already coming out of the building and then, with the glass shattering, it was not safe to go near.

At first, I thought emergency workers were already present, as it looked like people were being evacuated and directed away from the building, but it eventually became apparent that the only people around were tenants and onlookers. When I realized there was no one there I called emergency, only to be told that someone was already on the way. They seemed to take a long time to get there though! The fire was still going strong long after the emergency vehicles pulled up and smoke and sparks and glass were still flying as we left.

We can't help but wonder what started it--I'm guessing either a cigarette or a candle, as is usually the case--and we certainly hope that the tenants were either not home or got out in time to be safe. We'll be watching the papers tomorrow to see if there is any news on what happened!

After all the excitement we decided to stop in a cafe I've had my eye on that was also on the way home, called Zyara. It is indeed a very cool place, and once the weather is good enough to walk outside comfortably I think I will be going there a lot. Lots of ethnic fabrics on the walls and the tables, funky decor and a Lebanese type menu. I had really good turkish coffee, and Michael had jallab, a date juice served with pine nuts that is served just at Ramadan (sounds weird; tastes good). We also had an interesting Arabic dessert made of flatbread rolled with a filling of tahini and carob. It was served with strawberries and very good!