It's Friday, Friday 🎶

Okay it's actually Sunday, but in Kurdistan their weekend is on Friday and Saturday, so today is technically Monday.

Recap of this weekend:

FRIDAY- we went on a lovely hike in the mountains of God-knows-where (need to double check the name and geographical coordinates). The beginning of the hike was pretty interesting, we saw a bunch of Kurdish families picnicking alongside the road. Picnics are super duper popular in Kurdi, it's basically an occasion for not only families but particularly females to exit their homes and actually feel a breeze of fresh air once in a while. Not to be culturally insensitive, but yeah women don't go out as much as men over here...

Anyway, we made our way through the picnic stations where they were dancing and listening to music (just overall having a grand ol' time) and we found the trail that took us alongside the river and to the top of a hill where we enjoyed a breathtaking view.

Picture time!

OH EM GEE you guys we found a little, itty bitty turtle and a grand, old wise one too! 

And up we go!

I mean, can this get any better? This is Kurdistan by the way! Totally did not expect so much green and flourishing landscapes.

After the hike, we rushed home to get ready for the dinner party (see previous post...)

SATURDAY- Picnic time! That's right, the Frenchies got their turn. We went to picnic with some friends on Saturday because it is ten times less crowded than on Friday's.

We were joined by a Kurdish friend who is an ex-combattant of the Peshmerga, the military force in Kurdistan. He told us all about the resistance against Saddam's reign of terror, very shocking stories that put us in awe. Much respect.

His sister even put together a typical Kurdish meal for the picnic, dolmas! Yumm (see previous posts...)

And then you can always count on the French to bring booze...

After eating like kings, we went on a digestive hike. We followed a trail alongside the fields.

Funny thing about this trail (well, not so funny but) is that it used to be infested by mines. During the war, Hussein planted mines all over the mountains to impact the Peshmerga. It's only been a year that the whole area has been demined. Soooooo let's just say that if you had too much to drink and it was time to pop a squat in the bushes, you would be slightly cautious of which bush to pick... ya never know if they missed a mine. Nerve-racking peeing excursions.

But besides that, the walk was lovely! We bumped into a shepherd and his sheep, saw cute little baby animals, and climbed on top of the world! *casual hike*

*Heart melts*

All righty, that's pretty much it for this weekend. Now, off to the refugee camp to finish painting the walls with the children. More pictures coming soon!

The End 

...

(well, until tomorrow)