The train to Aleppo

Yesterday, myself and 6 other girls took the 6:35am trip to Aleppo to spend the day. First I woke up the mysterious 4:30am daily phone call that only rings once. According to the phone company, that number does not exist... So, I got up, ate breakfast, got ready and then got picked up in a tiny car full of 4 other girls. We then went to pick up another girl (it was 6:20am) at this time and I was started to think we might miss our train, but we pulled up put our purses through and scanner, showed our ID and walked on. The sun was just up and as we started to move, I realized (again) how lovely the countryside is. Some people went to sleep, others chatted and drank coffee and took pictures as we took our 2.5 hour trip. We passed farmland and farmers, orange groves and olive trees and stunning blue skies. We went directly from the train station to the citadel before heading to the new mall that opened at 11:30am. Most of the girls stayed at the cafe facing the citadel while Hazar, May and I went to see the Citadel. Hazar and May paid a 25sp entry fee and I paid 150sp, it doesn't matter if you're married to a Syrian! Ha ha. We had a great time, took some photos and then met the rest of the group for some breakfast. We then did a little shopping in a local handicraft market where there were some beautiful items. The rest of the day was a blur of shopping; then it was 5pm.