In my first week in Addis Ababa, I visited the Itegue Taitu Hotel in Piazza District. It is the first hotel in Ethiopia, built by Ethiopian Emperor Menelek II and named after his queen, Taitu Betul. The emperor and queen spent their honeymoon there together. It was a truly lovely place, old but only increased her charm by the years, peaceful and quiet, the patio fully shaded by a grapevine canopy. It was an oasis removed from this faceless city. I felt like stepping into a real world Grand Budapest Hotel.

But maybe beauty is meant to be fleeting. Two weeks later, a fire bursted out from the kitchen and the hotel was burnt.

Yet the building is still standing. I hope that one day in the future, all its former glory will return once again.