The potential hum-drum of an evening in Nablus where there are no bars or cafes open beyond a certain time (about 8pm) was interrupted by an unexpected invitation upstairs.Let me explain something of the building I am living in. It is a block of apartments known by name in Nablus, as it tends to house the upper strata of society here. We are fortunate to live here as the neighbours are very relaxed and don't really seem to care too much that a bunch of foreigners, both boys AND girls hang out together. A tolerant and liberal group of neighbours by Nablus standards and wealthy, very wealthy. This perception was not contradicted by what Bonnie and I found when we visited the man whom I had met a few times who owns a large vintage American car and whose distinctive pipe smell eerily haunts the lift. Amr is a ball gown and wedding dress tycoon as it were. His grandfather started out years ago in Nablus as a humble tailor. Now he imports dresses from around the world and ships them off to whoever wants them. This method seems to have worked for him - he owns an entire penthouse suite on the top floor of a well-known apartment block. I shall describe the apartment below.

We were visiting because he had attended a concert and talent-spotted Bonnie, one of the volunteers, as being perfectly suited to modelling the collect…

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