The place certainly is befitting its name. As I stepped onto the grounds of the former presidential palace, my eyes were greeted by a stunning and unexpected surprise - grass. Tons of it. And green too. For someone whose trod on nothing but sand and rocks for the last few months, it was a stunning sight to behold. I wanted right then to just rip off my combat boots, run out into the brilliant, inviting green stuff and...frolic. Maybe jump in it and make a grass angel, like a snow angel.
(Here are some of my photos. So many of the green zone's locations are off-limits to photography, but I figured if CNN can do live shots here, I can take a few photos at this spot.)
The green zone has a lively, decisively non-war lifestyle. Civilians in suits walk around along with contractors in T-shirts and jeans. There are Iraqis everywhere - working and even living in the Green Zone. There's a pool, where military and civilians take a dip to cool off of the brutal afternoon sun. The shops are also nicer, and you can get everything from hookah pipes to belly-dancer outfits to leather holsters for your sidearm. They also have a few artists, and for a small fee, they'll do you up a traditional Arabic hunting scene. They could probably put you in it too, like Lawrence of Arabia.
The nightlife is also pretty busy, although I didn't get to experience much of that. They have parties and such at the pool and there used to be something akin to a bar, although I could never verify whether it was shut down to make the Iraqis happy or got hit by a rocket. One of the two, I'm told.
For much of the duration of the insurgency, the Green Zone has been an area of relative peace and calm within Baghdad, although it got hit multiple times in March and April. Things have gotten quiet now, and when I was there, the alarms only sounded once - for a shot that missed.
Among the sights you see in the Green Zone is this strange tree, which has brilliant red flowers growing on it. I noticed this while walking when I nearly stepped on some of these flowers which had fallen from the tree. Then I looked up and was stunned to find that they did in fact bloom right on the tree.
Back in the old days, of course, Saddam Hussein had his image everywhere, such as the above likeness of himself as an Arab warrior (picture from the Internet, not mine). Of course, like Lenin and Humpty Dumpty, Saddam had a great fall, and now his statues lie in an equipment yard, where I found them, facing downward to the earth where he now dwells:
I'm not sure who this guy is, but somebody clearly didn't like him any more than Saddam. They painted his eyes and mouth the color of blood:
Many of Saddam's palaces and government buildings are now in use by the coalition, but others are used by the Iraqis. Some are ruins. This one took a few too many cruise missiles:
Finally, my tour of the Green Zone complete, and with visions of the lovely green grass still floating blissfully in my head, I climbed back aboard the Rhino for the trip back to Camp Victory:
A few of my photos along the way. It's hard to be a tourist and watch for vehicle-borne IEDs at the same time, so these were quick and not particularly aimed:
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