After carrying a Damascus 31 exclusively since July 19th (hey who's counting) it was finally time to put her on the stones. I stropped the knife about once a week, but the edge had finally gotten to the point where it needed its first real sharpening. I am very pleased with just how easy and well it responded to my efforts. I used alumina oxide stones and took it to my normal 600 grit and then a VERY light honing with ceramic before the strop; wow, very quickly back to popping arm hair.
I can definitely feel the difference between Damascus and S35 in terms of sharpening, in my experience so far the Damascus doesn't hold an edge quite as well but it isn't a slouch either.