We flew back to Athens early this morning. TJ still isn’t feeling well so he took it easy while I did a little more sightseeing. I checked out the upscale Kolonaki neighborhood that is packed with fancy boutiques, trendy restaurants, swanky cafes, private art galleries, every designer brand name under the sun and Athenian socialites. Needless to say, I didn’t hang out here very long. My intention was to cruise through this area to get to a cable car that would take me up a mountain for nice views of Athens. However, I saw a mountain of stairs to get to the mountain, decided panoramic views are overrated and turned around.
My next destination was the Ancient Agora and I decided to cruise Pandrosou Street on my way there, primarily because I’d seen it on Samantha Brown’s travel show. It is kind of fun to follow in the footsteps of Samantha Brown and Anthony Bourdain! The Agora was Athens’ meeting place in ancient times and was the place where all administrative, political, commercial and social activity took place. Socrates and St Paul both hung out here back in the day. There are a few remaining structures including the Temple of Hephaestus, the Church of the Holy Apostles and the Stoa of Attalos (which is now the Agora museum) and a lot of ruins in the complex.
After checking out the Agora I made my way back to our hotel to see if TJ was feeling well enough to do a little last minute shopping with me. He was! We did a little browsing, had lunch at the Hard Rock Café, then went back and made a purchase or two. We just finished packing and are going to try to go to bed early since I have my alarm set for 2:45am tomorrow morning to get to the airport! Bleh!
It has been a great trip and unfortunately, all good things must come to an end!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Santorini
We flew into Santorini in the afternoon and checked in to our digs for the next few days. We were welcomed to our hotel by friendly owners who offered us a glass of local wine. Our room is cute with water views, lots of character, a kitchenette, dining room table, nice bathroom and has a little exterior sitting space as well. We were hungry after a day of transit so walked into Santorini’s main town, Fira, for dinner. After realizing our hotel was a bit farther from the action than we thought we decided to rent a car for the next couple of days.
We got our car and a road map and set off the next morning. Santorini’s landscape is truly impressive as it is the result of numerous volcanic eruptions. Our first destination was the northernmost town on the Island, Oia, which was adorable!
Next we cruised through the Island’s most happenin’ town, Fira. Then we drove South to Kamari Beach. I knew that we were going to Santorini in the off-season, but I didn’t know that meant the entire island would be hibernating! The entire town set on Kamari beach was boarded up with padlocks on the doors. The whole strip along the beach was closed. It is very bizarre and kind of disappointing to wander through what feels like a ghost town while imagining how cute and lively it is during the busy season.
TJ wasn’t feeling well again and needed some rest so I dropped him off and tucked him in then headed back to explore Fira a bit. Again, it was totally eerie. I stood at the peak of Fira and looked down over the town and didn’t see an inkling of life! There wasn’t a sole in site and not a single shop was open. There were a few restaurants open for business and that was about it! There were a handful of tourists in the town below along with some locals, but the majority of town was boarded up and shut down. It seems the entire island sleeps through the winter.
On our last full day in Santorini we hopped back in our rental car and went cruising. Our first stop was a wine museum and winery. Fun! We drove by several other wineries, drove to one of the highest points on the island, checked out another resort village called Perissa , then headed north back up to Oia to watch the sunset. We parked and walked along the marble path through the picturesque town. Again, I had to imagine what an adorable, bustling little town this must be during the warmer months of the year. This is a village that rents ultra-chic villas for $2,000 a night, sells gold and Versace and is arguably the best place in the world to watch the sunset.
It was peaceful and quiet to meander along the street while admiring the architecture, colorful and white-washed structures carved into the volcanic rock, scenery, views and sunset but I am a little sad to have missed the hustle and bustle of Santorini. I at least wanted to poke my head into the trendy boutiques, jewelry shops and souvenir shops. The most activity we saw was construction work and nine street dogs that seem to enjoy having the town to themselves. I guess that means I’ll have to return someday! On the positive side, it was nice to not have to throw elbows to secure a spot for the sunset, play chicken on the narrow roads with other rental cars, be amongst the hordes of tourists, or be subject to the prices for accommodation and car rentals that will triple in the high season. Santorini is a lovely island and we enjoyed our time here.
We got our car and a road map and set off the next morning. Santorini’s landscape is truly impressive as it is the result of numerous volcanic eruptions. Our first destination was the northernmost town on the Island, Oia, which was adorable!
Next we cruised through the Island’s most happenin’ town, Fira. Then we drove South to Kamari Beach. I knew that we were going to Santorini in the off-season, but I didn’t know that meant the entire island would be hibernating! The entire town set on Kamari beach was boarded up with padlocks on the doors. The whole strip along the beach was closed. It is very bizarre and kind of disappointing to wander through what feels like a ghost town while imagining how cute and lively it is during the busy season.
TJ wasn’t feeling well again and needed some rest so I dropped him off and tucked him in then headed back to explore Fira a bit. Again, it was totally eerie. I stood at the peak of Fira and looked down over the town and didn’t see an inkling of life! There wasn’t a sole in site and not a single shop was open. There were a few restaurants open for business and that was about it! There were a handful of tourists in the town below along with some locals, but the majority of town was boarded up and shut down. It seems the entire island sleeps through the winter.
On our last full day in Santorini we hopped back in our rental car and went cruising. Our first stop was a wine museum and winery. Fun! We drove by several other wineries, drove to one of the highest points on the island, checked out another resort village called Perissa , then headed north back up to Oia to watch the sunset. We parked and walked along the marble path through the picturesque town. Again, I had to imagine what an adorable, bustling little town this must be during the warmer months of the year. This is a village that rents ultra-chic villas for $2,000 a night, sells gold and Versace and is arguably the best place in the world to watch the sunset.
It was peaceful and quiet to meander along the street while admiring the architecture, colorful and white-washed structures carved into the volcanic rock, scenery, views and sunset but I am a little sad to have missed the hustle and bustle of Santorini. I at least wanted to poke my head into the trendy boutiques, jewelry shops and souvenir shops. The most activity we saw was construction work and nine street dogs that seem to enjoy having the town to themselves. I guess that means I’ll have to return someday! On the positive side, it was nice to not have to throw elbows to secure a spot for the sunset, play chicken on the narrow roads with other rental cars, be amongst the hordes of tourists, or be subject to the prices for accommodation and car rentals that will triple in the high season. Santorini is a lovely island and we enjoyed our time here.
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is the second biggest city in Greece and is said to be the cultural capital. We spent the day seeing Thessaloniki’s sites including the White Tower, the Palace ruins and the remains of the castle, walking along the waterfront tasting the local food and beverages – including Starbucks. TJ sure likes his Starbucks. A dark cherry mocha was a nice addition to his day.
What I found most interesting about Thessaloniki is that it has an amazing blend of old and new. We’d see churches built as early as the 4th century completely surrounded by colorful, modern apartment buildings. This city has so many layers and more are currently being uncovered!
We left bright and early the next morning for the airport to fly to Athens and then to Santorini!
What I found most interesting about Thessaloniki is that it has an amazing blend of old and new. We’d see churches built as early as the 4th century completely surrounded by colorful, modern apartment buildings. This city has so many layers and more are currently being uncovered!
We left bright and early the next morning for the airport to fly to Athens and then to Santorini!
Meteora
Later that afternoon we took four different buses to get to Kalambaka, a base to see another World Heritage site, Meteora. We arrived late in the evening and found our hotel. It was kind of eerie because the lobby had a wood fire burning and lights on, but we couldn’t find anyone working there. I poked around the hotel (1 floor with 8-10 rooms) and learned that we were the only guests there! Uhm, creepie? We thought about picking a room and taking a key or going to find another hotel, except it was late and that would have been a pain. While we were contemplating, TJ found a door bell and rang it and out appeared a friendly fellow wearing a “where’s waldo?” sweater. We picked our room then headed to a tavern on the corner for dinner.
The little tavern was cute with a friendly waiter and a wood-burning stove. Here we had the best meal we’ve had in Greece! I was tempted to stay in Meteora another night just to eat at that place again! We had Greek salad, spicy sausage, pork souvlaki (kind of like a kabob), home-made red wine served in a tin pitcher – all classic Greek food but for some reason extra delicious at this establishment!
The following morning we set out to see the monasteries carved into the tops of massive rocks protruding from the town of Meteora. We took a taxi through the town of Kastraki up to Moni Megalou Meterou (Grand Meteora Monastery), which is built on the highest rock in the valley. Accessing the monasteries was not easy! The earliest monasteries used to be reached by climbing removable ladders. Later hoists were introduced and monks were hauled up in nets. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that stairs were carved into the rock and brick access roads were laid. Thankfully this was the route we used to access the monasteries!
We walked from on monastery to the next until we’d seen them all. We’d talked to our hotel manager that morning about our route for the day. He recommended taking a taxi to the first monastery, walking to the others and then taking a foot path back to our town, Kalambaka. We stopped in at the tourist office in town and the lady there gave us a map and confirmed that we should take the foot path back to town. So, we took their advice and enjoyed our monastery tour. After we saw the last monastery we headed down the foot path to Kalambaka. We trekked a little ways down the path until we realized how dangerous it was! I am confident that our hotel manager and the lady at the tourist office have not taken this path! The steep rocks were covered with moss and were very slippery. TJ started slipping down a rock and we realized that a terribly dangerous route so we climbed back to the top and discussed our next strategy. It was a long, cold walk on the road back to town and there weren’t any taxis or buses from where we were, so I decided hitching was our best bet. I put my thumb out and sure enough the first car to drive by picked us up!
There were two Greeks, probably about our age, and their Malaysian friend in the car. They were headed to the first monastery, then back down to town. We climbed into their car and figured we’d either catch a taxi at the first monastery or wait for them to finish their visit and go back to town together. We not-so-patiently waited in the freezing cold for over an hour while they toured the monastery. We didn’t see a single taxi or have any other way to get back to town so we waited. We met another couple from the U.S. at the monastery who were in the same predicament as us. They had the phone number for a taxi company but all of the phones were broken! They started walking back to town and we felt lucky to have new Greek friends with a car!
We got our lift back to town, picked-up our backpacks and dashed to the bus station as we were minutes from missing our bus. TJ’s good deed for the day was paying for a taxi to go up and get the couple we just met. He knew that if it was us walking down in the freezing cold we’d sure appreciate a ride! His good deed worked! As we were on our bus leaving Kalambaka for Thessaloniki we saw the couple back in town. It was a good thing TJ did something good to counter-balance all of the naughty things he does! I think he forgets that some Greeks speak English so when people who have body odor walk by and TJ shouts “Speedstick” they just might understand!
We arrived in Thessaloniki in the evening. We were hungry after a day of hiking, hitching and travelling! We had dinner at another taverna on the corner then called it a night.
The little tavern was cute with a friendly waiter and a wood-burning stove. Here we had the best meal we’ve had in Greece! I was tempted to stay in Meteora another night just to eat at that place again! We had Greek salad, spicy sausage, pork souvlaki (kind of like a kabob), home-made red wine served in a tin pitcher – all classic Greek food but for some reason extra delicious at this establishment!
The following morning we set out to see the monasteries carved into the tops of massive rocks protruding from the town of Meteora. We took a taxi through the town of Kastraki up to Moni Megalou Meterou (Grand Meteora Monastery), which is built on the highest rock in the valley. Accessing the monasteries was not easy! The earliest monasteries used to be reached by climbing removable ladders. Later hoists were introduced and monks were hauled up in nets. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that stairs were carved into the rock and brick access roads were laid. Thankfully this was the route we used to access the monasteries!
We walked from on monastery to the next until we’d seen them all. We’d talked to our hotel manager that morning about our route for the day. He recommended taking a taxi to the first monastery, walking to the others and then taking a foot path back to our town, Kalambaka. We stopped in at the tourist office in town and the lady there gave us a map and confirmed that we should take the foot path back to town. So, we took their advice and enjoyed our monastery tour. After we saw the last monastery we headed down the foot path to Kalambaka. We trekked a little ways down the path until we realized how dangerous it was! I am confident that our hotel manager and the lady at the tourist office have not taken this path! The steep rocks were covered with moss and were very slippery. TJ started slipping down a rock and we realized that a terribly dangerous route so we climbed back to the top and discussed our next strategy. It was a long, cold walk on the road back to town and there weren’t any taxis or buses from where we were, so I decided hitching was our best bet. I put my thumb out and sure enough the first car to drive by picked us up!
There were two Greeks, probably about our age, and their Malaysian friend in the car. They were headed to the first monastery, then back down to town. We climbed into their car and figured we’d either catch a taxi at the first monastery or wait for them to finish their visit and go back to town together. We not-so-patiently waited in the freezing cold for over an hour while they toured the monastery. We didn’t see a single taxi or have any other way to get back to town so we waited. We met another couple from the U.S. at the monastery who were in the same predicament as us. They had the phone number for a taxi company but all of the phones were broken! They started walking back to town and we felt lucky to have new Greek friends with a car!
We got our lift back to town, picked-up our backpacks and dashed to the bus station as we were minutes from missing our bus. TJ’s good deed for the day was paying for a taxi to go up and get the couple we just met. He knew that if it was us walking down in the freezing cold we’d sure appreciate a ride! His good deed worked! As we were on our bus leaving Kalambaka for Thessaloniki we saw the couple back in town. It was a good thing TJ did something good to counter-balance all of the naughty things he does! I think he forgets that some Greeks speak English so when people who have body odor walk by and TJ shouts “Speedstick” they just might understand!
We arrived in Thessaloniki in the evening. We were hungry after a day of hiking, hitching and travelling! We had dinner at another taverna on the corner then called it a night.
Delphi
The following morning we caught a bus to Delphi. We arrived at 2pm and it turned out that the historic sites closed at 3pm, so we had to wait until the next day to see them. Delphi to me felt similar to our Leavenworth, except it was a holiday so all of the shops were closed.
Let me side track for a minute. TJ and I are having amazingly bad luck with things being closed or unavailable. We’ll go to a restaurant that has “breakfast” on the menu and when we order it the response is, “not today.” I cannot tell you how many items we’ve tried to order that have been unavailable. We ordered crepes but the reply was “we have crepes after 7pm.” The entire town of Delphi was closed because of a holiday. We aren’t sure why the Temple of Olympian Zeus was closed early in the afternoon on a weekday. We aren’t sure why shops that have a sticker in the window saying “internet” don’t have internet. Baffling!
Anyway, In the 6th – 4th centuries BC, Dephi was home to oracles, which were believed to speak for Apollo. The Delphic oracles were the most powerful in Greece. When the oracle was consulted for divine advice, she inhaled fumes, entered a trance, and then mumbled something that was interpreted/translated by a priest. Maybe the oracles were innately intelligent divine beings, or perhaps they’d inhaled too much sulfur, which radiated from the cavern’s walls?
We didn’t see any oracles while we were in Delphi, but we did see Ancient Delphi. The ruins of this World Heritage site are nestled on the side of Mt Parnassos and overlook the Gulf of Corinth. We enjoyed hiking around and checking out Ancient Delphi. Our favorite sites were the Temple Apollo, the theater and the stadium.
Let me side track for a minute. TJ and I are having amazingly bad luck with things being closed or unavailable. We’ll go to a restaurant that has “breakfast” on the menu and when we order it the response is, “not today.” I cannot tell you how many items we’ve tried to order that have been unavailable. We ordered crepes but the reply was “we have crepes after 7pm.” The entire town of Delphi was closed because of a holiday. We aren’t sure why the Temple of Olympian Zeus was closed early in the afternoon on a weekday. We aren’t sure why shops that have a sticker in the window saying “internet” don’t have internet. Baffling!
Anyway, In the 6th – 4th centuries BC, Dephi was home to oracles, which were believed to speak for Apollo. The Delphic oracles were the most powerful in Greece. When the oracle was consulted for divine advice, she inhaled fumes, entered a trance, and then mumbled something that was interpreted/translated by a priest. Maybe the oracles were innately intelligent divine beings, or perhaps they’d inhaled too much sulfur, which radiated from the cavern’s walls?
We didn’t see any oracles while we were in Delphi, but we did see Ancient Delphi. The ruins of this World Heritage site are nestled on the side of Mt Parnassos and overlook the Gulf of Corinth. We enjoyed hiking around and checking out Ancient Delphi. Our favorite sites were the Temple Apollo, the theater and the stadium.
Athens
Ahhhhh, Athens! We arrived in Athens in the morning and took a bus to our hotel, which is ideally situated on a quaint pedestrian only street lined with taverns, shops and cafes. Our room was definitely on the smaller side, but we didn’t mind because it was cute and clean and had a perfect location right in the heart of Plaka.
We spent our first day wandering around the different neighborhoods in downtown Athens, each of which is unique and full of character. Our neighborhood is the old Turkish quarter and is said to be the most attractive and atmospheric part of Athens. I agree! It is very cute! We had a nice meal at the Plaka Taverna and were pleased with how prices in Greece compare with Israel. At the Plaka Taverna we ate a three course meal including vegetable soup, bread, spaghetti for me and chicken for TJ, dessert, wine, soda and water for the same price two meals at McDonalds cost in Jerusalem. Food and prices are much better in Athens!
We checked out Monastiraki, the market district, which was full of shops and street vendors who all seemed to be selling jewelry and handbags. It seemed that everywhere we looked there were adorable little cafes and taverns with sleek furniture, romantic lighting schemes and good cuisine! We were pretty disappointed with the food in the Middle East so we are in hog heaven in Greece! The Thisio neighborhood, situated at the base of the Acropolis is super swanky and is full of Greeks and tourists lounging and having a drink or a bite to eat.
On our second day in Athens our first stop was the Acropolis to see the famed Parthenon! The Acropolis is a city of temples, with the Parthenon being the most well-known and impressive. It was originally dedicated to the goddess Athena but was later declared to be the province of the gods. The Parthenon was built in 438 BC on the highest part of the Acropolis and “epitomizes the glory of ancient Greece.” The Parthenon is made of marble and is the largest Doric temple built in Greece. It was built to house the gold-plated statue of Athena and to serve as a treasury. Despite being enclosed by scaffolding, the Parthenon was a very impressive site as were the panoramic views it provided over Athens.
We had lunch at the Hard Rock café where we ate familiar food and learned how badly the recent riots in Athens have affected businesses. Apparently, patrons at The Hard Rock have decreased by 80% and the restaurant hosted just 6 tables of guests on New Year’s Eve. The buildings in the area surrounding Syntagma Square (where the riots were concentrated) are charred from fires and have other battle wounds.
We visited Syntagma Square after lunch where we saw Greece’s Parliament, which was formerly the Royal Palace. In front of the Parliament building is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded by the presidential guards. We enjoyed watching the guards in their attire of shorts kilts, tights and shoes with pom-poms do an interesting changing of the guard routine. TJ wonders what they did to screw up and be assigned to that crappy post.
In the afternoon we visited the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The temple took more than 700 years to build due to insufficient funds. Only 15 of the 104 original columns remain. The temple complex closed 15 minutes before we got there so we admired the temple from its periphery.
TJ was still feeling under the weather so he took an afternoon siesta while I checked out the shops! I didn’t see anything I wanted to buy or even look at in the Middle East, but Greece is a different story! I spent a couple of hours poking my head in different shops until it started raining and everyone shut their doors and went home! We are headed back to Athens for a day before we fly home and I am hoping it isn’t raining so I can purchase a thing or two!
We spent our first day wandering around the different neighborhoods in downtown Athens, each of which is unique and full of character. Our neighborhood is the old Turkish quarter and is said to be the most attractive and atmospheric part of Athens. I agree! It is very cute! We had a nice meal at the Plaka Taverna and were pleased with how prices in Greece compare with Israel. At the Plaka Taverna we ate a three course meal including vegetable soup, bread, spaghetti for me and chicken for TJ, dessert, wine, soda and water for the same price two meals at McDonalds cost in Jerusalem. Food and prices are much better in Athens!
We checked out Monastiraki, the market district, which was full of shops and street vendors who all seemed to be selling jewelry and handbags. It seemed that everywhere we looked there were adorable little cafes and taverns with sleek furniture, romantic lighting schemes and good cuisine! We were pretty disappointed with the food in the Middle East so we are in hog heaven in Greece! The Thisio neighborhood, situated at the base of the Acropolis is super swanky and is full of Greeks and tourists lounging and having a drink or a bite to eat.
On our second day in Athens our first stop was the Acropolis to see the famed Parthenon! The Acropolis is a city of temples, with the Parthenon being the most well-known and impressive. It was originally dedicated to the goddess Athena but was later declared to be the province of the gods. The Parthenon was built in 438 BC on the highest part of the Acropolis and “epitomizes the glory of ancient Greece.” The Parthenon is made of marble and is the largest Doric temple built in Greece. It was built to house the gold-plated statue of Athena and to serve as a treasury. Despite being enclosed by scaffolding, the Parthenon was a very impressive site as were the panoramic views it provided over Athens.
We had lunch at the Hard Rock café where we ate familiar food and learned how badly the recent riots in Athens have affected businesses. Apparently, patrons at The Hard Rock have decreased by 80% and the restaurant hosted just 6 tables of guests on New Year’s Eve. The buildings in the area surrounding Syntagma Square (where the riots were concentrated) are charred from fires and have other battle wounds.
We visited Syntagma Square after lunch where we saw Greece’s Parliament, which was formerly the Royal Palace. In front of the Parliament building is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded by the presidential guards. We enjoyed watching the guards in their attire of shorts kilts, tights and shoes with pom-poms do an interesting changing of the guard routine. TJ wonders what they did to screw up and be assigned to that crappy post.
In the afternoon we visited the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The temple took more than 700 years to build due to insufficient funds. Only 15 of the 104 original columns remain. The temple complex closed 15 minutes before we got there so we admired the temple from its periphery.
TJ was still feeling under the weather so he took an afternoon siesta while I checked out the shops! I didn’t see anything I wanted to buy or even look at in the Middle East, but Greece is a different story! I spent a couple of hours poking my head in different shops until it started raining and everyone shut their doors and went home! We are headed back to Athens for a day before we fly home and I am hoping it isn’t raining so I can purchase a thing or two!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Tel Aviv
I don’t have a whole lot to say about Tel Aviv other than I think it is a pretty nice city. Tel Aviv has everything we needed and more and the beaches were lovely. We were in Tel Aviv during Shabat so the city was fairly quiet. We spent a little bit of time exploring, but quite honestly we spent most of our time at the beach and in a pub, perhaps logging more time at the pub…
The only bummer about Tel Aviv was our hostel, which looked really cute on the website. To sum it up, it was not cute, at all. Is plywood really an acceptable replacement for a glass window? Is it ok for a room to not have a heat source in the middle of winter? When I complained to the guy working there that our room is freezing and asked if there is a warmer room he replied that I should rely on my husband for body heat. Uhhh... Oh and is it normal to blast “Sweet Home Alabama” at 2am?
While there were a handful of soldiers on every corner in Jerusalem we didn’t see any military presence in Tel Aviv. The city seemed very far removed from the situation in Israel until it hit the media that Hamas has new missile launching capabilities with ranges that can now reach Tel Aviv. That was a little disconcerting to learn, but fortunately we did not see any missiles during our stay in Tel Aviv.
This morning hopped in a taxi at 2:30am and headed to the airport. Overall, despite our sicknesses and injuries and difficulties, we’ve enjoyed our time in the Middle East, but are excited to head to Europe. Athens here we come!
The only bummer about Tel Aviv was our hostel, which looked really cute on the website. To sum it up, it was not cute, at all. Is plywood really an acceptable replacement for a glass window? Is it ok for a room to not have a heat source in the middle of winter? When I complained to the guy working there that our room is freezing and asked if there is a warmer room he replied that I should rely on my husband for body heat. Uhhh... Oh and is it normal to blast “Sweet Home Alabama” at 2am?
While there were a handful of soldiers on every corner in Jerusalem we didn’t see any military presence in Tel Aviv. The city seemed very far removed from the situation in Israel until it hit the media that Hamas has new missile launching capabilities with ranges that can now reach Tel Aviv. That was a little disconcerting to learn, but fortunately we did not see any missiles during our stay in Tel Aviv.
This morning hopped in a taxi at 2:30am and headed to the airport. Overall, despite our sicknesses and injuries and difficulties, we’ve enjoyed our time in the Middle East, but are excited to head to Europe. Athens here we come!
Haifa
The following day we set off to catch a bus to Haifa. We had a little hold up when a security officer found a knife in TJ’s backpack. TJ always carries a pocket knife at home and didn’t think anything of it on our trip. Little did he know that carrying a knife into a bus station warrants a trip to the Police Department in Israel. Thankfully the officer believed TJ when he said he didn’t know knives were forbidden in bus stations and was satisfied when TJ said he didn’t want the knife anymore. Geez, doesn’t it seem like one thing after another on this trip?
We spent New Year’s in Haifa at an Irish Pub called Bear. We had Guinness and the best dinner we’d had in a while - Caesar salad, crab bisque and prawns. It was a nice way to bring in the New Year!
We spent New Year’s in Haifa at an Irish Pub called Bear. We had Guinness and the best dinner we’d had in a while - Caesar salad, crab bisque and prawns. It was a nice way to bring in the New Year!
Jerusalem (continued again)
Sadly, TJ was still in bad condition on our next day in Jerusalem so he rested while I explored. I started my day with a city tour on a double-decker bus. I know, it sounds kind of cheesy, but it was an easy option that I was primarily interested in so I could get a better orientation of city and see some of the highlights on the outskirts of town. The tour was fine, although it was cut a bit short as the bus had to re-route and skip some attractions due to security concerns.
I made my way back to our room to check on TJ. He still felt terrible so he stayed put while I headed back out. I spent the afternoon and evening checking out the New City. The New City doesn’t have “attractions” so to speak but it is a nice area to wander around. It is an area where couples stroll, families dine and all sorts of people congregate at all hours of the day and night as is full of restaurants, bars and shops.
The following day TJ felt a little bit better! The two of us headed back to the Old City to catch a bus to the Israel Museum. It turned out the museum didn’t open until 4pm that day. We have learned that tourist sites in Israel seem to hold rather unusual and frustrating schedules! We revised our itinerary for the day and made the Tower of David Museum our first stop. The museum summed up the history of Jerusalem and offered lovely views over the Old City.
Since the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock is located, was open from 12:30pm – 1:30pm this day we decided to try (my 3rd or 4th attempt) to see it. Instead of making our way across the crowded and hard to navigate city, we opted to take the Ramparts Walk, which is a path along the top of the city wall. Unfortunately, TJ was still too sick for this sort of strenuous activity so he headed back to our room to take it easy. I was on a mission to see the Dome of the Rock so I kept trekkin’. Little did I know I’d come across boys who threw stones at me! The boys they didn’t actually throw stones – they threw what looked liked Red Bull cans that I think they’d filled with pebbles. I felt like George Bush having to dodge objects being launched at me. No, I didn’t get hit but yes, it was kind of scary!
I finally made it to the Temple Mount and actually got in this time! The Temple Mount has monumental significance to Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is said that the foundation stone of the world has been identified in the Temple Mount. Furthermore, it is believed that God gathered the earth that was used to form Adam in the Temple Mount. This is also where the prophet Mohammed is believed by Muslims to have ascended to heaven where he joined Allah resulting in the Temple Mount being Islam’s third holiest place, after Mecca and Medina. 5000 people can be found praying at a time inside of Al-Aqsa Mosque inside of the Temple Mount.
The highlight for me was seeing the Dome of the Rock. I was really excited to see the Dome and it was a very impressive site. The Dome was built between AD 688 and 691 and continues to sparkle today. I was however a little disappointed to learn that the solid gold covering the dome was melted down long ago to pay off debts and has been replaced anodized aluminum.
After visiting the temple I went back to check on TJ. A little bit of rest did him a lot of good and he was ready to check out the Israel Museum. We took a bus to the museum to learn that main exhibit hall was closed and we’d only be able to see a couple of exhibits! Geez! What do you have to do to see the attractions?
I made my way back to our room to check on TJ. He still felt terrible so he stayed put while I headed back out. I spent the afternoon and evening checking out the New City. The New City doesn’t have “attractions” so to speak but it is a nice area to wander around. It is an area where couples stroll, families dine and all sorts of people congregate at all hours of the day and night as is full of restaurants, bars and shops.
The following day TJ felt a little bit better! The two of us headed back to the Old City to catch a bus to the Israel Museum. It turned out the museum didn’t open until 4pm that day. We have learned that tourist sites in Israel seem to hold rather unusual and frustrating schedules! We revised our itinerary for the day and made the Tower of David Museum our first stop. The museum summed up the history of Jerusalem and offered lovely views over the Old City.
Since the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock is located, was open from 12:30pm – 1:30pm this day we decided to try (my 3rd or 4th attempt) to see it. Instead of making our way across the crowded and hard to navigate city, we opted to take the Ramparts Walk, which is a path along the top of the city wall. Unfortunately, TJ was still too sick for this sort of strenuous activity so he headed back to our room to take it easy. I was on a mission to see the Dome of the Rock so I kept trekkin’. Little did I know I’d come across boys who threw stones at me! The boys they didn’t actually throw stones – they threw what looked liked Red Bull cans that I think they’d filled with pebbles. I felt like George Bush having to dodge objects being launched at me. No, I didn’t get hit but yes, it was kind of scary!
I finally made it to the Temple Mount and actually got in this time! The Temple Mount has monumental significance to Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is said that the foundation stone of the world has been identified in the Temple Mount. Furthermore, it is believed that God gathered the earth that was used to form Adam in the Temple Mount. This is also where the prophet Mohammed is believed by Muslims to have ascended to heaven where he joined Allah resulting in the Temple Mount being Islam’s third holiest place, after Mecca and Medina. 5000 people can be found praying at a time inside of Al-Aqsa Mosque inside of the Temple Mount.
The highlight for me was seeing the Dome of the Rock. I was really excited to see the Dome and it was a very impressive site. The Dome was built between AD 688 and 691 and continues to sparkle today. I was however a little disappointed to learn that the solid gold covering the dome was melted down long ago to pay off debts and has been replaced anodized aluminum.
After visiting the temple I went back to check on TJ. A little bit of rest did him a lot of good and he was ready to check out the Israel Museum. We took a bus to the museum to learn that main exhibit hall was closed and we’d only be able to see a couple of exhibits! Geez! What do you have to do to see the attractions?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Jerusalem (continued)
Today TJ is even worse and if he isn’t any better tomorrow we might be making a trip to the doctor. While TJ spent the day resting and trying to recover, I went site seeing.
I was very discouraged this morning as I walked a long way without getting anywhere. This city is seriously very difficult to navigate! I wandered around for several hours then went back to check on TJ to see if he was feeling any better. He wasn’t so I headed out again, this time determined to see something! I actually had a very productive afternoon. I entered the Old City and actually found my way to the Temple Mount, only to learn that it was closed again and no one was sure when it would open again. I then walked the Via Doloroso – the route that Jesus is believed to have taken as he carried his cross to the Calvary. After that I hiked up the Mount of Olives, which according to the Book of Zechariah, is where God will start to redeem the dead when the Messiah returns on the Day of Judgement. 150,000 people are hoping to be good candidates for redemption by being buried on this mountain! While the climb was a bit ambitious for my knee and was more cardio than I was interested in, it did provide nice views of the Old City, the Church of All Nations and the Russian Orthodox Church with the shiny golden domes.
From the Mount of Olives I made my way to the City of David. This city is the oldest part of Jerusalem and was the Canaanite settlement captured by King David 3000 years ago. Checking out the City of David was probably worth an hour or so on the stair master so by this point my angry knee was throbbing. I wanted to see and appreciate the Via Doloroso again so I re-visited this famous path on my way back to the New City.
Today was a very strange day to be in the Old City. Due to the recent events in Gaza between Israeli troops and the Palestinians, the Old City was shut down but hundreds of soldiers and police officers were stationed inside and on the perimeter of the city. All of the restaurants and shops were closed, which created an eerie, unnatural calm in the Old City. Only tourists and residents were permitted to wander around and while it kind of nice to avoid the masses, it was a bit creepy to walk through a vacated city. I think (and it is very likely that I am wrong) that the government required the businesses to close because the soldiers could keep an eye on the trickle of tourists, but it would be impossible for them to monitor the activities of the swarms of locals who flood the Old City on a daily basis. I asked one soldier why they stationed so many troops around the Old City and his response was, “If someone wants to make a point, they will make it in Jerusalem.”
I made my way back to my room to check on TJ. His condition hadn’t improved at all and may have even deteriorated. Hopefully he is better tomorrow or else I may try to get him to a doctor. I left again to pick up laundry, buy TJ some fruit and find dinner for me. I was still a bit sketched out from the Old City and found it perplexing that there was some sort of a bar mitzvah celebration taking place in the square outside of our hotel. While the Old City was vacant with an influx of soldiers, people were singing and dancing in the streets in the New City. I began to wonder if I was the only one watching the news? It is hard for me to understand how people can be singing and dancing when missiles are being launched in their small country. Gaza is located 48 miles from Jerusalem. Unfortunately the recent events are not anything new or surprising to Israeli’s. The people here are so familiar with political turmoil and war that, according to my Israeli friend they have adopted the motto, “Life goes on.”
I was very discouraged this morning as I walked a long way without getting anywhere. This city is seriously very difficult to navigate! I wandered around for several hours then went back to check on TJ to see if he was feeling any better. He wasn’t so I headed out again, this time determined to see something! I actually had a very productive afternoon. I entered the Old City and actually found my way to the Temple Mount, only to learn that it was closed again and no one was sure when it would open again. I then walked the Via Doloroso – the route that Jesus is believed to have taken as he carried his cross to the Calvary. After that I hiked up the Mount of Olives, which according to the Book of Zechariah, is where God will start to redeem the dead when the Messiah returns on the Day of Judgement. 150,000 people are hoping to be good candidates for redemption by being buried on this mountain! While the climb was a bit ambitious for my knee and was more cardio than I was interested in, it did provide nice views of the Old City, the Church of All Nations and the Russian Orthodox Church with the shiny golden domes.
From the Mount of Olives I made my way to the City of David. This city is the oldest part of Jerusalem and was the Canaanite settlement captured by King David 3000 years ago. Checking out the City of David was probably worth an hour or so on the stair master so by this point my angry knee was throbbing. I wanted to see and appreciate the Via Doloroso again so I re-visited this famous path on my way back to the New City.
Today was a very strange day to be in the Old City. Due to the recent events in Gaza between Israeli troops and the Palestinians, the Old City was shut down but hundreds of soldiers and police officers were stationed inside and on the perimeter of the city. All of the restaurants and shops were closed, which created an eerie, unnatural calm in the Old City. Only tourists and residents were permitted to wander around and while it kind of nice to avoid the masses, it was a bit creepy to walk through a vacated city. I think (and it is very likely that I am wrong) that the government required the businesses to close because the soldiers could keep an eye on the trickle of tourists, but it would be impossible for them to monitor the activities of the swarms of locals who flood the Old City on a daily basis. I asked one soldier why they stationed so many troops around the Old City and his response was, “If someone wants to make a point, they will make it in Jerusalem.”
I made my way back to my room to check on TJ. His condition hadn’t improved at all and may have even deteriorated. Hopefully he is better tomorrow or else I may try to get him to a doctor. I left again to pick up laundry, buy TJ some fruit and find dinner for me. I was still a bit sketched out from the Old City and found it perplexing that there was some sort of a bar mitzvah celebration taking place in the square outside of our hotel. While the Old City was vacant with an influx of soldiers, people were singing and dancing in the streets in the New City. I began to wonder if I was the only one watching the news? It is hard for me to understand how people can be singing and dancing when missiles are being launched in their small country. Gaza is located 48 miles from Jerusalem. Unfortunately the recent events are not anything new or surprising to Israeli’s. The people here are so familiar with political turmoil and war that, according to my Israeli friend they have adopted the motto, “Life goes on.”
Jerusalem, Israel
We arrived in Jerusalem on Friday evening, which was the beginning of Shabat (Sabbath). Shabat starts at dusk on Friday evening and ends at dusk on Saturday evening. The origin of Shabat is the book of Genesis, which said that God created the world in six days and on the seventh he rested. The fourth of the ten commandments says, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. On it you shall do no work" As a result, Jewish people worship, study and spend time with their families during Shabat. They do not work, go to school, study, do chores, cook, shop or do anything that would interfere with their obligation to obey the fourth commandment.
There is a long list of things that it is forbidden for Jews to do during the Sabbath. Jewish people who keep the Sabbath faithfully will not go to work or to school, do any housework or homework, use public transport, cook any food (all food for the Sabbath will be prepared before sunset on Friday) and will not go shopping. The Sabbath will be seen as a time to worship, study and enjoy time with family. I wish I’d known more about Shabat before we arrived in Jerusalem during this period!
We didn’t know that we’d arrive in Jerusalem at a time where public transportation wasn’t running and shops and restaurants were all closed. Thankfully we’d called our hostel in advance and gotten the access code as the reception desk was closed for the next 24 hours. We didn’t realize that we’d have to wander the streets searching for water and something to eat. After roaming the streets for awhile we came across a little market where we bought water, bread, turkey, cheese and yogurt for dinner then called it an early night.
The next day we headed for the Old City, which is jam packed full of historical sites, shops, cafes, residences and more. The Old City is a fascinating place. I’d expect even the best navigators would find themselves turned around in the convoluted maze of streets and alleys. We’d think we’re on the right track to a destination and then would wind up exactly where we started. I didn’t mind being lost though. Every turn had something interesting and unique to offer.
We entered the city at the New Gate and wound our way through the Christian Quarter to the Citadel (Tower of David). The Citadel was Herod the Great’s palace in the 1st-century and then changed hands several times in with future occupants including Muslim Armies and the Crusaders. Unfortunately, my tumble down the Citadel stairs in Aleppo is still fresh in my mind, so we admired the Citadel from a safe distance then sought out the Temple Mount, which is home to the Dome of the Rock.
The Temple Mount has too much history for me to even begin to explain, so I recommend you Google it. While we were en-route to the Temple Mount, we inadvertently wandered across the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This Church is claimed to be the holiest Christian site in the Old City as it is believed to be the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross, died and rose from the dead. This Church had an unexpected captivating and enchanting effect on me. The Church itself was rather simple on the exterior and stunning on the interior. The intricate mosaics that adorned the walls were especially impressive. The Church was filled with extremely passionate people who shed tears, said prayers and stood in awe as they considered what happened to Jesus at that very site.
We exited the Church and set off again to find the Temple Mount. This time we stumbled across the Western Wall en-route. The Wall was built 2000 years or so ago as a retaining wall to support the Temple Mount, but over time it has become a religious shrine for Jewish people. Today the courtyard attached to the wall serves as an open-air synagogue with segregated areas for men and women. Again, it is a long story so you can Google it.
After seeing the Western Wall we finally found our way to the Temple Mount. We got very close until we were turned away by soldiers as the site was closed for Shabat.
TJ was feeling really crappy again so we found our way out of the Old City and headed to the New City where we are staying. Everything was still closed at this point. It is very strange to be in a city that feels like a ghost town because everything is closed.
There is a long list of things that it is forbidden for Jews to do during the Sabbath. Jewish people who keep the Sabbath faithfully will not go to work or to school, do any housework or homework, use public transport, cook any food (all food for the Sabbath will be prepared before sunset on Friday) and will not go shopping. The Sabbath will be seen as a time to worship, study and enjoy time with family. I wish I’d known more about Shabat before we arrived in Jerusalem during this period!
We didn’t know that we’d arrive in Jerusalem at a time where public transportation wasn’t running and shops and restaurants were all closed. Thankfully we’d called our hostel in advance and gotten the access code as the reception desk was closed for the next 24 hours. We didn’t realize that we’d have to wander the streets searching for water and something to eat. After roaming the streets for awhile we came across a little market where we bought water, bread, turkey, cheese and yogurt for dinner then called it an early night.
The next day we headed for the Old City, which is jam packed full of historical sites, shops, cafes, residences and more. The Old City is a fascinating place. I’d expect even the best navigators would find themselves turned around in the convoluted maze of streets and alleys. We’d think we’re on the right track to a destination and then would wind up exactly where we started. I didn’t mind being lost though. Every turn had something interesting and unique to offer.
We entered the city at the New Gate and wound our way through the Christian Quarter to the Citadel (Tower of David). The Citadel was Herod the Great’s palace in the 1st-century and then changed hands several times in with future occupants including Muslim Armies and the Crusaders. Unfortunately, my tumble down the Citadel stairs in Aleppo is still fresh in my mind, so we admired the Citadel from a safe distance then sought out the Temple Mount, which is home to the Dome of the Rock.
The Temple Mount has too much history for me to even begin to explain, so I recommend you Google it. While we were en-route to the Temple Mount, we inadvertently wandered across the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This Church is claimed to be the holiest Christian site in the Old City as it is believed to be the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross, died and rose from the dead. This Church had an unexpected captivating and enchanting effect on me. The Church itself was rather simple on the exterior and stunning on the interior. The intricate mosaics that adorned the walls were especially impressive. The Church was filled with extremely passionate people who shed tears, said prayers and stood in awe as they considered what happened to Jesus at that very site.
We exited the Church and set off again to find the Temple Mount. This time we stumbled across the Western Wall en-route. The Wall was built 2000 years or so ago as a retaining wall to support the Temple Mount, but over time it has become a religious shrine for Jewish people. Today the courtyard attached to the wall serves as an open-air synagogue with segregated areas for men and women. Again, it is a long story so you can Google it.
After seeing the Western Wall we finally found our way to the Temple Mount. We got very close until we were turned away by soldiers as the site was closed for Shabat.
TJ was feeling really crappy again so we found our way out of the Old City and headed to the New City where we are staying. Everything was still closed at this point. It is very strange to be in a city that feels like a ghost town because everything is closed.
Aqaba - Eilat
The following morning we set off to cross the border into Israel. We heard it took about an hour to take a taxi to the border, walk across, go through the checkpoints, then take another taxi to the bus station in Eilat. There was a 10am bus in Eilat we wanted to catch so we set off for the border around 8:30. We were lucky that there weren’t any lines! We exited Jordan quickly and thought we’d get into Israel in a timely fashion as well. We were wrong.
It took a little while for the Israeli guards to take out and inspect each individual item in our backpacks. We thought that would be the most time consuming process until we got to passport control, where our passports were taken from us.TJ and I were interviewed separately and then we were put in a holding room. We watched other Americans breeze through the checkpoint but we were told to sit and wait for up to 3 hours while we were investigated and then someone would let us know if we could enter Israel. I couldn’t imagine that they would reject us and send us back to Jordan, but I guess it was possible. When we asked why we were being detained we were told it was random. We are inclined to believe it is because we’d been in Lebanon and Syria – two countries that are hated by Israel.
We played Nintendo and caught up on magazines before our passports were returned and we received permission to enter. We cruised Eilat then boarded a bus to Jerusalem.
It took a little while for the Israeli guards to take out and inspect each individual item in our backpacks. We thought that would be the most time consuming process until we got to passport control, where our passports were taken from us.TJ and I were interviewed separately and then we were put in a holding room. We watched other Americans breeze through the checkpoint but we were told to sit and wait for up to 3 hours while we were investigated and then someone would let us know if we could enter Israel. I couldn’t imagine that they would reject us and send us back to Jordan, but I guess it was possible. When we asked why we were being detained we were told it was random. We are inclined to believe it is because we’d been in Lebanon and Syria – two countries that are hated by Israel.
We played Nintendo and caught up on magazines before our passports were returned and we received permission to enter. We cruised Eilat then boarded a bus to Jerusalem.
Wadi Rum, Jordan
We left Petra early in the morning and headed to Wadi Rum. I still have not quite formulated an opinion of my stay in Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum offers “extraordinary desert scenery” and was made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. Visiting Wadi Rum provides an opportunity to experience a protected desert area and learn about the Bedouin people and culture. Bedouins are predominately Muslim, desert-dwelling, Arab nomads. What isn’t advertised is that there aren’t very many Bedouins still roaming the desert and that most have traded their tents, camels and nomadic lifestyle for concrete block homes and jeeps. So, I am not sure if I should appreciate my opportunity to learn about this historic nomadic lifestyle or feel duped into an over-glorified camping trip in the desert.
Our desert trip began with tea at our guide’s house. Mohammed, our guide, didn’t end up taking us through the desert as the birth of his 10th child required his attention at home. So, we set off in our rickety 1970’s Landcruiser with an English couple, a gal from Singapore and a girl from Egypt, into the desert to check out the sites. Our 6 hour jeep tour included many stops, although whether or not they were noteworthy is up to debate. Our Landcruiser made me pretty nervous. I kept my fingers crossed that it would start after each time it was turned off and that its fumes wouldn’t silently kill us along the way. Our trip ended at the “Sunset Camp” where we would camp for the night. TJ and I chose our tent then explored the small camp. First on my agenda was checking out the facilities. Let me just sum it up by saying the bathrooms were foul and I knew a 2nd visit could result in me barfing. What absolutely baffled us was a young, French-Canadian couple was volunteering at the camp for two months. Every day they used those facilities, endured the freezing weather and slept in the goat-hair tents. TJ wanted to call their parents to get them on the first Landcruiser out of there. While camping in the desert was a highly unusual way to spend Christmas Eve and an interesting experience, one night was plenty for us!
Watching the sun set over the desert was nice and then we played a few rounds of Rummy before dinner. The dinner festivities began with a “Bedouin” fellow playing music. It turned out this guy had pitched a tent over a nearby cave and called it home. Dinner followed along with more music and a bit of dancing. The sky was impressive with a bright array of stars. We retired to our tent, crawled on our mattresses on the sand and under our blankets in our layers of shirts, jeans, hats, gloves and coats and tried to go to sleep, even though we were in a tent in below freezing temperatures.
We managed to sleep and when we woke up it was Christmas! We had breakfast at the camp, then headed out with our new English friends in their rental car to Aqaba.
Aqaba was pretty nice. It was nicely situated on the Red Sea and had a lot more Western influences than the places we’d been. Trust me, if your options had been mostly limited to Arabic cuisine for a few weeks you might welcome the sight of the golden arches too! Plus, we he had a tradition to keep after dining at Mickie D’s last year with Carrie on Christmas Day in Cairo. Should you ever find yourself in the Middle East on Christmas day you should consider partaking in our tradition:)
Aqaba is popular with Jordanians from the North and Saudi’s. There is currently a ton of construction going on and it looks that Aqaba is heading in the direction of becoming a destination for those who are looking for high-end 5 star resorts. Aqaba offers a beach, waterfront, sunshine and water sports. Diving and snorkeling are major attractions, although a few people I met in Amman said all of the garbage in the water detracted from their experience.
We strolled along the waterfront, checked out the city, then planted at and English Pub for Christmas dinner and a beer or two. While we had a nice time at the Pub, we would have happily traded our meal for some good home cookin.’
Our desert trip began with tea at our guide’s house. Mohammed, our guide, didn’t end up taking us through the desert as the birth of his 10th child required his attention at home. So, we set off in our rickety 1970’s Landcruiser with an English couple, a gal from Singapore and a girl from Egypt, into the desert to check out the sites. Our 6 hour jeep tour included many stops, although whether or not they were noteworthy is up to debate. Our Landcruiser made me pretty nervous. I kept my fingers crossed that it would start after each time it was turned off and that its fumes wouldn’t silently kill us along the way. Our trip ended at the “Sunset Camp” where we would camp for the night. TJ and I chose our tent then explored the small camp. First on my agenda was checking out the facilities. Let me just sum it up by saying the bathrooms were foul and I knew a 2nd visit could result in me barfing. What absolutely baffled us was a young, French-Canadian couple was volunteering at the camp for two months. Every day they used those facilities, endured the freezing weather and slept in the goat-hair tents. TJ wanted to call their parents to get them on the first Landcruiser out of there. While camping in the desert was a highly unusual way to spend Christmas Eve and an interesting experience, one night was plenty for us!
Watching the sun set over the desert was nice and then we played a few rounds of Rummy before dinner. The dinner festivities began with a “Bedouin” fellow playing music. It turned out this guy had pitched a tent over a nearby cave and called it home. Dinner followed along with more music and a bit of dancing. The sky was impressive with a bright array of stars. We retired to our tent, crawled on our mattresses on the sand and under our blankets in our layers of shirts, jeans, hats, gloves and coats and tried to go to sleep, even though we were in a tent in below freezing temperatures.
We managed to sleep and when we woke up it was Christmas! We had breakfast at the camp, then headed out with our new English friends in their rental car to Aqaba.
Aqaba was pretty nice. It was nicely situated on the Red Sea and had a lot more Western influences than the places we’d been. Trust me, if your options had been mostly limited to Arabic cuisine for a few weeks you might welcome the sight of the golden arches too! Plus, we he had a tradition to keep after dining at Mickie D’s last year with Carrie on Christmas Day in Cairo. Should you ever find yourself in the Middle East on Christmas day you should consider partaking in our tradition:)
Aqaba is popular with Jordanians from the North and Saudi’s. There is currently a ton of construction going on and it looks that Aqaba is heading in the direction of becoming a destination for those who are looking for high-end 5 star resorts. Aqaba offers a beach, waterfront, sunshine and water sports. Diving and snorkeling are major attractions, although a few people I met in Amman said all of the garbage in the water detracted from their experience.
We strolled along the waterfront, checked out the city, then planted at and English Pub for Christmas dinner and a beer or two. While we had a nice time at the Pub, we would have happily traded our meal for some good home cookin.’
Petra
Petra was amazing. Petra boasts ruins of an entire city that 30,000 people are believed to have inhabited. When Petra was constructed is up to debate, although the 6th century BC seems to be the most consistent claim. The city was home to residences, a theater, temples, 500 tombs, a church, markets, a monastery and more with the majority of the structures being carved out of the rock face by The Nabataeans – Arabs who dominated the region in pre-Roman times. Many of these structures remain in excellent condition today making Petra a magical place to visit.
The most impressive site in Petra is the Treasury. The Treasury was carved out of the sandstone to serve as a tomb for a Nabataean King, but it got its name from the story that an Egyptian Pharaoh had stashed his treasure there. The approximately 141 ft high Treasury is a truly a spectacular site.
The city is in remarkable condition considering it has withstood several earthquakes, has been invaded by the Romans and the Crusaders and gets trampled on daily by eager tourists.
All in all, Petra was very impressive, especially considering only 5% of it has been excavated! We really enjoyed hiking and wandering around this ancient city and I am excited to watch ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ to see how what I’ve seen has been pictured on the big screen!
The most impressive site in Petra is the Treasury. The Treasury was carved out of the sandstone to serve as a tomb for a Nabataean King, but it got its name from the story that an Egyptian Pharaoh had stashed his treasure there. The approximately 141 ft high Treasury is a truly a spectacular site.
The city is in remarkable condition considering it has withstood several earthquakes, has been invaded by the Romans and the Crusaders and gets trampled on daily by eager tourists.
All in all, Petra was very impressive, especially considering only 5% of it has been excavated! We really enjoyed hiking and wandering around this ancient city and I am excited to watch ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ to see how what I’ve seen has been pictured on the big screen!
Amman, Jordan
We spent a couple of days in Amman and didn’t really accomplish much. Quite honestly, I didn’t find the city to be very inspiring and TJ was very sick so we laid pretty low. There were a couple of things in my guide book that I found to be rather amusing. First, we were warned not to trust anyone who told us our hotel had been burnt down. Second, we learned that one of our biggest challenges in Amman would be safely crossing the street. The drivers pose a “serious hazard to your health.” “They have “no desire to run you over; they just want to get to their destination as quickly as possible.” Back in ‘Nam I learned that when the situation looks bleak it helps to find little old ladies crossing the street and follow closelyJ This strategy came in very useful in Amman as well!
Our favorite site was the Roman Theater. We also saw the citadel, the historic downtown area, mosques and markets. We spent the better part of a day lounging around coffee shops in a swankier part of town.
The following day we caught a mini-bus to Petra. After enduring our depressing accommodation in Amman, we decided to skip the backpacker’s joint we’d planned on staying at and upgraded to a 3-star hotel. We arrived late in the afternoon, too late in the day to see Petra. Since the town had little else to offer we settled in to our nice digs and watched movies all night. I know it sounds strange, but sometimes you need a little break from your vacation!
Our favorite site was the Roman Theater. We also saw the citadel, the historic downtown area, mosques and markets. We spent the better part of a day lounging around coffee shops in a swankier part of town.
The following day we caught a mini-bus to Petra. After enduring our depressing accommodation in Amman, we decided to skip the backpacker’s joint we’d planned on staying at and upgraded to a 3-star hotel. We arrived late in the afternoon, too late in the day to see Petra. Since the town had little else to offer we settled in to our nice digs and watched movies all night. I know it sounds strange, but sometimes you need a little break from your vacation!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Amman, Jordan
We arrived in Amman this evening. From what I’ve read people don’t come to Amman for its markets and bazaars or mosques. People come to Amman to see a modern Arab city. There is definitely a massive amount of construction going on with new shopping centers, condos, hotels and even a university scheduled for completion. The downtown area we are staying in, however, is far from modern. Agreed, it is not as old as Damascus and other major nearby cities, but I wouldn’t classify it as modern…
We dropped our backpacks and set out for our first meal of the day. Again, we found very few choices that offered anything other than traditional Arabic cuisine. After a less than mediocre dinner we headed back to our “hotel.” My trusty Lonely Planet book raved about the hotel we are staying at. In fact it is listed as “The Author’s Choice” and the author goes on to say, “The Palace is definitely the best budget and lower midrange option in downtown and is worth a little splurge. The rooms are clean and large, all renovated in 2005, and some have balconies with good views of the street. There’s a wide range of rooms with satellite TV and fridge. It has laundry service, free local calls, internet access, a café…” Doesn’t it sound nice? I am feeling very deceived right now because it is a depressing dump! The carpet must be several years older than me and the rest of the room is in a state of despair. I have been carrying around a bottle of wine that I bought a week ago in Lebanon and corked it tonight to ease my depression over this room. TJ is in bed shivering because it is so cold in here as there isn’t a central heating system. I must be getting snobby in my old age because drab rooms seem to have more of an impact on me than they used to!
Tomorrow we’ll explore Amman and will hopefully meet TR here for lunch the next day before continuing on to Petra.
Throughout the three countries we have been to so far I have been discouraged with my Lonely Planet book for advertising some sites as “must see” or unmissable experiences.” I’ve taken the authors raves and recommendations seriously. However, in several instances I have been disappointed with what was promoted. I’ve arrived at “must see” sites and thought, “Uhh, why did I ‘have’ to see this?” I have learned a few lessons here. First, authors have to do their job of writing a book and promoting an entire country. We are visiting countries that are truly off the beaten track to the extreme that there only seem to be a handful of tourists – in the entire country. The authors cannot create sites to see or things to do, so they are left with the challenge of promoting what exists. And, I need to remember that how interesting something is can vary tremendously from one person to the next. The sites promoted may be truly fascinating to some people. My lessons have been to take into consideration where I am in the world and realize that my expectations cannot be too high. I also keep in mind that the journey is often as interesting, if not more interesting, than the destination.
We dropped our backpacks and set out for our first meal of the day. Again, we found very few choices that offered anything other than traditional Arabic cuisine. After a less than mediocre dinner we headed back to our “hotel.” My trusty Lonely Planet book raved about the hotel we are staying at. In fact it is listed as “The Author’s Choice” and the author goes on to say, “The Palace is definitely the best budget and lower midrange option in downtown and is worth a little splurge. The rooms are clean and large, all renovated in 2005, and some have balconies with good views of the street. There’s a wide range of rooms with satellite TV and fridge. It has laundry service, free local calls, internet access, a café…” Doesn’t it sound nice? I am feeling very deceived right now because it is a depressing dump! The carpet must be several years older than me and the rest of the room is in a state of despair. I have been carrying around a bottle of wine that I bought a week ago in Lebanon and corked it tonight to ease my depression over this room. TJ is in bed shivering because it is so cold in here as there isn’t a central heating system. I must be getting snobby in my old age because drab rooms seem to have more of an impact on me than they used to!
Tomorrow we’ll explore Amman and will hopefully meet TR here for lunch the next day before continuing on to Petra.
Throughout the three countries we have been to so far I have been discouraged with my Lonely Planet book for advertising some sites as “must see” or unmissable experiences.” I’ve taken the authors raves and recommendations seriously. However, in several instances I have been disappointed with what was promoted. I’ve arrived at “must see” sites and thought, “Uhh, why did I ‘have’ to see this?” I have learned a few lessons here. First, authors have to do their job of writing a book and promoting an entire country. We are visiting countries that are truly off the beaten track to the extreme that there only seem to be a handful of tourists – in the entire country. The authors cannot create sites to see or things to do, so they are left with the challenge of promoting what exists. And, I need to remember that how interesting something is can vary tremendously from one person to the next. The sites promoted may be truly fascinating to some people. My lessons have been to take into consideration where I am in the world and realize that my expectations cannot be too high. I also keep in mind that the journey is often as interesting, if not more interesting, than the destination.
Damascus - Bosra – Jerash – Amman, Jordan
This morning we set off for Amman, Jordan with stops at the ruins in Bosra, Syria and Jerash, Jordan en route. Our first stop, Bosra, boasts “one of the best, preserved Roman theaters in existence” and it was very impressive!! We cruised around the fortress halls and saw the massive theater, which remains in excellent condition. Consistent with most of the other tourist attractions in Syria, we had the place to ourselves. It was quite a spectacular site to see the dramatic stage and the steep rows of seating where 9000 people enjoyed performances since the 2nd century AD.
We checked out the remains of the old Roman town and then got back on the road and headed towards Jordan. The border crossing went rather smoothly. We bought our Syria departure ticket at a food stall (what the heck?), went through several check points and exited Syria where the official tossed our passports at us. That was not the nicest farewell. Entering Jordan was a little more involved. We had to take everything out of our car so the officers could do a semi-thorough inspection. They didn’t manage to find all of the packs of cigarettes our driver had purchased at duty-free and mischievously stashed throughout his vehicle. It was a fairly slow process but thankfully we were crossing on a weekend and there weren’t any lines!
Our first stop in Jordan was Jerash where the ruins are one of Jordan’s major attractions. According to my Lonely Planet book, the ruins are “one of the best examples in the Middle East of a Roman provincial city, and is remarkably well preserved.” We found it amusing that we saw more tourists at Jerash in the parking lot than we saw the whole time we were in Syria. We are turning into ruin snobs because we weren’t as impressed by Jerash as we have been at other sites, but it is still fascinating to imagine what 15,000 – 20,000 inhabitants did in this city on a daily basis 2000 years ago! We checked out the site then continued on to Amman.
We checked out the remains of the old Roman town and then got back on the road and headed towards Jordan. The border crossing went rather smoothly. We bought our Syria departure ticket at a food stall (what the heck?), went through several check points and exited Syria where the official tossed our passports at us. That was not the nicest farewell. Entering Jordan was a little more involved. We had to take everything out of our car so the officers could do a semi-thorough inspection. They didn’t manage to find all of the packs of cigarettes our driver had purchased at duty-free and mischievously stashed throughout his vehicle. It was a fairly slow process but thankfully we were crossing on a weekend and there weren’t any lines!
Our first stop in Jordan was Jerash where the ruins are one of Jordan’s major attractions. According to my Lonely Planet book, the ruins are “one of the best examples in the Middle East of a Roman provincial city, and is remarkably well preserved.” We found it amusing that we saw more tourists at Jerash in the parking lot than we saw the whole time we were in Syria. We are turning into ruin snobs because we weren’t as impressed by Jerash as we have been at other sites, but it is still fascinating to imagine what 15,000 – 20,000 inhabitants did in this city on a daily basis 2000 years ago! We checked out the site then continued on to Amman.
Damascus, Syria
From Palmyra we headed to Damascus, Syria’s capital. We said good-bye to Abdul, dropped our packs off and headed (I hobbled) off to check out the city and get some dinner. It was rush hour on a Friday night in Damascus and the city was bustling with people coming and going. Our first impression of the city was that it was old, dirty, loud and smelly (imagine the smell of garbage combined with raw meat and urine). Unfortunately, first impressions are often lasting impressions. And gain, it was hard to find anything to eat other than a shwarma! We found a couple of restaurants serving Arabic cuisine but the meat hanging in the window with the organs and intestines exposed and the food that had been sitting out at room temperature all day encouraged us to keep walking. We finally found a juice bar that served sandwiches too. TJ was feeling really sick and my knee was in pain so we headed back to our hotel. We had a huge room with high ceilings in a funky old house. It was spotlessly clean and nice, except freezing! We got in bed early because it was too cold not to!
On our 2nd day in Damascus we wandered around the Old City and saw the Citadel, the Umayyad Mosque, “one of Islam’s most notable buildings” and the souq (market), which sold everything from wedding dresses to perfume and kids toys. TJ was still feeling terrible and my knee pain had escalated to excruciating. Damascus has a rough terrain to navigate with a not so functional knee. My knee had started giving out and as a result I feared I’d done more than bruised it. I felt like I’d damaged my knee’s support system. So, we called it a day and headed back to our digs to take it easy. It is kind of nice to be forced to sit still sometimes. I’ve read a lot, caught up on the news, played my Nintendo DS and have actually relaxed a bit.
On our 2nd day in Damascus we wandered around the Old City and saw the Citadel, the Umayyad Mosque, “one of Islam’s most notable buildings” and the souq (market), which sold everything from wedding dresses to perfume and kids toys. TJ was still feeling terrible and my knee pain had escalated to excruciating. Damascus has a rough terrain to navigate with a not so functional knee. My knee had started giving out and as a result I feared I’d done more than bruised it. I felt like I’d damaged my knee’s support system. So, we called it a day and headed back to our digs to take it easy. It is kind of nice to be forced to sit still sometimes. I’ve read a lot, caught up on the news, played my Nintendo DS and have actually relaxed a bit.
Palmyra
The following day Abdul took us to Syria’s main tourist attraction, the Palmyra ruins. We made a couple of brief stops on the way at ruins of a castle and beehive houses. These little houses looked like they were straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. The structures are constructed to keep the houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Today used for food storage more commonly than they are used for homes.
My knee hurt and my ankle was weak, but I was able to hobble around pretty well especially with all the help from T.J. Our itinerary on this trip is a bit ambitious and I didn’t want to miss seeing Palmyra, “one of the world’s most splendid historical sites” that date back to the 2nd century AD. The ruins were very impressive and TJ and I enjoyed strolling through the site. The ruins are like the Las Vegas strip – from a distance it is hard to gage how massive they are in size. It isn’t until you are looking up and walking through the site that you realize and appreciate the magnitude of each structure and contemplate how it was erected so long ago.
My knee hurt and my ankle was weak, but I was able to hobble around pretty well especially with all the help from T.J. Our itinerary on this trip is a bit ambitious and I didn’t want to miss seeing Palmyra, “one of the world’s most splendid historical sites” that date back to the 2nd century AD. The ruins were very impressive and TJ and I enjoyed strolling through the site. The ruins are like the Las Vegas strip – from a distance it is hard to gage how massive they are in size. It isn’t until you are looking up and walking through the site that you realize and appreciate the magnitude of each structure and contemplate how it was erected so long ago.
Dead Cities – Aleppo
Yesterday we met up with our dapper driver, Abdul, again and set off on another day trip. Our first stop was Serjilla, one of Syria’s Dead Cities. There are approximately 600 sites in the Dead Cities and while the remains look like ghost towns, it is easy to envision how the villages thrived 15 centuries ago. Our next stop was another village in the Dead Cities, Al-Bara, and then we headed north to Aleppo.
I was pretty excited to see Aleppo as my guide book made it sound like a very interesting city with many areas to explore. Commentary such as “Aleppo retains the air of an Arabian bazaar city” with “the most vibrant and most authentic souq (market) in the whole middle east” excited me to check out such a unique city. Aleppo and Damascus both claim to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. I don’t really care which city is actually entitled to make that claim – I was just excited to experience a place with so much history.
Our driver dropped us off and pointed us in the direction of the Citadel and market. The Citadel was a massive fortress that was used to protect the city and ward off intruders. We hiked up the stairs and crossed the bridge. In the past, invading forces were subject to being shot with arrows, having boiling oil poured on them and fire shot at them while attempting to cross the bridge. We wandered around the Citadel and admired the panoramic views of the city offered from the top.
It was a nice sunny day and I was finally starting to feel better… Until I fell down the cobble stone stairs when leaving the Citadel. Nope, it was not a very graceful exit at all. If I wasn’t in so much pain I might think it was funny. I rolled my left ankle on one of the uneven stones and fell- down the stairs. My right knee slammed into the corner of a stair to break my fall and jamming my palm on the next stair and jarring my shoulder brought me to a halt. To make things better I managed to land in what seemed to be the only mud puddle in the city. So now my right ankle is swelling while my right knee is bruising and I now have two bad legs and can barely walk. My shoulder made out the least scathed and fortunately it only hurts when I move my arm. The old man next to me said I am lucky to be young as that fall would have broken many bones in his body. He is probably right. I have been searching for an explanation for my sickness and mishaps. Have I been naughty and have bad Karma? Are these signs that I should exit Syria ASAP? If someone knows something I don’t, please tell me.
Due to my inability to walk, we cut our time in Aleppo short and headed back to Hama. Normally, I would ice my knee to prevent and minimize swelling. Unfortunately, ice and other things that are readily available at home are completely unavailable here. There aren’t grocery stores. Meat and dairy products aren’t always refrigerated. I am not sure if it is due to a lack of freezers or what but ice doesn’t seem to exist here.
I was pretty excited to see Aleppo as my guide book made it sound like a very interesting city with many areas to explore. Commentary such as “Aleppo retains the air of an Arabian bazaar city” with “the most vibrant and most authentic souq (market) in the whole middle east” excited me to check out such a unique city. Aleppo and Damascus both claim to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. I don’t really care which city is actually entitled to make that claim – I was just excited to experience a place with so much history.
Our driver dropped us off and pointed us in the direction of the Citadel and market. The Citadel was a massive fortress that was used to protect the city and ward off intruders. We hiked up the stairs and crossed the bridge. In the past, invading forces were subject to being shot with arrows, having boiling oil poured on them and fire shot at them while attempting to cross the bridge. We wandered around the Citadel and admired the panoramic views of the city offered from the top.
It was a nice sunny day and I was finally starting to feel better… Until I fell down the cobble stone stairs when leaving the Citadel. Nope, it was not a very graceful exit at all. If I wasn’t in so much pain I might think it was funny. I rolled my left ankle on one of the uneven stones and fell- down the stairs. My right knee slammed into the corner of a stair to break my fall and jamming my palm on the next stair and jarring my shoulder brought me to a halt. To make things better I managed to land in what seemed to be the only mud puddle in the city. So now my right ankle is swelling while my right knee is bruising and I now have two bad legs and can barely walk. My shoulder made out the least scathed and fortunately it only hurts when I move my arm. The old man next to me said I am lucky to be young as that fall would have broken many bones in his body. He is probably right. I have been searching for an explanation for my sickness and mishaps. Have I been naughty and have bad Karma? Are these signs that I should exit Syria ASAP? If someone knows something I don’t, please tell me.
Due to my inability to walk, we cut our time in Aleppo short and headed back to Hama. Normally, I would ice my knee to prevent and minimize swelling. Unfortunately, ice and other things that are readily available at home are completely unavailable here. There aren’t grocery stores. Meat and dairy products aren’t always refrigerated. I am not sure if it is due to a lack of freezers or what but ice doesn’t seem to exist here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
