On Wednesday night it was the 100th Anniversary of the city of Tel Aviv. They held their Nuit Blanche or White Night Celebration that night for the big party. Hundreds of thousands of people were out on the main street and on the beach for all of the various events. We were really tired from our long day in Jerusalem but we knew we had to go because it is obviously a once in a lifetime experience and we were HERE. We've been to Nuit Blanche in Toronto and it was great -- a city simly stays awake all night and has activities around a them....usually in T.O. it is art in every form available. Here it was party in every form available.
We rested up for about an hour and girded our loins for the all night event. Benj headed out with Yael and we got the task of picking up her mom -- Smadar -- and then Smadar would direct us into town and lead us around. We didn't even have a map so we had to rely on her. If I could tell you how horribly wrong everything went you just wouldn't believe it....it reached a point beyond which it was impossible to be angry because everything was so crazily whacked. Just so you know...we left the condo at 9:15 and Abe parked the van at close to 1 a.m. and we hadn't made it to the party yet. This is NOT a big city. My niece came home and wrote up her account of the night and I'm sure there are a million details missing. I have to say though that when Smadar told us she had to call her friend Susie, who is from South Africa, that this is how the phone call went.
beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep (beeping continues for the rest of this conversation)
Ashleigh...where is she calling?
Me.....maybe South AFRICA?
Me....she must be texting
beep beep beep (Ashleigh can see numbers on the screen)
Susie didn't answer! We laughed for the rest of the night about this little incident until Abe nearly went insane. The part you have to remember that Abe was being directed here, there, and everywhere in the car, getting on highways, off highways, merging her, doing u-turns, etc. ..and this after having driven four hours already during the day. He was not impressed with her guiding skills. anyway....here's Ashleigh's little account of her night that never was. Enjoy.
Beeeeeeeep
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Wed 5:39pm
SO long story short, tonight was the most hilarious night of my life. We tried to go to the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv but it didnt quite work out like thatFirst, we had to pick up Smadar but for the life of us we couldn't find her place after an hour. We ended up meeting her at Dominos. Gung ho to the partyThen, she gets in the car after we had been lost and tempers were shot, only to tell us she is bad with directions and doesn't know how to get to the party...excellent. So she decides to call her friend Susan from South Africa and after dialing 874359048739754 numbers (beep beep beep beep) Susan is not answering. Moving on.We decide to pull into a parking lot, to then take a cab (where are the cabs?) and talk to some sketch bus driver chillin in his bus in this lot....bomb much? Turns out, the lot is closed...damn lot...FInally we get to Tel Aviv after being in Herzliyya and Ra'anana for a hundred years and wedge into the TINIEST little parking space I have ever seen. Smadar, bless her heart, had to call her friend to ask if it was legal to park in that spot long after we had decided it was happening regardless.(she has lived here over 20 years and doesn't know her way around...how is that possible?) We walk a hundred years, can't get a cab (they tell us a) they dont know Tel Aviv...ahem, they are IN Tel Aviv) b) they don't wanna go to the party because there are too many people there and c) see b. It was like Christ, denied three times. FInally we decide to give up and go home (we are parked at Levanon and Hargoe and have to find it again of course) but I had to stop to get a Mars bar :DThen in the car, Aunt Kathy and I 'hang ourselves' at the same time.Then we decide we need a drink so we go to a cafe that Smadar says is open...after going through security to get in, we are informed its closed. We then ask Smadar is places in Ra'anana are open late and she assures us they are open well past midnight. SO we go to another place that is evidently closed and Smadar changes her mind and says places there close at 12 because its not a party town...its 12:02. So we decide to drop off Smadar and head to the Marina for a drink...we know its open. Poor Uncle Abe is frustrated from all the driving and decides to drop us off. We have noodles and vino and here we are..facebooking about our horrendous/marvelous night. You may not understand the hilarity of it all but wow, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Loved every second and I am sure I am missing a million details. Church anyone?
Friday, May 29, 2009
Jerusalem
Wednesday we had to get up at the crack of dawn to head off to Jerusalem with Pamela. None of us were sure how it would go spending another entire day with her. I had found her so annoying on Monday that I had cancelled day three with her re Massada and the Dead Sea. However, I did end up enjoying the tour with her to Jerusalem, even though I had been to Jerusalem only two years ago.
We had to make an hour drive to Jerusalem so we left at 8:30. I don’t think any of us had eaten and we went until almost 6 p.m. before we actually sat down to eat a light supper. We were happily driving along when Pamela announced we were on a road through the territories…these are the areas that are under dispute and have been known to be under rocket fire, etc. Special walls have been built to prevent snipers from taking out people in their cars. I don’t think anything has happened where we were for a while but Ashleigh was not comforted by the thought that we were now STOPPED in traffic. We made a few sick jokes and sat in the car and arrived in Jerusalem with no problems. I don’t want to give the impression that Ashleigh was “oh my God we have to get out of here”..she just said….hmm, great place to be stopped in traffic. HA!
We started at the Mount of Olives and stopped for a really long look at Jerusalem Gates and the Dome of the Rock. She gave us a history lesson. Trees growing at the Mount of Olives aren’t the trees Jesus sat under but they do date back to that time….as in roots, small bits of tree etc. are actually that old. This is a strange thought really.
We then drove into town and parked our car and walked through a very modern shopping mall on our way to the entrance to the Old City. We wandered down old windy streets, examined a crusader castle with the holes where boiling oil could be poured down upon marauders or potential conquerors and the little window slits for arrows to fly through the air and slay the enemy. I’ve seen these before in other cities but it was a first for Ashleigh. We as usual wandered through the Armenian quarter…our guide has a fondness for Armenia I guess as we always wander there…plus she stopped in a shop to order an extra plate or two of the set she has had specifically made for her dining pleasure. There were many of the “fish” symbols on the walls with “jesus” name inscribed in Hebrew. I could think of a lot of religious people who would love to have one of those.
We continued on to the Armenian church where she pointed out the cross that they use which looks different from the regular Christian cross as there is no crucified jesus on it. We went on to the rooftops about the souk….the old Arab market. There were barrels of esophagus (how do you cook an esophagus)…from what animal we don’t know, pig feet, pig heads, livers, hearts, brains….enough to make my niece nearly vomit. We still don’t know why there were so many pig parts as neither the Jews or Arabs eat pork. When we got to the wool selection Ashleigh was happy. The spices were beautifully arranged and I got a good sniff of frankincense and myrrh, which was cool….heaped baskets of it. Abe, Benj and I have been to so many market like this that the body parts didn’t bother us at all but it was a first for Ashleigh. In fact last time we were here it was during the extreme heat and humidity of August and everything is a tad “sniffier” then. It is amazing to me to walk through these markets and see Jews and Arabs working side by side, no problem. All they want are buyers…they are good sellers calling out to everyone who passes by extolling the virtues of their items. I found bracelets that Linda (Lulu friend
We moved up on to the roof top of the market where people live, donkeys carry thing around in baskets, etc. This is NOT the Woodlands for sure and really makes you think of what ancient times would be like. We got a good view of the Lutheran church. During one of the intifada’s (and I forget which one, I’m sorry) Islamic extremists used this church (as there is a balcony on the spire) as a place to act as snipers. Once everything was under Jewish control a young Jewish soldier was given the task of going up to the balcony to ensure no snipers were there. He had to trust the priest when he told him that all was safe…it was, but it took a lot of willpower to climb the stairs to do the check. This soldier survived the intifada but later died in a battle. In between his search and his death he and the minister at the Lutheran church became great friends and spent holidays together in each other’s home. I enter this for Kristina!
Next stop was the Holy Sepulchur where Christ was laid out prior to his burial, in a traditional Jewish style, simply bathed and wrapped in a white sheet and buried in a sepulcher with a rolling rock closure. There is a burial site you can actually enter and see what it is like. Each corner of the church is claimed by a different religion…Greeks, Russians, Armenians, Catholics, etc. They all have to agree on any changes made in the church before anything can happen…they never do so nothing ever changes. A ladder that was standing up above the main entrance (when the agreement was created) has to be replaced periodically when it rates since it was above the main entrance and has to remain there until the group can decide to remove it – which they can’t.
Grafitti is nothing new folks. The walls of this church are covered with it….mainly the symbol of the cross (thousands of them) that people had placed on the wall for them or inscribed themselves thousands ofyears ago as they made pilgrimages to the church. I loved this! These people couldn’t write but they wanted to say, “I was here.” Every once in a while you would see someone had gone crazy and had carved a small church with a spire in in the wall….these aren’t drawn in, they are carved in. Most likely someone, a bunch of guys, had a business doing this for the pilgrims….the crosses also resemble the Armenian cross not the cross we general folk Christians use….these are the little things that make a visit like this so interesting.
People were praying everywhere. You cannot imagine religious fervor until you see it. The place that seemed to really stir people the most was the marble slab where supposedly Jesus was laid out prior to his burial. It is a large marble slab and people are pouring oil on the slab and wiping it up with cloths to take home with them….then they are buried with the cloths. People are leaning on this slab praying devotedly. It is moving to see.
The Wailing Wall or Western Wall is where we headed next. Benj and David donned kipas so they could go to the wall. Ashleigh covered herself up with her shawl, as she had in the churches, and we made our way to the wall to touch it. You must never have your back to the Wall so you walk backwards away from it until you are well removed from the site. Ashleigh was moved by the extreme praying going on there. The little nooks and crannies of the wall are filled with prayers and messages that are being sent straight to God on behalf of the devoted. One slightly interesting fact is that capers are growing out of the wall…little green bushes sprout here and there all over the wall.
Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, deserves a lot of time to get through. Although Abe and I and Benuj have been before (and that was for three hours) we all went through it and felt we had seen completely new exhibits. It is always busy. If anyone can go through this museum and not be moved I would say they are not human. You can see notes people dropped from the cattle cars, testimonies people give on video as to their experiences, photos, shoes, jewelry taken from the victims, photos of all the families and babies annihilated….Ashleigh and I went through together and we both had tears. We ended by going to the Children’s Memorial…..it is a pitch dark room with candle light reflecting in glass to replicate the one and a half million children under the age of 15 who perished in the holocaust. Only 6 or 7 actual candles are used but the architect has made it look like each soul is represented by a candle. A continuous role call plays citing the name of each child, where they were born, and the age at which they died. It is so moving. A couple who survived the holocaust but lost their baby son are responsible for building this memorial. Everyone should see it.
By now we had put in a full day touring Jerusalem. Abe drove us back to Tel Aviv via the scenic route and we stopped at a small Lebanese café to have hummus, bread and a couple shishkebab, which come on lethal spears. The oldest tree I’ve ever seen was beside our table and the branches spread out over our heads creating shade for which we were very grateful.
The last couple of days have been filled with going to the beach. Every day has seen more people at the beach. We are finally seeing a bit of a tan line – given the incredible amounts of sun screen we are using I’m surprised we see any tan line. Abe and I went in for a swim today but Ashleigh has yet to dip in a toe – she is her mother’s daughter. Benj stayed home today as he lives on the beach in Spain and feels he needs a break from the sun. Ashleigh has gotten in some shoping – four new pair of shoes and a dress will have to fit in her luggage now.
Abe’s cousin is in town from London, England. She’s a journalist with Sky (sp?) news. She and her husband had their darling little baby with them….Maya. Maya is two and speaks Hebrew, English, and Serbian since she has a Serbian nanny. She was so sweet as she sang Happy Birthday for us very quiety. Her mom pretended to hold a microphone in front of her mouth and suddenly she sang much louder…hilariously cute.
We’ve done tons of laundry and are getting ready to pack up for our camel trip. We leave on Sunday. Hopefully it will go well. My niece has her ticket for the U.S. Benj has gone out for the night with Yael and they made their way to Jerusalem..doing what, who knows. Ashleigh just got picked up by our nephew David and they are going to some bar in downtown Tel Aviv. She changed her clothes a couple times and left looking great, as usual (who doesn’t look great at 22). Abe and I, the fuddy duddies, are ready for bed
We had to make an hour drive to Jerusalem so we left at 8:30. I don’t think any of us had eaten and we went until almost 6 p.m. before we actually sat down to eat a light supper. We were happily driving along when Pamela announced we were on a road through the territories…these are the areas that are under dispute and have been known to be under rocket fire, etc. Special walls have been built to prevent snipers from taking out people in their cars. I don’t think anything has happened where we were for a while but Ashleigh was not comforted by the thought that we were now STOPPED in traffic. We made a few sick jokes and sat in the car and arrived in Jerusalem with no problems. I don’t want to give the impression that Ashleigh was “oh my God we have to get out of here”..she just said….hmm, great place to be stopped in traffic. HA!
We started at the Mount of Olives and stopped for a really long look at Jerusalem Gates and the Dome of the Rock. She gave us a history lesson. Trees growing at the Mount of Olives aren’t the trees Jesus sat under but they do date back to that time….as in roots, small bits of tree etc. are actually that old. This is a strange thought really.
We then drove into town and parked our car and walked through a very modern shopping mall on our way to the entrance to the Old City. We wandered down old windy streets, examined a crusader castle with the holes where boiling oil could be poured down upon marauders or potential conquerors and the little window slits for arrows to fly through the air and slay the enemy. I’ve seen these before in other cities but it was a first for Ashleigh. We as usual wandered through the Armenian quarter…our guide has a fondness for Armenia I guess as we always wander there…plus she stopped in a shop to order an extra plate or two of the set she has had specifically made for her dining pleasure. There were many of the “fish” symbols on the walls with “jesus” name inscribed in Hebrew. I could think of a lot of religious people who would love to have one of those.
We continued on to the Armenian church where she pointed out the cross that they use which looks different from the regular Christian cross as there is no crucified jesus on it. We went on to the rooftops about the souk….the old Arab market. There were barrels of esophagus (how do you cook an esophagus)…from what animal we don’t know, pig feet, pig heads, livers, hearts, brains….enough to make my niece nearly vomit. We still don’t know why there were so many pig parts as neither the Jews or Arabs eat pork. When we got to the wool selection Ashleigh was happy. The spices were beautifully arranged and I got a good sniff of frankincense and myrrh, which was cool….heaped baskets of it. Abe, Benj and I have been to so many market like this that the body parts didn’t bother us at all but it was a first for Ashleigh. In fact last time we were here it was during the extreme heat and humidity of August and everything is a tad “sniffier” then. It is amazing to me to walk through these markets and see Jews and Arabs working side by side, no problem. All they want are buyers…they are good sellers calling out to everyone who passes by extolling the virtues of their items. I found bracelets that Linda (Lulu friend
We moved up on to the roof top of the market where people live, donkeys carry thing around in baskets, etc. This is NOT the Woodlands for sure and really makes you think of what ancient times would be like. We got a good view of the Lutheran church. During one of the intifada’s (and I forget which one, I’m sorry) Islamic extremists used this church (as there is a balcony on the spire) as a place to act as snipers. Once everything was under Jewish control a young Jewish soldier was given the task of going up to the balcony to ensure no snipers were there. He had to trust the priest when he told him that all was safe…it was, but it took a lot of willpower to climb the stairs to do the check. This soldier survived the intifada but later died in a battle. In between his search and his death he and the minister at the Lutheran church became great friends and spent holidays together in each other’s home. I enter this for Kristina!
Next stop was the Holy Sepulchur where Christ was laid out prior to his burial, in a traditional Jewish style, simply bathed and wrapped in a white sheet and buried in a sepulcher with a rolling rock closure. There is a burial site you can actually enter and see what it is like. Each corner of the church is claimed by a different religion…Greeks, Russians, Armenians, Catholics, etc. They all have to agree on any changes made in the church before anything can happen…they never do so nothing ever changes. A ladder that was standing up above the main entrance (when the agreement was created) has to be replaced periodically when it rates since it was above the main entrance and has to remain there until the group can decide to remove it – which they can’t.
Grafitti is nothing new folks. The walls of this church are covered with it….mainly the symbol of the cross (thousands of them) that people had placed on the wall for them or inscribed themselves thousands ofyears ago as they made pilgrimages to the church. I loved this! These people couldn’t write but they wanted to say, “I was here.” Every once in a while you would see someone had gone crazy and had carved a small church with a spire in in the wall….these aren’t drawn in, they are carved in. Most likely someone, a bunch of guys, had a business doing this for the pilgrims….the crosses also resemble the Armenian cross not the cross we general folk Christians use….these are the little things that make a visit like this so interesting.
People were praying everywhere. You cannot imagine religious fervor until you see it. The place that seemed to really stir people the most was the marble slab where supposedly Jesus was laid out prior to his burial. It is a large marble slab and people are pouring oil on the slab and wiping it up with cloths to take home with them….then they are buried with the cloths. People are leaning on this slab praying devotedly. It is moving to see.
The Wailing Wall or Western Wall is where we headed next. Benj and David donned kipas so they could go to the wall. Ashleigh covered herself up with her shawl, as she had in the churches, and we made our way to the wall to touch it. You must never have your back to the Wall so you walk backwards away from it until you are well removed from the site. Ashleigh was moved by the extreme praying going on there. The little nooks and crannies of the wall are filled with prayers and messages that are being sent straight to God on behalf of the devoted. One slightly interesting fact is that capers are growing out of the wall…little green bushes sprout here and there all over the wall.
Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, deserves a lot of time to get through. Although Abe and I and Benuj have been before (and that was for three hours) we all went through it and felt we had seen completely new exhibits. It is always busy. If anyone can go through this museum and not be moved I would say they are not human. You can see notes people dropped from the cattle cars, testimonies people give on video as to their experiences, photos, shoes, jewelry taken from the victims, photos of all the families and babies annihilated….Ashleigh and I went through together and we both had tears. We ended by going to the Children’s Memorial…..it is a pitch dark room with candle light reflecting in glass to replicate the one and a half million children under the age of 15 who perished in the holocaust. Only 6 or 7 actual candles are used but the architect has made it look like each soul is represented by a candle. A continuous role call plays citing the name of each child, where they were born, and the age at which they died. It is so moving. A couple who survived the holocaust but lost their baby son are responsible for building this memorial. Everyone should see it.
By now we had put in a full day touring Jerusalem. Abe drove us back to Tel Aviv via the scenic route and we stopped at a small Lebanese café to have hummus, bread and a couple shishkebab, which come on lethal spears. The oldest tree I’ve ever seen was beside our table and the branches spread out over our heads creating shade for which we were very grateful.
The last couple of days have been filled with going to the beach. Every day has seen more people at the beach. We are finally seeing a bit of a tan line – given the incredible amounts of sun screen we are using I’m surprised we see any tan line. Abe and I went in for a swim today but Ashleigh has yet to dip in a toe – she is her mother’s daughter. Benj stayed home today as he lives on the beach in Spain and feels he needs a break from the sun. Ashleigh has gotten in some shoping – four new pair of shoes and a dress will have to fit in her luggage now.
Abe’s cousin is in town from London, England. She’s a journalist with Sky (sp?) news. She and her husband had their darling little baby with them….Maya. Maya is two and speaks Hebrew, English, and Serbian since she has a Serbian nanny. She was so sweet as she sang Happy Birthday for us very quiety. Her mom pretended to hold a microphone in front of her mouth and suddenly she sang much louder…hilariously cute.
We’ve done tons of laundry and are getting ready to pack up for our camel trip. We leave on Sunday. Hopefully it will go well. My niece has her ticket for the U.S. Benj has gone out for the night with Yael and they made their way to Jerusalem..doing what, who knows. Ashleigh just got picked up by our nephew David and they are going to some bar in downtown Tel Aviv. She changed her clothes a couple times and left looking great, as usual (who doesn’t look great at 22). Abe and I, the fuddy duddies, are ready for bed
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tel Aviv
Jet lag is a thing of the past...I think. We don't have time to enjoy lagging; we are moving.
Our condo is great - two bedrooms, two baths with water heated by sunlight during the day and electtricity by night.
Yesterday was our first day on the town. We met up with our guide, Pamela Levene, on the boardwalk. Her daughter works at a restaurant where everything is made fresh on the premises. We had a typical Israeli breakfast with eggs, cheese, tuna, pickles, fresh bread and muffins. Delicious. Fishermen were on the wharf fishing while we ate. A gorgeous white egret sat on the railing watching them fish -- apparently he watches the fishermen until they catch something and then swoops down and nabs the fish. Unfortunately for us the fishermen never caught anything! Two other guys were out in the rolling sea on a very flat boat with nets and oars and they were fishing as well. It was impressive to watch them fish (standing) through the swells.
We got a big lesson about the building of the port and then hopped in a taxi to go to the far end of the port to end up in the Armenian section of Old Jaffa (famous for those Jaffa oranges). We popped into a little shop that was really interesting. A young married couple bought the shop and then began to renovate it. As they stripped off all of the plaster a very old structure was revealed with the shop having a definite divide -- completely made of rock but from two different time periods. they uncovered a tiled floor that was originally a turkish bath a thousand or so years ago. They had an ancient Roman helmet hanging by the doorway but were not convinced it was original -- really old but they had found it at a flea market and could not verify its age. When they went to put in some air conditioning they found another room and old pottery shards and bones were in there was they did the excavation. It was very cool.
We went by an area near by that is being excavated and they had found ancient mud bricks which are actually made out of mud and straw. Apparently some sort of chemical reaction takes plae when you mix straw and mud together which makes the bricks very strong and durable. The've been buried underground now for a thousand or more years and are still intact. When the Jews were enslaved and forced to go to Egypt a lot of them were put to work making mud bricks but the Pharoah got a kick out of not allowing straw to be put into the bricks....therefore the bricks would fall apart which allowed him to have the Jews beaten or worse. Sadistic little devils, weren't they?
Our tour guide talked so much that we all started to go crazy. Abe shut down, I shut down and so did Ashleigh. However, she was completely oblivious. Benj has been touring Europe on his own all year with only a guide book so he really enjoyed all the information she was giving out. Maybe if it hadn't been hot we would have been more into it. We started to get giddy. I don't think she once thought that we weren't into all the info she was handing out -- such as about the Shoelace, or Shoeless or Shuliss family....they were responsible for getting people to start moving out of Jaffa int oa new neighbourhood with a new style of houses in the late 1800's. We just didn't care. A plot was hatched....a lie was told....we had to be done by 4 for dinner (dinner wasn't actually until 7....THE NEXT DAY)...but we had to get away from her.
Oh cannot forget this....we stopped for a lemonade in themiddle of the day in a small Arab juice bar. I kid you not but this man did not like us. He was very rude, wouldn't answer our questions and just basically gave us a very hard time. However, we were too tired to get up and move so we endured his abuse and just hoped the glasses were clean. Benj watched him chopping carrots to make carrot juice and a big carrot fell on the floor.....he noticed Benj watching him and so kicked the carrot away but we are pretty sure it got picked up later and added to the carrot pile for the next batch of juice. The best was yet to come. A young boy of about 18 was working there. As he walked by to the juicing machine Ashleigh noticed that not only did he have his pants sagged...they were sagged BELOW his ass and he had on no underwear. Well this provided us with a lot of hilarity for the next while.
We caught a cab back to the Marina. A drink was suggestsed and Ashleigh and I practically dove into the bottle. We only meant to have a glass or two but two turned into three which turned in four and then we thought we were the funniest people on the planet. Basically we were just burning off stress from the day with the guide! Smadar (ex sister-in-law) joined us with her daughter, Yael, and off we went to dinner. The marina is a great place as you are on the sea, the breeze is always lovely, there are tons of choices of restaurants, and the sun setting over the sailboats is extremely beautiful. As you enter the marina shopping area the security guard checks your bag and that's it. It feels very safe. I asked Ashleigh how she felt and she said safety hasn't entered her mind since she arrived...my experience exactly. She was only surprised with how modern everything is -- but then we haven't been to Jerusalem yet for her to see the ancient parts of the city.
Tomorrow night is Nuit Blance as we call it or White Night....and the celebration will be celebrating the 100 years of Tel Aviv's existance. Music, food, and celebrations will be everywhere. Security will be tight. We intend to go but we need to stay awake until at least 10 p.m. before we even think of going out.
Benj has gone out every night with Yael and her friends. Bonfires on the beach, ice cream at ice cream bars, birthday parties, a barbeque for someone else...he's really getting the idea of what life is like for 20 somethings in Israel. Ashleigh wants to do it but she falls apart every night with fatigue....still jetlag I think.
Yael now has her ticket to come to the U.S. She will fly out one day after us and go straight to TX and then we will go to Phoenix and drive up to Telluride. she's excited. I'm sure she's a bit shocked to hear that there was potentila snow falling in Telluride yesterday.
We had to cancel our guide for Day Three. We just couldn't handle the thought of having her with us overnight. Don't get me wrong. She's brilliant and really well informed.....she just burned us out. We worked out a good cancellation fee and it is a fait accomplit.....just us plus JAck for the Dead Sea and Camels. I think it is a good decision.
My photos are not going up on to facebook the way I want. The computer is not uploading them properly. I'm really annoyed. However, I'll keep trying.
Our condo is great - two bedrooms, two baths with water heated by sunlight during the day and electtricity by night.
Yesterday was our first day on the town. We met up with our guide, Pamela Levene, on the boardwalk. Her daughter works at a restaurant where everything is made fresh on the premises. We had a typical Israeli breakfast with eggs, cheese, tuna, pickles, fresh bread and muffins. Delicious. Fishermen were on the wharf fishing while we ate. A gorgeous white egret sat on the railing watching them fish -- apparently he watches the fishermen until they catch something and then swoops down and nabs the fish. Unfortunately for us the fishermen never caught anything! Two other guys were out in the rolling sea on a very flat boat with nets and oars and they were fishing as well. It was impressive to watch them fish (standing) through the swells.
We got a big lesson about the building of the port and then hopped in a taxi to go to the far end of the port to end up in the Armenian section of Old Jaffa (famous for those Jaffa oranges). We popped into a little shop that was really interesting. A young married couple bought the shop and then began to renovate it. As they stripped off all of the plaster a very old structure was revealed with the shop having a definite divide -- completely made of rock but from two different time periods. they uncovered a tiled floor that was originally a turkish bath a thousand or so years ago. They had an ancient Roman helmet hanging by the doorway but were not convinced it was original -- really old but they had found it at a flea market and could not verify its age. When they went to put in some air conditioning they found another room and old pottery shards and bones were in there was they did the excavation. It was very cool.
We went by an area near by that is being excavated and they had found ancient mud bricks which are actually made out of mud and straw. Apparently some sort of chemical reaction takes plae when you mix straw and mud together which makes the bricks very strong and durable. The've been buried underground now for a thousand or more years and are still intact. When the Jews were enslaved and forced to go to Egypt a lot of them were put to work making mud bricks but the Pharoah got a kick out of not allowing straw to be put into the bricks....therefore the bricks would fall apart which allowed him to have the Jews beaten or worse. Sadistic little devils, weren't they?
Our tour guide talked so much that we all started to go crazy. Abe shut down, I shut down and so did Ashleigh. However, she was completely oblivious. Benj has been touring Europe on his own all year with only a guide book so he really enjoyed all the information she was giving out. Maybe if it hadn't been hot we would have been more into it. We started to get giddy. I don't think she once thought that we weren't into all the info she was handing out -- such as about the Shoelace, or Shoeless or Shuliss family....they were responsible for getting people to start moving out of Jaffa int oa new neighbourhood with a new style of houses in the late 1800's. We just didn't care. A plot was hatched....a lie was told....we had to be done by 4 for dinner (dinner wasn't actually until 7....THE NEXT DAY)...but we had to get away from her.
Oh cannot forget this....we stopped for a lemonade in themiddle of the day in a small Arab juice bar. I kid you not but this man did not like us. He was very rude, wouldn't answer our questions and just basically gave us a very hard time. However, we were too tired to get up and move so we endured his abuse and just hoped the glasses were clean. Benj watched him chopping carrots to make carrot juice and a big carrot fell on the floor.....he noticed Benj watching him and so kicked the carrot away but we are pretty sure it got picked up later and added to the carrot pile for the next batch of juice. The best was yet to come. A young boy of about 18 was working there. As he walked by to the juicing machine Ashleigh noticed that not only did he have his pants sagged...they were sagged BELOW his ass and he had on no underwear. Well this provided us with a lot of hilarity for the next while.
We caught a cab back to the Marina. A drink was suggestsed and Ashleigh and I practically dove into the bottle. We only meant to have a glass or two but two turned into three which turned in four and then we thought we were the funniest people on the planet. Basically we were just burning off stress from the day with the guide! Smadar (ex sister-in-law) joined us with her daughter, Yael, and off we went to dinner. The marina is a great place as you are on the sea, the breeze is always lovely, there are tons of choices of restaurants, and the sun setting over the sailboats is extremely beautiful. As you enter the marina shopping area the security guard checks your bag and that's it. It feels very safe. I asked Ashleigh how she felt and she said safety hasn't entered her mind since she arrived...my experience exactly. She was only surprised with how modern everything is -- but then we haven't been to Jerusalem yet for her to see the ancient parts of the city.
Tomorrow night is Nuit Blance as we call it or White Night....and the celebration will be celebrating the 100 years of Tel Aviv's existance. Music, food, and celebrations will be everywhere. Security will be tight. We intend to go but we need to stay awake until at least 10 p.m. before we even think of going out.
Benj has gone out every night with Yael and her friends. Bonfires on the beach, ice cream at ice cream bars, birthday parties, a barbeque for someone else...he's really getting the idea of what life is like for 20 somethings in Israel. Ashleigh wants to do it but she falls apart every night with fatigue....still jetlag I think.
Yael now has her ticket to come to the U.S. She will fly out one day after us and go straight to TX and then we will go to Phoenix and drive up to Telluride. she's excited. I'm sure she's a bit shocked to hear that there was potentila snow falling in Telluride yesterday.
We had to cancel our guide for Day Three. We just couldn't handle the thought of having her with us overnight. Don't get me wrong. She's brilliant and really well informed.....she just burned us out. We worked out a good cancellation fee and it is a fait accomplit.....just us plus JAck for the Dead Sea and Camels. I think it is a good decision.
My photos are not going up on to facebook the way I want. The computer is not uploading them properly. I'm really annoyed. However, I'll keep trying.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Israel – we are here.
We flew out of Tx on Friday night at 5 and made it to Toronto almost 40 minutes early. I guess the winds were good. Ashleigh was waiting for us and we headed to the lounge and immediately enjoyed a glass of wine together. We sat around just sharing family chat and were all grateful that Jim’s GM dealership had survived the big cut in Canada. Ashleigh shared how devastated they are for all of the
GM families they have been friends with throughout the past 30 years who are now without a livelihood. It made us all very pensive and empathetic. For Jim and Karen these are not just people to read about in the newspaper these are their friends and life has taken a drastic turn.
Our plane was right on time and we settled in to our seats. My seatmate was an incredibly intelligent man who has roamed the world working for External Affairs as an architect building Canadian embassies. He and his wife and children are on Ba ‘Hai pilgrimage to Haifa. The spent four years living in Israel contributing their talents to the construction of the terraced gardens of the Ba’Hai temple. To anyone who has never seen this wonder of the world – if you get the chance GO. It is an amazing building and the terraced gardens are one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
Abe was chatting with a fellow who creates serious Canadian documentaries for the CBC so he had
Some interesting talks as well. Ashleigh had planned to spend the night sitting up watching her portable DVD player with a large set of films she had but her drink and a sleeping pill knocked her out for the night (although she swore she hardly slept)….Abe and I bet to differ. Anyone who can pull their hoodie up over their head, snuggle in to their massaging neck wrap, lower their seat back the ¼ inch of allowed space we all got, and then place her feet upon her tray and not move for 9 hours…well I think they are sleeping. We all skipped dinner and dozed off. Since our flight was 11 ½ hours long and when we woke up we only had 1 ½ hours left of flying time…it was delightful. The look on Ashleigh’s face when she asked the time was absolutely priceless…., gee, maybe I did sleep, she said.
Jack picked us up at the airport. Benj’s flight with Iberia had gotten in really early. He and Jack and David (cousin) all had coffee and two hours passed quickly as Benj sold them all idea on the idea of selling everything and moving to Spain. Next thing they knew we were there.
Our worry had been that Abe is supposed to enter Israel on his Israeli passport and he had not checked its expiry date. It expired LAST YEAR. A few beads of sweat had appeared on Abe’s forehead as he mulled this fact periodically on the way to the airport, on the flight, and up to the kiosk to speak to the immigration officer. She was NOT impressed. When she picked up the phone to make a couple phone calls we all thought Abe was going to be refused entry into the country even though he had a valid Canadian passport. After raking him over the coals for a while and treating him as if he was a bit of of idiot, she let us in. Our niece, Yael, has agreed to take him to the appropriate government office to do the renewal today…..he can’t LEAVE without a valid passport at this point. However, we are here and al is well.
We went for the big traditional meal at Abe’s parents – chicken, pasta, hummus pancakes (yes they can be done and they are great), and other vegetarian pancake things that Judy seemed to have invented that were delicious. We had just had BREAKFAST on the plane so we weren’t hungry but man did we eat as the food was so wonderful. As well she had prepared home made baklava and let us say we didn’t waste any of that either….you’d be a fool not to tuck into that. We chatted a bit and watched Ashleigh fall apart with terrible allergies, mine started to kick ink and Benj had the beginnings of his allergies as well. We begged off and were brought to our condo on the beach.
WOW is all I can say. It is gorgeous complete with bomb shelter…which we hope not to ever need. However, they are smart…the fridge is in the bomb shelter as well as all Abe’s and my clothing, extra sheets and towels and plenty of room….should (and I know it will not) anything every happen we can eat and hold a fashion show at the same time. Our windows overlook the gorgeous grounds below and the
Facility pool as well as look out over the marina and t he sea. Abe’s and my room has two walls of floor to ceiling windows and the sea air coming in during the night was fantastic. Benj and Ashleigh quickly shoved their beds to far corners of the room but no one is complaining as they got their own bathroom and lots of storage space. It would be a bit much to have a three bedroom apartment for four people so we will make do with this. Our living, kitchen and dining area is the largest Abe and I have shared since leaving Telluride on April 1 – we are in heaven. The air is great …it is about 80 degrees, no humidity and the top levels of all the windows (ceiling to just above waist height) open wide and we are flooded with dry sea air – is this heaven?
Jack and Judy loaded us up with fruit and I just ate something I don’t recognize – it looks like a nectarine but is pale green inside and was a perfect thirst quencher. We need to get to the grocery store to get some drinks and food and that is likely next on our agenda.
Tonight Smadar and Yael will come by so we can discuss Yael’s trip back to the U.S. with us. Here’s hoping flights are not crazily expensive. Thanks to Jan B. for sending a few books for Smadar. Between the two books I bought and the three Jan sent Smadar feels she has a complete English library. And to anyone who has not read the (not 100% sure of title) Incredible Vanishing Act of Esme (something or other)…get it…..it is a really good read.
Benj already went out with a bunch of Israeli kids for a beach barbecue somewhere. He had a great time and got in about 3 a.m. We all woke up for his homecoming. They seemed to give him directions as to where it is safe to go out at night (re bars)and told him people who go to the wrong place are crazy and deserve to get blown up – who knows howmuch of this is bravado (as in go to the wrong place in Canada and you’ll be definitely eaten by a grizzly after living in your igloo), however, I think we will take their word for it and do the smart thing.
Today is beach day. Off we go to find some food and drink and replenish our fridge. We are all excited to be hear. It is a beautiful country and we intend to have one hell of a good time. Hello to all. Benj and Ashleigh have agreed to do yoga with me one day so we will check out some locations with taught Ashtanga. It should be fun. Take care all.
GM families they have been friends with throughout the past 30 years who are now without a livelihood. It made us all very pensive and empathetic. For Jim and Karen these are not just people to read about in the newspaper these are their friends and life has taken a drastic turn.
Our plane was right on time and we settled in to our seats. My seatmate was an incredibly intelligent man who has roamed the world working for External Affairs as an architect building Canadian embassies. He and his wife and children are on Ba ‘Hai pilgrimage to Haifa. The spent four years living in Israel contributing their talents to the construction of the terraced gardens of the Ba’Hai temple. To anyone who has never seen this wonder of the world – if you get the chance GO. It is an amazing building and the terraced gardens are one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
Abe was chatting with a fellow who creates serious Canadian documentaries for the CBC so he had
Some interesting talks as well. Ashleigh had planned to spend the night sitting up watching her portable DVD player with a large set of films she had but her drink and a sleeping pill knocked her out for the night (although she swore she hardly slept)….Abe and I bet to differ. Anyone who can pull their hoodie up over their head, snuggle in to their massaging neck wrap, lower their seat back the ¼ inch of allowed space we all got, and then place her feet upon her tray and not move for 9 hours…well I think they are sleeping. We all skipped dinner and dozed off. Since our flight was 11 ½ hours long and when we woke up we only had 1 ½ hours left of flying time…it was delightful. The look on Ashleigh’s face when she asked the time was absolutely priceless…., gee, maybe I did sleep, she said.
Jack picked us up at the airport. Benj’s flight with Iberia had gotten in really early. He and Jack and David (cousin) all had coffee and two hours passed quickly as Benj sold them all idea on the idea of selling everything and moving to Spain. Next thing they knew we were there.
Our worry had been that Abe is supposed to enter Israel on his Israeli passport and he had not checked its expiry date. It expired LAST YEAR. A few beads of sweat had appeared on Abe’s forehead as he mulled this fact periodically on the way to the airport, on the flight, and up to the kiosk to speak to the immigration officer. She was NOT impressed. When she picked up the phone to make a couple phone calls we all thought Abe was going to be refused entry into the country even though he had a valid Canadian passport. After raking him over the coals for a while and treating him as if he was a bit of of idiot, she let us in. Our niece, Yael, has agreed to take him to the appropriate government office to do the renewal today…..he can’t LEAVE without a valid passport at this point. However, we are here and al is well.
We went for the big traditional meal at Abe’s parents – chicken, pasta, hummus pancakes (yes they can be done and they are great), and other vegetarian pancake things that Judy seemed to have invented that were delicious. We had just had BREAKFAST on the plane so we weren’t hungry but man did we eat as the food was so wonderful. As well she had prepared home made baklava and let us say we didn’t waste any of that either….you’d be a fool not to tuck into that. We chatted a bit and watched Ashleigh fall apart with terrible allergies, mine started to kick ink and Benj had the beginnings of his allergies as well. We begged off and were brought to our condo on the beach.
WOW is all I can say. It is gorgeous complete with bomb shelter…which we hope not to ever need. However, they are smart…the fridge is in the bomb shelter as well as all Abe’s and my clothing, extra sheets and towels and plenty of room….should (and I know it will not) anything every happen we can eat and hold a fashion show at the same time. Our windows overlook the gorgeous grounds below and the
Facility pool as well as look out over the marina and t he sea. Abe’s and my room has two walls of floor to ceiling windows and the sea air coming in during the night was fantastic. Benj and Ashleigh quickly shoved their beds to far corners of the room but no one is complaining as they got their own bathroom and lots of storage space. It would be a bit much to have a three bedroom apartment for four people so we will make do with this. Our living, kitchen and dining area is the largest Abe and I have shared since leaving Telluride on April 1 – we are in heaven. The air is great …it is about 80 degrees, no humidity and the top levels of all the windows (ceiling to just above waist height) open wide and we are flooded with dry sea air – is this heaven?
Jack and Judy loaded us up with fruit and I just ate something I don’t recognize – it looks like a nectarine but is pale green inside and was a perfect thirst quencher. We need to get to the grocery store to get some drinks and food and that is likely next on our agenda.
Tonight Smadar and Yael will come by so we can discuss Yael’s trip back to the U.S. with us. Here’s hoping flights are not crazily expensive. Thanks to Jan B. for sending a few books for Smadar. Between the two books I bought and the three Jan sent Smadar feels she has a complete English library. And to anyone who has not read the (not 100% sure of title) Incredible Vanishing Act of Esme (something or other)…get it…..it is a really good read.
Benj already went out with a bunch of Israeli kids for a beach barbecue somewhere. He had a great time and got in about 3 a.m. We all woke up for his homecoming. They seemed to give him directions as to where it is safe to go out at night (re bars)and told him people who go to the wrong place are crazy and deserve to get blown up – who knows howmuch of this is bravado (as in go to the wrong place in Canada and you’ll be definitely eaten by a grizzly after living in your igloo), however, I think we will take their word for it and do the smart thing.
Today is beach day. Off we go to find some food and drink and replenish our fridge. We are all excited to be hear. It is a beautiful country and we intend to have one hell of a good time. Hello to all. Benj and Ashleigh have agreed to do yoga with me one day so we will check out some locations with taught Ashtanga. It should be fun. Take care all.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Well we're off
Holy cow do we have a lot of stuff. Two bins have to go back to the storage unit. Pat is keeping a gigantic suitcase for us -- haven't heard the Bretz' are suing us for someone's back going out so I am assuming they got that thing upstairs and locked in a closet. We were down to two small suitcases each and then well, we had shoes....benj got some new clothes I'm bringing, ...beach towels...do you know how much room a beach towel takes up. However, hopefully we will be allowed on the plane.
Ashleigh is all set up in Canada and will meet us at the airport. She sounds excited.
Benj is in Madrid being coddled by Olga -- my sister's good Spanish friend. Olga already coddled
Benj by giving him a private birthday party at one of her bodegas......a winery they own in Jerez. He had wine tastings with friends and spent the night, had a dinner and lunch with the foreman. Not many people get to turn 21 in those surroundings. It was a party he will never forget. Wish we could have been there.
Abe worked right up to the last second. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. It is now too late. We either have it or we don't. We didn't follow the cardinal rule....pack your suitcase and then remove half.....I just can't.
Off we go to sand and camels and family dinners and swimming in the sea and maybe Mysore in Israel. We shall see.
Ashleigh is all set up in Canada and will meet us at the airport. She sounds excited.
Benj is in Madrid being coddled by Olga -- my sister's good Spanish friend. Olga already coddled
Benj by giving him a private birthday party at one of her bodegas......a winery they own in Jerez. He had wine tastings with friends and spent the night, had a dinner and lunch with the foreman. Not many people get to turn 21 in those surroundings. It was a party he will never forget. Wish we could have been there.
Abe worked right up to the last second. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. It is now too late. We either have it or we don't. We didn't follow the cardinal rule....pack your suitcase and then remove half.....I just can't.
Off we go to sand and camels and family dinners and swimming in the sea and maybe Mysore in Israel. We shall see.
Monday, May 11, 2009
We're Back!
Wow...we are back. Of course we aren't in our house as it is rented so we are in one
large room at a Residence Inn. Living in such close quarters is definitely an experience everyone should try. We own a home with 4,000 sq. ft. and we are and have been living in
about 400? sq. ft. (of course Telluride is only abouta 1,200 sq. ft.) There is nowhere to go to get away from each other which hasn't been a problem yet but we still have a month or so to go. Let's put it this way...4,000 sq. ft. it ain't!
I look like a bag (really box) lady. I had no summer clothes with me in Tell. or in Paris. They were all boxed up in our storage unit so we dragged a box to the motel. At least they fit, that's a blessing.
Now that we are home what am I grateful for -- ICE. Glorious ICE. No more tepid drinks. I could hop in a bathtub full of ice and just love it. An entire month of no ice and a not so cold refrigerator makes me appreciate all the terrible energy wasting equipment we have here. That is disgusting I know but let me enjoy my fridge and ice for a few more days. Sitting at Starbucks with a friend....(super duper grateful) yes, Abe is my friend but we've done a lot of sitting together. I haven't had anyone else to talk to really and so talking with Silvia and hearing her life tidbits was wonderful. Knowing you HAVE friends is such a wonderful feeling after a month friend deprived. Knowing my way around the area and NEVER having to consult a map, no twisty windy streets to figure out (so romantic when you arrive, such a damn pain in the ass after a month) .....ah, give me a grid any day. Heat....yes, grateful for heat in small doses. Shopping at the grocery store and recognising products and knowing which yogourt to buy, which cheese, which bread.....those are small blessings to be sure but appreciated at the moment. ICE TEA....black and or green...bring it on. I don't even like going to Canada in the summer when they foist sugared ice tea on you...ugh! Being back just means you get it, you know the rules, the social conventions and life is easier for this.
What won't I miss.....beggars on the street with their children knocked unconscious with some kind of drug. Those children don't move. It is broad day light and they are lieing on their mother's laps as if dead...maybe they are dead? ...but the little asthma inhaler next to the mother suggests otherwise. Abe has seen this in India and he was convinced the babies really were dead. I don't hold out a lot of hope that these children live long; I don't believe that their mothers take them home somewhere warm and cosy at night, wake them up and let them run around and shake their sillies out. No, I think these children live in some kind of druggged haze day and night, which probably helps them not be hungry. I also won't miss the dogs with the beggars. I read in one of Obama's books....Americans are more concerned about elephants dieing than the lives of millions of black Africans. That line really struck me because in Paris I did think about all the poor animals starving more than I was concerned with their owners. I'm missing a human sympathy gene perhaps and overdosed on the animal sympathy gene? The poor pups are flea infested, worm laden.....diarrheaing their way along city streets. Sometimes I saw the owners giving the dog some food but in general those beggars aren't looking for food, they are looking for drink. My thought was that a dog is necessary in the night to guard their posessions. By the way, where are OUR beggars? You can't walk down a major street in Vancouver without seeing a junkie dreaming away on a porch or beside a fire hydrant.
In Toronto we have rubbies or alkies begging on the corner for money to get their next drink. Why aren't they down in the theatre district in Houston panhandling. My friend is a psychiatric nurse to the poor and disenfranchised in Houston so I know they exist. Doesn't this seem strange to anyone that they are so invisible. Does it make us feel better?
Anyway, back to Paris. What will I miss....shoes, the glorious shoes at affordable prices. These women are stylin! The teensy tiny stores with the well dressed mannequins. The miles and miles and hours and hours of walking you can do every single day and never have to retrace your steps. I'll miss walking down a street and looking into the alleyway to see a cathedral peeking out. It took two weeks to notice that you've missed it every single time you walked down that road to get your falafel. Picking up a pastry that is so melt in your mouth as to be sinful. Mysore, Linda and Gerald will be missed....this trip gave me new found courage to go to a Mysore class and realise how truly liberating it is to be centred on your own yogic practice within the confines of a living breathing entity...the class. There is an energy that flows through the room that is so uplifting and inspiring; everyone is working and struggling to overcome their own personal obstacles and you get carried along with the current. I will miss walking to the gymn and seeing and hearing yet another protest going on in Place de la Republique. The Leonida chocolate shop will be missed even if I only went in twice and only indulged in four white chocolate cafe creme Manon's in an entire month when I could have gone every day! I'll miss seeing all the children playing in the well used parks, the hawkers selling their wares in the markets, the smell yes just the SMELL of delicious fresh fruit....glorious.
The French are very good at protesting. It seems to be a required skill to claim residency in the country. When Benj, Daniel, Kayla and Lauren came to town we took them out on May 1st, May Day....big socialist holiday. As we walked down the street towards La Bastille, Benj quietly took me aside to let me know that the programme they are all attending, CIE, had specifically told them to NEVER hang around if any political protesting was occurring. This makes sense as large groups of people can suddenly go berserk and things can quickly get out of hand. We were passing bus after bus after bus (say 20 or more) of cops called in to keep an eye on the May Day protests, "manifestation." These cops were carrying what appeared to be a very serious but lightweight gun...looked like a small machine gun to me. Since I felt vaguely responsible for these children and didn't want a conversation with a parent that could go something like this....."well, yes, we could see there were thousands of people gathered protesting various causes...well yes, we knew that it could become dangerous....well, yes, we saw that there were hundreds of police around with big weapons for crowd control and well, yes, we just marched your daughter right into the fray and well, sorry....things didn't turn out so well........because of this potential conversation I stopped to ask a policeman if he felt it was safe for us to go into the Traffic Circle where everything was taking place. Oh yeah, he said, no problem. Well every protest you can imagine was taking place....La Reve Commun (which means Common Dream...but I think was also a play on Greve Commun (United Strike)....by the workers, university students agitating about research being cut in medical fields, the Iranians taking to the street for their current plight, the Tamils loudly and vocifeously yelling out about their cause, environmentalists.....you name it, if you can protest about it they were there. It was a bit unnerving to have so many people in one place but nothing occurred. We saw even more police at the tail end of the thousands of people marching but they seemed calm. Everyone was screaming and yelling but jubilant at the same time; they were being heard. And then the street cleaners came to dust up, wash off, scrub down the streets and it was over.
It is always nice to come home. It was great to go to see Sam tonight and get a hug and a great class...although those sandbags Sam, yikes. Iwas wonderful to meet Rosena in a store today and have a chat. It is nice knowing I have friends out and about to be visited and not feel so socially isolated. Who are we without our social networks?
Anyway, we are home in the land of Texas for a few weeks. Israel looms, desert sands and warm water beckons. Camels wait impatiently for us to arrive and ride/walk to The Great Rift.
How many stars will we see as we camp out overnight in the desert? What will pita taste like cooked on hot rocks....pretty damn good I'm expecting. The Dead Sea is waiting to scoop us almost above the surface so we can float with the greatest of ease. Eilat...a coral reef adventure waiting to happen. It will be wonderful to see Ashleigh reach out and into a new culture in a place she never expected to see. May we create a memory for her that endures for all time.
Of course I have a lead on a Mysore class only two kilometres from our condo. How hard can it be?
In case you are wondering, Abe has a new little computer.
large room at a Residence Inn. Living in such close quarters is definitely an experience everyone should try. We own a home with 4,000 sq. ft. and we are and have been living in
about 400? sq. ft. (of course Telluride is only abouta 1,200 sq. ft.) There is nowhere to go to get away from each other which hasn't been a problem yet but we still have a month or so to go. Let's put it this way...4,000 sq. ft. it ain't!
I look like a bag (really box) lady. I had no summer clothes with me in Tell. or in Paris. They were all boxed up in our storage unit so we dragged a box to the motel. At least they fit, that's a blessing.
Now that we are home what am I grateful for -- ICE. Glorious ICE. No more tepid drinks. I could hop in a bathtub full of ice and just love it. An entire month of no ice and a not so cold refrigerator makes me appreciate all the terrible energy wasting equipment we have here. That is disgusting I know but let me enjoy my fridge and ice for a few more days. Sitting at Starbucks with a friend....(super duper grateful) yes, Abe is my friend but we've done a lot of sitting together. I haven't had anyone else to talk to really and so talking with Silvia and hearing her life tidbits was wonderful. Knowing you HAVE friends is such a wonderful feeling after a month friend deprived. Knowing my way around the area and NEVER having to consult a map, no twisty windy streets to figure out (so romantic when you arrive, such a damn pain in the ass after a month) .....ah, give me a grid any day. Heat....yes, grateful for heat in small doses. Shopping at the grocery store and recognising products and knowing which yogourt to buy, which cheese, which bread.....those are small blessings to be sure but appreciated at the moment. ICE TEA....black and or green...bring it on. I don't even like going to Canada in the summer when they foist sugared ice tea on you...ugh! Being back just means you get it, you know the rules, the social conventions and life is easier for this.
What won't I miss.....beggars on the street with their children knocked unconscious with some kind of drug. Those children don't move. It is broad day light and they are lieing on their mother's laps as if dead...maybe they are dead? ...but the little asthma inhaler next to the mother suggests otherwise. Abe has seen this in India and he was convinced the babies really were dead. I don't hold out a lot of hope that these children live long; I don't believe that their mothers take them home somewhere warm and cosy at night, wake them up and let them run around and shake their sillies out. No, I think these children live in some kind of druggged haze day and night, which probably helps them not be hungry. I also won't miss the dogs with the beggars. I read in one of Obama's books....Americans are more concerned about elephants dieing than the lives of millions of black Africans. That line really struck me because in Paris I did think about all the poor animals starving more than I was concerned with their owners. I'm missing a human sympathy gene perhaps and overdosed on the animal sympathy gene? The poor pups are flea infested, worm laden.....diarrheaing their way along city streets. Sometimes I saw the owners giving the dog some food but in general those beggars aren't looking for food, they are looking for drink. My thought was that a dog is necessary in the night to guard their posessions. By the way, where are OUR beggars? You can't walk down a major street in Vancouver without seeing a junkie dreaming away on a porch or beside a fire hydrant.
In Toronto we have rubbies or alkies begging on the corner for money to get their next drink. Why aren't they down in the theatre district in Houston panhandling. My friend is a psychiatric nurse to the poor and disenfranchised in Houston so I know they exist. Doesn't this seem strange to anyone that they are so invisible. Does it make us feel better?
Anyway, back to Paris. What will I miss....shoes, the glorious shoes at affordable prices. These women are stylin! The teensy tiny stores with the well dressed mannequins. The miles and miles and hours and hours of walking you can do every single day and never have to retrace your steps. I'll miss walking down a street and looking into the alleyway to see a cathedral peeking out. It took two weeks to notice that you've missed it every single time you walked down that road to get your falafel. Picking up a pastry that is so melt in your mouth as to be sinful. Mysore, Linda and Gerald will be missed....this trip gave me new found courage to go to a Mysore class and realise how truly liberating it is to be centred on your own yogic practice within the confines of a living breathing entity...the class. There is an energy that flows through the room that is so uplifting and inspiring; everyone is working and struggling to overcome their own personal obstacles and you get carried along with the current. I will miss walking to the gymn and seeing and hearing yet another protest going on in Place de la Republique. The Leonida chocolate shop will be missed even if I only went in twice and only indulged in four white chocolate cafe creme Manon's in an entire month when I could have gone every day! I'll miss seeing all the children playing in the well used parks, the hawkers selling their wares in the markets, the smell yes just the SMELL of delicious fresh fruit....glorious.
The French are very good at protesting. It seems to be a required skill to claim residency in the country. When Benj, Daniel, Kayla and Lauren came to town we took them out on May 1st, May Day....big socialist holiday. As we walked down the street towards La Bastille, Benj quietly took me aside to let me know that the programme they are all attending, CIE, had specifically told them to NEVER hang around if any political protesting was occurring. This makes sense as large groups of people can suddenly go berserk and things can quickly get out of hand. We were passing bus after bus after bus (say 20 or more) of cops called in to keep an eye on the May Day protests, "manifestation." These cops were carrying what appeared to be a very serious but lightweight gun...looked like a small machine gun to me. Since I felt vaguely responsible for these children and didn't want a conversation with a parent that could go something like this....."well, yes, we could see there were thousands of people gathered protesting various causes...well yes, we knew that it could become dangerous....well, yes, we saw that there were hundreds of police around with big weapons for crowd control and well, yes, we just marched your daughter right into the fray and well, sorry....things didn't turn out so well........because of this potential conversation I stopped to ask a policeman if he felt it was safe for us to go into the Traffic Circle where everything was taking place. Oh yeah, he said, no problem. Well every protest you can imagine was taking place....La Reve Commun (which means Common Dream...but I think was also a play on Greve Commun (United Strike)....by the workers, university students agitating about research being cut in medical fields, the Iranians taking to the street for their current plight, the Tamils loudly and vocifeously yelling out about their cause, environmentalists.....you name it, if you can protest about it they were there. It was a bit unnerving to have so many people in one place but nothing occurred. We saw even more police at the tail end of the thousands of people marching but they seemed calm. Everyone was screaming and yelling but jubilant at the same time; they were being heard. And then the street cleaners came to dust up, wash off, scrub down the streets and it was over.
It is always nice to come home. It was great to go to see Sam tonight and get a hug and a great class...although those sandbags Sam, yikes. Iwas wonderful to meet Rosena in a store today and have a chat. It is nice knowing I have friends out and about to be visited and not feel so socially isolated. Who are we without our social networks?
Anyway, we are home in the land of Texas for a few weeks. Israel looms, desert sands and warm water beckons. Camels wait impatiently for us to arrive and ride/walk to The Great Rift.
How many stars will we see as we camp out overnight in the desert? What will pita taste like cooked on hot rocks....pretty damn good I'm expecting. The Dead Sea is waiting to scoop us almost above the surface so we can float with the greatest of ease. Eilat...a coral reef adventure waiting to happen. It will be wonderful to see Ashleigh reach out and into a new culture in a place she never expected to see. May we create a memory for her that endures for all time.
Of course I have a lead on a Mysore class only two kilometres from our condo. How hard can it be?
In case you are wondering, Abe has a new little computer.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Last Paris Post
Well we are packing up and getting ready to head out tomorrow to a different hotel at the airport. It is easy packing up since you don't have to decide what to take, you just take what you have.
Abe and I have walked and walked and walked and walked. I don't think we can walk anymore.
We've seen quartiers we've never seen before and marvelled at how packed with people theyare -- just not tourists. The French use their cafes. They sit out and have coffee and wine and beer
every night..maybe just one but then they can sit at the table for hours. The waiter never comes by to ask you to leave. When your feet are tired it is a perfect antidote to walking.
The weather has been great, the food has been wonderful and we've had a good time. Now we are ready to go back to Texas for a couple weeks.
Israel looms ahead of us. All kinds of wrinkles in the system re getting my niece to Colorado with me. Hopefully we can iron those out once we get to Tel Aviv. All too complicated to get into here. However, she wants to come and her passport is almost ready. We just have to get her dad to get the ticket.
Ashleigh is getting ready to come to Israel with us. I'm currently in the "stuck my foot in my mouth position." and no that is not one of the Ashtanga asanas. If it was...I'd be a pro. However, life happens, mistakes happen, and life goes on. The camels are waiting for us I think and it should be an experience.
We have friends lined up to see when we get back to Texas and I'm looking forward to that.
In otherwords....a bientot we'll see you all soon.
Abe and I have walked and walked and walked and walked. I don't think we can walk anymore.
We've seen quartiers we've never seen before and marvelled at how packed with people theyare -- just not tourists. The French use their cafes. They sit out and have coffee and wine and beer
every night..maybe just one but then they can sit at the table for hours. The waiter never comes by to ask you to leave. When your feet are tired it is a perfect antidote to walking.
The weather has been great, the food has been wonderful and we've had a good time. Now we are ready to go back to Texas for a couple weeks.
Israel looms ahead of us. All kinds of wrinkles in the system re getting my niece to Colorado with me. Hopefully we can iron those out once we get to Tel Aviv. All too complicated to get into here. However, she wants to come and her passport is almost ready. We just have to get her dad to get the ticket.
Ashleigh is getting ready to come to Israel with us. I'm currently in the "stuck my foot in my mouth position." and no that is not one of the Ashtanga asanas. If it was...I'd be a pro. However, life happens, mistakes happen, and life goes on. The camels are waiting for us I think and it should be an experience.
We have friends lined up to see when we get back to Texas and I'm looking forward to that.
In otherwords....a bientot we'll see you all soon.
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