Friday, September 19, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
coffee culture
It should be expected that I would soon write about one of my favorite things...coffee!!! Coffee is universal. No matter where on the globe you go, you will be able to have a cup of it. Let me tell you something about the coffee in Israel. They have different kinds of coffees that they use. For coffee at home, they tend to go with instant coffee. They don't really do the drip/filter thing that we do here in America. When ordering coffee out it is common to get a latte/cappuccino or to have Turkish coffee. Iced coffee is also popular, but it is more of a frozen drink which is very very sweet. Small bakeries scatter the streets with their delicious deserts sitting in front, beckoning to all passer-by's. Because of this, Israel is a place where one needs a lot of will-power to walk down a street.
They use a lot of breads and chocolates, but pastries soaked in honey are also popular. While in Jerusalem's Old City, we had to stop for a "power-up" and tried some baklava and these other little deserts that I don't know the name for. Basically, they are little balls of dough, about the size of grapes, fried and soaked in honey. Ronen's family that was with us said that those reminded them of when they were children, because that is the kind of deserts that mothers and grandmothers made for them in Romania. It is interesting to compare that to the deserts that I think of as my "comfort food" such as gingerbread men and chocolate chip cookies.
Anyway, while in a new place, I must try as many new things as I can. Paired with a dark, sludge-like cup of Turkish coffee...what a treat it was.
They use a lot of breads and chocolates, but pastries soaked in honey are also popular. While in Jerusalem's Old City, we had to stop for a "power-up" and tried some baklava and these other little deserts that I don't know the name for. Basically, they are little balls of dough, about the size of grapes, fried and soaked in honey. Ronen's family that was with us said that those reminded them of when they were children, because that is the kind of deserts that mothers and grandmothers made for them in Romania. It is interesting to compare that to the deserts that I think of as my "comfort food" such as gingerbread men and chocolate chip cookies.
Anyway, while in a new place, I must try as many new things as I can. Paired with a dark, sludge-like cup of Turkish coffee...what a treat it was.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Yerushalayim
While in Israel, we stayed in a town near Tel Aviv, but, as I mentioned before, we did quite a bit of traveling. We were able to spend three days in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a beautiful place mixing new with old...REALLY old. Ronen's father and his father's cousin went with us on our second time into the Old City. They are both knowledgeable about the city and its history. Especially his cousin, who was practically a private tour guide for us. His stories were amazing as he walked with us from the Mount of Olives (bottom picture) where he told us the history of Israel and all of its conquerors into the city walls where we walked the Via Dolorosa (side picture) and experienced all the stories of Christianity's beginnings. It was really unbelievable to be standing in places that are so important to so many people. Places that have been fought for over and over throughout history. We were so lucky to be with somebody who could point to something and actually know what it was and where it was from. On my own, I'm sure I would have walked right past a lot of this stuff without even knowing it! There are so many layers of history there that it would take years to get it all!
Of course, we couldn't spend all the time studying history. Too much at once can cause an overload or brain malfunction - especially in the kind of heat we were facing. (If you are planning to travel to Israel, try to do it in a month besides August!) So we had to spend a little time doing fun things like coffee, deserts, shopping, and camel riding.
Jerusalem is a beautiful place mixing new with old...REALLY old. Ronen's father and his father's cousin went with us on our second time into the Old City. They are both knowledgeable about the city and its history. Especially his cousin, who was practically a private tour guide for us. His stories were amazing as he walked with us from the Mount of Olives (bottom picture) where he told us the history of Israel and all of its conquerors into the city walls where we walked the Via Dolorosa (side picture) and experienced all the stories of Christianity's beginnings. It was really unbelievable to be standing in places that are so important to so many people. Places that have been fought for over and over throughout history. We were so lucky to be with somebody who could point to something and actually know what it was and where it was from. On my own, I'm sure I would have walked right past a lot of this stuff without even knowing it! There are so many layers of history there that it would take years to get it all!
Of course, we couldn't spend all the time studying history. Too much at once can cause an overload or brain malfunction - especially in the kind of heat we were facing. (If you are planning to travel to Israel, try to do it in a month besides August!) So we had to spend a little time doing fun things like coffee, deserts, shopping, and camel riding.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
the traveler returns
I am back from a wonderful trip to Israel. I was able to see SO MANY things while I was there. I was lucky to be staying with Ronen's family, who were extremely kind and helpful. Since they let us use their car, we were able to drive around to different areas of the country and see different places. I saw things that were older than anything I had ever seen before and experienced places that I had imagined in my mind from the stories I heard since I was a young child. And the food....oh, yes, the food. Non.Stop. I have now eaten at at least two of the "top 5" Israeli hummus places, tried 20 Arabic salads in one meals, eaten dates from the tree, and tried an enormous amount of the breads and cheeses Israel has to offer. Actually, I probably haven't scratched the surface - but I can only do so much damage in 2 1/2 weeks!
We got back to New York last night, after staying up the night before and random sleeping on the plane. Exhaustion quickly set in and the fight against jet lag is a continuing process. I think I am doing a pretty good job. My coffee makers are standing by to help keep me awake when my eyes start feeling strong hits of gravity.
A quick description of the pictures (I'll go top to bottom, left to right - unlike the right to left I've been trying to learn my entire trip).
1. Flowers overlooking Haifa from Ba'hai Center - very overcast day or you would be able to see the Mediterranean sea in the background.
2. Outside a small church in Tabgha, marking place where Jesus fed multitudes from loaf and fishes
3. Overlooking Sea of Galilee
4. Walking in, not on the Sea of Galilee
5. Dates growing on a tree in Kibbutz Gesher
6. Floating in the Dead Sea
7. Jerusalem
8. Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
9. Camel in the desert
We got back to New York last night, after staying up the night before and random sleeping on the plane. Exhaustion quickly set in and the fight against jet lag is a continuing process. I think I am doing a pretty good job. My coffee makers are standing by to help keep me awake when my eyes start feeling strong hits of gravity.
A quick description of the pictures (I'll go top to bottom, left to right - unlike the right to left I've been trying to learn my entire trip).
1. Flowers overlooking Haifa from Ba'hai Center - very overcast day or you would be able to see the Mediterranean sea in the background.
2. Outside a small church in Tabgha, marking place where Jesus fed multitudes from loaf and fishes
3. Overlooking Sea of Galilee
4. Walking in, not on the Sea of Galilee
5. Dates growing on a tree in Kibbutz Gesher
6. Floating in the Dead Sea
7. Jerusalem
8. Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
9. Camel in the desert
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Shalom!
Greetings from Israel!
I am having a wonderful time here, although I haven't had much time to write on my blog. I have so many stories and pictures - so hopefully one day (probably after I am back home) I will share them here. I have had trips around the country, seeing so many amazing sights and eating, eating, and more eating of wonderful food. I think if there is a place on earth that I could gain some weight... this would be it.
Also I must send a Happy Birthday to my blogs biggest fan. Happy Birthday Mama Honey! I am so confused with time zones that maybe it is still the birthday somewhere on this planet. Who knows. I am probably late - but I will call it "extending the celebration".
Well - love to all and I hope to write and share my stories soon.
I am having a wonderful time here, although I haven't had much time to write on my blog. I have so many stories and pictures - so hopefully one day (probably after I am back home) I will share them here. I have had trips around the country, seeing so many amazing sights and eating, eating, and more eating of wonderful food. I think if there is a place on earth that I could gain some weight... this would be it.
Also I must send a Happy Birthday to my blogs biggest fan. Happy Birthday Mama Honey! I am so confused with time zones that maybe it is still the birthday somewhere on this planet. Who knows. I am probably late - but I will call it "extending the celebration".
Well - love to all and I hope to write and share my stories soon.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
leaving on a jetplane
For those of you who don't know, I am about to leave the country for a couple of weeks! I am very excited and a little nervous. I am leaving later today and I still have some packing to do for my big vacation. Not only have I had this trip coming up, but I moved to a different apartment over the past few days - so I have been very busy. When I do things, I like to do them all, I guess!
I don't know exactly what my internet situation will be, but most likely my next post, which happens to be my 100th post on this blog, will be from Israel.
I am looking forward to seeing the sacred sites of Jerusalem as well as relax on the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv. Until next time, Shalom!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
beastly sightings
One thing that we saw quite a few of in Yellowstone Park was Bison (aka Buffalo). The first one that we saw happened to be strolling down the main road through the park. Yes, the bison was the one strolling down the road. Cars pulled over, out of the way, and he walked right on past. He didn't seem to mind the people at all. He knew it was his territory and I think it probably gave him a little ego boost to feel like he was being attacked by the paparazzi. Shutters were snapping left and right. Here he comes:
And there he goes:
And there he goes:
These are pretty massive animals, as you can see in comparison to the cars. The park even supplied us with a flier warning that "Many visitors have been gored by buffalo. They can weigh 2000 pounds and sprint 30 mph." I had that in mind as I took those pictures from INSIDE that car. Karen, on the other hand, who was a runner back in the day, took her chances and got some great pictures from outside the vehicle.
Here is another buffalo that we saw. He was not such an attention hog. He stayed a bit away from the road and snacked on some grass. Nice buffalo, he was.
Here is another buffalo that we saw. He was not such an attention hog. He stayed a bit away from the road and snacked on some grass. Nice buffalo, he was.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Home (not) On the Range
After quite a long day, I arrived at my apartment in New York late this afternoon. I should not complain. My original flight was supposed to leave Montana around 7 at night, arriving tomorrow morning somewhere in the 6:00 hour. The rest of the family was leaving at 6AM and I had to go to the airport with them - so I smiled and begged and forked over some money and got on a flight this morning. Whew - I was not wanting to sit in that little airport for over 12 hours. Not my top choice of how to spend a day. But I took back my Monday and busted my way back to the east coast.
Seeing as I took over 500 pictures on the trip, I have plenty to blog about. Hopefully I will stay focused and share many of those pictures and stories over the next week. As long as the New York busy-bee monster doesn't pull me under.
As I was browsing through my pictures this evening, the following picture stood out to me.
This picture seems so relaxing after a long day. When I look at it I can almost feel the warmth of the sun as it lowers to the horizon. The light is calming and the air is clean. I played around with cropping the picture a few different ways which also made nice pictures, but I like the little bug flying away to the left. I had to leave it as it was. Enjoy this one and stay tuned for more stories from the trip!
Seeing as I took over 500 pictures on the trip, I have plenty to blog about. Hopefully I will stay focused and share many of those pictures and stories over the next week. As long as the New York busy-bee monster doesn't pull me under.
As I was browsing through my pictures this evening, the following picture stood out to me.
This picture seems so relaxing after a long day. When I look at it I can almost feel the warmth of the sun as it lowers to the horizon. The light is calming and the air is clean. I played around with cropping the picture a few different ways which also made nice pictures, but I like the little bug flying away to the left. I had to leave it as it was. Enjoy this one and stay tuned for more stories from the trip!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wild Wild West
I am in Montana! Met up with the family yesterday after a powerless night with little sleep and a long day in flight. Today we drifted over to Yellowstone National Park. I made my first venture into Wyoming, so I will have to update my "states visited" map.
We are planning on seeing Old Faithful gyser tomorrow, but I did see a lot of spewing and bubbling heat today. The first hydrothermal activity that we experienced kind of reminded me of a natural hot tub. The water was HOT! Make some coffee out of that thing!
We are planning on seeing Old Faithful gyser tomorrow, but I did see a lot of spewing and bubbling heat today. The first hydrothermal activity that we experienced kind of reminded me of a natural hot tub. The water was HOT! Make some coffee out of that thing!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Running?
Am I completely out of my mind? I think I may be. Sure, there are several reasons why someone may venture to call me a little crazy, but most recently it is because I have started "running". Maybe I should give myself some credit and really call in running, but I'm not quite there yet. Where did this new thing come from? Well - I think I am hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Bad influences - encouraging something like this.
Well, I bought myself some running shoes and a couple of running outfits thinking that would turn me into a runner. I must admit - those shoes are pretty nice. They feel like I am walking on little clouds compared to the nonsupporting shoes I wear most of the time. At first they almost felt like little trampolines pushing me along....of course that feeling quickly went away.
I live close to a track, so that is where the running incidents took place. I like the track so I can monitor my distance (or lack thereof). There is also a pretty nice view of Manhattan across the river from the track. I kind of like that. The first time I went running I did a little over 2 miles. I was super impressed that I made it that far. I thought surely I would die after the first lap. My body is not used to physical activity - unless you count shopping and fast walking on the sidewalks. This run left me with some pretty nice leg cramps. What is that saying about no pain, no gain? I was gaining, let me tell you.
Second attempt: was pushed to "up the anty" but that didn't happen. I barely clocked in my two miles before I could think of nothing more than WALKING back to my apartment and ordering a big pizza... which I did. :)
The legs are feeling better now and maybe I will get out there one more time this week. We'll see. I guess it would be nice to get some use out of my new shoes! Baby steps, right???
Well, I bought myself some running shoes and a couple of running outfits thinking that would turn me into a runner. I must admit - those shoes are pretty nice. They feel like I am walking on little clouds compared to the nonsupporting shoes I wear most of the time. At first they almost felt like little trampolines pushing me along....of course that feeling quickly went away.
I live close to a track, so that is where the running incidents took place. I like the track so I can monitor my distance (or lack thereof). There is also a pretty nice view of Manhattan across the river from the track. I kind of like that. The first time I went running I did a little over 2 miles. I was super impressed that I made it that far. I thought surely I would die after the first lap. My body is not used to physical activity - unless you count shopping and fast walking on the sidewalks. This run left me with some pretty nice leg cramps. What is that saying about no pain, no gain? I was gaining, let me tell you.
Second attempt: was pushed to "up the anty" but that didn't happen. I barely clocked in my two miles before I could think of nothing more than WALKING back to my apartment and ordering a big pizza... which I did. :)
The legs are feeling better now and maybe I will get out there one more time this week. We'll see. I guess it would be nice to get some use out of my new shoes! Baby steps, right???
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