The Cleaning Lady in the Armenian Quarter

It was one of those serendipitous days that sometimes happen while traveling. One of those days where you just wander, going with the flow, going wherever a local may suggest and happening upon some of the most incredibly visceral things you've ever experienced.

Starting out in the Muslim quarter, another wander around the Pool of Bethesda complex and some introspective time. Next, the hunt for the stations of the cross we'd missed actually seeing for the entire two-weeks we'd been passing them (they're surprisingly difficult to find!) and then the search for the entirely passed-over Armenian quarter led us to the shop of one particularly lovely jewelry shop owner who invited us up to the rooftop of his shop and then gave us a tour and a history lesson of Jerusalem from that roof.

Afterward, he sent us on a quest to find the Armenian Upper Room. "You must look for the cleaning woman. If you are very lucky, she will share with you her story. She is..." he waves his hand next to his head, "...special, but it is very good."

Right on. Challenge accepted!

A Jewish man enters a Torah school on the fringes of the Jewish/Armenian quarters.

The Armenian quarter, though very small, is lovely, cheerful and immaculately clean.

Winner! We found the Armenian "Upper Room," which also boasts a few other historic things...

The woman on the left is the church's caretaker.

The Cleaning Woman in the Armenian Church was one of the most interesting people I have ever, ever met. As a schoolteacher she visited Israel many years ago. When she came to this church she felt the calling to leave her job and serve the church. So she did. She cleans and cares for the place and will gladly share her story, the stories of the miracles she has witnessed there and many other interesting facts with you, if you but give her your time. The locals think she might be a bit crazy and eccentric. I can't tell you if her stories are legitimate, but I can tell you that she is certainly convinced of their truthfulness. That, and the time I spent with her was wonderful.

So sit back, relax, and if you're a woman, don't cross your legs while sitting on the church pews, just your ankles. I'm still not sure why, but she will tell you "we must give praise to God."

She honored us by singing to us in Aramaic, to share the ancient language with us. It was quite beautiful. Enjoy:

Just a Normal Friday in the Jewish Quarter...

If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop on by Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter on a Friday morning.

Pop into a local bakery and buy a loaf of Shabbat bread (Challah Bread/braided egg bread) or three. (They're only available on Friday mornings.)

And then I dare you to ignore the procession of  of happy families, photographers, videographers and musicians dancing through the streets, celebrating Bar Mitzvah after Bar Mitzvah!

I dare you to try not to join in, and to try not to contribute a congratulatory smile to the lucky youth's celebration day!

 

This Rabbi was my favorite part of the day. He was so genuinely full of joy!

Aaaaannnnnd.... Here's a video... I rarely shoot video for anything but work (because I do it too much at work...), and I apologize for the shakiness/out-of-focus images. Canon cameras shoot beautiful video as long as you're still/fixed on a tripod... Steadycam shots are not so much their forte. But that's all beside the point because the (every day if you're Israeli) sights and sounds of these videos are kind of, well, amazing. Que Sera.

On My Mind // A Little Less than Four Months

I'm officially under the four-month mark in my countdown to full-time travel! These are some things I'm thinking about lately:

- I worry about my upcoming cruise. Not the actual cruise, but about things I probably shouldn't worry about at all. I'll be sailing on a ship I worked on eleven years ago! The thought of that floors me. I enjoyed nearly every moment of working on cruise ships, but if I'm being completely honest, there were as many tough times as there were amazing.
One of the first things I learned on ships was to never, never, ever, ever burn bridges. I mean, never on ships, the community is simply too small, too intimate, too circuitous. Be genuinely nice to everyone from the laundry guy to your cabin steward to the Steiners and Casino workers. Everything will always come back to you. Being on ships is like being stuck in a giant karma wagon, but the scale of earnings is multiplied by 100 over what it would be in life on land. With that rule in place, I made a lot of friends. And I came away from five years on ships disliking only two people with a burning passion, for reasons beyond my control (think: abuse of power, narcissism and blatant disregard for others).
I worry that one of those people will be on my cruise (working). I'd love never to meet that person again. Ever. But I don't worry about this enough to change my plans.

-This past year has been a BEAST. Absolute mayhem from two days before my birthday last year until now. 3-month premature twins to re-done root canals to mysterious, death in the family, lingering illness to barking dogs to cancer, emergency neurosurgery and strokes, holy cow! I'm so ready to close out this birthday year and start a new chapter!

Due somewhat to all that has happened this year, but mostly due to my own shortcomings, I failed to finish my correspondence course before it expired. Gah! It's the last class I need to finish my degree, and I think it might kill me. Maybe. I need to buy the course again, but I might be too intimidated...

- I will miss my sister and her kids more than I could have imagined was possible six years ago. In a really good, but bittersweet way. A person can change in so many ways in six years. I've been quite closed-off emotionally for a long time and this time with my sis and her kiddos has helped me learn to love again.

- I think my next phase of life (full-time travel) will be quite possibly the biggest challenge I've ever faced, and not because of the travel, but because of who I want/expect myself to be while I travel and the standards I'll hold myself to.
I want this experience to be about more than travel. I'm not quite sure what that will entail yet, but I'm working on it.


What's mulling around in your mind lately?

Sunset over the San Francisco Bay was amazing this past Wednesday! Loving this warm Norcal Spring!

Perfectly Portable // Sleep Sheet

Product Review: Cocoon Silk Sleep Sheet

I purchased this product after stumbling upon it on Amazon. I didn't think I'd really need it, but I was willing to try it as it seemed that everyone who had one *LOVED* theirs. Plus, I was venturing into countries and travel modes that were a bit more basic/rough than I'd previously experienced.

Best. Purchase. Ever!

If you call yourself a traveler (read: not a tourist), you should already own one of these. Feeling finnicky about that camel-hair blanket in that bedouin camp in the Middle East? Scratchy, dusty sheets (or no sheet at all) in a much-overrated hotel in Turkey? Out comes the sleep sheet.

The sheet is shaped much like a sleeping bag, but the raw silk is stretchy and breathes, while keeping you comfortably warm in temperate climates. Weighs less than a pound and packs down into a small pouch (included) about the size of a six-inch sub sandwich. I pack mine into the top/hood section of my backpack.

Care:
-Wash on gentle, cold water. Air dry (Dries very quicky. Seriously, don't dry this in a dryer, reviewers who have done so have ended up with shredded/ruined sleep sheets.)
 

*This post is in no way sponsored by the manufacturer. All views are my own.

The Beach Makes Everything Better

In case you were curious what playing hooky from work to go on a field trip with your sister, her three-year-old and ten-month twins to the beach is like, I've prepared this post especially for you.

1. A car ride through the winding hills whilst said toddler excitedly asks repeatedly "Mama, Tete, we go to beach? Play in ocean?" AKA: "Are we there yet?" but cuter.

2. We arrive at the beach. Toddler's eyes nearly pop out of his head as he gleefully beelines for the water. I think he might burst wide open from the look of sheer, unadulterated joy on his face.

3. The twins repeatedly try to escape the confines of their large blanket/prison and eat sand.

Rhys (left) Uh, hey guys, it's really bright out here. I can't tell what flavor this baby food is. Avery (Right) forget the tube, there's miles of food to test out on the ground!

4. Waves attack the toddler, who couldn't be happier, but is now soaked. Since he is essentially a string-bean with no body fat, toddler loses a layer of clothing in the interest of trying to stave off hypothermia. But we all know kids like to run around stark-raving naked anyhow, so, come to think of it, the waves and the toddler might be on the same team. Those sneaky devils.

 I'm suuuuuper soaked!

Uh, I can't move in these wet pants, guys. Waddle, waddle...

5. Flinging, hurling fistfuls of wet sand comes next, which is the best thing in the universe a boy can do. (This is quite an amazing progression for wee MasterQ, who, until recently, HATED the feel of sand on his hands and feet.)

6. More rogue wave attacks and one shivering little boy require retreat from the water's edge.

7. Toddler spends the rest of his time at the beach literally swimming in the warm sand and being buried by his auntie and mama.

8. Impromptu beach day: Massive success.

On Barking

I find that I am unable to write much lately. Not for lack of ideas or subject matter, but for lack of the ability to form coherent sentences.

No, I did not actually go through with the labotomy I've asked for for years.

Rather, a lovely change recently happened in my neighborhood.

I have a new next-door neighbor. Actually, make that three, said neighbor brought two furry friends. I normally have no problem with dogs. I like them. I grew up with dogs. But this neighbor's animals are the spawn of satan. Untrained, unfriendly, un-quiet! These demon dogs, the very dogs that ought be guarding the underworld, barking and howling at anything and everything that moves! And also at anything and everything that doesn't move!

In short, they never shut up. I flush the toilet: Bark, bark, howl!!!!! I walk into my bedroom: BARK, GROWL, HOWL! BARK, BARK, BARK!!!!!!!!! I close a window.... You get the picture. And no, I'm not exaggerating.

The street I live on is on an incline and the dogs are at the bottom of the hill, creating a sort of echoing effect (this is the reason the Romans built amphitheaters into hillsides, because the sound carries: great acoustics for performances... but I didn't pay for tickets to a danged dog concert from 10pm to 6am!) So my mind is a bit sludge-like lately. My eyes are drooping and I'm super on-edge. I haven't slept properly now for nearly four weeks. I've tried speaking to the neighbor. Other neighbors have called animal control. I've tried sleeping with TWO fans on and I wear earplugs every night. There.Is.No.Relief.In.Sight.It.Seems.

Tomorrow I will begin the surely-to-be-a-long-process of filing barking-dog reports with the police and filing my own Animal Control report. F-U-N. Minus the N. Or something like that, if I used that kind of language.

... Yawn. Punch something. Yawn. Try to keep eyes open....

Any of you ever dealt with anything like this before? How did you resolve it?

Seen While Driving // Israel

I drove nearly 2,000 miles while in Israel and had the opportunity to see a great deal of the land's variety. From wooded forests to saline lakes to stony, mineral rich deserts and waterfall oases, Israel spans a vast range of Eco systems, occupies an inordinate amount of history, gives color to an amazing part of our imagination, and makes religion tangible for many.

So it's only fitting that Israel's freeways display an equally random offering: tomato and banana plantations, historical markers for places like "Lot's Wife (the Biblical pillar of salt), an entire stretch of freeway with sculptures made of old tanks and dedicated to the anti-war//make love not war sentiment. Bedouin settlements, (oxy-moronically) Camel ranches, military vehicles and fully-loaded helicopters. And, my favorite place, a Crocodile farm:








It seems to me that any place can be just about anything anyone can imagine it to be.

--

What's the most random thing you've seen while driving?

Les Jardin:: 2013 version

Well, my inner farmer has been leashed this year. With my upcoming departure (September) it seemed a bit foolhardy to spend my customary amount of time and money on a big backyard garden, so I'm afraid the backyard looks a lot like a weed patch.

But while I managed to leash my farm-girl roots, I didn't kill them. You see, it always amazes me when things grow. You put a tiny plant in some soil, water it and make sure it has sun and it grows! Every day! Watching that process has been a joy to me since I was a wee tyke, visiting my Gram's farm in the summers and planting rows of butter beans and feeding baby chickens....

I did allow myself to use existing pots, potting soil and fertilizer, transplanted some of last year's strawberry plants and bought two heirloom tomato plants. This year's garden exists solely on my lovely solarium of a front porch (seriously gets the best sun on the whole property).

Here's to simplicity and garden-fresh strawberries and tomatoes. And to not complicating my September departure with any more stuff!




Did you plant a garden this year? What are your favorite things to grow?

Treating Yourself While Traveling // Petra

Sometimes when traveling, I need to get away from the brutality of travel. Sure, travel is exciting and glamorous and fun, but it can also be exhausting, trying, and anything and everything can just go completely wrong! Every traveler is bound to reach the point where they just need a break, need to take a few minutes and get back in touch with who they are and what they're doing, because it's all too easy to get caught up in the romance and the whirlwind of discovering new places and ways of life.

For me, indulgences are location and circumstance-based: For instance, in Cairo, Egypt I indulged my sore, cracked, dry feet with a pedicure in an upscale resort. (Best ~$10 pedicure of my life!) In Paris, my friends and I bought ourselves the most beautiful long-stemmed roses I'd ever seen. In Greece I indulged by spending an entire day sitting in a cafe by the marina of a tiny island, eating pastries and greek salad and surfing the internet. (After having dislocated my thumb and being stung by a Jellyfish in the span of a couple of days.) San Juan, Puerto Rico always means a trip to a certain clothing shop is in order, and Rome is a constant indulgence: Italians. Gelatto. Pasta. Ancient Ruins. Italians. Repeat.

You get the picture. Travel is OH-SO-FUN, but it can be overwhelming, disconcerting and exhausting, too. I'm not complaining, but it's important to retain a sense of balance within one's self, even when doing fun things like travel.

My latest trip to the Middle East (Israel and Jordan) called for an indulgence of it's own. Enter the Moevenpick hotel, Wadi Musa (Petra), Jordan.

The back story: After a brutal day in the hot desert sun, miles of walking and a positively disgusting dinner the night before, (at a restaurant suggested by a local, the first time such a suggestion has NOT been a winner... It happens!) my travel girls and I were ready for a bit of refinement and the guarantee of an excellent meal.

(Tip: Food in the Middle East can be tricky, especially spoilables like dairy and meats. If you're visiting during "high" season, fresh foods shouldn't be an issue. But if you're traveling during the off season pick places that look clean, have a good number of patrons inside, and try looking them up on tripadvisor.com)

The Moevenpick hotel is perhaps the poshest hotel in the valley. In stark contrast to most places in Wadi Musa, the Moevenpick is beautifully appointed, immaculately clean and well-kept, and boasts excellent, wonderfully-trained staff; a wander around the lobby had my group breathing a sigh of contented appreciation. The best decision we made (aside from visiting Petra) was to enjoy a meal at the Moevenpick's 5-star restaurant.

Trust me, if staying in this little bit of luxury isn't doable with your budget, at least treat yourself to dinner at the Moevenpick after a long day wandering Petra Park.

Beautifully presented, delicate takes on the region's most loved dishes. 

Your palate will be delighted!

NB: On the horrible photo quality: Someone famous once said "The best camera is the one you have with you." The iPhone was all I had with me for these pics.

Do you treat yourself when you travel? If so, what do you like to do?