Last Post

We have spent a lovely, warm last day in Tel Aviv, by the beach, which is not far from our hotel.  The water is warm and the sand silky.  The temperature outside is about 30c.  In a couple of hours, we will meet Kalman for dinner.  Then, pack, have a short nap and procede with  the  journey to Amsterdam and to Vancouver, and then Victoria. 
I am not sure that we are great travellers, but I do like this thought:

Like all great travellers
I have seen more than I remembered
And remembered more than I have seen.
- Benjamin Disraeli

Over and Out
- Maureen & Doug

Get Up and Golan

We have returned from a full day  on tour.  Jacob, our guide and three others (Patrick from England and Paulina and Bartek from Poland) made up the group.  We left at 8:30 am and drove to Nazareth (Arab-Israeli town), visited the Basilica of the Anunciation and toured a local Arab market, where Doug bought one of those Lawrence of Arabia hats.  The weather was becoming very hot.
We stopped at Capernaum, the centre of Jesus' ministry and had a great St. Peter's Fish lunch at the Ein-Gev kibbutz.  After our break, we ascended to the Golan Heights to the Shalom Vista point, where we could see spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee and landscape.  The switchback drive down from the Golan is one that I will never forget - we could see Syria and Jordan at close range.  Finally, we stopped at Yardent on the River Jordan, where people were being baptized and Doug met a muskrat.
Jacob spoke passionately about the Palestinian problem.  I'm not sure that I am clear on where I stand, but I am glad to have heard from both sides.
The temperature reached 35C, which is pretty hot for us BC-ers.  Patrick looked quite pink at the end.  Tomorrow, we leave for Tel Aviv and a visit with Kalman.  Then off to the airport at about 2 in the morning to catch a 4am flight.  Yawn.

Guns 'n' Moses

Today, the relatively relaxed atmosphere in Jerusalem has been replaced by many armed militia and police (Quite like our very own War Measures Act).  This is probably a reaction to  the Nakba protests of yesterday and the demonstrations against the Women of the Wall.  The guy at our hotel desk shrugs the whole thing off.  All in a day, I guess.
We made a stab at visiting the Dome of the Rock, but it was arbitrarily closed (typical), possibly due to all the tensions of Wednesday.  The Israeli security suggested we try again in the early afternoon, but we decided to give it a miss.
We walked the ramparts, found Oskar Schindler's grave, rode the tram to NE Jerusalem for a look-see, had a drink on the Terrace at the King David Hotel and finally walked through a Crusader neighbourhood.
During the day, we heard a loud crowd, drums, singing, and horns and thought "uh-oh", another protest.  But, no it was a bar mitzvah party, walking to the Wall.  Their celebratory spirit was contagious.  L' Chaim!
Tomorrow: express bus to Haifa

Bethlehem and Battle Scenes

The Nativity has always struck me as the perfect story.  It resonates with me, in a way that many others do not.  Well, today we visited Bethlehem, as part of a  tour.  And, much of the experience reflected the ancient narrative.  The arrangement to pick us up was sketchy - Doug and I plus two others crowded into a tiny cab, with a driver whose English only extended to urging us to upgrade to a longer trip to Jericho (no thanks).  Next, came the drop-off at the Israeli-Palestinian border.  We were on our own, negotiating this not so user-friendly place of multiple walls, fences and barbed wire.  (You can see how the anxiety & ugliness of getting to Bethlehem might reflect the ancient story).  On the other side, we were met by our guide, the lovely Jabal, an Arab Christian, who put us in a van and ``shepherded` us around the sites of Bethlehem.  At the end, we said goodbye at the border and Jabal asked us ``to pray for his country``.  I`m not sure of the answer to the thorny politics of the Middle East, but I will give it my best, Jabal.
We spent the afternoon, walking down the Mount of Olives, stopping often.  The Garden of Gethsemane was most evocative.  I think I like my shrines in the open air.  Back in Jerusalem,  we found ourselves in the middle of a Palestinian protest.  Police on horseback were charging the protesters.  For a few minutes, we were fascinated and found spots to take pictures. But, it was quite a volatile, noisy  situation and we made a decision to vamoose.
Today is Jewish Pentecost (when Moses received the 10 Commandments) and is a major holiday here. Everyone in Jerusalem seems to be on their way to the Wall.

Yad Vashem

We started out early, catching a tram to suburban Mount Herzl, the site of Yad Vashem.  This Holocaust museum complex is a riveting, powerful account of the events from 1931-1946.  Most haunting was the Children's Memorial, designed by Canadian-Israeli Moshe Safdie (Expo 67's Habitat).  You walk in absolute darkness, with only a handrail for guidance, until you emerge into a dome-shaped building covered with the impression of millions of stars shining in the firmament, while a voice names each of the 1.5 million children murdered.  Unforgettable.  No photography allowed, so I really will have to rely on my memory.
After a quick break, we took the tram back to the Old City and explored the Christian Quarter until we found the  Via de la Rosa and then the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The religious scene here is complicated in more ways than one.  About 8 Christian sects share the church and can't seem to agree on much - so little gets done.  Including - no security check, no admission charge.  Most of the Via de la Rosa feels like a touristy shopping mall, but the presence of the devout give it a sacred feeling.  I was curiously unmoved by the Stations and the Church. ( Standing in the Ephesian amphitheatre last week, where Paul preached had a bigger wow factor for me.)  To complete the confusion, as we emerged from the Church, the Call to Prayer began.

Next stop Jerusalem

What a city! It is the crossroads of the three great religions, and seems to represent the best and worst in all of us.  Lots of political baggage.
Due to our slapdash planning, we are faced with a major Jewish  holiday, which begins tomorrow at sunset and ends Thursday at sunset. ( Everything Jewish will be closed, including transit). So, we are trying to  concentrate on the Jewish sites today and Tuesday.  Beginning with the Western Wall, (the last remnant of the Temple), Doug and I were obliged to go our separate ways.  They are definitely not into mixed-gender worship.  We could feel the pulse of the faithful, as men and women approached the wall.  Later (together and with an ice cream cone), we wandered the narrow alleyways of the Jewish Quarter.)
We are lodging at the Three Arches YMCA - a beautiful Moorish styled landmark built in the 1930s, as a place of international peace among faiths and nations.  It is directly across the street from the King David Hotel, famously bombed in 1946 by Irgun (right wing Zionist underground group).  I feel immersed in history and faith at this moment.

Leaving Tel Aviv

Before pressing onwards, we hit the Tel Aviv beaches one more time.  Because of dangerous currents, swimming is forbidden in some areas.  This is indicated by a black, ominous flag, stuck in the sand.  But, the Banana Beach, near our hotel is safe. 
Around noon, we catch the Egged Bus to Jerusalem.  The landscape is remarkably lush and green (considering it IS desert) - a testament to the toil and seat of pioneer Israelis.

Tel it Like it Is: Tel Aviv

We are in Israel, after slogging through 8 line-ups at Attaturk Airport.  1) security check into the airport; 2) short but slow line at boarding pass printer 3) long line to check bags which turned out to be the wrong line ("Israel is special country" they tell us) ; 4) line the check bags at the right  place (woman fainted near us due to heat or exhaustion or exasperation); 5) passport control line 6) second security check ;7) WC - very long line for 3 toilets; 8) line to get on the plane.  Whew!
But, it was worth it.  Turkish Airlines is very spiffy and our flight was most comfortable.  I watched half of the movie "Hitchcock" before we landed. I must finish that one sometime.
We found our way by train and cab to our hotel.  It is near the beach so we went for a walk on the luxurious sand.  Old Jaffa looked not too far away, so we hit the trail and walked.  By the time we reached the narrow streets, it was sunset, giving this ancient port a very mysterious atmosphere.  I'm glad we made the visit.

Travel Tips

Today, we devoted to several hours of trains and planes.  Early, Ilkat drove us to the Selcuk train station and we caught the 7:22.  Despite his warnings that we might have to stand, we snagged two seats and relaxed, watching the Turkish landscape whiz by until we reached the Izmir airport. We had tons of time, so we checked in, printed boarding passes and then found a cup of coffee and cheese toast.  And used the WC (This can mean a Turkish toilet - even at an international airport!)
Back in Istanbul, our transport fell into perfect place - the bus was waiting at the airport, there was a taxi at Taksim Square. My life passed before my eyes, as our driver tailgated, at breakneck speed  the 20 k to the hotel  Our Ibis Hotel lacks any of the European charm of our previous  lodging - no death defying spiral staircase, no cold showers and there is even a plug for the sink. But no facecloth.  It is familiar, though, and very comfortable. We can get the BBC on TV and we can see the Bosphorus from our window.
Tomorrow, we are off to Israel!

Dolmus to Sirince

Walking through town today, looking for an ATM, I noticed a huge number of men, sitting at outdoor cafes with their chums, playing backgammon, cards or sipping coffee.  Where are the women?  Busy doing housework, I guess.

We caught a minibus(known as a dolmus)  to a small hilltop town, Sirince .  This is a pretty Orthodox village, famous for its wine .  We climbed (Doug striding, me huffing and puffing) up the rocky, narrow streets.  Ilkat, from the Nazar Hotel, suggested we eat at a lunch place called  Previn Truvey.  Miraculously, we found it.  An old woman was hanging out the window, calling” Previn, Previn”.  I thought she was saying “Come in, come in”.  But, actually, same difference!  We climbed up even more steps to her little garden restaurant, where she made us a potato/cheese pancake on an open fire.  That seemed to be the only thing on the menu.  Plus a glass of cherry wine.  It was good.

Antiquity and Aging

Although, as a rule, we are somewhat tour-averse, today we opted for a guided tour.  Our guide, Nizan and our driver, Omar shepherded Doug and I, as well as 4 women from Mumbai, a father-daughter couple from Capetown and another Canadian, Ashley (Vancouver) through a wonderful day of antiquity, crafts and food.  The weather cooperated until almost the end (it has been threatening to rain all day).  We visited the last home of the Virgin Mary (or if you are Muslim, you would say Mother Mary - I like that better); walked the 3 k through Ephesus (man, it's old!), gorged on a Turkish buffet lunch at one of those touristy diner places, watched a pottery demo; attended a carpet making co-op for a presentation over tea, with a sales pitch (no, we resisted) and finally stopped at the Basilica of St.  John and the Temple of Artemis. 
Finally, back at the Nazar Hotel, we took a wee bottle of wine on our equally wee balcony and watched the Selcuk world go by below. Many other folks were on their balconies and the old couple across the road waved at us.  Perhaps we look curious to them.  Doug managed to record the Call to Prayers on his MP3 player.
I'm pooped after all this.  Even keying it in is wearing me down.  Must be my age!

Selcuk

This morning, we said adieu to Ramazon (our hotelier) and to Istanbul.  Planes, trains and automobiles have delivered us to Selcuk on the Aegean .  Selcuk is in rural Turkey.  Like Istanbul, the infrastructure is crumbling and unpretentious.  But, it feels very authentic.  We went for a walk and a little kid followed us for a block asking us for something - did he want money?  was he asking if we had a car?  We couldn't figure it out.
Ilkat (sp?) our hotel manager here joined us for a beer in the garden.  He taught English literature previously, so speaks perfect English. We find, in the main, Turkish people are very friendly and helpful, even if we can't communicate.   Salespeople can be a bit aggressive for N.A. sensibilities.
Our hotel room is tiny, with 2 beds and WiFi.  There is a small balcony that looks across the street at a woman, who cooks in her outdoor kitchen.
Tomorrow, we have decided to try out a tour.  We will see the home of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, and a carpet store (uh-oh) among other things.

Bosphorus Tour

Today we sailed to Asia.  It was just a ferry ride away...and you all know that we are comfortable with ferries.  The Bosphorus Ferry Cruises set off at 10:30am – we strategically arrived early and got a good seat .  The weather was overcast and cool, so eventually our good seat lost its allure, it being on the outdoors part of the boat.  But, for the most part we sailed al frescoe.  The final stop was a small village called Anadolu Kavagi, with its ruined 14^th century Byzantine fortress , the Genoese castle.  We bought a tastey fish sandwich and walked up the hill to get a closer view of the ruins.  Doug is feeding some of the many stray dogs with his leftover cookie.

Near us on the boat were some Americans and their guide.  This has worked out often, where we listen to the explanations of other peoples' tours.  The guide told us that he had been to Turkey 9 times .

I've taken to snapping pictures of other tourists .  How much time we spend peering at our digital cameras trying to figure out what all those little icons mean!

Before we turned around to return to Istanbul, we reached the Black Sea, where Jason and the Argonauts were met with the Clashing Rocks - and I must admit, it was a bit rough sailing at that point.

Experiences

Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Chora Church and Taksim Square were all on our list today and we visited them all!  Now that the weekend is over the crowds have thinned somewhat.

We are relaxing on our terrace with a glass of wine (even though drinking alcohol is un-Islamic, it is really easy to buy  here – much easier than in N.A.).  The cool breeze off the Bosphorus soothes our frazzled traveller’s spirits. 

The Call to Prayer happens 5 times a day and I can hear it right now. (Doug is going to try and record it on his MP3 player).   It wouldn’t work in Canada, but I am curious if we could have a Call to Wonder, where we would stop for a moment and acknowledge the Huge Divine Mystery. Now, that would get my attention!

Attention Cat Lovers:  Istanbul is full of cats.  Even in the Hagya Sophia, there was a cat and dozens of visitors were photographing it.  Including me!  I wonder why, when surrounded by the East’s answer to St. Peter’s, would I take a picture of a cat?  And, I’m allergic!

Hagia Sophia and Topkapi

This morning we arose from our below street-level hotel room and climbed the many, many steps up to the terrace for breakfast.  It is a glorious day, and we enjoyed our bun, cheese, olives, tomatoes and yogurt, while watching the ships pass on the Bosphorus .
Joining hundreds of tourists, we visited the Hagia Sophia, built is 532 AD.  It was a church, then a mosque and now a museum.  It's pretty much the finest house of worship in the Christian and Muslim worlds.  After a quick bite to eat on a park bench in front of the Blue Mosque, we lined up for tickets to the Topkapi Palace.  Doug and I each took a different line to see who could be the first to buy tickets.  My line was slow, so I didn't win, but I had a great conversation with a woman my age from Cairo.  We agreed on many things including World Peace and had a thoroughly pleasant visit. 
We really feel like we are in another world.  Doug was wakened at 5am by the Call to Prayer;  we are overwhelmed by the energy and numbers of people in Istanbul (15 million) and are seeing new ways to measure quality of life.

Istanbul

We set out quite early from Amsterdam and reached Schipol Airport for our flight at 11:30.  The plane ride was unexceptional and getting our visa, bags, going through passport control and customs was easy.  When we emerged from all this, there were (it seemed) hundreds of people waiting with signs.  We had arranged for a shuttle to our hotel and unbelievably, one of the signs said "Dough Koch". He kept calling Doug, Mr. Dough.   The guy didn't speak much English - just said " sit here, you're driver will come".  And then he left!  Well, we sat and sat for nearly an hour.  It was hard to know what to do if we left, he might come; if we stayed...well, how long is reasonable?  Just as we were deciding to abandon the plan and find a (expensive) cab, the driver appeared.  He took us on a harrowing and talkative journey to our hotel. 
We took a walk and split a meatball sandwich in front of the Blue Mosque.  Quite lovely.  I am looking forward to tomorrow, when we will have more energy for all this.
Iyi geceler- Maureen

unCommon Markets

Today was quite unscripted.  We had no agenda nor deadlines.  The weather was splendid.  We used the tram to get us to three markets – flower market, book market and a vegetable/cheese etc. market.  Several times, we found ourselves lost, and tested the good nature of the Dutch to point us back in the right direction, which they seemed happy to do. 

The main library in Amsterdam is state of the art and made a perfect stop for refueling.  On the top floor, there is an observation deck, with a cafeteria-style restaurant.  We split a beer, basking in the novelty of drinking in the bibliotheek.  Beer and books - GVPL take note.

In addition to a quick visit to the Olympic Stadium, we attended the end of Mass at the Parrot Church, so named because it was hidden in a garden behind the household of a bird-trader , at a time when Catholicism could not be practiced publicly.  It was a Latin worship with Gregorian chant.  Very restful.

Rijksmuseum

A morning spent surrounded by some of the greatest art in the world is one humbling experience.  Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Haals, van Dyke.  You name it; they were represented. Something happened that made me wonder – I found myself taking pictures of the paintings!  How odd.  These are the most reproduced paintings in the world and I am reproducing them again!  Why do we do that??

Mystery is solved regarding what I forgot to bring.  Socks!  I only have the socks that I wore on the plane.  So, we made a quick stop at a department store and picked up a couple of pairs.

I am surely the only person in Amsterdam with Nordic walking poles.  When I use them, people seem to think that I am disabled.  They are very kind and offer me a seat on the tram and let me cut in line.  The poles really do help my back and I hope that they look sporty, not dorky.

This afternoon, we took the free ferry to North Amsterdam for a look around.  At the end of the day, we searched for and found a great Indonesian restaurant mentioned in Rick Steves guidebook.  We split a plate, so it was reasonable and delicious.

Amsterdam

We’ve arrived.  After a rather pleasant KLM flight, we landed at Schipol Airport, grabbed the #197 bus to the Museumplein and hired a cab to the Apple Inn Hotel.  It was too early to check in, so we left our bags and went for a walk.  Definitely a case of getting our second wind, because we walked right through Vondelpark to the Museumplein and joined a gazillion Dutch citizens, adorned in all manner of the colour orange,  gathered to watch the investiture of King Willem-Alexander and to pay tribute to (now) Princess Beatrix.  We really felt in the moment, seeing – on the Big Screen in the park – all  the royalty in the world (really!) assembled for this historic moment.  The crowds were completely hushed during the entire televised ceremony.  When the national anthem was sung by the choirs, everyone in the park stood.  There were enthusiastic cheers and tears when W-A spoke.  In a city where it often seems that “anything goes”, their affection for their Royal Family appears to be non-negotiable. 

Norman G., if you are reading our blog: I really wished you were here for this.  Your Dutch heart would have soared.  We shall be your self-appointed emissaries while in the Netherlands.

Bed beckons.

TakeOff

In  a few hours, we will leave behind the dog, Dean and a devastation of dandelions that have congregated in the yard  My emotions are a cocktail of excitement and dread:  airplane food, airplane movies and KLM’s free drinks.  I wonder what we have forgotten to do or pack?  Like that one last Xmas decoration, discovered only after all the ornaments have been packed  in January, it will make itself known in good time.

Goodbye Victoria.

Preparing to Go

Soon we will leave.  Lists are scattered about the house like old Kleenex.  I am using some of my spare time to practice Turkish on the library “Mango” site.  Concentrating on valuable phrases like hello, bye, thanks, please and 'where is..'  keep it earnest.  And yet,  learning is complicated because it seems our little words translate into three and four syllable words in Turkish, and are comprised of many, many consonants in a row.  My phonetic versions of these words account for one of the lists.

We are probably rushing the Season, but already we have planted some annuals.  On return from the Middle Eastern desert, I anticipate embracing our lush, green landscape. Which reminds me: I vow not to mis-spell "desert" in this blog.  It is a very distracting bad habit that I have noticed frequently on the Internet.