tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69470913563844180562024-03-05T05:37:28.935+00:00Nina Makes TracksTales of my travels here & there.Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-13334855193065566722021-08-23T17:14:00.000+01:002021-08-23T17:14:26.306+01:00Hello, Thessaloniki! Wassup?<p>Though we've been to Greece several times, we hadn't visited Thessaloniki, and I knew nothing about it. Not even that it is the second largest city in Greece. I only knew that it used to have a large and prosperous Jewish community, which was wiped out during WW2.</p><p>Sitting in the taxi on our way from the airport into town, we drove through familiar-looking roads, shops, warehouses and garages. As we approached the big city, the view changed into a mixture of modern-day but somewhat rundown buildings, interspersed with smaller old or antique houses and other structures. Traffic became heavier, everything seemed taller and denser. </p><p>And then we reached our destination. There was absolutely no place to park, so the driver just stopped, ignoring any honking, took our bags out of the trunk, and pointed to the narrow building, squashed like all others in-between two other buildings, on <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yjabdqxj" target="_blank">59 Elftheriou street</a>. It didn't look like a hotel. Because it isn't. It's simply rooms for rent -- some basic, some fancier. </p><p>We had no idea how to get in. The glass front door was locked. Behind it we could see a small, empty lobby, with 2 elevator doors on the right and behind them a staircase. There were two gadgets on the wall next to the front door. One was obviously for typing in an entry code, which we didn't have; the other had a button to buzz Information, or Reception, or Zeus knows what. We pressed it several times but nothing happened. Luckily, someone was just coming out of the building, so we quickly dashed in, dragging our suitcases behind us.</p><p>Turns out that of all six floors, only numbers 5 and 6 make up <a href="https://luxorsuites.com/en/" target="_blank">Luxor Premium Suites</a>. Eventually, a young woman met us on the fifth floor, we were given the code for the front door and for our suite, were told where to go for breakfast the next day, and we "checked in". No real lobby, no front or back desk, no coffee corner, not to mention a garden or a yard. No fuss. But a bit confusing for a newcomer.</p><p>On the positive side, the room was large, spick and span, aesthetic and comfortable, and the a/c did its job quietly. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbWIAlslj30/YSEc1IVBF9I/AAAAAAAADNY/TnwCsn4cpHApbe3-SzBGFhrlKjvrcadqACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Room%2B501.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbWIAlslj30/YSEc1IVBF9I/AAAAAAAADNY/TnwCsn4cpHApbe3-SzBGFhrlKjvrcadqACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Room%2B501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room, #501</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>We unpacked, and took note of the two relatively-high steps leading to the bathroom door. (Pleased to say we did not trip over it when going to the loo in the middle of the night.) The shower stall had a rim separating it from the rest of the small room, plus a shower curtain -- two items that may seem obvious to the average tourist, but turned out to be rather rare ;-) On the other hand, there was no high hook on which to hang up the hand-held shower head, which made things a bit awkward. But I forgave all, once I'd enjoyed the Natural Olive shower gel & shampoo... True, it wasn't my favorite brand (<a href="https://www.olive-era.gr/" target="_blank">Olive Era</a>), but it did the job. Another shortcoming that repeated itself in most other places we stayed at was the lack of enough hooks on which to hang towels, clothes, etc.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJAgYLrqj6Y/YSEdDFWg4rI/AAAAAAAADNk/YXVHCkuR9d4XIjDUpZM_j5YwSNztpbTPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/bathroom_0875.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJAgYLrqj6Y/YSEdDFWg4rI/AAAAAAAADNk/YXVHCkuR9d4XIjDUpZM_j5YwSNztpbTPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/bathroom_0875.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSORjUqxJhQXtwDl0wSUwWWFgmz22N2riar8INncwfUwAOiOSvLqJDH2Jxo2z4DR7KVg4plqN0gBWVhtKrioMccHja5OXjJOH6m1R-P9T5VYQzJvnSO0rosakDa3r8qsNUqFWfbJOkC3y/s2048/shower+gel.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSORjUqxJhQXtwDl0wSUwWWFgmz22N2riar8INncwfUwAOiOSvLqJDH2Jxo2z4DR7KVg4plqN0gBWVhtKrioMccHja5OXjJOH6m1R-P9T5VYQzJvnSO0rosakDa3r8qsNUqFWfbJOkC3y/w150-h200/shower+gel.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oh, and very important: The room had a coffee nook; i.e., a corner with a small fridge (including two half-liter bottles of <i>nero matillico</i>), a Nespresso coffee machine, a couple of cups and glasses, and electric kettle. (Good thing Michael always brings his favorite tea, and I brought my fave <i>botz </i>(black) coffee.)</p><p>The view from the hotel window was, um, very urban, very typically Thessalonikian, as it turned out. However, there are quite a few other hotels and hostels in the area, because it is indeed very conveniently located, within easy walking distance of eateries, minimarkets, ancient landmarks, museums, pretty boulevards, and the seafront.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b7M7muVA38M/YSEc9b_Gs9I/AAAAAAAADNg/IAes9GxRuAclnk-TGxq4m_53_YujV_rogCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/view%2Bfrom%2Bour%2Broom.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b7M7muVA38M/YSEc9b_Gs9I/AAAAAAAADNg/IAes9GxRuAclnk-TGxq4m_53_YujV_rogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/view%2Bfrom%2Bour%2Broom.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A room with a view?...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>First things first -- a nap. Next -- a walk to a cellular-phone shop, to replace our Israeli SIM card with a local one. By sheer coincidence, the girl who served us was called Nina. She's originally from Georgia, and was delighted to hear that <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/05/good-morning-tblisi.html?m=0" target="_blank">we'd been to Tbilisi</a> and liked it. <div>On the way to the shop (after getting a wee bit lost), we walked along one of Thessaloniki's famous ruins -- the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Roman_Forum_(Thessaloniki)" target="_blank">Roman agora</a>, which was built in in the late 2nd century AD.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiDom8wftYE/YSJebC5tXwI/AAAAAAAADOY/SFWmDPYlOCoEVHEi3lSuxXAiZO3zTP_hQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiDom8wftYE/YSJebC5tXwI/AAAAAAAADOY/SFWmDPYlOCoEVHEi3lSuxXAiZO3zTP_hQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--IfvrxsaTNI/YSJegIKCmBI/AAAAAAAADOc/zr1o_eL68Csz_bQJUPl2iI5-85-tF3wXACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--IfvrxsaTNI/YSJegIKCmBI/AAAAAAAADOc/zr1o_eL68Csz_bQJUPl2iI5-85-tF3wXACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>And on we walked, from one impressive arch or church or historic relic to the next.<div><br /></div><div><b>Worth noting</b>:</div><div> </div><div><b>1</b>.<u> The center of town</u> is a mess, because of the digging for an underground / light rail system. Roads are blocked, dust and dirt abound. Mind you, any Tel-Avivian (or denizen of other nearby cities where our light rail shall one day pass) knows exactly what it's like.</div><div><b>2</b>. Summer in Thessaloniki is <u>hot</u>. If you have any errands -- do them before 12 noon. From noon onwards it gets hotter and hotter. Around 9 p.m. it finally begins to cool off.</div><div><b>3</b>. There are <u>pharmacies </u>everywhere. I don't know how they can all make a living, because there are so many of them on every street. (I encountered the same abundance in Georgia, see my post <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/06/georgia-its-little-differences-part-2.html" target="_blank">Georgia, it's the little differences, part 2.</a>)</div><div><b>4</b>. True, along the promenade there's a pleasant breeze... but <u>no shade</u>.</div><div><b>5</b>. Of course, there are tourist traps with lots of colorful pants, scarves, shoulder-bags, backpacks, flipflops, hats... and prices are reasonable. As expected, I fell in love with an <b>Accessorize</b> butterfly-printed bag. But I was brave and resisted temptation. (Maybe next time...)</div><div><b>6</b>. <u>Foood</u>! Is available everywhere. Delicious. Cheap. That first day, we had a light lunch at the <a href="https://www.diatautathessaloniki.com/en/home/" target="_blank">Dia Tauta</a> - grilled mushrooms, and a Greek salad -- a staple in every taverna. Good stuff! We returned to this place later in this trip. Warning: The food is salty. Which is fine for most people, but makes things difficult for those who must watch and limit their salt intake.</div><div><b>7</b>. <u>About desserts</u>: In most tavernas, the menu does not contain a Desserts section. (You can always buy a Magnum in a minimarket on the way back to your hotel or hostel.) However, the kitchen does usually have some sort of small dessert, which they either serve without your asking, or upon your puppy-ish request. Once or twice it was watermelon cubes; other times it was a small glass, even smaller than a jar of <a href="https://www.gerber.com/apple" target="_blank">Gerber's baby food</a>, with some sort of home-made pudding with a layer of whipped cream on top. <br /><div><br /></div><div>-- to be continued! --<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-149uggtlVLM/YSPIlqKb4tI/AAAAAAAADPk/bW7KVUaTrjENkhSCl4NbJDqcM6viYWDVQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="236" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-149uggtlVLM/YSPIlqKb4tI/AAAAAAAADPk/bW7KVUaTrjENkhSCl4NbJDqcM6viYWDVQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-30304503291381787542019-09-14T16:05:00.002+01:002019-09-14T16:07:06.539+01:00Excellent Free tour in Lisbon - Maggie... so on our previous visit, way back in 2002, we just wandered and blundered on our own. It's very easy to blunder in Lisbon, no previous experience necessary. This time, we wisely decided to take advantage of the free guided [walking] tours. You are, of course, expected to tip the guide at the end of the tour; that is made perfectly clear up-front. But I assure you that it was worth every penny, or rather euro-cent.<br />
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We signed up online (duh!), see <a href="https://www.takelisboa.com/book-now">https://www.takelisboa.com/book-now</a>, and chose the option called <a href="https://www.takelisboa.com/book-now/centre-free-tour-eng" target="_blank">Centre - the heart of the city</a>. The meeting place was none other than my fave "Benetton Square" (see <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2019/09/hello-again-lovely-lisbon.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>), next to the <b>Fernando Pessoa</b> Sculpture, and the guide would be carrying a blue umbrella.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2qZOfxUi64/XXzm71QVxlI/AAAAAAAACpw/p5B-zAxdPeoPcB5MjpWDtlou6yWN1_MEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2qZOfxUi64/XXzm71QVxlI/AAAAAAAACpw/p5B-zAxdPeoPcB5MjpWDtlou6yWN1_MEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B024.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina & Fernando Pessoa. Note T-shirt, indicative of balmy weather</td></tr>
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Not surprisingly, the statue above was drowning in tourists that morning... so we moved a few meters away, to the statue of the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ant%C3%B3nio_Ribeiro_Chiado" target="_blank">poet Antonio Ribeiro</a>, smack in the center of the square:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GMo6sJ6HKF0/XXz-VwDf2lI/AAAAAAAACqU/rhOAB0IDyhcb8Re6-VBAC4L0gRDZ7UT_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GMo6sJ6HKF0/XXz-VwDf2lI/AAAAAAAACqU/rhOAB0IDyhcb8Re6-VBAC4L0gRDZ7UT_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B027.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Maggie, a.k.a. Margarida, was absolutely great. An energetic young (27) woman with good English (acquired, apparently, from watching TV!), a sense of humor, a people person (a must for a job like this!), well-versed in the history of Lisbon, full of ethical and moral insights, and slightly hyperactive :-) Not to worry -- she didn't tire us out too much...<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7tk25J_XXM/XXzm7wfGiXI/AAAAAAAACps/1ADeQlVyJsw3bPNLDKkj1lIAG_Da4E8yACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7tk25J_XXM/XXzm7wfGiXI/AAAAAAAACps/1ADeQlVyJsw3bPNLDKkj1lIAG_Da4E8yACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Amazing Maggie, w/blue umbrella over right shoulder</td></tr>
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The tourists (mostly couples) were from London, Brazil, Romania, Namibia, Germany, and New Zealand.<br />
Frankly, I didn't remember any details from our previous visit to <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bairro_Alto" target="_blank">Bairro Alto</a>, the so-called Bohemian part of town with its endless bars and restaurants; and definitely didn't know any of the local history. So it was all new and fascinating stuff.<br />
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After two and a half hours of energetic walking, standing, looking around and listening, the time came to say goodbye, at the huge <a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/Baixa-Lisbon/praca-do-comercio-lisbon-portugal-guide.html" target="_blank">Praca do Comercio</a>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AkWpeUjQYx8/XXz5dxvUeWI/AAAAAAAACqA/eyb5-VsfwEYLdbrZICAvKJkLHAOUJ94pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Take%2BLisboa%2Bw%2BMaggie%2BAug%2B2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AkWpeUjQYx8/XXz5dxvUeWI/AAAAAAAACqA/eyb5-VsfwEYLdbrZICAvKJkLHAOUJ94pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Take%2BLisboa%2Bw%2BMaggie%2BAug%2B2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you, Maggie!</td></tr>
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Along with the above photo, Maggie sent us all a list of non-touristy restaurants and bars, the ones that the locals favor. She also included vegetarian restaurants, because there's always a demand for such.<br />
However, by then Michael and I were both hungry and tired, and settled for a pizza nearby, before taking the Metro back "home" and collapsing for a good siesta.<br />
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Which doesn't mean we didn't profit from Maggie's recommendations! In the evening we took the bus to <b>o arêgos, </b>which unfortunately has no website, but you can read about it both on TripAdvisor, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y3qxlud8" target="_blank">see here</a>, and on Facebook, on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/O-AREGOS-228324060514305/" target="_blank">this page</a>. It was delicious, and very reasonably priced.<br />
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Next post: about our second walking-tour. Coming soon. Or soonish :-)<br />
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<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-77175802614734956752019-09-11T10:21:00.000+01:002019-09-11T10:38:23.576+01:00Hello Again, Lovely Lisbon!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YpwsD3HYwuE/XXi_5RacpdI/AAAAAAAACpc/gDmC4e5KEJE-PH1wlGyuTb30sCJqQgx7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YpwsD3HYwuE/XXi_5RacpdI/AAAAAAAACpc/gDmC4e5KEJE-PH1wlGyuTb30sCJqQgx7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Livraria_Bertrand" target="_blank">Bertrand Bookstore</a> - est. 1732, Chiado district</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As often happens when you’re touring
a foreign country, your host – or tour-guide, waiter, or receptionist – asks
you:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Is this your first time in [Timbuctoo]?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As you’ve gathered, this wasn’t our
first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“No,” one of us would reply, “we’ve
been here before, seventeen years ago. In October 2002.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The youngsters never failed to stare
at us in amazement: “Wow! It’s changed so much since!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d smile in amusement. Sure, 17 years is a
big chunk of an under-thirty person’s life. Lots of things didn’t exist 17
years ago. But what does exist are my handwritten travel journals; specifically,
the one from our previous Spain-and-Portugal trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course I re-read it before this
trip, and also took it with for reference, for the fun of it. And guess what?
In essence, not much has changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Luckily, we learned from experience
and didn’t drive into Lisbon. Downtown is still a maze of narrow cobbled
streets, with cars, buses, trams and pedestrians pushing through with no
consideration for anyone. Everyone wants to use the same street at the same
time. Pedestrians happily ignore traffic lights and just charge ahead, in
competition with the vehicles around them. Yep, that’s as true now as it was
then. Only now there are also electric bicycles and scooters! Almost as bad as
in the center of Tel Aviv!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This time, we arrived at Lisbon Airport
and boarded the Metro, (one large suitcase and two trolleys) taking the <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Red_Line_(Lisbon_Metro)" target="_blank">linha vermelha</a> [red line] </span>to the end, then transferring to the <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Blue_Line_(Lisbon_Metro)" target="_blank">linha azul</a> [blue line] </span>for one stop, since my old notes
reminded me that the <b><i>Parque</i> </b>stop was closer to our hotel than the <i><b>Marquis
de Pombal</b></i>. Yes, we’d booked the same
hotel we stayed at in 2002! <a href="http://www.avenidapark.com/official-website" target="_blank"><b>Hotel Avenida Park</b></a>, Av. Sidonio Pais 6. We remembered it
as a small but pleasant place. To do it justice, it has been refurbished since.
But it was still convenient and fairly quiet. Do you want to know whether I
recommend it? – Sure! Just take into account that the rooms with the double bed
(~140x190 cm) are quite small, whereas the Premium rooms are larger but have
twin beds. The cost is the same. Next time I’ll know to order the larger room,
and just move the beds together. (I did ask the receptionist and he said that’s
doable.)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kuF8GIvDqLg/XXivj31-KMI/AAAAAAAACoc/s4jyPWLeaXcHKDqVlOfSHmJhVMa_xy65gCEwYBhgL/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kuF8GIvDqLg/XXivj31-KMI/AAAAAAAACoc/s4jyPWLeaXcHKDqVlOfSHmJhVMa_xy65gCEwYBhgL/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bed very close to the wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nr7nlBvxmC4/XXivjWdvtPI/AAAAAAAACoY/GMRdoBYc--Q-RLyxnHfAtf75WB605p_BwCEwYBhgL/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B004%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nr7nlBvxmC4/XXivjWdvtPI/AAAAAAAACoY/GMRdoBYc--Q-RLyxnHfAtf75WB605p_BwCEwYBhgL/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B004%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not much space for sun-salutations...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just like last time, our first walk
around town was confusing… There are beautiful boulevards, huge plazas with
gorgeous statues, columns and arches; an assortment of shops, both la-di-dah
and unassuming; plenty of cafes, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">tabernas</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and restaurants; and more
tourists than locals, it seemed. Like last time, we bought a 3-day unlimited public
transport (Metro & bus) pass; though this time you did it at
</span><a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/lisbon-transport/Lisbon-metro-guide.html" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">self-service/automatic machines</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, rather than having to buy them from an actual
clerk; and this time the queues of [mostly young] tourists were unbelievably
long. The default instructions are obviously in Portuguese, but you could opt
for English and probably a few other languages; </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">and the announcements while on board as to
the next station etc were made first in Portuguese and then in English. And
speaking of English – this time, too, we were delighted that the TV channels
broadcasting English shows/series do not dub them into Portuguese. What a
relief. Can you imagine </span><a href="https://ncis.fandom.com/wiki/Leroy_Jethro_Gibbs" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">Leroy Jethro Gibbs</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> or </span><a href="https://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/Sheldon_Cooper" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">Sheldon Cooper</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> speaking Portuguese?...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And a propos Portuguese: To this
day, I haven’t been able to master more than three expressions in this
language… Obrigada/obrigado (“thank you”), bom dia (“good day”), and por favor
(“please”). I can decipher some written words, but for the most part I can’t
pronounce them properly, nor can I follow a native speaker. I feel a total
failure as a would-be linguist </span><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">L</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t remember exactly what the
breakfast room at our hotel looked like in 2002; though I had a mobile phone,
it did not have a camera. People didn’t go about constantly
clicking-and-posting. But my journal does mention the coffee machine that
made all sorts of very strong coffee. Well – the current machine is obviously a
newer model, but it sure has many options and the coffee is still very strong!<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQGp56gADIs/XXi1C6byn8I/AAAAAAAACo0/aMCWU_1rSX0ezNC7gmTu_xHWZaUk-N8hwCEwYBhgL/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQGp56gADIs/XXi1C6byn8I/AAAAAAAACo0/aMCWU_1rSX0ezNC7gmTu_xHWZaUk-N8hwCEwYBhgL/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B100.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee machine & hot water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span>I resorted
to the same ploy as previously: Nearly-fill your cup or mug with milk/water,
then add a shot of coffee. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rBc73O-nA24/XXi1DEqjdZI/AAAAAAAACoo/ZTV-abpW8Pgw1hL73t90pJ_8aFfuHgWKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rBc73O-nA24/XXi1DEqjdZI/AAAAAAAACoo/ZTV-abpW8Pgw1hL73t90pJ_8aFfuHgWKACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B088.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Re-decorated breakfast room w/diners (No, I don't know them...)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mDhT4Usbq3E/XXi1Da16iMI/AAAAAAAACos/jV4NNfoV9poVM1BVc5Jqew34w5A2EzszgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mDhT4Usbq3E/XXi1Da16iMI/AAAAAAAACos/jV4NNfoV9poVM1BVc5Jqew34w5A2EzszgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B096.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redecorated breakfast room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the second day of our first
visit, after hours of wandering and sightseeing, I found myself at the spot
which was to become my favorite hangout: <b>Benetton Square</b>, or as it is better
known, <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Chiado" target="_blank">Largo do Chiado</a><span style="background-color: white;">. </span>What is it that makes this square so attractive, so
adorable?... It seems to have an ambiance all its own. The fact that musicians,
some of them darn good, perform there for tips, might be a contributing factor. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EuXoMpX5gvc/XXi637UZS3I/AAAAAAAACpA/zi2dWhlyajoaYm1rIla0i26OZ3Srki7ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EuXoMpX5gvc/XXi637UZS3I/AAAAAAAACpA/zi2dWhlyajoaYm1rIla0i26OZ3Srki7ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B018.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Performers at the center of Largo do Chiado</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T-YWBi8OZOo/XXi64kCUL_I/AAAAAAAACpE/5IeSBqMTndo55D0e2L5UY9fxjKuKv9CAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T-YWBi8OZOo/XXi64kCUL_I/AAAAAAAACpE/5IeSBqMTndo55D0e2L5UY9fxjKuKv9CAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B026.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musician at Largo do Chiado</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGDbuRiLHho/XXi662Xxy_I/AAAAAAAACpI/y_RvmaBisNg3AuD1BP53I2TfpB7nOTJpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2019%2BPortugal%2B029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGDbuRiLHho/XXi662Xxy_I/AAAAAAAACpI/y_RvmaBisNg3AuD1BP53I2TfpB7nOTJpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2019%2BPortugal%2B029.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musician, with Benetton as backdrop :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Also, it’s not as grand as <a href="https://www.visitportugal.com/en/NR/exeres/64BE2716-BB28-4041-8E05-594DF1BAAE95" target="_blank">Praça do Comércio</a> nor as dizzying as <a href="https://dicasdelisboa.com.br/2015/04/praca-do-rossio-dom-pedro-iv-em-lisboa-portugal.html" target="_blank">Praça do Rossio</a> with its wavy cobbled design. But more about that in my next post. TTFN!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<br /></div>
Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-74647278565429055362019-08-28T17:20:00.000+01:002019-08-28T17:20:53.380+01:00New Orleans' best attractions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
... that is, aside from the ubiquitous, marvelous jazz scene!<br />
As promised in my previous post, below are the two sites that impressed us the most. Obviously, New Orleans has more to offer; but there's only so much one can do in four days.<br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
<b><a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/the-war" target="_blank">The National WWII Museum</a></b> is unabashedly didactic. Not that I blame them; they state their educational mission right on the front page of their website; it is a huge undertaking, in partnership with <a href="https://www.asu.edu/" target="_blank">Arizona State University</a>. It is anything but "merely" a museum. </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
Personally, I didn't come to learn more about WW2; I came to see how that complex period is displayed. The management and the designers went to great lengths to make the concept of war and the reality of this specific war as tangible and explicit as can be, without actually scattering disfigured dead bodies around... It is aimed mainly at the younger generation, and is intended to be visited several times, by students accompanied by teachers. I hope it is accomplishing its purpose.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
As it happens, I wasn't dressed for the occasion. By which I mean that I wasn't prepared for the icy air-conditioning. So I couldn't bear to spend much time there. I hurried through "battle scenes", trenches and weapons, aiming for the more open pavillion, which was also closer to my heart: the "Warbirds" <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/visit/museum-campus/us-freedom-pavilion/warbirds" target="_blank">display of old aircraft</a>. Can't help it -- I'm partial to fighter planes of every sort. As I mentioned in one of my <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2017/07/alaska-cruise-land-tour-notes-2.html" target="_blank">Alaska trip posts</a>, my father worked for the Israel Air Force most of his life, and used to take me with him to "his" air-force base occasionally, where I got to see IDF aircraft up close and personal, from old Pipers and <a href="https://www.warplane.com/aircraft/collection/details.aspx?aircraftId=16" target="_blank">Dakotas </a>to the French <a href="http://www.airpowerworld.info/jet-fighter-planes/dassault-mystere-iv.htm" target="_blank">Mystere </a>and <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dassault_Mirage_5" target="_blank">Mirage</a>. So I like old airplanes, and took more pics than you care to see, so I'll be brave and limit myself: </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JY3LEHiP2Cg/XWJfDultmXI/AAAAAAAACmQ/FYykfUhWVzkWjisy51p-XJLr24z4gLwVQCLcBGAs/s1600/nina%2B490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JY3LEHiP2Cg/XWJfDultmXI/AAAAAAAACmQ/FYykfUhWVzkWjisy51p-XJLr24z4gLwVQCLcBGAs/s320/nina%2B490.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnvHaVuk59c/XWJfDIoqwkI/AAAAAAAACmM/F6rn_Dr091kHfTKWfBLxaQEaq0bjHESowCLcBGAs/s1600/nina%2B493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnvHaVuk59c/XWJfDIoqwkI/AAAAAAAACmM/F6rn_Dr091kHfTKWfBLxaQEaq0bjHESowCLcBGAs/s320/nina%2B493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-06IozIzeQy4/XWJfDEavGvI/AAAAAAAACmI/kwFCOkjDQtov9LORqqBa2XUsgXELYxkAQCLcBGAs/s1600/nina%2B494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-06IozIzeQy4/XWJfDEavGvI/AAAAAAAACmI/kwFCOkjDQtov9LORqqBa2XUsgXELYxkAQCLcBGAs/s320/nina%2B494.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">B-17E-BO Flying Fortress "My Gal Sal"</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://noma.org/sculpture-garden/background" target="_blank"><b>The Sculpture Garden at NOMA</b></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
The museum has a <a href="https://noma.org/collection/" target="_blank">world-class collection</a> that contains something for everyone; whatever your preferences are in art, you're likely to find some "nice stuff", to put it mildly. The docent who took us on a short tour, for instance, chose to concentrate on the <a href="https://noma.org/collection/category/photography/" target="_blank">Photography</a> category. Sorry to say I don't remember a word of what she said. After the tour, left to our own devices, we wandered, gaped and gawked until we were dizzy and needed some fresh air. </div>
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Wise move.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2V_W1hk5Kg/XWVUe3IyM1I/AAAAAAAACmo/LMHvOvK6kQQIW9v9hguy06e-lQVsarWdwCLcBGAs/s1600/I0606_152808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2V_W1hk5Kg/XWVUe3IyM1I/AAAAAAAACmo/LMHvOvK6kQQIW9v9hguy06e-lQVsarWdwCLcBGAs/s320/I0606_152808.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Labyrinth, <i>Jeppe Hein</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Even without the statues, the garden is beautiful; as it says on the website, it "... <span style="background-color: white; color: #25282a; font-family: "Sentinel SSm A", "Sentinel SSm B", Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;">is located within a mature existing landscape of pines, magnolias and live oaks surrounding two lagoons". </span></div>
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As you can see from <a href="https://noma.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Visitor-Engagement-Guide-April-2019-MAP-ONLY.pdf" target="_blank">this map</a>, there's no way you can do it justice in one visit. (What else is new...) </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stjJ7IjtLY8/XWVWSpW2S8I/AAAAAAAACnc/_7Ept36mcb4fZhqUtublEeSZe-owRTgUACEwYBhgL/s1600/nina%2B539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stjJ7IjtLY8/XWVWSpW2S8I/AAAAAAAACnc/_7Ept36mcb4fZhqUtublEeSZe-owRTgUACEwYBhgL/s320/nina%2B539.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">History of the Conquest, <i>Hank Willis Thomas</i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d1sO5EVaBA/XWVWORTqXgI/AAAAAAAACnQ/YRLAKIrk0N8-tZ2gdTDXzbFns2VOIfxsQCEwYBhgL/s1600/nina%2B541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d1sO5EVaBA/XWVWORTqXgI/AAAAAAAACnQ/YRLAKIrk0N8-tZ2gdTDXzbFns2VOIfxsQCEwYBhgL/s320/nina%2B541.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diana, <i>Saint-Gaudens, Augustus</i></td></tr>
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Whether you prefer modern, abstract art, mind-blowing original creations, Greek/Roman looking torsos, or intricately decorative works, you'll find them all here.</div>
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Naturally, we took pictures like there's no tomorrow. Even though our mobile-phone photos aren't as good as the ones provided by the museum. Nonetheless, we were enchanted by this sculpture garden, and I'll just upload a very few favorites, in the hope of whetting your appetite.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ilQQqfmtItA/XWVWYvFbWzI/AAAAAAAACnY/SrVJkBjaLAMrxTyuvEBx4Wtw06lpJokmwCEwYBhgL/s320/nina%2B551.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2 class="entry-title" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #bc204b; font-family: "Benton Sans Cond", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-transform: uppercase;">
<a href="https://noma.org/collection/riace-warriors-iiiiiiiv/" rel="bookmark" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #54585a; text-decoration-line: none;">RIACE WARRIORS, I,II,III,IV</a></h2>
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Frink, Elisabeth</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window with Ladder, Too Late for Help; <i>Erlich, Leandro</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overflow, <i>Plensa, Jaume</i></td></tr>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-75097087622344535312019-08-27T09:20:00.002+01:002019-08-28T17:24:41.085+01:00America the Beautiful - part 2, New Orleans... so when the Internet was buzzing with updates about <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hurricane_Barry_(2019)" target="_blank">Hurricane Barry</a> threatening Louisiana, I got really worried. The horrors of the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hurricane_Katrina" target="_blank">2005 Hurricane Katrina</a> were revived in my memory while the driver who picked us up from the <a href="http://www.flymsy.com/" target="_blank">New Orleans International Airport</a> acted as tour guide (for a few extra bucks), pointing out landmarks, explaining stuff, and generally giving us an informative introduction to New Orleans and environs.<br />
<br />
We don't actually know anyone in New Orleans; this was our first visit there: 4 nights, 3 full days plus two half-days. Just a taste. A smattering. But this one-of-a-kind city drew us in, engulfed us, fascinated us. When Barry came charging (July 13th), I immediately thought of the staff of <a href="https://www.melrosemansion.com/" target="_blank">Melrose Mansion</a>, our home-away-from-home. So I dropped them a line, to let them know I was thinking of them and hope they were all hale and healthy. The only thing that bothered me when writing was that I didn't remember the names of our hosts! Very untypically, I hadn't written a single line in my [handwritten] travel journal during our stay. There was simply no time. For once, I was experiencing rather than recording. Sure, I took pictures with my iPhone. And I did jot down the occasional two-word note on my phone, saying to myself that that's better than nothing and will jog my memory. Ahem.<br />
Long story short: this post will be more pics than text. Also, I'm delighted to say Melrose Mansion graciously and promptly answered my message, saying "Thank you! We are all safe!" (Keana Holmes, Reservations Supervisor.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rg0bwherDo/XS9vBwfM6lI/AAAAAAAACh0/zgiC_Scnqs0iOv8yyHQP8ZCHcz5VVZo9wCEwYBhgL/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rg0bwherDo/XS9vBwfM6lI/AAAAAAAACh0/zgiC_Scnqs0iOv8yyHQP8ZCHcz5VVZo9wCEwYBhgL/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B563.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to our spacious room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zHTmvukCXv8/XS9vaKw8eII/AAAAAAAACiM/qVPk2uZ3gicOKhAl7YPWykNYYu9YtstUACEwYBhgL/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zHTmvukCXv8/XS9vaKw8eII/AAAAAAAACiM/qVPk2uZ3gicOKhAl7YPWykNYYu9YtstUACEwYBhgL/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B564.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bedroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RJFGHIT4AsM/XS9vbTb6LaI/AAAAAAAACiI/x2HyTbi951EfqCJB8WuqOArNxEYg1CLNgCEwYBhgL/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RJFGHIT4AsM/XS9vbTb6LaI/AAAAAAAACiI/x2HyTbi951EfqCJB8WuqOArNxEYg1CLNgCEwYBhgL/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B566.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bedroom</td></tr>
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Incidentally: See the neat woven rug on the floor? Well, here's a close-up of it: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4e9gOXBSPWA/XWJVAVeOxZI/AAAAAAAACl8/G8fYFdl4gWQoccfenq57MPC7FhXrKdbXwCLcBGAs/s1600/nina%2B513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4e9gOXBSPWA/XWJVAVeOxZI/AAAAAAAACl8/G8fYFdl4gWQoccfenq57MPC7FhXrKdbXwCLcBGAs/s320/nina%2B513.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woven rug -- coarse and unpleasant to the touch</td></tr>
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It was the worst item in the room. Ours looked and felt brand-new, compared, say, to the one in our friend Lynne's room, which was a bit worn and therefore not as coarse. A half-decent mat or carpet are important to me, for my <a href="https://www.nysayoga.com/products/ashtanga-primary-series-practice-cards" target="_blank">sun-salutations</a> routine. This thing was unpleasant to walk barefoot on, let alone place your hands, knees, shins, or any other part of your body on it. I ended up spreading a bath-towel on it, which helped to a certain extent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qvCnfv3WHK8/XS9vc2EPMbI/AAAAAAAACiM/Ott4ShcGyAIyS_Gqc15GeGGRYfLtFjrqgCEwYBhgL/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qvCnfv3WHK8/XS9vc2EPMbI/AAAAAAAACiM/Ott4ShcGyAIyS_Gqc15GeGGRYfLtFjrqgCEwYBhgL/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B567.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bathroom</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Note the open umbrella in the
bathroom; an indication that, though the weather was hot on the whole, it also
rained, enough to require an umbrella.</span><br />
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We all settled in comfortably: My husband and I, and our dear friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lynne.richardson.562" target="_blank">Lynne</a>, who flew over from Dallas, TX, to spend some time with us at the same hotel. Melrose Mansions only offers breakfast. Luckily, just across the road is <a href="http://www.buffasrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Buffa's Lounge</a>, a cozy restaurant-bar with a decent menu and a separate room for musical performances. That took care of lunch, and was an easy solution on other days as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjO_2lnn-km5JpZPhYzC21FF2AqIDZPdQG6psFxfhyphenhyphenc-Yn0PukSZWu9oHdyi1CKrKlg5tRwWD19Bxx-fp_ZplfgcVo9ChKW_HSXyCiMi96hUSUEB6611DsOtXBHPEqdwxnMsiCYtdFLTg/s1600/USA+trip+May+June+2019+470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjO_2lnn-km5JpZPhYzC21FF2AqIDZPdQG6psFxfhyphenhyphenc-Yn0PukSZWu9oHdyi1CKrKlg5tRwWD19Bxx-fp_ZplfgcVo9ChKW_HSXyCiMi96hUSUEB6611DsOtXBHPEqdwxnMsiCYtdFLTg/s320/USA+trip+May+June+2019+470.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael & Lynne crossing over to Buffa's</td></tr>
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What else did we do? Walk around, of course, as far as The Port of New Orleans, (see below),<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5a-A8vbXdpw/XWEtzAQyaLI/AAAAAAAACk8/FLgoCLI4jLwpU3us7yYvWXr7Buvc1J8JQCLcBGAs/s1600/I0604_185115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5a-A8vbXdpw/XWEtzAQyaLI/AAAAAAAACk8/FLgoCLI4jLwpU3us7yYvWXr7Buvc1J8JQCLcBGAs/s320/I0604_185115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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ate at several good-food, good-music places such as <a href="https://www.neworleans.com/listing/adolfos/32886/" target="_blank">Adolfo's </a>and <a href="http://www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com/" target="_blank">Crescent City Brewhouse</a>,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FWbenzik-BY/XWEzTBDHuAI/AAAAAAAAClM/9ZXEHX0HrOYym992HKx_fXk3seTXBnnfQCLcBGAs/s1600/nina%2B574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FWbenzik-BY/XWEzTBDHuAI/AAAAAAAAClM/9ZXEHX0HrOYym992HKx_fXk3seTXBnnfQCLcBGAs/s320/nina%2B574.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside <a href="https://www.neworleans.com/listing/adolfos/32886/" target="_blank">Adolfo's</a>; cozy and pleasant</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4hOOgm3FDG0/XWEzSzdFlyI/AAAAAAAAClI/Y_MYF1e1eZIW57KvnPHFei7JpxOHYbRNwCLcBGAs/s1600/nina%2B576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4hOOgm3FDG0/XWEzSzdFlyI/AAAAAAAAClI/Y_MYF1e1eZIW57KvnPHFei7JpxOHYbRNwCLcBGAs/s320/nina%2B576.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">611 Frenchmen Street, NOLA</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgDCVrZ2o0g/XWE1mtRrMMI/AAAAAAAAClc/Ygb4Hq609149BeVClRM9yPgAKcDl5-LiACEwYBhgL/s1600/nina%2B475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgDCVrZ2o0g/XWE1mtRrMMI/AAAAAAAAClc/Ygb4Hq609149BeVClRM9yPgAKcDl5-LiACEwYBhgL/s320/nina%2B475.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our friendly waitress, Joyce, took this pic of the three of us at the lively Brewhouse</td></tr>
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and clapped and stomped to the upbeat music with the rest of the crowd diagonally-opposite Adolfo's, next to the Frenchmen Art & Books corner:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYfq6QliP1A/XWE8zG-OHPI/AAAAAAAAClo/yTRoHmUiEicpe791F344zyWLmopa6BnSACLcBGAs/s1600/I0606_220912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYfq6QliP1A/XWE8zG-OHPI/AAAAAAAAClo/yTRoHmUiEicpe791F344zyWLmopa6BnSACLcBGAs/s320/I0606_220912.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wq8of_9MSKs/XWE81MRKnhI/AAAAAAAACls/uiWYedwuTBM8W-txLtcaQN1g4WK4MqG7wCLcBGAs/s1600/I0606_222754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wq8of_9MSKs/XWE81MRKnhI/AAAAAAAACls/uiWYedwuTBM8W-txLtcaQN1g4WK4MqG7wCLcBGAs/s320/I0606_222754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Possibly because I wasn't writing in my journal, I recorded some of our experiences on Facebook, complete with pics, of course. But not all my readers are on Facebook, believe it or not! </div>
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I will quit here, and save the two most impressive locations we visited in New Orleans for the next post. I'm referring to <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/" target="_blank">The WWII Museum</a>, and the <a href="https://noma.org/sculpture-garden/background/" target="_blank">Sculpture Garden of the New Orleans Museum of Art</a>. </div>
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... and here is the post: <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2019/08/new-orleans-best-attractions.html">https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2019/08/new-orleans-best-attractions.html</a></div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-26301381609891482942019-06-16T17:08:00.000+01:002019-06-16T17:08:30.703+01:00America the Beautiful - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just got back from nearly a month in the U.S.</div>
But before I start telling you where I was and what (and how much) I ate, I'd like to share with you some tips and insights. Which may or may not be relevant to you. So how about if I first lure you with a few pretty pics (no, not of food), then get down to the nitty-gritty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsGmpBvavT2_FbusQ9j2HnCLlo3dB83-JR8Rg6UvJ3_Shik_7EUZ_kTJQnObcuNtUeVkbaTugE5DSat5gqUWCJH6upEwVtcCD1HiQyjTgjBS3DsarULHfsztZdclW_bHSr_HuFDDWJuxN/s1600/Wallack+garden+May+2019+233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsGmpBvavT2_FbusQ9j2HnCLlo3dB83-JR8Rg6UvJ3_Shik_7EUZ_kTJQnObcuNtUeVkbaTugE5DSat5gqUWCJH6upEwVtcCD1HiQyjTgjBS3DsarULHfsztZdclW_bHSr_HuFDDWJuxN/s320/Wallack+garden+May+2019+233.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends' yard in Princeton, NJ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The above pic is an example of one of the things that took my breath away throughout our trip: the greenery. The trees. Along roads, along streets. Tall and luscious. Of course, such abundance of greenery is evidence of plenty of rain... and when we were caught in a horrible downpour on a winding road between Lancaster, PA and Richmond, VA , I was less than thrilled with it :-)<div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8VfxblwYa20/XQTGZ6IGaII/AAAAAAAACfE/81la7CVhv5AhxKgyQiXjOhdZk2urTib9ACEwYBhgL/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8VfxblwYa20/XQTGZ6IGaII/AAAAAAAACfE/81la7CVhv5AhxKgyQiXjOhdZk2urTib9ACEwYBhgL/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B534.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Orleans Museum of Art sculpture garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hope you don't think me morbid for choosing the skull over any other of the stunning pieces of sculpture... It may have something to do with my affinity for the character of <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Death_(Discworld)" target="_blank">Death in Terry Pratchett</a>'s novels...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgcLBwPfTQ0/XQS2jHhTd7I/AAAAAAAACeg/y4rEudP8SX4_NAO7ru-0y7Gfr57N1EjKQCLcBGAs/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgcLBwPfTQ0/XQS2jHhTd7I/AAAAAAAACeg/y4rEudP8SX4_NAO7ru-0y7Gfr57N1EjKQCLcBGAs/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B128.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poe Returning to Boston, by Stephanie Rocknak</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://mymodernmet.com/stephanie-rocknak-boston-debut-edgar-allan-poe/" target="_blank">This one,</a> it turns out, quickly became a huge success, and has been one of the most photographed piece of sculpture since its unveiling in 2014, 165 years after Poe's death.<br /><br />
And now for some tips and observations:<br />
<br />
1. Get a good <b>haircut </b>before your trip. One that will require the least amount of fuss, no blow-drying, no (or a minimum of) spray, styling foam/gel/cream, no hair rollers, curlers or straighteners. Yes, it is possible to <i>not </i>fuss with your hair and still enjoy your trip!<br />
<br />
2. Go to the <b>dentist </b>before your trip. The last (or next-to-last) thing you want is for that iffy tooth of yours to suddenly wake you up in pain.<br />
<br />
3. <b>Travel light</b>. Yes, I know you've heard that tip umpteen times. So have I, yet I ignored it. Started out with a reasonable number of items, then gradually added one "what-if" after another... until I had way too many shirts, socks, pants and panties; way too many creams and lotions, scarves, pencils and pens. On the one hand, I had the weather-excuse: In <b>Boston </b>it was still cool and rainy; in <b>New Orleans</b> it was boiling hot (outdoors) and freezing cold (indoors). Still, how many scarves does a woman need, especially considering the fact that most of the time she (i.e., I) was staying with family/friends, who would be only too happy to lend me a scarf, hat, sweatshirt, or mittens had I needed them!<br />
<br />
4. Of course I did some <b>shopping</b>. Some travelers go a bit(?) overboard with shopping. I tend to go overboard with toiletries, though I generally stick to the drugstore-priced items. Also, I try to buy my fave brand of sneakers -- either <a href="https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/" target="_blank">Asics </a>or <a href="https://www.saucony.com/en/home" target="_blank">Saucony </a>-- mainly because these are very pricey in my homeland, Israel, but reasonably-priced in shops such as <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y65kdot8" target="_blank">DSW in Silver Spring, MD</a>. But the best buy was a good-as-new long-sleeved denim shirt, of the sort I'd been wanting for ages. Found it in a yard-sale next to our lovely B&B, t<a href="https://redrosebnb.com/" target="_blank">he Red Rose</a> at Witmer, a small town outside Lancaster, PA, in the heart of Amish country, no less. Price: $2.-<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ1bffrf4wM/XQTAHWnDkgI/AAAAAAAACe0/ZRao1NK5OXUgElQGtkvfhutvKb1_qJR8ACLcBGAs/s1600/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ1bffrf4wM/XQTAHWnDkgI/AAAAAAAACe0/ZRao1NK5OXUgElQGtkvfhutvKb1_qJR8ACLcBGAs/s320/USA%2Btrip%2BMay%2BJune%2B2019%2B253.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yard sale at Red Rose B&B, Witmer, PA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
5. <b>Stop eating.</b> Now, before your dish is empty! Or else you'll probably regret it. If you're an American, maybe you don't realize that portions tend to be smaller in other countries. Or that food isn't as abundant and in-your-face in other countries. But if you're a "foreigner" visiting the U.S., you've probably realized that food is, for the most part, both plentiful and rich (in fat, salt, and sugar, <i>inter alia</i>), with the result that you eat far more than your body is accustomed to. Yes, of course you can make exceptions. You want to try yummy stuff you can't get at home; you want to indulge on your vacation; you want to enjoy your hosts' superb cooking, as well as the restaurants they take you too. But even so, I'd suggest trying not to overdo it.<br />
<br />
6. <b>Pharmacies</b>. If it's only some band-aids or Ibuprofen that you need, no problem, you can get them at any gas station small shop. (That's "petrol station" to Brits.) But if you need anything more serious, perhaps even to consult a pharmacist, you'll have to find the nearest <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/CVS_Pharmacy" target="_blank">CVS </a>or <a href="https://www.walgreens.com/" target="_blank">Walgreens</a>. (Yes, there are others, but <a href="https://www.discountdrugnetwork.com/5-largest-pharmacy-chains-usa/" target="_blank">these two are the largest</a>.) Not that they're difficult to find. But still -- I had to get used to the idea that small, private pharmacies are a thing of the past. As opposed to the plethora of pharmacies in the big cities in, for example, Georgia, which I described in my blog post <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/06/georgia-its-little-differences-part-2.html" target="_blank">Georgia - It's the Little Differences - Part 2</a> (scroll down the page.) Mind you, it looks like Israel is going down that path, too, as small, private pharmacies -- where you're on familiar terms with the same chemist for years and years -- have been closing down, pushed out of the market by the largest drugstore, <a href="https://shop.super-pharm.co.il/" target="_blank">Super-Pharm</a>, and the 2nd largest, ex-NewPharm, which has been sold to the <a href="https://www.shufersal.co.il/online/" target="_blank">Supersol </a>chain and is now called <a href="https://bestore.co.il/" target="_blank">Be</a> (ugh! A name that to my copywriter's ear sounds like a choice made out of desperation, at the end of a long, fruitless and frustrating "creative" session).<br />
<br />
7. If you dislike <b>jazz and blues</b>, skip New Orleans' <a href="https://www.neworleans.com/plan/neighborhoods/french-quarter/" target="_blank">French Quarter</a>. Or perhaps just skip the city altogether, since live jazz will greet you and follow you in scores of other spots in NOLA ;-) But more about this fab city in a separate blog post.<br />
<br />
- to be continued...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-26646882696052247212018-10-30T17:12:00.000+00:002018-10-30T17:12:08.926+00:00Guernica is Alive and Kicking<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Until a short while ago, the only
association I had with the name <b>Guernica </b>-- or <b>Gernika</b>, the town’s official
Basque name -- was the famous huge painting by Pablo Picasso. I first saw it on
our trip to Spain in February 1999, at the <a href="https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/collection/collection-1">Reina Sofia
Museum</a> in Madrid. It was awesome in the original sense of the word, i.e.,
truly awe-inspiring. And scary and heartbreaking. The kind of art that can give
you nightmares if you look at it carefully, at length.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Then, just recently, we watched <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y8svplpp">Season 2 of the TV series <i>Genius</i></a>.
The 10 episodes of this season were dedicated to Pablo Picasso. Though I’m sure
some will find fault with the series, I found it interesting and well-made, and
it filled a few gaps in my education. Though the series didn’t go into the
story of the bombing of Gernika at great length, it did provide some background,
and even made me curious to find out more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Anyway, when we were planning our trip, the
first company we consulted (but ended up not hiring – too expensive) suggested
popping over to the <a href="https://www.euskoguide.com/places-basque-country/spain/guernica-tourism/">town
of Gernika-Lumo</a> as part of our route. So we did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lLhIottWcU/W9h6CPqsHUI/AAAAAAAACW4/39YNTYrq5nkPa1aVSfUmtKAvGrfY5SLogCLcBGAs/s1600/2881-Gernika.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lLhIottWcU/W9h6CPqsHUI/AAAAAAAACW4/39YNTYrq5nkPa1aVSfUmtKAvGrfY5SLogCLcBGAs/s320/2881-Gernika.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gernika, Oct 2018</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KCAgbE96qgQ/W9h6ChJE5KI/AAAAAAAACW8/cNLjpVmHp4EwhlrJtZhweqvgCORwH7WPACLcBGAs/s1600/2882-Gernika.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KCAgbE96qgQ/W9h6ChJE5KI/AAAAAAAACW8/cNLjpVmHp4EwhlrJtZhweqvgCORwH7WPACLcBGAs/s320/2882-Gernika.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gernika, Oct 2018</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was Friday, October 12, which happens to
be no less than <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Fiesta_Nacional_de_Espa%C3%B1a">Spain’s
national holiday</a>, commemorating the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.
The streets of the pretty little town were full of strolling families, the bars
and cafes filled with local residents enjoying their day off in the fresh air,
quickly filling it with cigarette smoke, drinking <i>vino</i> or <i>cerveza</i>,
and having the time of their lives. I sort of wished that whichever Nazi had
given the order to bomb Gernika in April 1937 could see them now.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We were given to understand that the main
point of going to Gernika was to visit the <a href="http://www.museodelapaz.org/en/history.php">Museum of Peace</a>. So we
parked our rented car among all the other cars on one of the main streets, and
went to the museum.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7klJez_yJ8M/W9h6A46EgvI/AAAAAAAACXE/-U0U0X2dtjcMASQibKr7vTJyIkLIVawLwCEwYBhgL/s1600/2883-Museum%2Bof%2BPeace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7klJez_yJ8M/W9h6A46EgvI/AAAAAAAACXE/-U0U0X2dtjcMASQibKr7vTJyIkLIVawLwCEwYBhgL/s320/2883-Museum%2Bof%2BPeace.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum of Peace, Gernika</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_OV8Gj_6z_8/W9h6EAf7_8I/AAAAAAAACXQ/2JQ7n51Mtl4qXBV2qvOm3w_Rvx98IUQ7wCEwYBhgL/s1600/2891-Museum%2Bof%2BPeace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_OV8Gj_6z_8/W9h6EAf7_8I/AAAAAAAACXQ/2JQ7n51Mtl4qXBV2qvOm3w_Rvx98IUQ7wCEwYBhgL/s320/2891-Museum%2Bof%2BPeace.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum of Peace, Gernika</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">War museums are designed to be unsettling,
I suppose. But the trick isn’t to say that war is hell; that’s been said and
shown in countless novels, documentaries, and movies – War and Peace, All Quiet
on the Western Front, The Longest Day – to name but a few well-known ones; and more
recently, the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sharpe_(TV_series)">TV
series Sharpe</a> which, though riveting, caused me to leave the room every
once in a while, when the cruelty and bloodshed got too much for me. (My son
dissuaded me from reading <a href="http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-sharpe-books/">the books</a>,
saying they are even more gory…) Here’s the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fy3tSim3to&t=80s">series’ theme song</a>.
(Apologies. I’m a Sharpe fan.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In January 2017 we
toured Vietnam. When in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), we went to the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/War_Remnants_Museum">War Remnants Museum</a>.
Keep in mind that, if you Google “Vietnam War Museum” you’ll reach an American
website of a museum in Texas… For the Vietnamese, it was “the American War”. A
matter of perspective, obviously. Anyway – I’m afraid I didn’t have much
patience for all the blood-curdling photos and relics. (Unlike my American
cousin who felt morally obligated to scrutinize and contemplate the displays.) I
know what war is. I was born on a kibbutz in pre-State Israel and lived through
all of Israel’s wars. In fact – I’m lucky to be alive: the nursery that housed
the kibbutz babies was bombed by Egypt the very day after we, the babies, were
evacuated… </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AtWPNpdMhmg/W9iMu-q-sxI/AAAAAAAACXk/NJ2OISQgdakb9gaH7aNcNstEL8Dp1922gCLcBGAs/s1600/Beit%2Btinokot%2BHatzor%2BL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AtWPNpdMhmg/W9iMu-q-sxI/AAAAAAAACXk/NJ2OISQgdakb9gaH7aNcNstEL8Dp1922gCLcBGAs/s320/Beit%2Btinokot%2BHatzor%2BL.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babies' nursery, kibbutz Hatzor, 1948</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrPqgz4wc8w/W9iMupjgMZI/AAAAAAAACXg/Wfo5YFgI5fc79ZMFTiFgv5oPzlD-2lMmwCLcBGAs/s1600/chadar%2Bochel%2BHatzor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrPqgz4wc8w/W9iMupjgMZI/AAAAAAAACXg/Wfo5YFgI5fc79ZMFTiFgv5oPzlD-2lMmwCLcBGAs/s320/chadar%2Bochel%2BHatzor.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kibbutz Hatzor dining room, 1948</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiOkLMNDCq4m36Dd5Nyw4QMFWQH1IO5_w53PUAXooXUcm-tY-QbPNQJnknqFUPilSSsicTzf92XFHaoAHXh3nxFfSmZ0XOIquu4wKzyKH52nzbkrvoW9I5NVWFf0GnlpjfwRVHHxIuMCo/s1600/other+shack+Hatzor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiOkLMNDCq4m36Dd5Nyw4QMFWQH1IO5_w53PUAXooXUcm-tY-QbPNQJnknqFUPilSSsicTzf92XFHaoAHXh3nxFfSmZ0XOIquu4wKzyKH52nzbkrvoW9I5NVWFf0GnlpjfwRVHHxIuMCo/s320/other+shack+Hatzor.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kibbutz Hatzor living quarters, 1948</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2xqVmG1zHBaizPbbMVl02VCevysEcdg-cczMoE3YTFEwuermzN-7TxL5Y6LI2rMEo8mswU52LRKBMJ2ClGoL-LThKaoy_v3YZA8bNDYMCQIfEBheFw_5xM6AihGn5CvrbpxPx1p3igW9/s1600/Public+toilets+Hatzor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2xqVmG1zHBaizPbbMVl02VCevysEcdg-cczMoE3YTFEwuermzN-7TxL5Y6LI2rMEo8mswU52LRKBMJ2ClGoL-LThKaoy_v3YZA8bNDYMCQIfEBheFw_5xM6AihGn5CvrbpxPx1p3igW9/s320/Public+toilets+Hatzor.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kibbutz Hatzor public toilets, 1948 (there were no private toilets!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later, in the IDF, I didn’t serve on the front lines… But my
then-husband did; and some of my school friends never made it back alive. I’d
like to believe that anyone who has lived through a war would be ardently
pro-peace. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But I digress. The whole idea of the Peace
Museum is not to commemorate war, but rather to encourage and extol peace. As
one visitor wrote: “I was touched by the initiative to promote peace rather to
condemn war”.*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Which doesn’t mean that the Museum
completely refrains from touching that [exposed] nerve called The Horror of
War. They have a short audio-visual show that places you in the pleasant, comfy
home of a family, where you sit listening to a very convincing narrator
representing the mother of the family… when suddenly the siren sounds, the
bombers fly overhead, the bombs fall, and the next moment you’re sitting in a
pile of ruins. It made me sick to my stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It also reminded me of a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498319/">TV series</a> we watched recently,
based on <a href="https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/book/johnny-and-the-bomb/">Terry
Pratchett’s Johnny and the Bomb</a>, a novel for young readers. Though the main
theme may be time travel, the parallel theme is war, and the way it affects
civilians: ordinary people living in an ordinary town. You know – like Gernika,
or Coventry, or [insert city name of your choice.] I think a film like that is
perfectly in keeping with the Peace Museum, whose entire objective is to
encourage people from all over the world to work for peace. One cannot travel
in time; we can’t change the past. But changing the route that leads to a
future of war is still a possibility. Or is it simply an ineradicable feature
of the human race?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> -- -- --</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">* Thing Thing
Lee, contributor to Google Maps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-71892550374360872262018-10-14T17:54:00.003+01:002018-10-14T21:40:38.933+01:00San Sebastian - it's the little thingsAnd this time, I don't mean the little things that make San Sebastian different and special. I haven't been here long enough to observe the peculiarities of this beautiful city. We only arrived here yesterday (Wednesday), and are leaving tomorrow (Friday). Pity. Had I done my homework, maybe we'd have stayed one more day. By the time I begin to get the feel of a city, it's time to pack and move on. Unlike our stay in <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yatbh63f" target="_blank">Tbilisi</a>, say, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y7o6dgpw" target="_blank">Rome</a>, or <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y757rvdy" target="_blank">Catania</a>, where I began to feel at home.<br />
<br />
"Are you packing your slippers?" asked my trusty travel planner.<br />
"Nah, not necessary," I answered, having packed so much stuff, that I really didn't feel like agonizing over which slippers or flip-flops to take with, and where exactly in the suitcase or backpack I'd put them.<br />
Humph :-(<br />
Had I really forgotten what hotel floors were like in Spain?<br />
I was fine during the TLV-Madrid flight. I could be comfortable with simply loosening the shoelaces of my sneakers. The flight was just over 4 hours long. And the connecting flight to Bilbao took about an hour. But here at the hotel...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amara Plaza hotel, San Sebastian</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://www.hoteles-silken.com/en/hotel-amara-plaza-san-sebastian/" target="_blank">Amara Plaza,</a> part of the Silken chain, is fine, really. No complaints. Or at least, no serious complaints. The room is tasteful, in a no-frills, minimalist style. Nothing to distinguish it from its brethren at other 4-star hotels. Not a single picture on the bedroom walls (but plenty of beautiful art in the public areas); nothing noteworthy or unique re drapes, bedspread, desk, etc. And the floor tiles are lovely -- grey ceramic, with a wood-like texture, exactly like the ones I chose for our bathroom floor, when we did renovations some six years ago.<br />
What can I say? I suffer from cold feet. Literally.<br />
<br />
What I'd really like while jotting down these persnickety notes is a cup of latte, or cappuccino. Neither appear in the Room Service pages, and the room has no electric kettle, so even had I brought my fave black coffee ("botz", in Hebrew), it wouldn't have done me any good :-(<br />
We noticed this morning, at breakfast, that the coffee machine was out of order. The ready-made coffee in the pitchers was very strong. Not sure about the flavor. But surely in the Piano Bar they serve decent coffee?...<br />
<br />
Gosh, don't I sound like a spoiled brat!<br />
<br />
Listen, hotel staff and owners: It's a good hotel. The staff are friendly, capable and helpful. Young Yuliya, for example, is a gem; I hope you appreciate her and nurture her. Your range of artwork is diverse and admirable. I love your choice of complimentary green-tea toiletries -- good quality and a delicate scent. Please add shower cap to said toiletries. Oh - I couldn't help wondering: why isn't there a toilet-brush in the bathroom?... [I thought it might be just a glitch, but later noticed that there simply are no toilet brushes in hotel or restaurant or other public toilets. A deliberate policy?]<br />
<br />
Anyway -- San Sebastian is beautiful. It has a river with several bridges, including a French-style one with ornate statues.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urumea river, San Sebastian</td></tr>
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It has tree-lined boulevards with colorful flowerbeds. It has interesting architecture, beautiful, renovated old buildings, a bay and a beach, museums and a huge public library; and scores upon scores of bars, cafes and restaurants.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Items from Amara Plaza's private art collection</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Sebastian beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Sebastian Old City</td></tr>
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Recommended bar, a short walk from the hotel:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lx5VKndKWwY/W8N0J1HkQMI/AAAAAAAACWM/XOyXW2ClmToup_cu3TJgtEP96NduTP7DQCLcBGAs/s1600/photos%2B2018%2B3046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lx5VKndKWwY/W8N0J1HkQMI/AAAAAAAACWM/XOyXW2ClmToup_cu3TJgtEP96NduTP7DQCLcBGAs/s320/photos%2B2018%2B3046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The delightful Azul</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">delicious tapas, or pinxtos in Basque</td></tr>
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P.S.<br />
It's bad enough that I hadn't brushed up on my university-days Spanish before the trip; but not understanding a word in Basque makes things even more complicated...<br />
<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-68785756259233487902018-08-27T17:48:00.000+01:002018-08-27T18:49:26.430+01:00Crete - Xania or Chania<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zCUtAdoHqxA/W4Gfpqn0swI/AAAAAAAACSo/Sga3VBSNMKQvrxzzBFX8snANB70Mer9WwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zCUtAdoHqxA/W4Gfpqn0swI/AAAAAAAACSo/Sga3VBSNMKQvrxzzBFX8snANB70Mer9WwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6614.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View #1 of Theotikopoulou St. from the hotel balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View #2 - the sea at the other end of Theotikopoulou St.</td></tr>
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Finding the <a href="http://consolato.gr/en/" target="_blank">Consolato Boutique Suites & Rooms</a> was easy, once we managed the tricky bit -- finding parking in one of the streets leading to the entrance to the Old City. Our charming host, Thanasis, was waiting for us at the door. He ushered us into the <a href="http://consolato.gr/en/room-details/deluxe-suite-hermes-suite/" target="_blank">Hermes suite</a>, explaining everything in great detail, pointed out the restaurant right across the street, for which he gave us breakfast vouchers; and recommended the <a href="http://www.tamamrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Tamam </a>restaurant down the road for dinner.<br />
The luxurious suite took me by surprise; I'd forgotten that Michael had taken the "what-the-hell, let's splurge" approach for our last couple of nights in Crete. It was worth it. Some good points about the Consolato, and the Hermes suite:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Large bed, comfy mattress... a welcome change after the typical hard mattresses encountered on our Greece trips, as far back as 1991; excellent pillows, soundproof windows, powerful yet quiet a/c, large shower stall with fragrant shower-gel & body lotion, etc.</li>
<li>Fridge. Nespresso coffee machine & capsules. Tea-bags for Brits like Michael ;-)</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermes Suite bedroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermes Suite front room</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Perfect location: Walk out to the left, and you can either take a right and within minutes find yourself at the <a href="http://mar-mus-crete.gr/en/the-museum/" target="_blank">Maritime Museum</a> and at the gorgeous Venetian Harbor; or you can continue down Theotikopoulou for a 100 meters or so and be at the beach, that blue blob in View #2 in the above pics. If you exit the hotel and turn right, you can enjoy walking along the meandering cobblestoned lanes with their eye-catching artistic shops and boutiques, ending at -- you guessed it -- the beautiful <a href="https://www.chania-crete-greece.com/chania-old-venetian-harbour.html" target="_blank">Venetian Harbor</a>. Most Israelis are familiar with the old-world charm of Old Cities, e.g. the Old City of Jerusalem, the Old City of Jaffa, the Old City of Acre and Safed. But it's different when you're abroad. Otherwise what's the point in traveling?...</li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/asprosgatoschania/" target="_blank">Aspros Gatos Wine Project</a> right opposite the hotel. Friendly service, tasty breakfast, cute name -- at least for cat lovers. We didn't go there in the evening so I don't know what it's like as a bar, but there are plenty of favorable testimonies online. The vouchers given us by Mr. Thanasis provided for a more-than-satisfying breakfast.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Michael reading the menu @Aspros Gatos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast menu (yes, the tattered pages are intentional...)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Nina @Aspros Gatos</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>The two restaurants recommended by Thanasis -- the Tamam nearby and the Chrisostomos -- were both excellent, but it is advisable to book a table. We were lucky, and on both evening we apparently came an hour or so before the crowds, so a table was found for us. At the <a href="http://www.tamamrestaurant.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Tamam </a><span style="text-align: center;">I had the best moussaka since my previous trip to Greece... and an imaginative, original salad that was yummy. You know how the desire for an "original" dish can be a booby-trap for an ambitious chef? Well, this certainly was not one of those! As for the </span><a href="https://chrisostomos.gr/?lang=en" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Chrisostomos </a><span style="text-align: center;">-- Sorry, I didn't write down what we ate; but it was well worth it. As for desserts at both places -- we tend to skip dessert and just stop by the nearest kiosk or minimarket and treat ourselves to a </span><a href="http://www.magnumicecream.com/us/en/ice-cream.html" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Magnum</a><span style="text-align: center;">...</span></li>
<li>If you like museums, there's more than one. I like maritime museums. <a href="http://mar-mus-crete.gr/en/the-museum/" target="_blank">The Maritime Museum of Crete</a> one was not as impressive as, say, the <a href="http://thedockyard.co.uk/" target="_blank">historic Dockyard at Chatham</a>, but it had plenty of historical info about wars and such... plus some interesting pieces. </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ocUxBvvxAw/W4GfFz1MT_I/AAAAAAAACSM/_2agEu4jMec3nufRm-c7GLNpGEV21gTYwCEwYBhgL/s320/Alexander%2Bthe%2BGreat_6655.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Alexander the Great</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gQybq8upROo/W4GfGOCUAzI/AAAAAAAACSQ/ggYtFu_BRj8x9WZqnkxeGUgn_Tj7Rt9TQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Alexander%2Bthe%2BGreat_6662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gQybq8upROo/W4GfGOCUAzI/AAAAAAAACSQ/ggYtFu_BRj8x9WZqnkxeGUgn_Tj7Rt9TQCEwYBhgL/s320/Alexander%2Bthe%2BGreat_6662.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Alexander the Great</td></tr>
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<li> If you're not into shopping for souvenirs, arts & crafts etc., the best thing you can do is stroll back and forth along the waterfront -- including up to the lighthouse and back -- and take pictures from every possible angle... Then choose a random cafe, order your fave drink, and drink in the view... You will miss it once you get home!</li>
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TPwgNvi5nGI/W4QoWUmYvYI/AAAAAAAACTc/DEDZRvvylIMk49ZGjxLwyNZX-RYpJbIogCLcBGAs/s1600/Xania%2BVenetian%2BHarbor_6607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TPwgNvi5nGI/W4QoWUmYvYI/AAAAAAAACTc/DEDZRvvylIMk49ZGjxLwyNZX-RYpJbIogCLcBGAs/s320/Xania%2BVenetian%2BHarbor_6607.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Xania Venetian Harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u3QnOBvC1go/W4QoUtducdI/AAAAAAAACTY/_ygfjDghJQw0h9Fk-guLE0fSSJsnYXjewCLcBGAs/s1600/Xania%2Blighthouse_6635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="752" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u3QnOBvC1go/W4QoUtducdI/AAAAAAAACTY/_ygfjDghJQw0h9Fk-guLE0fSSJsnYXjewCLcBGAs/s320/Xania%2Blighthouse_6635.JPG" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Nina @ the lighthouse, Xania Harbor</td></tr>
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<u>One last note:</u> I have very little idea what the "real", i.e. modern, city of Xania is like. Sure, we drove through it. It looked like a city. You know, with shops, houses, traffic lights... But other than that, I haven't a clue. We did the common touristy thing. If we go there again, I'll make time to explore the city. Even if it turns out not to be "special". Just like in Georgia, I am sure that authentic local restaurants, where the locals eat, are worth the effort :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-of-OvvCNLuo/W4Qq3ZNL_aI/AAAAAAAACTs/dxmg00vcUcU-hBypdsOFhYYBhE7tU7QRwCLcBGAs/s1600/Pebbles%2Bfrom%2BCrete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-of-OvvCNLuo/W4Qq3ZNL_aI/AAAAAAAACTs/dxmg00vcUcU-hBypdsOFhYYBhE7tU7QRwCLcBGAs/s320/Pebbles%2Bfrom%2BCrete.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite souvenir from Crete</td></tr>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-15168156639152901502018-08-18T09:05:00.000+01:002018-08-18T21:39:22.328+01:00Crete - The Old Phoenix... so we checked out of the <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/08/crete-heraklion.html" target="_blank">Georgia B&B</a> on Friday (Aug 3rd), and began driving towards <b>Sfakia</b>, a.k.a. <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hora_Sfakion" target="_blank">Hora Sfakion</a>. Some of the roads twist up and down hilly land, and our rented car, a <b>Nissan Micra</b>, is not very powerful. But then again, we were only two passengers, with relatively light luggage - one mid-sized suitcase and two trollies, none of which were stuffed to the max.<br />
Stopped mid-way at one of those <a href="http://www.oliveoil-kanakis.gr/" target="_blank">places that sell olive oil</a> and a huge selection of other olive-based products. Was brave and didn't buy anything... Except for a cold drink at the adjacent kiosk.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4CBx4VWujUA/W3GwGr5NiCI/AAAAAAAACPU/uUSI6FaTrXUYleWZKA7-UC4Y22nHFfp1ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4CBx4VWujUA/W3GwGr5NiCI/AAAAAAAACPU/uUSI6FaTrXUYleWZKA7-UC4Y22nHFfp1ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6536.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our daughter and son-in-law, who were already comfortably settled at <a href="https://www.old-phoenix.com/" target="_blank">The Old Phoenix</a>, had warned us about the <a href="https://www.old-phoenix.com/gettingthere.htm" target="_blank">very tricky drive from Sfakia to Phoenix Bay</a>. Apparently the road is very rough, steep and winding, requiring extreme concentration and caution. As Noam drove, Daria tried to distract the children (aged 2 1/2, 4 1/2, and 7) who were tense and scared. Far better to take a <b>water taxi</b>. You can also take a <b>ferry</b>, then walk for about 15 minutes. But who wants to hike along a footpath in the sweltering midday sun, schlepping a suitcase, two trollies, a shoulder-bag and a backpack... For more practical suggestions and details, see the <a href="https://www.west-crete.com/holidays-finix.htm" target="_blank">Visit West Crete</a> page.</div>
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At Sfakia harbor, we found the <b>Controlled Parking</b> area and the guy in charge managed to squeeze our Micra into a tight spot, charged us <b>9 euro</b> for three days paid in advance, and told us to wait for our boat by the tall crane. I honestly don't know the full meaning of "controlled" parking; we just paid and hoped that, other than dust and bird droppings, we'd find our car just as we left it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bHx11B8wAHI/W3HFp_WshII/AAAAAAAACPs/_afJPHy46pcAvdVisUOTh2w1ff9KJFcSgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sfakia_6545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bHx11B8wAHI/W3HFp_WshII/AAAAAAAACPs/_afJPHy46pcAvdVisUOTh2w1ff9KJFcSgCLcBGAs/s320/Sfakia_6545.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tall crane, Sfakia harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y24DMUX1x4g/W3HFhdQ2uRI/AAAAAAAACPg/IOQWO6YMAkke3nifKqphnIvws3uWwSmBgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sfakia_6546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y24DMUX1x4g/W3HFhdQ2uRI/AAAAAAAACPg/IOQWO6YMAkke3nifKqphnIvws3uWwSmBgCLcBGAs/s320/Sfakia_6546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interesting wall along Sfakia harbor</td></tr>
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I neglected to mention that the amazing <b>Elisabet </b>at the Georgia Hotel had phoned <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Taxi-Boat-Sifis-1758247154390656/" target="_blank">Taxi Boat Sifis</a> ahead of time and booked the trip for us. (Check out the link and copy-paste the number into your smartphone!) The fee quoted was <b>40 euro</b>, but we got a 5-euro discount because another family joined the ride. 'Bye, Sfakia! See you in a few days!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P4AJTUiGjWBaFbLLAJiAv8o8do5HV7WBbt307dgJePiitjuIh5sMGmHChI9m_2L7UzGXhgPgiI_VWmhZQA89-nzJ7hmmAil7Yue9ydCvCERooHQsz5KntHyyicW3aVRusi1Ss464_pHn/s1600/Sfakia_6548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P4AJTUiGjWBaFbLLAJiAv8o8do5HV7WBbt307dgJePiitjuIh5sMGmHChI9m_2L7UzGXhgPgiI_VWmhZQA89-nzJ7hmmAil7Yue9ydCvCERooHQsz5KntHyyicW3aVRusi1Ss464_pHn/s320/Sfakia_6548.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On board Taxi Boat Sifis</td></tr>
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Some 25 minutes of chugging along on the clearest, bluest, calmest water I've ever sailed on, and there were the white buildings with the blue shutters, so typical of Greek islands. Before I even had a chance to wonder which of those buildings housed the Reception of <a href="https://www.old-phoenix.com/" target="_blank">The Old Phoenix</a>, and how I'd find our daughter and her entourage, I caught sight of a skinny boy (7) in bathing trunks running towards the pier, waving excitedly at us. We hardly set foot on solid ground when our youngest grandkid, two-and-a-half year-old Tamzie, who'd heard M's voice, dashed forward calling out "Michael sheli!" ("my Michael") and jumped into his arms. </div>
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Okay, that made our day :-) </div>
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Soon enough the whole family escorted us to the Reception desk, and walked us to our room.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ms0byInBKik/W3Lp5SdS9mI/AAAAAAAACQg/jOS4-9MREP4Rb0V_VokW4u2p4CSkQTkRwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ms0byInBKik/W3Lp5SdS9mI/AAAAAAAACQg/jOS4-9MREP4Rb0V_VokW4u2p4CSkQTkRwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6553.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael and Daria enjoying a cold drink shortly after our arrival</td></tr>
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The room itself was pretty basic, nothing to write home about, or rather, to blog about. The shower stall was a joke: it had a shower curtain on the two sides which weren't walls, but no matter whether you placed the showerhead in its holder way up on the wall or held it in your hand -- the water somehow escaped the stall and flooded the entire bathroom floor. Luckily, it also dried up of its own accord pretty fast. How come? <shrug> - window, air conditioning, whatever.</shrug></div>
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But the most exhilarating aspect of the place is the view from the balcony! And I'm not referring to the towels, bathing suits and other items hanging up on most balconies, although these had their use: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvmcr8VsEvobGS15T6FSjvDzKuBGcJ6w1wwmQQerhLRhpnJmaaFZOwKX_Dfm_bQiyJBYkzMI-3QZrlmxFimbqf-xpfj1atxs1mG6MFMzwEGmXVSPM2LOdcYjE0BnYp8_jmiVi2yn-3Z1i/s1600/laundry+on+balcony_6580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvmcr8VsEvobGS15T6FSjvDzKuBGcJ6w1wwmQQerhLRhpnJmaaFZOwKX_Dfm_bQiyJBYkzMI-3QZrlmxFimbqf-xpfj1atxs1mG6MFMzwEGmXVSPM2LOdcYjE0BnYp8_jmiVi2yn-3Z1i/s320/laundry+on+balcony_6580.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our balcony at the Old Phoenix</td></tr>
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Spread them out on the line properly, and you've got a lightweight barrier between you and your neighbor, which is rather useful when you spend much of your time minimally dressed, if at all, with the balcony door/shutters often open to let in the sea breeze, and -- well, you get the picture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUHznsC9hNm6AAQAC7eHnnHYTjXNSQoUToOs_P5sHukeDyNpKe0NCa7Z7tesx2LIPyYkHcvTOXBQ5vKpJQ7mjVoKDpgLT2pA9aNiZXDKlaF2zXnbvlAUEeklBqEQ0oOF4wrJ6qAo9PTSi/s1600/Phoenix+beach+morning_6579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUHznsC9hNm6AAQAC7eHnnHYTjXNSQoUToOs_P5sHukeDyNpKe0NCa7Z7tesx2LIPyYkHcvTOXBQ5vKpJQ7mjVoKDpgLT2pA9aNiZXDKlaF2zXnbvlAUEeklBqEQ0oOF4wrJ6qAo9PTSi/s320/Phoenix+beach+morning_6579.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our room, morning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dpISD21OiBY/W3P-Z5Q-JaI/AAAAAAAACRA/KCq374EvGjUTk5PsFSckLSTdoGJ8JWgdwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Phoenix%2Bbeach%2Bat%2Bnoon_6592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dpISD21OiBY/W3P-Z5Q-JaI/AAAAAAAACRA/KCq374EvGjUTk5PsFSckLSTdoGJ8JWgdwCEwYBhgL/s320/Phoenix%2Bbeach%2Bat%2Bnoon_6592.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our room, later in the day</td></tr>
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In the mornings we were awakened by a beautiful jingling of bells, lots of bells. Simply had to jump out of bed to see where it was coming from. It came from a herd of goats taking their morning walk up and around the nearby hills. Early morning is the best time to do hiking and sightseeing in nature, both for goats and humans. You can walk from the Old Phoenix to the nearby village of <a href="https://www.loutro.gr/en/" target="_blank">Loutro </a>either the short way -- about 700 meters -- or the longer but easier way of 1300 meters. (0.43 and 0.8 miles, respectively.) I didn't do it, but since my grandkids did, I'm sure you could, too. </div>
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If you want to stock up on something (booze? Pringles? flipflops?) or want to buy a new <a href="https://tepareo.gr/" target="_blank">pareo</a>, if you run out of sunscreen lotion, Ibuprofen or crayons for the kids -- Loutro has it all. Oh -- and a propos flipflops: what you <i>really </i>need on this beach is lightweight water shoes to protect your feet from the pebbles and rocks. (As an Israeli, I'm accustomed to the gloriously soft sand on our beaches.)</div>
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The plastic sandals I wore, a popular brand called <a href="https://freedomoses.com/about/" target="_blank">Moses</a>, are fine and dandy, but not for stepping into the sea surrounding [most of?] Crete. You don't have to invest in <a href="https://www.watersportswarehouse.co.uk/swim-beach/footwear.html" target="_blank">expensive swimmers' or divers' shoes</a>. You can find really cheap versions at any supermarket in villages and towns along the coast. </div>
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Like many travelers, I'm a sucker for high-quality, or at least fragrant, toiletries. Chapeau to The Old Phoenix for their choice of shampoo/shower gel (pity there was no corresponding body lotion): </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8FWi0aXL1ug/W3Vp9yBSmNI/AAAAAAAACRQ/FD-D8w5veGcISUnqNSrpu8BapwaztXp5ACLcBGAs/s1600/Olivamo%2Bshampoo%2Bshower%2Bgel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8FWi0aXL1ug/W3Vp9yBSmNI/AAAAAAAACRQ/FD-D8w5veGcISUnqNSrpu8BapwaztXp5ACLcBGAs/s320/Olivamo%2Bshampoo%2Bshower%2Bgel.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.abea.gr/en/products/oliva/" target="_blank">Oliva(mo) shampoo & shower gel</a></td></tr>
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When in Loutro, we went into a minimarket where I actually saw these products on a shelf, but failed to grab a few... consoling myself later with the thought that I'd find them at some other place. But I didn't :-( Of course Google was quick to show me where I could get them. So if I'm really desperate, I could order the stuff online. But who knows -- we'll soon be traveling to Spain, where I fell in love with the <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2015/11/where-to-stay-in-barcelona.html" target="_blank">Prija toiletries</a>... then there were <a href="http://store.skincarelab.com/algotherm.html" target="_blank">Algotherm </a>treats, picked up at I-don't-remember-where... and... but enough is enough.<br />
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Next post: <a href="https://www.cretetravel.com/guide/chania/" target="_blank">Xania</a>, a.k.a Chania, a.k.a. Khania</div>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-39521145865464502552018-08-12T16:08:00.003+01:002018-08-24T14:46:33.701+01:00Crete - Heraklion... so we booked a week's vacation in Crete, made up of three parts: <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Heraklion" target="_blank">Heraklion </a>/<a href="http://www.greece.com/destinations/Crete/Heraklion/Town/Gazi.html" target="_blank">Gazi</a>; the <a href="https://www.west-crete.com/holidays-finix.htm" target="_blank">bay of Finix</a> (sort of the other side of <a href="http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-west/Loutro.html" target="_blank">Loutro</a>); and <a href="https://www.cretetravel.com/guide/chania/" target="_blank">Xania</a>, a.k.a. Chania, or Khania, take your pick.<br />
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First of all I must confess that I hadn't done my homework for this trip. I was still trying to get as much of my <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/07/goodbye-georgia.html" target="_blank">Georgia experiences</a> down in writing, while keeping up with yoga and other daily activities and also trying to finish reading a very moving memoir-novel (long story, will elaborate later on my other blog, <a href="http://take-ninas-word-for-it.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Take Nina's Word for it</a>.) So I didn't even peek at the two tourist guidebooks about Greece - the <i>Michelin </i>and the <i>Baedeker's</i>, which we probably bought before one of our previous Greece trips. I also dug out my handwritten travel journal from August 1999 and read it, to refresh my memory... For example, how to order my coffee: "<i>Cafe frappe sketo, me gala, parakalo</i>." Even though that caused waiters, both then and now, to roll their eyes at me in disbelief...<br />
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So I still hardly know a thing about the history of the places we visited. Except for the fact that Crete had undergone many wars, fighting for dominion over their land but being conquered and governed by Rome, the Arabs, the Byzantines,Venetians, the Ottoman Turks, and I've probably left out some conquerer or other. You want history? Go to <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/History_of_Crete" target="_blank">Wiki </a>or the <a href="http://www.biology.uoc.gr/en/the-department/crete-history" target="_blank">University of Crete</a>, for example. It's not that I enjoy being ignorant, god forbid; but what with recently learning about the wars that ravaged Georgia, and what with the seemingly pointless and endless fighting along the Gaza border, I just want to escape war and focus on peace, fellowship, camaraderie, and goodwill. All of which I found in today's Crete.<br />
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The accommodations we booked in Gazi, just outside Heraklion, were actually a B&B place which belongs to the <a href="https://www.hotel-georgia.gr/" target="_blank">Georgia Hotel</a>. We hadn't been aware of that. So if you go to the hotel website and look at pics of the rooms, keep in mind that they are far more luxurious than the plain, basic B&B located in a separate building right by the hotel. All we had to do is walk out of the building, make a right, walk through a small parking lot, and emerge in the lovely garden of the hotel:<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HS3p7NxWZlQ/W28Z1wtmPnI/AAAAAAAACOk/PAJACrZCXiUoGAbyYfz6Zx6YRz3pJnowACLcBGAs/s1600/Hotel%2BGeorgia_6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HS3p7NxWZlQ/W28Z1wtmPnI/AAAAAAAACOk/PAJACrZCXiUoGAbyYfz6Zx6YRz3pJnowACLcBGAs/s320/Hotel%2BGeorgia_6511.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Georgia Hotel garden & pool</td></tr>
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I didn't even bother taking a picture of our room... Plain white walls, plain wooden wardrobe, bed, night-tables. A very hard mattress. But it did have a kitchenette, complete with fridge and electric plate, which one could use to prepare/store food.<br />
If we ever visit the place again, I'd probably go for the double room with a sea view... Or the Studio. But as it was, I can't complain: we were entitled to all the hotel's amenities and services, provided by a friendly, charming and helpful staff, such as Elisabet and Mira, to name but two.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jxTC1_-U5hc/W28Z0YiKF5I/AAAAAAAACOc/rGNy_zxEyU0dUrNrztv3AaYLedg7X0qggCLcBGAs/s1600/Hotel%2BGeorgia_6512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jxTC1_-U5hc/W28Z0YiKF5I/AAAAAAAACOc/rGNy_zxEyU0dUrNrztv3AaYLedg7X0qggCLcBGAs/s320/Hotel%2BGeorgia_6512.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgia Hotel breakfast buffet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgia Hotel pool, bar in the background</td></tr>
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The pool was inviting, but I declined. The beach was just around the corner, but I wasn't interested. All I wanted was to relax, enjoy the fresh, flavorful food, savour the local beer (Mythos or Alfa), and unwind. Oh - and drive into Heraklion, for some shopping...<br />
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Re shopping: Generally speaking, Greece isn't the ideal place for shopping. Yes, if you want a cheap beach towel or basic food, you'll do fine, so long as you buy it in the village market rather than in the arty boutiques within the walls of the Old City. But I was looking for Marks & Spencer. I knew exactly what I wanted: a couple of pairs of cotton/linen shorts. Plus M&S knickers, which are the best in the world as far as I'm concerned. While M wanted summer socks. But Alas! The M&S store was relatively small. No socks. No knickers (just as well -- I have plenty...) and only one pair of shorts in my size. Which I promptly purchased.<br />
Next on my list was a one-piece high-neck bathing-suit, not because I'm shy or particularly modest, but to protect my sensitive skin. Online research showed that a shop called <a href="https://www.cosmossport.gr/en/category/swimwear/6518" target="_blank">Cosmos Sport</a> had a decent selection, but instead of systematically looking for it, I went into the nearest alternative, <a href="https://www.intersport.gr/beachwear/" target="_blank">InterSport</a>, and a sweet salesgirl helped me choose a flattering yet comfortable <a href="https://www.arenaswimwearstore.com/swimwear/women.html" target="_blank">Arena swimsuit</a>. Sorry to say the neckline is not high enough to protect my delicate decollete, but I said to myself that, if push came to shove, I'd just wear a T-shirt over it. (Which I did not. Though the sun was definitely "pushy" enough.)<br />
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Then we just wandered about with the general flow of tourists, and found ourselves in a picturesque maze of cafes, near a small public garden. One place in particular caught my eye:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4I--P7NU_0o/W3AD8DP01FI/AAAAAAAACPE/zzWwGQNaAUkU2WqaFFskhtofW0nABpoNQCLcBGAs/s1600/Swing%2BThing_6528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4I--P7NU_0o/W3AD8DP01FI/AAAAAAAACPE/zzWwGQNaAUkU2WqaFFskhtofW0nABpoNQCLcBGAs/s320/Swing%2BThing_6528.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swing Thing Cocktail Espresso Bar, Heraklion</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swing Thing Cocktail Espresso Bar, Heraklion</td></tr>
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I peeked in. "Yes, we've got air-conditioning!" Said the charming Helen. - "And a toilet?" I asked hopefully. "Yes, we have everything!" she retorted brightly. And good food. And good music.<br />
Wow, was it ever perfect! The toast, the frappe, and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jz706sJMjg" target="_blank">Hang On Little Tomato, by Pink Martini.</a><br />
Unfortunately I can't make any comments on the booze, since I didn't have any, simply because it's not my thing (as opposed to swing...) But judging by other customers' comments on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/swingthing.her/" target="_blank">Swing Thing's Facebook page</a>, if you appreciate a good bar and a real pro of a barman, you're in for a treat.<br />
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Still with me? Great! I'm looking forward to writing and uploading my <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/08/crete-old-phoenix.html" target="_blank">next post - The Old Phoenix</a>.<br />
<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-85391725721893536372018-07-19T19:36:00.004+01:002018-07-20T13:20:24.695+01:00Goodbye, GeorgiaNo point in going on about Georgia endlessly, when I soon have to pack for our next trip. So here are just two more issues that made a lasting impression on me, for better or for worse. And I'll start with <b>the worse</b>:<br />
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<b>Women</b>. Don't get me wrong -- the women themselves are fine. The young ones even speak fairly idiomatic English, thanks to TV series, the Internet, and so on. What bothered me is their relative absence from the public space. Public spaces belong to men. As if women still belong in the kitchen. What struck me most is the number of women in black. We saw an inordinate number of them, both in Tbilisi and in smaller towns. Imagine -- in mid summer, women dressed in black from head to toe. Obviously not for elegance sake. Seems that, according to Georgian tradition, a widow must wear black. Forever and ever. For the rest of her life. Didn't <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Queen_Victoria" target="_blank">Queen Victoria</a> do that? But that must have been her own choice... To be fair, modern women apparently wear black "only" for a year after being widowed. At least in the main cities. I doubt that applies to small towns and villages. And even then, it probably depends on the extent of social pressure -- or tolerance -- they're exposed to.<br />
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And now for <b>the better</b>: Sculpture. Statues. Beautiful. Everywhere. Anyone who's used to the gorgeous statues in cities like Paris, Rome, St. Petersburg -- might not see anything exceptional in Georgia. But to me it was a revelation. A Russian friend said to me - Well, what did you expect? It's a legacy of the Russian era, the Russian occupation of Georgia. Perhaps he's right - I don't know.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the park in center of Kutaisi</td></tr>
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Thing is, Israel suffers from a woeful dearth of artistic, aesthetic, inspired and inspiring statues in public places. Yes, there are monuments to this, that, and the other. But even those are for the most part an awful bore: klotzy, unimaginative, ugly structures. When they're not an eyesore, they're just so boring and lacking in charm or character, that you're better off just ignoring their very existence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bridge in Kutaisi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batumi promenade</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batumi promenade</td></tr>
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So no wonder I couldn't get enough of statues in Georgia. I've uploaded just a few pics, which won't necessarily impress everyone. But I assure you there's a wide variety of styles and subject matters. TripAdvisor provides <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294194-Activities-c47-t26-Georgia.html" target="_blank">a few examples</a>.<br />
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I've been told that the lack of statues in Israel stems from the religious commandment in <a href="http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0220.htm" target="_blank">Exodus, chapter 20, verses 3-4</a>: "Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down onto them, nor serve them;..." I don't know to what extent this commandment is taken at face value by authorities in Israel. After all, you can find busts of prominent personalities sprinkled here and there. But I am told that there is, nonetheless, a long-standing aversion to placing statues in public places. God forbid someone might bow to them, idolize them, and bring upon us the wrath of the creator: "... for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me"...<br />
[Hebrew readers: See an<a href="https://www.kan.org.il/item/?itemid=5308" target="_blank"> interesting article</a> on the subject on the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation site.]<br />
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To end on an optimistic note, here is one of my favorite works of art in Tel Aviv: <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dudu_Geva" target="_blank">Dudu Geva</a>'s Duck:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duck, by Dudu Geva, Masaryk Square, Tel Aviv.<br />
The inscription says "Always optimistic"</td></tr>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-38061603468470866952018-06-20T12:33:00.000+01:002018-07-19T19:40:13.335+01:00Georgia - It's the Little Differences, Part 2As promised, below are some more of the not-so-little things that make Georgia different and fascinating:<br />
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<b>The water</b> - it's delicious, and plentiful. You can drink it out of the tap, out of a natural fountain or rivulet, or if you insist - out of a bottle. It's as clear and fresh as water ought to be. And it did wonders for my hair and face. I suppose the [mostly] unpolluted air, and the dry air, contributed to that.<br />
As for the Georgian lemonade (which I went on about in a <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/05/tbilisi-beautiful-tasty.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>) -- you can easily get addicted to it; I found it far tastier than stuff like Sprite and Fanta.<br />
Can't vouch for Georgian tea (ordinary tea bags, for the most part), nor for their coffee. Both were unremarkable.<br />
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<b>Wine & booze</b> - Georgians are rather proud of their ancient wine-making technique, but I guess I'm too accustomed to the wooden-barrel notes in my drink, and didn't fully appreciate the <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ancient-georgian-traditional-qvevri-wine-making-method-00870" target="_blank">clay-pots-buried-in-the-ground</a> flavor. The local beer is fine, if you're into experimenting. If you prefer your good ol' British ale or American beer - it may be available, and it's inexpensive. If you're into something stronger, the local version is a brandy, or vodka, called <a href="https://georgiaabout.com/2012/10/03/about-georgian-chacha/" target="_blank">chacha</a>. Go ahead, try it and report back! Be sure to assign a designated driver!<br />
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<b>Food warning</b> - The baked goods, including the simplest bread, are delicious! Always super-fresh and mouth-watering. If you are trying not to gain too much weight -- beware! Also: most of the food is generously salted and often fried or cooked in plenty of oil.<br />
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<b>Taking a bus</b> in the city - In Tbilisi, for instance, public transport is ridiculously cheap (for tourists!), and your hotel (or Google) will tell you which bus to take. Make sure you have small change, because the driver doesn't deal with that, there's a small machine inside the bus. Don't take chances, don't try to cheat; you'll regret it when the conductor reaches you. Besides - it's pennies: a longish ride in the city, one way, cost us half a lari each. That's equivalent to US$ 0.20; or 0.18 Euro; or 0.75 Israeli Shekel. For the sake of comparison: in Israel, a local bus ride (e.g. Tel Aviv to Rishon Lezion, where I live) costs NIS 6.- (but only 3 shekels for a pensioner.) And a propos small change...<br />
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<b>ATM</b> - We all take for granted ATMs and the ability to withdraw cash not just at the bank. But Georgia has taken it one step further, and has these advanced automated units which let you do a variety of financial and bureaucratic transaction. These units are located not just at the entrance to main banks, but also as stand-alone units in various spots around town:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2xV8WDeVzw/Wyd5r2wgeOI/AAAAAAAACMM/wI_N4M2jXOUc4UjEj1JVz7jpRTTE1VH0QCLcBGAs/s1600/104%2BTbilisi%2BAmeriPlaza%2BHotel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2xV8WDeVzw/Wyd5r2wgeOI/AAAAAAAACMM/wI_N4M2jXOUc4UjEj1JVz7jpRTTE1VH0QCLcBGAs/s320/104%2BTbilisi%2BAmeriPlaza%2BHotel.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bankofgeorgia.ge/en/" target="_blank">Bank of Georgia</a> self-service unit</td></tr>
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If you're merely a tourist, you probably don't care much which bank's ATM you're using. But if you're interested in <a href="https://www.nbg.gov.ge/index.php?m=403&lng=eng" target="_blank">doing business</a> there, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y8v4as2x" target="_blank">opening an off-shore account</a>, investing or the like, you'll be pleased to know that Georgia tries to make it as easy and trouble-free a process as possible.<br />
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<b>Pharmacies</b>, drugstores, chemist's, toiletries - Weeks before our trip, I asked on TripAdvisor whether I could easily find low-cost Western staples such as <b>Nivea </b>and <b>Dove </b>soaps and body lotions, <b>Johnson's </b>baby shampoo, and so forth. I was assured that Yes, no problem. Well - the situation was better than I dared to hope... You can't walk five minutes without passing an <b><i>Apotheka</i></b>, as it is called. And the prices are low, definitely compared to the outrageous prices in Israel for the above brands.<br />
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Nevertheless, I didn't go mad with <b>shopping</b>. Only what I needed... E.g. face lotion, body wash (the mug w/toothbrush just to illustrate size of bottle),<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hrdgjrnEq2c/Wyoix6DnGtI/AAAAAAAACM0/bOcsop1TgBIrC_DBIk07v8bMLouOOf44QCLcBGAs/s1600/body%2Blotion%2B6324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1525" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hrdgjrnEq2c/Wyoix6DnGtI/AAAAAAAACM0/bOcsop1TgBIrC_DBIk07v8bMLouOOf44QCLcBGAs/s200/body%2Blotion%2B6324.JPG" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnson's body wash</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garnier(?) facial cleanser</td></tr>
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Socks, because I'm a socks freak<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hB3bUnUkDlg/WyoiuzrtnmI/AAAAAAAACMs/womDlH4wrmMYr5lwzPIPAComyR0Bgk0JACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6176-socks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hB3bUnUkDlg/WyoiuzrtnmI/AAAAAAAACMs/womDlH4wrmMYr5lwzPIPAComyR0Bgk0JACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_6176-socks.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b5OCVVN_5_g/Wyoix6EKJYI/AAAAAAAACM4/jtLyl2b3nz0I8ymUicp7grF62D5OmKD3QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6177-socks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b5OCVVN_5_g/Wyoix6EKJYI/AAAAAAAACM4/jtLyl2b3nz0I8ymUicp7grF62D5OmKD3QCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_6177-socks.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Z57efs9IBs/WyoiubboCyI/AAAAAAAACMo/zQhudHUyPvgfHtuIf_f35rlbY-Z5BZwkQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6111-shoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Z57efs9IBs/WyoiubboCyI/AAAAAAAACMo/zQhudHUyPvgfHtuIf_f35rlbY-Z5BZwkQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_6111-shoes.JPG" width="200" /></a> And cheap, lightweight sneakers, because I love anything purple (well, <i>nearly </i>anything.) I'm not giving you the prices, but everything was considerably cheaper than back home. And that also applies to 2 casual tops and one pair of casual pants/trousers that I bought at <a href="https://shop.mango.com/il" target="_blank">Mango</a>, a brand I never buy "back home" because they're expensive. But that was sort of a last minute spending spree, at the huge <a href="http://eastpoint.ge/home/en" target="_blank">East Point Mall</a> on the way to Tbilisi airport.<br />
<b>Reservation </b>re the adjective "cheap": As you know, everything's relative. What is cheap for a tourist can be expensive to a local resident.<br />
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<b>Personal safety</b> - Police stations are quite visible in every city or small town. I think the only consistent thing about them is the colors -- red and blue -- which are used, to varying degrees, in the construction or decor. They come is Small, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Police_station_in_Tbilisi.jpg" target="_blank">Medium</a>, <a href="https://georgiaabout.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/georgian-police-station-13.jpg" target="_blank">Large</a>, or <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yarpzgkv" target="_blank">Original & Dramatic</a>. What with being used to the old, British Mandate monochromatic, squarely-uniform police stations (known as <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Tegart_fort" target="_blank">Tegart forts</a>), I found the Georgian version refreshing and amusing. But the main thing is, that Georgia is considered a very safe country, in terms of the rate of crime and assaults. The fact that pairs of policemen were patrolling the streets practically wherever we went added to our feeling of All Quiet on the Eurasian Front.<br />
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I've written and written, and still feel that I have totally missed the essence of Georgia and its beauty, both natural and artistic. I'll try once more, <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/07/goodbye-georgia.html" target="_blank">in my next post</a>. [Update: I did it! You can just <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/07/goodbye-georgia.html" target="_blank">go there</a> and see for yourselves.]<br />
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<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-88841660171256589682018-06-12T16:09:00.000+01:002018-06-21T08:03:54.182+01:00Georgia - It's the Little Differences, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The more you travel, the more you are struck by the little differences even between seemingly-similar, neighboring countries, not to mention distant ones. My first blog post about <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2010/05/its-little-differences.html" target="_blank">the little differences</a> between Country A and Country B, and the <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-little-differences-take-2.html" target="_blank">second one on the same topic</a>, both referred to the UK. Any native-born Israeli visiting the UK for the first time is amazed by the differences, both prominent and minor. Isn't that one of the main reasons for traveling abroad?<br />
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So no wonder I took note of the unique characteristics of everyday life in Georgia. But -- unlike <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pkq_eBHXJ4" target="_blank">Vincent's comments in Pulp Fiction</a> -- this time the differences were pretty big.<br />
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Take <b>cows</b>, for example. How many of you nearly bump into cows on the road when traveling between cities? This is Georgia, not India where cows are sacred. What on earth are cows doing here, roaming freely, obstructing traffic, sitting comfortably on broken asphalt in the middle of the road, barely condescending to lazily move their skinny asses out of the way?.. And yes, they are skinny, compared to the fattened cows in Israeli cowsheds on farms and kibbutzim. There's also a plethora of sheep, goats, dogs, and the occasional horse or donkey. All feel quite at home on the road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sK1BYiqX3cA/Wxj17M3_XnI/AAAAAAAACLY/eQ4e5g9Yx0UEv6WLtVMbG2nZnxgcRvSjgCLcBGAs/s1600/246%2BCows%2Bon%2Bthe%2Broad%2Bto%2BMestia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sK1BYiqX3cA/Wxj17M3_XnI/AAAAAAAACLY/eQ4e5g9Yx0UEv6WLtVMbG2nZnxgcRvSjgCLcBGAs/s320/246%2BCows%2Bon%2Bthe%2Broad%2Bto%2BMestia.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, cows pic not very good...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AgPEunLPSE/Wxj2G3LOP1I/AAAAAAAACLc/S29UviNFXiMWZaeg1k3_8F6_mFcvv3zeQCLcBGAs/s1600/173%2BOn%2Bway%2Bup%2Bto%2BJvari%2BMonastery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AgPEunLPSE/Wxj2G3LOP1I/AAAAAAAACLc/S29UviNFXiMWZaeg1k3_8F6_mFcvv3zeQCLcBGAs/s320/173%2BOn%2Bway%2Bup%2Bto%2BJvari%2BMonastery.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... so here is the sheep version.</td></tr>
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<b>Other traffic-and-travel related differences:</b><br />
- The near-total absence of any 2-wheel vehicles: hardly any motorcycles, scooters, nor bicycles (neither ordinary nor electric). Quite a relief, actually, after being used to murderous pizza-deliverers and <i>this-pavement-is-mine</i> bicycle riders in Tel Aviv. Not to mention the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y8pjmen4" target="_blank">cohorts of scooters in Vietnam...</a><br />
- Some of the <b>buses </b>-- notably the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y7eyepbb" target="_blank">yellow ones</a> -- are as old as the hills... Okay, not quite, but about mid-previous century. Last time I went on such a bus was when I was a kid! Over half a century ago!<br />
- No <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2010/07/rv-driving-living-3rd-impressions-tips.html" target="_blank">RVs</a>. In 13 days of traveling, we saw two RVs. No RV camps or parking grounds. Nowhere to rent or buy one, as far as our guides knew.<br />
- Many cars have the <b>steering wheel on the right</b>... That's right, like in the UK, India, South Africa, and other <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_countries_with_left-hand_traffic" target="_blank">countries where you drive on the left side of the road</a>. At first I thought it was an aberration -- some tourist who came with his car, say from Cyprus, which retained its British-era driving norms. But no; these cars were too numerous. Our guide had a very simple explanation: They're cheap. Imported from Japan, and cost about half the price of standard cars, i.e. with the driver's seat on the left. Meanwhile, it seems, the government got wise and imposed high taxes on these Japanese cars, so as to make them less attractive financially.<br />
- <b>Signalling </b>before changing lanes? before overtaking or making a turn? Really? What for? Is that a "thing" where you come from?...<br />
- Solid white line? A double yellow line? Isn't that, like, for decorative purposes?...<br />
- "<b>But the driver said</b> it takes half an hour to get to Picturesque Village X, so why have we been sitting in the car for 2 hours already...?" - That's not the driver's fault; it's the roads. Georgia, unfortunately, has been through wars, bombings, and upheavals. Of the type that smash and ruin roads. It also has considerable stretches of mountainous, rocky terrain. So yes, as-the-crow-flies, your destination is a mere 30 minutes away. But when you have to keep shifting gears and wend your way carefully through pits, cracks, bumps and rocks...<br />
- <b>Pit stop</b>, a.k.a. <b>toilet</b> en route. What's wrong with that cluster of bushes over there?.. Well, for lack of anything better in sight, those bushes were fine. On a different occasion we resorted to a hole-in-the-ground surrounded by makeshift wooden walls, put up for construction workers. But even in places that provided a squat-toilet, it was often in pretty bad shape, compared, say, to the ones in China that were constantly washed & scrubbed. Ladies: Thought I'd share with you this helpful link: <a href="https://gobackpacking.com/woman-guide-using-squat-toilets/" target="_blank">A Woman's Guide to Using Squat Toilets</a>.<br />
- <b>Rest area</b>, coffee break. You must be kidding. Why didn't you bring a thermos of coffee with you, then? Wait, I think there's a place just a few kilometers away. But don't order the meat-filled <a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20171120-georgias-addictive-cousin-to-pizza" target="_blank">khachapuri</a>, or chibiriki; last time we were here, it was more fat and gristle than meat. So order the classic cheese khachapuri, to be on the safe side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bVaLFvECZU8/Wx-15NdYOoI/AAAAAAAACLs/Fl-5ql4lFnE4M_Ici67HzAdkfJPj8LaAwCLcBGAs/s1600/251%2B%2BLunch%2Bon%2Bway%2Bto%2BMestia-%2Boverlooking%2BPatara%2BEnguri%2Briver%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bVaLFvECZU8/Wx-15NdYOoI/AAAAAAAACLs/Fl-5ql4lFnE4M_Ici67HzAdkfJPj8LaAwCLcBGAs/s320/251%2B%2BLunch%2Bon%2Bway%2Bto%2BMestia-%2Boverlooking%2BPatara%2BEnguri%2Briver%2B.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch stop on way to Mestia; can't vouch for the coffee...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lwOdUKl6DYY/Wx-21q16rvI/AAAAAAAACL0/n80b5-sxixk7k5whTr--4B-MedMxzM5NgCEwYBhgL/s1600/250%2B%2BLunch%2Bon%2Bway%2Bto%2BMestia-%2Boverlooking%2BPatara%2BEnguri%2Briver%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lwOdUKl6DYY/Wx-21q16rvI/AAAAAAAACL0/n80b5-sxixk7k5whTr--4B-MedMxzM5NgCEwYBhgL/s320/250%2B%2BLunch%2Bon%2Bway%2Bto%2BMestia-%2Boverlooking%2BPatara%2BEnguri%2Briver%2B.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... but the view of the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Enguri_River" target="_blank">Patara Enguri</a> river from the patio was beautiful.</td></tr>
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- <b>Passengers </b>in the back seat do not have to be buckled in. The horror of it! We've gotten so used to buckling in we feel suspended in mid-air if we don't. So we buckled in, no matter what the driver and guide said.<br />
- <b>Drivers </b>talk on their mobile phone freely during driving. All of them. Why, you can't be expected to ignore an incoming phone-call! Who knows, maybe it's the Queen inviting you for tea (UK); or Erella, the lady from the National Lottery, informing you that you hit the jackpot (Israel). Why take the risk, when the fine, if you're caught, is merely 40 Lari. (Which is enough for a decent meal for two, including beer. More about the buying power of Georgian currency in another post.)<br />
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Anyway, main thing is we reached our destination safely.<br />
- Read more in <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2018/06/georgia-its-little-differences-part-2.html" target="_blank"><b>Part 2</b> of "Georgia - it's the Little Differences"</a><br />
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<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-70340701251319461762018-06-02T18:26:00.000+01:002018-06-03T09:59:05.795+01:00Kakheti on the RocksOn Friday morning, our trusty driver, Khvicha, introduced us to our new guide -- Tornike, a promising young economics student, very knowledgeable and with good English. We spent the day in and around a picturesque "complex of rock-hewn monasteries in the Kakheti region"- to quote the itinerary we got from our tour organizer. See a couple of pics below:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwrIZspvFRI/WvktUouOWFI/AAAAAAAACGY/Z3ru1mYXpcIhWlArbTXN4GfmSJFJluH6wCLcBGAs/s1600/ipad%2Bmay%2B11%2B025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwrIZspvFRI/WvktUouOWFI/AAAAAAAACGY/Z3ru1mYXpcIhWlArbTXN4GfmSJFJluH6wCLcBGAs/s320/ipad%2Bmay%2B11%2B025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Gareji Monastery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i6zCE-AAaaw/WvktD1qApNI/AAAAAAAACGQ/zdjdznjkuoM24zenNzWefEIWnCQ43bDAgCEwYBhgL/s1600/ipad%2Bmay%2B11%2B032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i6zCE-AAaaw/WvktD1qApNI/AAAAAAAACGQ/zdjdznjkuoM24zenNzWefEIWnCQ43bDAgCEwYBhgL/s320/ipad%2Bmay%2B11%2B032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Gareji Monastery</td></tr>
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By now I know that the monastery was founded by one of Georgia's most admired kings, <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/David_IV_of_Georgia" target="_blank">David the Builder</a>. Stories and statues of him abound. What you can't see in the above pics nor read about, is how slippery those rocks are when climbing up them, and when sliding down them. No, you're not supposed to slide down... you're supposed to be wearing good trekking shoes, and place your well-shod feet very judiciously and carefully, and... well, I was doing fine until the last couple of yards, when my left toe hit an unaccommodating rock, my jeans-clad tush hit the trail, and my right knee hit a rough rock, and there I was, at the bottom of the trail. No harm done, really: just a bruised toe, a scraped shin, dusty jeans, and an embarrassed grin. I'm sure I was neither the first nor the last to stumble on this treacherous trail. And our guide was extremely gentlemanly throughout.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael, Tornike, very-smooth-rocks</td></tr>
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Regardless of the above slip, the view from these structures is beautiful, worth every step of the climb.</div>
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That evening we discovered the Caucasian restaurant mentioned in my previous post, incidentally. And the next day, Saturday, we continued to explore the <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia/kakheti" target="_blank">Kakheti region</a>. But not before helping ourselves to the Saturday selection of cakes at the breakfast buffet: </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weekend breakfast buffet, Ameri Plaza Hotel, Tbilisi</td></tr>
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Our guide had told us about the importance of <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Saint_Nino" target="_blank">Saint Nino</a>, the woman who introduced Christianity into Georgia, or introduced Georgians to Christianity, in the 4th century AD. I gathered her heritage, and her tomb in the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bodbe_Monastery" target="_blank">Bodbe Nunnery</a>, were very meaningful to him, and to many believers belonging to the Georgian Orthodox Church. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PtPnycUjx1I/WxLM5YzSaYI/AAAAAAAACKo/yqJhx6pNqBsm2OknZc2ocC9aiKHB1CCygCLcBGAs/s1600/099%2BBodbe%2BNunnery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PtPnycUjx1I/WxLM5YzSaYI/AAAAAAAACKo/yqJhx6pNqBsm2OknZc2ocC9aiKHB1CCygCLcBGAs/s320/099%2BBodbe%2BNunnery.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodbe Nunnery</td></tr>
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However, I myself am not religiously-inclined, and my interest in places of worship is, well, not of the worshippy kind. Yes, I'm interested in the culture and traditions of the countries I visit. I'm impressed by aesthetic architecture. I'm impressed by beautiful old buildings, be they <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gergeti_Trinity_Church" target="_blank">atop mountains</a> or on <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Le_Mont_Saint-Michel" target="_blank">islands</a>, </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France</td></tr>
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in the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia" target="_blank">center of town</a> or on an island that's in the center of town (<a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Notre-Dame_de_Paris" target="_blank">Ile de la Cite</a>, duh!), or in exotic places like Cambodia: </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TqcEPBTPBKE/WxLRD4JP6sI/AAAAAAAACLE/F2lOb-8_Sd8pq0kzfmvavMPp_w8CSGkcgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TqcEPBTPBKE/WxLRD4JP6sI/AAAAAAAACLE/F2lOb-8_Sd8pq0kzfmvavMPp_w8CSGkcgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2664.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angkor Wat, Cambodia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Anyway, by the time this trip was over, I couldn't tell one church from the other, nor remember which one was where and what was special about them. May all the relevant gods forgive me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
- to be continued... -</div>
Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-62803293641248797392018-05-28T11:29:00.001+01:002018-06-17T15:15:22.809+01:00Tbilisi the Beautiful & the TastyBy now, back home, our first few days in Georgia are a blur. If it weren't for the neat, a-page-a-day itinerary provided by the local agency, <a href="http://www.gdm.ge/en/" target="_blank">GDM</a>, plus my old-fashioned pocket-sized diary, plus the photos on my iPhone, plus my handwritten travel journal, I'd be at a total loss as to which church was where and which courageous prince or warrior was when.<br />
<br />
I've already written a bit about our <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.co.il/2018/05/good-morning-tblisi.html" target="_blank">first impressions</a>, but my journal reminded me of a few amusing contretemps:<br />
- Our room was on the 13th floor. Quite commendable, in my opinion. I disapprove of hotels that "don't have" a 13th floor, catering to superstitious clients. The dining room was on the 2nd floor. So down we went at 8 o'clock in the morning, looked right and left, and saw no sign implying FOOD SERVED HERE, or anything to that effect. But there was a large double door. Whose large built-in handle we tried to pull with all our might, to no avail. Confused, we went to the front desk and said the restaurant was still closed. Ucha (nice kid!) smiled at us and said he'd come down with us and show us. Guess what? He <i>pushed </i>the door and it opened wide, to reveal a fully functioning dining hall... I bet Ucha and his friends had a good laugh at our expense.<br />
- Shortly after breakfast, we got a call from the front desk saying our guide was waiting for us. We went downstairs, and when we saw a purposeful, guide-like young woman looking around, we assumed she was there for us, and dutifully began following her towards the exit from the hotel. Luckily, the Front Desk noticed, and with alacrity prevented us from being whisked off by the wrong guide.<br />
<br />
Though everything around us was new and fascinating, the day was a bit of a disappointment. Our friendly guide's English left something to be desired; the famous <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jon_pajion-photos/5714806110" target="_blank">Orbeliani Bath House</a>, which had been warmly recommended to me, was only perfunctorily pointed out to us <i>en passant</i>; same goes for the amazing <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bridge_of_Peace" target="_blank">Bridge of Peace</a>, to which we returned on our own on our last day in town:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mYOP3DUcmZ8/WwmUcsw645I/AAAAAAAACJY/3ixNogDPEgMDCHTKHSNYxLUHE6k1eJLjwCLcBGAs/s1600/3896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mYOP3DUcmZ8/WwmUcsw645I/AAAAAAAACJY/3ixNogDPEgMDCHTKHSNYxLUHE6k1eJLjwCLcBGAs/s320/3896.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge of Peace, Tbilisi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWBfGXShwfo/WwmUcvd0BXI/AAAAAAAACJU/cIwEshTN4gMJ-JcDzqlDCcwNTiQPm7M4QCLcBGAs/s1600/3897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWBfGXShwfo/WwmUcvd0BXI/AAAAAAAACJU/cIwEshTN4gMJ-JcDzqlDCcwNTiQPm7M4QCLcBGAs/s320/3897.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge of Peace, Tbilisi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've always been fascinated by bridges and bridge-building. For years, pics of <a href="http://ny-pictures.com/nyc/photo/topic/1794/Brooklyn_Bridge" target="_blank">Brooklyn Bridge</a> and <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/manhattan-bridge.shtml" target="_blank">Manhattan Bridge</a> took turns as "wallpaper" on my PC; and <i><a href="http://tinyurl.com/cvpxdw6" target="_blank">The Mystery of Bridge Building</a></i> by Robert Benchley has been a longtime favorite of mine. So, despite the crowd of tourists and guides, I enjoyed walking the length of this bridge and taking pictures from various angles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
We were dropped off at our hotel around 2p.m., and after our nap, walked along Pekini Avenue, turned left or right or whatever, and eventually came across a small restaurant -- <b>Kasumlo Caucasian Cuisine</b> -- that looked like a small family business catering mainly to locals, but was still centrally-located enough to attract the occasional wandering foreigner, as I deduced from the fact that the menu was also in English.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfzKnvZayA9u1lzvbVCK2JfTW5H5fLiwcAPav35MIWVXbLkEmn2dCkhq2_jevlXztmgbl0l-8SS1TT3ot4jThRUZu2nXP3YZO7IS1KtqD7L1p72NUaFH1_BNpbmDQMkPYycAHWS2_-fx5/s1600/3637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfzKnvZayA9u1lzvbVCK2JfTW5H5fLiwcAPav35MIWVXbLkEmn2dCkhq2_jevlXztmgbl0l-8SS1TT3ot4jThRUZu2nXP3YZO7IS1KtqD7L1p72NUaFH1_BNpbmDQMkPYycAHWS2_-fx5/s320/3637.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Kasumlo restaurant</td></tr>
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The waitress didn't speak English, but we took our chances and got along fine. Except for the business with the soft drink for me. Apparently, in Georgia, "<a href="http://tinyurl.com/yaw2zdua" target="_blank">lemonade</a>" covers a multitude of soda-pop flavors, the most common of which seem to be <b>tarragon</b>, <b>pear</b>, <b>lemon</b>, and <b>[vanilla] cream-soda</b>. But obviously, I didn't know that at the time. I asked hopefully: "Diet Coke? Diet Sprite?", but received only a puzzled shrug. "Zero?" I tried, drawing a round "zero" sign with my hand, and suddenly something clicked: "Ah, Pepsi!" said the girl brightly, and brought me a bottle of Pepsi. I scrutinized it suspiciously, not seeing anything that said "diet" or "lite". Bravely, I walked over to the drinks refrigerator and inspected the bottles on display, comparing the bottle in my hand to the other Pepsi bottle, with a blue label and a picture of Messi.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rlgcqG5VTyg/WwnGJCcMPDI/AAAAAAAACJ0/eOQ_Bng1bPgCbV9n4hMG8xEPTN2130VkACEwYBhgL/s1600/3636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rlgcqG5VTyg/WwnGJCcMPDI/AAAAAAAACJ0/eOQ_Bng1bPgCbV9n4hMG8xEPTN2130VkACEwYBhgL/s320/3636.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious food at Kasumlo, incl. Natakhtari lemonade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
"I don't think Messi would be advertising a diet drink," I said.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pm-L0091HeOD5Vkaynj2WgcX9ypUkUSRn-kBYMTyZ8GtVeeIpLJqHbex8dSW2mtAO6Y7jTDRaXR2iTFwlNCKhwg7TtxCp4c_Q4ObP6_ws4GMz546626r7WpgskAENkCc0GfkR9ynQt29/s1600/Messi+Pepsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="500" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pm-L0091HeOD5Vkaynj2WgcX9ypUkUSRn-kBYMTyZ8GtVeeIpLJqHbex8dSW2mtAO6Y7jTDRaXR2iTFwlNCKhwg7TtxCp4c_Q4ObP6_ws4GMz546626r7WpgskAENkCc0GfkR9ynQt29/s200/Messi+Pepsi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regular (non-diet) Pepsi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"<i>Dieta</i>!" said the waitress, finally finding the right word, and showing me the tiny print on the back of the bottle she had given me, where it actually indicated zero calories. Phew, sigh of relief!<br />
Now I could enjoy not just my dinner, but a huge portion of chocolate-vanilla ice cream for dessert!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-9244255120105238082018-05-18T14:43:00.000+01:002018-06-17T15:08:14.973+01:00Mt. Kazbek Yes, Ushguli No.I swear I didn't want to go on that so-called "exciting" jeep ride, via treacherous terrain, all rocks and mud, up the mountain, just to see a monastery. Oh, and a breathtaking view of the Caucasian mountains. But I did, and lived to tell the tale, so here I am.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3CgF1gpPek/WvsefeEiINI/AAAAAAAACIc/ioCupQRRScIdF5XfOV1ds4VDb13E1knDwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3CgF1gpPek/WvsefeEiINI/AAAAAAAACIc/ioCupQRRScIdF5XfOV1ds4VDb13E1knDwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5850.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Destination: Gergety Trinity Church (and monastery)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I think I was nervous because of several horror stories (i.e., news items) within the past few years that told of Israelis who were badly injured, or even killed, on that or other treacherous roads in Georgia. One woman fell off a horse. One family's ATV overturned and crashed; and I was sure I read about one young woman who went flying out of the rock-bouncing jeep; but I googled it and couldn't find any evidence of such a story.<br />
<br />
Be that as it may, when the moment came, and I saw the laid-back, been-around-the-block (or around-the-mountain) driver, not to mention the line of muddy vehicles that were on their way <i>back </i>from the top of the mountain, I just got on board. And tightened my seat-belt. Despite Mr. Driver's assurance that "it wasn't necessary".<br />
<br />
It was a very rocky ride, to put it mildly. As the so-called "road" climbed higher, the mud got deeper, and scattered ATVs around us were furiously changing gears and attempting to make way. My Fitbit can attest that my pulse was far higher than normal.<br />
But eventually we reached the top of the mountain. It was darn cold. Low, grey clouds and mist enveloped everything. Freezing rain welcomed us. Our shoes were soon wet and muddy. It took me a good while before I remembered I had an <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ycqnyyw4" target="_blank">Outdoor Research hat</a> in my backpack...Though meant as a sun-hat, it did a good job of protecting my head from the rain:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZo36lOi8tc/WvsdWfkmo4I/AAAAAAAACIU/js0ypAv1l-cQkNmT3LV88fS-q5ImU13JACLcBGAs/s1600/ipad%2B13may%2B056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZo36lOi8tc/WvsdWfkmo4I/AAAAAAAACIU/js0ypAv1l-cQkNmT3LV88fS-q5ImU13JACLcBGAs/s320/ipad%2B13may%2B056.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina on top of Ol' Kazbek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As you can see above, I am more-or-less dressed for hiking. There were girls around me, though, who were shivering in their fashionably-torn-to-shreds jeans, stylish shoes with cutesie ankle socks, with neither a hat nor a scarf.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O45_1Ovh_10/Wvse4YRPQII/AAAAAAAACIo/-L9qxq7RDCEojNzWKz2lbz2T0E8TEGxfgCLcBGAs/s1600/ipad%2B13may%2B047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O45_1Ovh_10/Wvse4YRPQII/AAAAAAAACIo/-L9qxq7RDCEojNzWKz2lbz2T0E8TEGxfgCLcBGAs/s320/ipad%2B13may%2B047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the mountain</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1EsGi3dMts/Wvse4Sv85cI/AAAAAAAACIs/supi7-BJrtE4iIX80JnPAVFKEucN6AOngCLcBGAs/s1600/ipad%2B13may%2B051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1EsGi3dMts/Wvse4Sv85cI/AAAAAAAACIs/supi7-BJrtE4iIX80JnPAVFKEucN6AOngCLcBGAs/s320/ipad%2B13may%2B051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scattered ATVs beneath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To be honest, I have only a foggy memory of the significance of this <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gergeti_Trinity_Church" target="_blank">Trinity Church.</a> But nothing can take away from me the memory of that mountain. Also, looking back, I don't think that ATV ride was any more dangerous than several other roads we've been on. The winding road from <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Zugdidi" target="_blank">Zugdidi </a>to <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mestia" target="_blank">Mestia</a>, say, is much longer, requires super-concentration on the part of the driver, and strong nerves... And the road from Mestia to Ushguli, too, is known for its intimidating nature. But two such bumpy rides were enough for me; especially since I do not intend to stay more than 2 days in Mestia and cannot afford a private helicopter to get me out of here :-) <br />
So I'm leaving the wondrous <a href="http://www.dangerousroads.org/eastern-europe/georgia/6309-ushguli.html" target="_blank">Ushguli </a>to you guys! One last tip:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Do not</b> adopt a macho attitude, <b>do not</b> attempt to drive that route yourselves, <b>do not</b> even <i>think </i>of using anything but a reliable 4x4. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Enjoy!</div>
Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-56308811212298390912018-05-11T06:49:00.003+01:002018-06-21T08:01:28.755+01:00Good Morning, Tblisi!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WJePhsJ2DKw/WvSRZhJvhDI/AAAAAAAACFg/I5ofoBX9-EkeHBBkIKk2hEZ8ns7Db1dlwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2438-Saakadze%2BSquare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WJePhsJ2DKw/WvSRZhJvhDI/AAAAAAAACFg/I5ofoBX9-EkeHBBkIKk2hEZ8ns7Db1dlwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_2438-Saakadze%2BSquare.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Statue of Giorgi Saakadze at Saakadze Square, just down the road from Ameri Plaza Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Looks like a perfect day to go exploring (Where the hell is the exclamation mark on this keyboard?) And why on earth didn't I make the effort to learn a few basic words in Georgian -- like "thank you", "please", "where's the toilet" and "what on earth is this thing on my plate?"<br />
Not to mention the weird alphabet:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K3klaayFECU/WylVEzdd_sI/AAAAAAAACMc/pz-1jql63v8npWKtf3-vunW29R2xVH5tgCLcBGAs/s1600/288%2BGeorgian%2Balphabet%2Bmagnet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K3klaayFECU/WylVEzdd_sI/AAAAAAAACMc/pz-1jql63v8npWKtf3-vunW29R2xVH5tgCLcBGAs/s320/288%2BGeorgian%2Balphabet%2Bmagnet.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
I, who taught myself the Greek alphabet before our first trip to Greece nearly 30 years ago, and the Cyrillic before our first trip to Russia about 3 years ago. I stare at the signs all around me, but scrutinize them as I might, I still can't figure anything out. Cute, to a degree; and reminds me of Thai. I tried to make deductions from shop signs that had English right under the Georgian, and deduced -- rightly or wrongly -- that a certain complex squiggle like an over-ornate <b>m </b>is pronounced like the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Fat lot of good that did me. [Later insight: I was wrong; that Georgian letter is an "<b>l</b>" equivalent, as in <b>L</b>ondon, <b>L</b>ima, <b>L</b>isbon, etc.]<br />
<br />
Anyway, that was yesterday. Today (May 10, 2018) I'm a tad smarter, thanks to our guide, Mamuka. He and the driver, whose name* I failed to write down, arrived this A.M. in a shiny white Mercedes van, and off we went. Mamuka pointed out outstanding buildings, gorgeous statues,<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M4GhQucaUdU/WvSRlQkSI2I/AAAAAAAACFk/-ZTdHKIrnaA4msnXV8YKadmUhwfu7w1xwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2451-Narikala%2BFortress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M4GhQucaUdU/WvSRlQkSI2I/AAAAAAAACFk/-ZTdHKIrnaA4msnXV8YKadmUhwfu7w1xwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_2451-Narikala%2BFortress.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Narikala fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7-JUWfmh34/WvSRgeONaPI/AAAAAAAACFk/76tMFGxO1TYJ1wjXQ8BZGB0RiPUCnS5fgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2440-Mtatsminda%2BBombora%2Bpark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7-JUWfmh34/WvSRgeONaPI/AAAAAAAACFk/76tMFGxO1TYJ1wjXQ8BZGB0RiPUCnS5fgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_2440-Mtatsminda%2BBombora%2Bpark.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Mtatsminda Bombora park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HguUYQPYe7A/WvSMGGswHHI/AAAAAAAACFI/vK-VDN_RY90gH62WI21glTqLJs0qSPeoQCEwYBhgL/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HguUYQPYe7A/WvSMGGswHHI/AAAAAAAACFI/vK-VDN_RY90gH62WI21glTqLJs0qSPeoQCEwYBhgL/s320/039.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">at Metekhi Church</td></tr>
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one winding muddy-looking river, ancient walls and modernistic hotels. By now -- evening time -- I have done some 15,681 steps (says Fitbit), equaling nearly 10 km, indicating that a fair bit of said sightseeing was done on foot. Including uphill climbing and downhill cautious walking. What struck me is the huge variety of architectural styles. Some streets reminded me of Rome at its best, while others were reminiscent of <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-else-to-do-in-catania-sicily.html" target="_blank">Catania </a>(Sicily) at its worst.<br />
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A few tips for future travelers:<br />
-Weather is predictably unpredictable; prepare for showers and sun alike. The locals seem quite unimpressed by the rain, not bothering to take shelter or carry an umbrella.<br />
- Yes, things are considerably cheaper than back home. I bought a tube of a certain Avene creme for half the price I paid in Tel Aviv and in Moscow.<br />
- If you speak Russian - no worries, you'll manage. If you're not <a href="http://mox.ingenierotraductor.com/" target="_blank">Mox</a>, not an avid, or even amateur, linguist, don't bother trying to learn Georgian<br />
- If you have a Georgian restaurant in town, try it out a couple of times, so as to know what to expect and how to eat <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y73uxtm8" target="_blank">Khinkali</a>. Otherwise, you can always resort to the local <a href="http://www.mcdparty.ge/" target="_blank">McDonald's</a>, Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts, or any pizza place.<br />
- I'm sure I'll have further tips by tomorrow or the day after. Right now I'm still an impressionable, naive tourist, who had better get her act together and her backpack packed before our guide comes a-calling.<br />
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- to be continued -<br />
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* Khvicha<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina & Michael somewhere in Tblisi :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L9LPN758fsQ/WvUsh8fO0jI/AAAAAAAACFw/WexGKnyIytEKHeeYWvdABjiqh-SW6_XVQCLcBGAs/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L9LPN758fsQ/WvUsh8fO0jI/AAAAAAAACFw/WexGKnyIytEKHeeYWvdABjiqh-SW6_XVQCLcBGAs/s320/046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike & Mamuka in cable-car on way up to Narikala Fortress</td></tr>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-77771291040119957022017-08-13T17:48:00.002+01:002017-08-13T18:34:21.121+01:00Fairbanks Gold Mining TourWhat did I know about the Alaska gold rush of 1896-1899? - Zilch. Nothing. Nada. In my mind, the famous gold-rush was vaguely associated with California, or the Black Hills of Dakota... The words "gold rush" brought to my mind cowboys, stagecoaches, and the like. I didn't even remember that <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-London" target="_blank">Jack London'</a>s novels <i>The Call of the Wild</i> and <i>White Fang</i> had anything to do with the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/goldrush.htm" target="_blank">Klondike gold rush</a>. I assume -- or at least hope -- that my American cousins aren't as ignorant as I was on this subject.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GjpkD0g_lTc/WZB1CA_GnkI/AAAAAAAAB90/qHE6X1k3HkMmRl8ncgdIqD8qkiDdAxe9QCLcBGAs/s1600/091%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GjpkD0g_lTc/WZB1CA_GnkI/AAAAAAAAB90/qHE6X1k3HkMmRl8ncgdIqD8qkiDdAxe9QCLcBGAs/s320/091%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cute toy-like train</td></tr>
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Not that I'm such a maven now. But the few hours we spent on this "fun" mining tour, complete with cute toy-like train, charming folk-singer, huge gold-dredging machinery,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jY9YfaWpYWU/WZB0naBRK7I/AAAAAAAAB9s/odzWvmsr1m0dwUjEakiLNS1SMJ5HXBZkACEwYBhgL/s1600/086%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jY9YfaWpYWU/WZB0naBRK7I/AAAAAAAAB9s/odzWvmsr1m0dwUjEakiLNS1SMJ5HXBZkACEwYBhgL/s320/086%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gold-dredging machinery</td></tr>
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and hands-on gold-panning, were an eye-opener. Later to be enhanced by further forays deeper in Alaska. In the pic below you'll see our new friends, Elaina and Andy, on the left; Stuart on the right, his pan hiding his wife Susie's face; and my Michael behind Susie.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panning for gold. Really!</td></tr>
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Just so's you know, panning for gold takes a lot of patience, not to mention strong wrists and eagle eyes. Those teensy bits of gold are swimming among grains of sand, dirt and tiny pebbles. If you persevere, you actually end up with a few dollars' worth of gold! Which the friendly plaid-shirted staff of the huge souvenir shop nearby will be only too happy to "exchange" for you for a silver or gold-plated souvenir locket which costs thrice as much as your newly-found gold. But those are the rules of the game, of course. Mind you, if you covet one of those dainty lockets -- and I myself am quite a sucker for romantic lockets -- you don't have to go fetch the gold yourself... You can go to the website of <a href="http://golddredge8.com/" target="_blank">Gold Dredge 8, Fox, Alaska,</a> and order your gold-bits locket online.<br />
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What can I say -- it's all about fun and entertainment. I'm not complaining; after all, I'm here on vacation, to relax and enjoy while exploring new territory, widening my horizons, picking up some general knowledge, and making new friends. All the same, it's worth reminding oneself that the <a href="http://www.historynet.com/klondike-gold-rush" target="_blank">real gold-diggers</a> led a very tough life, and only a fraction of those who left everything behind for the prospect of gold, actually found any.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slpvHo8YjtU/WZCBhVt3OZI/AAAAAAAAB-M/HRBVnf1stT8MEv3klNCdP2MKuwwgmLW9QCLcBGAs/s1600/083%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slpvHo8YjtU/WZCBhVt3OZI/AAAAAAAAB-M/HRBVnf1stT8MEv3klNCdP2MKuwwgmLW9QCLcBGAs/s320/083%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reconstructed gold-miner's room</td></tr>
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I may look cozy and comfortable sitting on the bed in the reconstructed gold-miner's room, but I can't vouch for how the laborer felt. He was probably too tired to feel much of anything.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IXd4yNJRfYg/WZCBhd7mPeI/AAAAAAAAB-I/18FCYLaKVv87mywMBLD-s8vCpZmFs6EvACLcBGAs/s1600/084%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IXd4yNJRfYg/WZCBhd7mPeI/AAAAAAAAB-I/18FCYLaKVv87mywMBLD-s8vCpZmFs6EvACLcBGAs/s320/084%2BFairbaks%2BGold%2BMining%2Btour.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina in gold-miner's "room"</td></tr>
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Next stop: Riverboat trip<br />
<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-7489198046525457362017-07-29T17:35:00.000+01:002017-07-31T10:25:49.728+01:00Alaska Cruise & Land Tour Notes (2)My expectations of the land tour turned out to be totally unrealistic. In my imagination, I saw myself trekking, dressed in my warm, lined <a href="http://www.adidas.com/us/women-pants-apparel" target="_blank">Adidas pants</a>, sturdy <a href="https://www.timberland.com/shop/womens-boots" target="_blank">Timberland hiking shoes</a> (bought in Banff, 2009, after realizing that my beloved <a href="http://www.reebok.com/us/princess/1475.html" target="_blank">Reebok Princess</a> were just not up to dealing with snow and glaciers) -- <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIsbcWjw9Rhx7fwa9_L1-mUaLgK1hUVh3fRJbNSSL3ecWpaSiwajWIbchZ57Jbv72wijSPBgFBTXqGMe7TULO8r2SaS_8h6LeO4InOrf0kTpC2cU-I6RZE36RFPsrRB8quIpuJ2z1ruAZ/s1600/343+On+Athabasca+Glacier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIsbcWjw9Rhx7fwa9_L1-mUaLgK1hUVh3fRJbNSSL3ecWpaSiwajWIbchZ57Jbv72wijSPBgFBTXqGMe7TULO8r2SaS_8h6LeO4InOrf0kTpC2cU-I6RZE36RFPsrRB8quIpuJ2z1ruAZ/s320/343+On+Athabasca+Glacier.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina on Athabasca Glacier (Canadian Rockies), in thin gym pants and Reebok Princess sneakers</td></tr>
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-- not to mention <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/swiss-gear/hiking-pole/" target="_blank">stylish trekking poles</a> which we borrowed from our son, the real hiker-and-trekker in the family:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwsOSrGyj_b9s1SXxBOA4lOTweoRJGeJzJ-hEAIrpr7IDo1sFA1S6flPvF1Z_GXjsxgEr53f4IrsiwhzMw3j-Y_EUa7U4-sh73Qrje2R5Vl3bc7BDUglUk9YJ4-sUYUUoNGVGX0vqlQx1/s1600/Daniel+in+the+south+of+France.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwsOSrGyj_b9s1SXxBOA4lOTweoRJGeJzJ-hEAIrpr7IDo1sFA1S6flPvF1Z_GXjsxgEr53f4IrsiwhzMw3j-Y_EUa7U4-sh73Qrje2R5Vl3bc7BDUglUk9YJ4-sUYUUoNGVGX0vqlQx1/s320/Daniel+in+the+south+of+France.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel trekking in the south of France</td></tr>
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Now, when we signed up for tours, we were asked to select the level of difficulty or adventure we were up for. I assumed I was less fit than I was in 2009, for example, on our Canadian Rockies trip (see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/72157620446599355" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/72157622846484720/with/4140162137/" target="_blank">there</a>), and we opted for "moderate difficulty". Well, moderate my foot, pardon the pun. The hikes we ended up going on turned out to be embarrassingly easy. Some of which was our own fault -- we simply chickened out of anything laborious. Speaking strictly for myself, I'll say I also chickened out of anything involving even the remotest chance of coming across a real, live predator. Some of our co-trippers, like Susie and Stuart (an Israeli couple, originally from the U.S., and the only other Israelis we encountered on this trip), were more enterprising and hiking-oriented.<br />
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So there we were, on our way from Toronto, via Minneapolis, to Fairbanks. The stewardess on the Minneapolis-to-Fairbanks leg of the journey was quite amusing: A tall, good-looking woman of indeterminate age, who told us -- the small, premium-class audience -- with open cheer and relief, that this was her last day of work, her penultimate shift, after which she would never again have to say "Please fasten your seat-belts"! She would finally have time to go skiing, spend time with her grandkids, follow her own pursuits and have fun. Yes, eventually she will fly again. As a passenger. As well she should, being eligible for free flights [on that airline] for the rest of her life.<br />
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Landed in Fairbanks with its adorable <a href="http://fm.kuac.org/post/eielsons-biplane-takes-flight-once-more" target="_blank">Curtiss GN4 biplane</a> * hanging over the conveyor-belt: (Sweet childhood memories: my dad used to take me to hangars at the air force base where he worked.)<br />
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Picked up our far-too-heavy luggage and took the awaiting shuttle to the <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/faish-springhill-suites-fairbanks/" target="_blank">Hotel Springhill Suites /Marriott</a>, Rm #513.<br />
I must have been tired, because I did not take any pics of the large, well-appointed suite. Very negligent of me. So just click the hotel link above.<br />
I found the hotel a bit strange: some of its aspects and amenities were in line with a high-standard hotel, whereas some others were blatantly missing. But I got the impression this was due to its Alaskan nature. Though -- unlike other places in Alaska, it operates all year round, it caters mostly to a specific type of traveler. To quote its website, "... we provide... suites to help you unwind in-between activities."<br />
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Next morning we went down to breakfast at the non-dining-hall. The breakfast buffet was laid out along a sort of narrow passage in the lobby, next to which there were some small tables. Everything you needed was there, but on a small, somewhat haphazard-looking scale that you wouldn't expect from a decent-sized Marriott. However, the buffet did offer six types of coffee and six types of milk, so who am I to complain. I took the "dark coffee", which was the strongest, most coffee-like choice, and treated myself to half & half.<br />
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Now we were ready to face our first Alaskan adventure!<br />
Next installment: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline; the Alaskan gold rush, complete with gold-dredging; and an educational riverboat trip. Oh, and some shopping of cute local souvenirs, of course ;-)<br />
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* With thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/liorbaron" target="_blank">Lior Bar-On</a> for identifying the aircraft for me!<br />
<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-21782809670347975482017-07-17T17:32:00.000+01:002017-08-16T12:11:55.276+01:00Alaska Cruise & Land Tour Notes (1)- How was it?<br />
- Would you recommend it?<br />
That's what my cousins and other potential readers wanted to know, and that's what I'll try to tell you. With the understanding that my notes are purely personal and subjective.<br />
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Bottom line: It was great; go for it! But take into account the good and the not-so-good aspects.<br />
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First, a photo that summarizes this trip for me: the majestic, visually-elusive Mount Denali:<br />
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"Elusive" because more often than not it is veiled by clouds and mist. Our bus-driver /guide /narrator, Becky, said that only 30% of visitors to this area actually get to see the mountain. "Narrator" because that is the term used in the marketing materials everywhere. Never before have I been on a tour where all the guides were also performers, entertainers. (In stark contrast to <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.co.il/2012/04/china-beijing-first-impressions.html" target="_blank">our guides in China</a> and <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.co.il/2017/01/hanoi-vietnam-some-observations.html" target="_blank">Vietnam</a>, say, where the solemn guides take their State-appointed responsibility with super seriousness and pour out tons of info as soon as you buckle your seatbelt or step out of the vehicle.)<br />
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The above pic lacks the iconic cruise ship, majestic in its own way. That's because <a href="https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm" target="_blank">Denali National Park & Reserve</a> was part of the land tour we went on prior to the cruise. Which brings me to...<br />
<b>Tip #1:</b> A sea journey in itself is not enough; make sure to book a land tour as well. This may sound obvious, but some people prefer the comfort of the ship. And the ship is indeed comfortable and tempts you with lots of options to waste your time and money. Did I really mean "waste"? Okay, you can call it "spend" if you prefer...<br />
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<b>Tip #2:</b> This is Alaska. Weather is unpredictable, even in summer. Here's a view of our lovely cruise ship, the <a href="https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-millennium" target="_blank">Celebrity Millennium</a>, on the 4th of July 2017, as it docked in <a href="https://icystraitpoint.com/" target="_blank">Icy Strait Point, Hoonah</a>, where we hoped to see whales. The upper decks with the hot-tubs and tanning beds were all but deserted, as mists and drizzling ruled the day:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXMwuF8kvLqchoZ1k_6Adgc73zIS-IjhFM3W-7zIDODc686VPMqNRydW7gOp0WcgXsQNaBGTgi6kN1uArjkA0tnXYz4CIG2T4O9MM2YwH4Zv_AGYNkNwqpN1nW95XhfRdxbVjfd7Fz6E5/s1600/Celebrity+Millenium+%2540+Hoonah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXMwuF8kvLqchoZ1k_6Adgc73zIS-IjhFM3W-7zIDODc686VPMqNRydW7gOp0WcgXsQNaBGTgi6kN1uArjkA0tnXYz4CIG2T4O9MM2YwH4Zv_AGYNkNwqpN1nW95XhfRdxbVjfd7Fz6E5/s320/Celebrity+Millenium+%2540+Hoonah.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So pack a lightweight but warm coat (my newly-acquired <a href="http://www.uniqlo.com/ca/en/shop/uniqlo_cf_toronto_eaton_centre.html" target="_blank">Uniqlo, purchased in Toronto Eaton Center</a>, did the trick), a hat, and unless your feet don't mind getting wet (which seems to apply to most Canadians), also waterproof shoes. This sort of grey, wet weather also prevented us from getting a good look at <a href="http://www.alaska.org/detail/hubbard-glacier" target="_blank">Hubbard Glacier</a>, for instance. Nonetheless, passengers congregated on the deck, cameras in hand, craning their necks and trying to get a good shot. I could see chunks of ice floating on the water, and some shapeless white fluff in the distance that was, apparently, a glacier. Having actually stood on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/4140160195/in/album-72157622846484720/" target="_blank">Athabasca Glacier</a>, and seen <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/3667950009/in/album-72157620446599355/" target="_blank">Bow Glacier</a> in the Canadian Rockies up close and personal, as you can see on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/with/72157620446599355" target="_blank">my Flickr albums</a>, the Hubbard was a bit of an anticlimax. However, on a sunny day Deck 10 was lovely:<br />
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<b>Tip #3</b>: Don't get your hopes up when you're told you'll see lots of wildlife. Mostly, it's a matter of chance. You're in nature. You can't count on wild animals to pop up when convenient for you. I'd love to post a photo of a bear, but the bear is not much more than a brown spot in the distance. I'd love to post a photo of a whale, but I only managed to catch its tail. Here's a relative close-up (thanks to a proper zoom lense, not thanks to my iPhone) of a brown creature with ears munching on grass next to a stream:<br />
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We did also see (mostly through binoculars or cameras with good zoom lenses) some caribou, moose, dall sheep, deer, bald eagles, swimming salmon, a porcupine up a tree, and one brave wolf who loped gracefully just a few meters in front of our bus in Denali park:<br />
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<b>Tip #4</b>: Travel light. Don't take the cruise's recommended "dress code" too seriously. Sure, if you have a glitzy evening dress or designer suit you're dying to show off, this is a good opportunity. But any decent pair of slacks combined with your fave non-T-shirt top will do. No flipflops or dusty hiking boots, please. I brought a "good" dress (<a href="https://www.dorinfrankfurt.com/" target="_blank">Dorin Frankfurt</a>, my go-to designer in Israel) but it was sleeveless and I was too chilly to wear it. I'd packed my best (D.F., again) black trousers, but had gained weight and could barely button them. Which brings me to...<br />
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<b>Tip #5</b>: It's a tricky balance between enjoying yourself on vacation and overeating just because the food is so temptingly set out. The food on board was indeed plentiful, varied, and aesthetically displayed. There are several restaurants, of which we chose the least formal one. Vegetarians and people on various diets will find suitable offerings. Though it always amuses me to see a person piling her plate with a selection of cakes, say, but insisting on skim milk for her coffee. I detest skim milk - it's like putting white water in your coffee.<br />
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Well, there's plenty more where this came from, but I won't try your patience.<br />
Will add another post, or two, or three, soon.Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-11692642663657241912017-01-27T16:09:00.001+00:002017-01-27T16:09:47.583+00:00Hanoi, Vietnam - some observationsIt's great to have a guide like Son, who both knows his stuff and makes it sound interesting. A good guide tries to tell you as much as possible about the places you see, but knows when to take a break and let things sink in.<br />
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After a few days, my head was spinning. Pagodas, temples, palaces, Buddha, dragons, snakes, history. France, England, China, the United States, Russia -- everyone who was involved in Vietnam's history, for better and for worse, in recent centuries. With plenty of emphasis on Communism and Ho Chi Minh. I was actually pretty impressed with the latter's world travels before seeking a safe haven in China from whence he spread his ideas of what would be best for his homeland. I had no idea that he had travelled far and wide -- France, the U.S., the U.K., the Soviet Union, China and Thailand -- to study, work, widen his horizons and develop his political views. If you want to know more about <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/History_of_Vietnam" target="_blank">Vietnam's history</a> and <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ho_Chi_Minh" target="_blank">Ho Chi Minh</a>'s part in it, go right ahead. Meanwhile, I'll jot down for you some other bits of info which found their way into my travel notebook:<br />
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<li>Beer and cigarettes are very cheap in Vietnam. Seems to me like a government ploy to sedate the people. People smoke a lot, everywhere. Except on buses, where it's not allowed.</li>
<li>The prevalence of cancer in Vietnam is among the highest in the world. Among the causes are air pollution, water pollution, unsafe food (possibly the result of said pollution) and heavy smoking. <a href="https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/regular-day-k-hospital-hanoi" target="_blank">The Cancer Hospital</a> in the center of Hanoi is always overcrowded. There was a plan, or at least an intent, to transfer it out of the city, but the local rich residents objected -- it would be too inconvenient for them. So a new hospital is being built out of town, for the poorer population. </li>
<li>Classrooms, too, are hugely overcrowded. The official standard of 35 pupils per classroom is not upheld; not even close. Some have as many as 70 pupils, and 3 teachers. (I can just see my teacher-friends rolling their eyes in dismay.) </li>
<li>If weather turns cold (in Vietnam terms), i.e. under 10 deg C (= 50 deg F), there's no school. Because there's no heating in the classrooms. And because most pupils get to school on their parent's scooter, standing in front, as you can see in my <a href="https://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.co.il/2017/01/hanoi-vietnam-crazy-traffic.html" target="_blank">previous blog post</a>, and it's just too darn cold!</li>
<li>There's a restriction of 2 children per family in Vietnam.</li>
<li>Supermarkets. I could see the entrance to our right, but Son, our guide, turned to a different door on the left. Apparently, you must first deposit your bag/s in the locker room, and carry only your wallet into the actual shop. There's a very prominent sign, in Vietnamese and in English, to that effect next to the real entrance. Phrased in very strict terms (at least the English is.) We had no trouble buying chocolate digestives (sorry, not <a href="http://www.mcvities.co.uk/products/chocolate-digestives" target="_blank">McVitie's</a>) and tonic water, while Son bought apples.</li>
<li>The Temple of Literature -- Vietnam's first university. Isn't that a lovely name for a uni? Imagine my disappointment upon learning that it no longer functions as a university; it's just another pretty location with lots of tourists... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>Which doesn't mean it didn't provide for some cute items:</li>
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<li style="text-align: left;">And a-propos universities: The government apparently agreed to the existence of a private university so long as it doesn't teach history, law, journalism, media; and does not grant a teaching certificate. Ain't that grand?...</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The <a href="http://thanglongwaterpuppet.org/en/" target="_blank">Water-Puppet Show</a>. Definitely one of the weirdest shows I've ever seen. As you can see, the pics I took aren't much good, but there are plenty of better ones online. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8kQuE89vsrA/WItwCjjQcBI/AAAAAAAAB30/vYIaohXQApYSpuuW3uDxOQ1rvENHq0ZjQCLcB/s1600/0094%2BHanoi%2Bwater%2Bpuppets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8kQuE89vsrA/WItwCjjQcBI/AAAAAAAAB30/vYIaohXQApYSpuuW3uDxOQ1rvENHq0ZjQCLcB/s320/0094%2BHanoi%2Bwater%2Bpuppets.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />If you want to listen to some live Vietnamese music and singing, and watch puppets "dance" on the water and act out folk tales, by all means go and see it. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">And just for fun:</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael and Nina with Ho Chi Minh :-)<br /></td></tr>
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Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-61092663963661928022017-01-14T15:23:00.000+00:002017-01-14T15:31:33.809+00:00Hanoi, Vietnam - Crazy TrafficOkay, so there we were in the center of Hanoi, in what's known as the Old Quarter. Narrow streets. Crazy, endless traffic in all directions. Most notably 2-wheeled motorized vehicles. You know -- scooters of all sorts. Total madness. Everyone riding in any direction they please, with no attention to the concept of "lanes" and very little attention to traffic lights, which are few and far between.<br />
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We are with our efficient and super-helpful guide, <b>Son</b>. He says the most common scooters are Honda, Yamaha, and Vespa. Yes, you do have to take a test and get a license. Officially, the age for a scooter license is 18, as opposed to 20 for a car. Unofficially, judging by what we saw out in the country, looks like there's barely a limit. Kids start riding bikes (your basic, non-motorized kind) at a very young age; one must learn to get around one's village and be of use to the family. Once you've mastered riding a bike, what's to stop you from riding a scooter?.. Oh, you don't have a license? That can be easily arranged. You can always pay a kind of "insurance fee" that ensures you pass your test, hint-hint, nudge-nudge, know-what-I-mean.<br />
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Um, there's also no de-facto limit on the number of passengers per scooter, or the amount of stuff -- livestock, chickens (dead or alive) merchandise, crates, flowers -- you name it -- you carry on your bike. Again -- there are official limits.<br />
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But who can live on a daily basis with official limits? You and your spouse must get to work, and you have to drop off the kids at their respective schools, and your eldest is using the other scooter, so the four or five of you pile onto the parent's scooter, and off you go. The older kid stands between the driver's legs, holding onto the handlebars, and the younger kid sits behind the adult (or relatively-adult) passenger, hanging on to him or her for dear life. Sometimes there's also a baby nestled against his mother's chest, wrapped and tied up in some shawl.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUhZKxdyov4/WHo4H5haOoI/AAAAAAAABzk/TA9fr7m0Cd4uIu1BhQt8a17JAWGy5O_wgCK4B/s1600/0655%2BScooters%2Bin%2BHo%2BChi%2BMinh%2Bcity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUhZKxdyov4/WHo4H5haOoI/AAAAAAAABzk/TA9fr7m0Cd4uIu1BhQt8a17JAWGy5O_wgCK4B/s320/0655%2BScooters%2Bin%2BHo%2BChi%2BMinh%2Bcity.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids with helmets! Yay! A rare sight.</td></tr>
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The adults usually wear a helmet, and the women hardly ever drive in town without a fabric mask covering their faces from under their eyes to below the chin. Why? Against pollution? Perhaps, But also so as to protect their skin from the sun and prevent it from getting tanned. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx0aS_wMdZE/WHo45S16a6I/AAAAAAAABz0/wp9ethaqCZA6Ib0daXnfRHFnpWyn-_cIwCK4B/s1600/0653%2BScooter%2BMasks%2Bon%2Bsale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx0aS_wMdZE/WHo45S16a6I/AAAAAAAABz0/wp9ethaqCZA6Ib0daXnfRHFnpWyn-_cIwCK4B/s320/0653%2BScooter%2BMasks%2Bon%2Bsale.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of scooter masks</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9V3Wn6t25Q/WHoxUEKq11I/AAAAAAAABys/EZRh2Jnvhs8HB1Uf4ZeFhSzNVRY2Xes9ACK4B/s1600/nina_2627.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9V3Wn6t25Q/WHoxUEKq11I/AAAAAAAABys/EZRh2Jnvhs8HB1Uf4ZeFhSzNVRY2Xes9ACK4B/s320/nina_2627.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GXXa5cd1Yjw/WHoxbJRqdUI/AAAAAAAABy4/CQ5oK2V4v1MG4QocsYJxE-_WmtF1BE-XwCK4B/s1600/nina_2618.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GXXa5cd1Yjw/WHoxbJRqdUI/AAAAAAAABy4/CQ5oK2V4v1MG4QocsYJxE-_WmtF1BE-XwCK4B/s320/nina_2618.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Keep your complexion as pale as possible, is the name of the game. All toiletry manufacturers adjust their products accordingly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe0vo5tRS0Q/WHowbQMzXcI/AAAAAAAAByk/eCraFb7pQdE-VYFDGssH_8ggwoYkajAygCK4B/s1600/nina_2748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe0vo5tRS0Q/WHowbQMzXcI/AAAAAAAAByk/eCraFb7pQdE-VYFDGssH_8ggwoYkajAygCK4B/s320/nina_2748.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge selection of cheap toiletries in the market</td></tr>
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Statistically, there are around 10,000 fatalities from traffic accidents per year in Vietnam. It may not sound shocking considering a population of some 92 million, of which about 7.5 million in Hanoi alone. But still, when you think of it in absolute terms, it's scary.</div>
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And talking of scary. On a practical, daily basis, crossing the street in Vietnam is a scary challenge. Son confidently demonstrated how he does it, and had us follow him closely. In the evening, when we went wandering about on our own, I clung to my husband and prayed each time we chose to cross a street. The scooter drivers seemed to pay us no heed. They minded their own business, while we had to look out for our bodies and souls. Later on in our trip, even though by then we were somewhat more adept at crossing streets, there was one place where we simply gave up. But that was in Ho Chi Minh City, and will wait for a later blog post.<br />
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One more factor that complicates pedestrians' life is the sidewalks (pavements, in British English.) They are taken. In use. Crowded. Not by other pedestrians so much as by rows upon rows of parked scooters; by merchandise flowing out of shops -- dolls, bags, toys, flowers, clothes, food, etc.,<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iEj21tRaDeI/WHo1ORih4ZI/AAAAAAAABzQ/bRP-WCUmU2g4mPLBLaNn5JmKmDSCuKr9ACK4B/s1600/0087%2BHanoi%2Bflowers%2Bon%2Bsidewalk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iEj21tRaDeI/WHo1ORih4ZI/AAAAAAAABzQ/bRP-WCUmU2g4mPLBLaNn5JmKmDSCuKr9ACK4B/s320/0087%2BHanoi%2Bflowers%2Bon%2Bsidewalk.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidewalk taken up by flowers on low plastic stools</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrwpvmpBu54/WHo1MfbnieI/AAAAAAAABzI/2WryUgPh0YASAFsNRCH7-8T074h7Pfz-QCK4B/s1600/0088%2BHanoi%2Bbikes%2Bon%2Bsidewalk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrwpvmpBu54/WHo1MfbnieI/AAAAAAAABzI/2WryUgPh0YASAFsNRCH7-8T074h7Pfz-QCK4B/s320/0088%2BHanoi%2Bbikes%2Bon%2Bsidewalk.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidewalk taken up by parked scooters</td></tr>
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...as well as by coffee-drinkers perched on tiny plastic stools of the type used [in my country] for tots in nurseries and pre-school.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EfB_AL9KfnE/WHo7niAI-kI/AAAAAAAAB0I/dlCRSk6uHzEpSP22nOrbZMvIEWm3jzc3wCK4B/s1600/0432%2BOld%2BQuter%2BHanoi%2BChairs%2Band%2BTables%2Bfor%2Bpavement%2Brestaurants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EfB_AL9KfnE/WHo7niAI-kI/AAAAAAAAB0I/dlCRSk6uHzEpSP22nOrbZMvIEWm3jzc3wCK4B/s320/0432%2BOld%2BQuter%2BHanoi%2BChairs%2Band%2BTables%2Bfor%2Bpavement%2Brestaurants.JPG" width="240" /></a> Wish I could squat as these Vietnamese do. When we do squats in yoga class I am a total failure.<a href="https://finallydancing.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"> My ballet-aficionada daughter</a> introduced me to a <a href="https://gmb.io/" target="_blank">wonderful fitness website</a> that is guaranteed to improve my squatting skills if I only persist in practicing. These Vietnamese are just naturally gifted that way. And so they sit on those miniature stools, their knees close to their ears practically, sip their strong coffee and/or eat their lunch. Since I am a relatively polite person, I balked at staring at the squatting folks, and so don't have a good picture to upload :-( The one I have doesn't do justice to this aspect of Life in Vietnam. But what's Google Images for? Search and ye shall find :-)<br />
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Useful info:<br />
We stayed at the <a href="https://www.elegancehospitality.com/diamond/home.htm" target="_blank">Hanoi Siesta Diamond Hotel</a>, which belongs to the Elegance Hospitality Group. Extremely pleasant place, wonderful staff.<br />
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To be continued....Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-46489978168460489622016-02-21T12:06:00.000+00:002016-02-21T18:50:36.746+00:00What else to do in Catania, Sicily- That is, what else in addition to taking a tour of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/collections/mount_etna" target="_blank">Mount Etna</a>.<br />
I'd never heard of Catania. Most people have heard of Palermo. But Palermo is "just a city", I was told -- albeit a pretty one with lots of relics and stuff. Whereas <a href="http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/sicily/catania.html" target="_blank">Catania</a> is the Gate to Mt. Etna.<br />
And so it came to pass that, after spending <a href="http://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.co.il/2016/02/where-to-stay-in-rome.html" target="_blank">a week in Rome</a>, we were in a taxi from Catania airport to to the center of town.<br />
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"Is this Catania?" My husband asked, trying to stifle the dread in his voice.<br />
"No, this is just the outskirts of town," replied our driver cheerfully, as he continued driving through the dreary, poor housing projects. (He didn't actually use the word "outskirts", but that was obviously what he meant.)<br />
"There we are," he said about ten minutes later, pulling over to park.<br />
I looked at the exterior of the building and my heart sank.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c08mAGRO7ZU/VsBadVLeNWI/AAAAAAAABpc/qkN3dKnXT3k/s1600/Gate%2Bto%2BVia%2BDottor%2BConsoli%2B55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c08mAGRO7ZU/VsBadVLeNWI/AAAAAAAABpc/qkN3dKnXT3k/s320/Gate%2Bto%2BVia%2BDottor%2BConsoli%2B55.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance gate to the building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPL-sBJzfYI/VsBZTKB9sJI/AAAAAAAABpY/-rQBedyjpfM/s1600/Via%2BDottor%2BConsoli%2B55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPL-sBJzfYI/VsBZTKB9sJI/AAAAAAAABpY/-rQBedyjpfM/s320/Via%2BDottor%2BConsoli%2B55.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Dottor Consoli 55, Catania</td></tr>
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The inner court was not much better, with its grey, peeling walls. I couldn't even hope it was a mistake, because the sign outside confirmed we'd reached the <a href="http://www.bebmiro.it/en/bb_miro.html" target="_blank">B&B we'd ordered online</a>. <br />
However, once we were inside, we calmed down.<br />
The interior was bright and happy-looking, and <b>Lucia </b>at the desk was effervescently friendly and helpful. Which reminds me I should offer the owners my English editing services for their website :-)<br />
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Our room, though colorful and youthful-looking, wasn't the best. But then, we did choose one of the cheaper rooms offered on Expedia. Looking back, I think it was more suitable for a couple of students on a budget than for a couple of pensioners with aching backs and too much luggage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kFj6YmS8gc0/VsBsdtb1BbI/AAAAAAAABp0/9PzZ5EMl4P4/s1600/206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kFj6YmS8gc0/VsBsdtb1BbI/AAAAAAAABp0/9PzZ5EMl4P4/s320/206.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael relaxing w his iPad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AYMGuf5Z6rg/VsBsdtu8x9I/AAAAAAAABpw/iUG36trzskU/s1600/207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AYMGuf5Z6rg/VsBsdtu8x9I/AAAAAAAABpw/iUG36trzskU/s320/207.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not enough room for clothes and stuff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L0keCJDCR0E/VsBsoAIFLLI/AAAAAAAABp4/34CCMM5zRVA/s1600/205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L0keCJDCR0E/VsBsoAIFLLI/AAAAAAAABp4/34CCMM5zRVA/s320/205.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unnerving glass partition and door to bathroom</td></tr>
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As you can see above, it was winter time, when bulky coats, cardigans and boots take up a lot of space. I am told tourists usually prefer going to Sicily in summer, to enjoy its beautiful, relaxing beaches. So maybe in summer, with bathing suits, flipflops, a few T-shirts & shorts, the shelves are sufficient.<br />
I don't know why so many B&B owners give so little thought to bathroom shelves and hooks. I bet the designers are men, of the type whose toiletries comprise toothpaste and shaving gel. Though surely the typical Rome gentleman uses deodorant and after-shave? Be that as it may, I rarely find a suitable spot to place my <a href="http://tinyurl.com/zaml284" target="_blank">necessaire</a> with its cute small vials of creams and lotions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0GbL9RQgs-0/VsmSvCwhx9I/AAAAAAAABqI/A89F4c_NEnI/s1600/IMG_1652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0GbL9RQgs-0/VsmSvCwhx9I/AAAAAAAABqI/A89F4c_NEnI/s320/IMG_1652.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Elephant at the Piazza Duomo, Catania</td></tr>
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It was Sunday afternoon, and we were starving. Off we went, trotting down <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardino_Bellini" target="_blank">Giardino Bellini</a> to <a href="http://www.tuttocitta.it/mappa/catania/via-etnea" target="_blank">Via Etnea</a>, assisted by Lucia's map and Michael's nearly-infallible sense of direction, in search of what my younger daughter calls FOOOOD. The streets were nearly deserted. Not only off-season, but probably still siesta-time. I have no recollection of what or where we finally grabbed a bite. So long that it was enough to keep us going.<br />
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Walking along Via Etnea (and courageously ignoring the fashionable shops), we finally reached Catania's highlights: three consecutive piazzas, each boasting a few beautiful old buildings, mostly of Baroque style I am told, and plenty of alluring cafes. My personal favorite was the <a href="http://www.italyguides.it/en/sicily/catania/duomo-square" target="_blank">elephant in Piazza Duomo</a>.<br />
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To me, it may just be an elephant, reminding me of <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/439312138622637369/" target="_blank">Terry Pratchett's Discworld</a> and perhaps of our <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/319784661/in/album-72157594424086511/" target="_blank">trip to Thailand</a>; but to Catanians it is a symbol of their city and its long history.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jnecTTw3OlM/VsmUyimlLsI/AAAAAAAABqg/SzBPdHvotjQ/s1600/162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jnecTTw3OlM/VsmUyimlLsI/AAAAAAAABqg/SzBPdHvotjQ/s320/162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of elephant</td></tr>
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Anyone into history, architecture, and/or religion will surely appreciate the cathedrals and churches. I was rather upset by the glaring contrast between the "important" buildings, which had been scrubbed clean and were relatively well-maintained, and the adjacent "ordinary" buildings which were dirty and run-down. The city obviously doesn't have the funds to clean up and restore more than a handful of major-interest structures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw5GsHFNUKI/VsmUx5yF-RI/AAAAAAAABqc/dhBe6WjXQOc/s1600/159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw5GsHFNUKI/VsmUx5yF-RI/AAAAAAAABqc/dhBe6WjXQOc/s320/159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side by side</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3vy7UOsH3Ow/VsmUxyu569I/AAAAAAAABqY/lS2CM2v8TUo/s1600/160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3vy7UOsH3Ow/VsmUxyu569I/AAAAAAAABqY/lS2CM2v8TUo/s320/160.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church, cleaned up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CIa7M-Z3YHg/VsmUxNIQvuI/AAAAAAAABqU/R7H46rmEpSk/s1600/157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CIa7M-Z3YHg/VsmUxNIQvuI/AAAAAAAABqU/R7H46rmEpSk/s320/157.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adjacent building, looks like hell</td></tr>
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To end this totally-inadequate-post on a sweet note, here are a few recommendations and heartfelt thanks:<br />
<b>Food</b>: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Blanc-%C3%A0-Manger-Bakery-Caf%C3%A8-181267348557001/" target="_blank">Blanc a Manger</a>, Brasserie Italienne, 55 Santa Filomena, Catania<br />
<b>Coffee and cake or snacks</b>: <a href="http://www.dolcinonnavincenza.it/sito/home.php" target="_blank">i dolci di Nonna Vincenza</a>; a chain with branches in Catania, Roma, Bologna and Milan. We enjoyed it at Piazza Duomo 17/18, Catania<br />
<b>Guilia Bacillieri, tour guide</b>, Catania; works with <a href="http://www.insiciliavacanze.it/en/" target="_blank">InSicilia Vacanze</a> and <a href="http://www.etnatribe.it/en/excursions-on-etna.php" target="_blank">Etna Tribe</a>; see also my post of <a href="http://nina-makes-tracks.blogspot.co.il/2016/02/are-you-adventurous.html" target="_blank">our Etna tour</a><br />
<b>Lucia</b>, our delightful and efficient hostess/receptionist at Miro B&B:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lo_HOjh3HRc/VsmciF_wrbI/AAAAAAAABrM/iHaCkWuaVR0/s1600/236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lo_HOjh3HRc/VsmciF_wrbI/AAAAAAAABrM/iHaCkWuaVR0/s320/236.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucia</td></tr>
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</b><br />
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<br />Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947091356384418056.post-54754874333743718332016-02-13T11:27:00.000+00:002016-02-13T11:27:10.942+00:00Are you adventurous?Are there only two answers, "Yes" and "No"? Or is it okay to reply "I dunno... sometimes... it depends..."?<br />
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Some people are undoubtedly and unabashedly adventurous. A mere couple of hours in the company of six other travelers on our tour to <a href="http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/etna/news.html" target="_blank">Mt. Etna</a> were more than enough to identify the one true adventurer among us: the young, good-looking Norwegian guy who introduced himself as Thomas. I won't give you his full name nor the link to his Facebook page because I haven't asked for his permission. But this guy has traveled wherever the wind (and the airlines) took him; rides a snowmobile even though he once had his head literally* smashed in a snowmobile accident; went deeper into the dark, clammy, treacherous lava cave than most of us; and didn't yet know where he was going to spend the night, having checked out of his hotel and not made any alternative arrangements. He'd also recovered from a horrendous childhood car accident, a recovery which I attribute (off the top of my head, not through expertise) to luck, incredible tenacity, excellent medical care, and strong survivability. What, you think there's no such word? Just because Merriam-Webster et al say there isn't? Okay, so I made it up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giulia explaining Mt. Etna's activities. Note buried [two-storey!] house.</td></tr>
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I, for one, am not adventurous. Which doesn't mean I can't be tempted or persuaded, once every few years, to travel to active volcanoes -- providing I've been assured that they aren't expected to act up in the next few weeks; or to climb benign mountains such as <a href="http://ben-nevis.com/" target="_blank">Ben Nevis</a> on a sunny day along a well-trodden touristy path, or certain amazing snowy bits of the Canadian Rockies -- Whistlers, Bow Glacier, Athabasca Glacier, to name a few -- as you can see in my two Flickr albums of that trip. (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/72157620446599355" target="_blank">Canadian Rockies Part I</a> and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/72157622846484720" target="_blank">Part II</a>). Yes, I even drove a 25-ft RV along fairly empty roads during our trip to Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and other such thrilling places. Truth be told, if it weren't for <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/72157625701860955" target="_blank">the photos</a>, I might think I dreamed the whole thing up.<br />
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In my limited experience, having one's <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninush/albums/72157632016047034" target="_blank">kitchen </a>or bathroom remodeled is no less nerve-wracking than climbing tall mountains or walking on a frozen lake. In both cases, you feel you are not on solid ground. Which is a feeling I dislike.<br />
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My chief occupation -- translator, editor, scribbler -- does not entail any hazards. Excepting, of course, nasty encounters with <a href="http://take-ninas-word-for-it.blogspot.co.il/2008/08/translators-its-not-you-its-author.html" target="_blank">horribly-written texts</a> and the occasional encounter with an <a href="http://take-ninas-word-for-it.blogspot.co.il/2009/08/case-of-client-from-hell.html" target="_blank">exasperating client</a>. But some of my colleagues have a far more adventurous spirit. They might -- and actually do -- fly small aircraft, run marathons in several countries, dive the Blue Hole in the Red Sea, go rafting in Africa, trekking in Nepal, Kong Fu training in China, ski, snowboard, or enter politics.<br />
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Some of you don't have to ask themselves whether they're adventurous. They simply have no fear, and love the thrill and excitement. And some of us would rather sit at the computer and take online quizzes to tell them whether they're adventurous. Here's what one such test told me:<br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px;">"You need a moderate level of excitement and stimulation - not too little, not too much. You could probably handle a minor adrenaline rush, but not to the point where you're fearing for your wellbeing. This allows for just the right balance of excitement and relaxation on your adventurous escapades." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px;">[See </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><i>http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=3234]</i></span></span><br />
Well, duh!<br />
I did try two other quizzes, but found the questions either stupid or totally irrelevant to me. Too culturally-dependent, and I guess I belong to a different culture than that of the quiz writers.<br />
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So, to make a long story short, I did not actually climb Mount Etna. I made do with the basic tour at the first level, which is where the coffee shops and souvenir shops are, and where we walked, with our charming, knowledgeable guide, Giulia, around the rim of a couple of small yet slippery craters. I didn't even take the cable car up to the next level at 2000 ft. I suggest that you do, though. It's a very pretty view.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xP3DpJjZSyY/Vr8RVKz2WyI/AAAAAAAABo0/jOOO7GnOLH0/s1600/186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xP3DpJjZSyY/Vr8RVKz2WyI/AAAAAAAABo0/jOOO7GnOLH0/s400/186.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crater we walked around, with a slippery slope</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X-Mocftc2R0/Vr8RU66DwQI/AAAAAAAABow/tjMOVvBYi8g/s1600/197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X-Mocftc2R0/Vr8RU66DwQI/AAAAAAAABow/tjMOVvBYi8g/s400/197.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark hole is entrance to the lava cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kILf37Aezq4/Vr8RSQUZlPI/AAAAAAAABos/qMCcw8BqOAk/s1600/200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kILf37Aezq4/Vr8RSQUZlPI/AAAAAAAABos/qMCcw8BqOAk/s400/200.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Etna on a sunny day. Looks innocuous, but it isn't.</td></tr>
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* I'm an editor; I don't misuse the word "literally". When I use it, I mean it. Thomas' head and arm carry all the physical evidence of that accident.Nina Rimon Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07611966428346591291noreply@blogger.com0