Who doesn’t remember the first time they saw those stunning visuals of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty? I was lucky enough to be born in 1970, so I saw most Disney movies in the cinema instead of on the home screen. What a difference. Nothing conveys that depth of field —wandering through a deep, dark forest— or fighting a dragon against all odds.
Read More »found: eyvind earle
As expected, Jerusalem during Shabbat was pretty much a ghost town. A couple restaurants in the First Railway Station defiantly opened, so we didn’t have to trek to the Muslim Quarter for breakfast. That morning we explored the new part of the city (the Jerusalem YMCA!) then found a sherut to Tel Aviv. On the way, Darío & I stopped for an early lunch at a sidewalk café run by American students… best salad of the entire trip.
Read More »tel aviv: beach & bauhaus
An attractive piece of art welcomed us to the Jewish Quarter. Right away we noticed a difference: the area was more open & better maintained than any of the two previous sections we’d explored. An open plaza behind the Hurva synagogue attracted lots of families, & a small tour group explored the few Roman remnants of the Cardo:
Read More »jerusalem: jewish & armenian quarters
Our first full day in Israel! I’m not a particularly religious person, so I find it difficult to understand why I’ve always wanted to visit this controversial country. Perhaps it’s the history, maybe the conflict itself. Not sure. And to be honest I was more interested in Tel Aviv for its architecture, but Jerusalem was on the way. Turns out, the city was more amazing than I ever imagined.
Read More »jerusalem: muslim & christian quarters
I hadn’t originally planned to write about this day, but there were quite a few experiences & photos to share, so let’s go…
Read More »jordan to israel: in transit
Arrival to Petra took a few hours of driving from the Dead Sea —with stops in Mount Nebo & Madaba along the way— but no matter. Petra is Petra & worth it. The area just outside the entrance to the archaeological site is geared toward tourists while locals hang out a bit further uphill. Although we ventured out, in the end we decided to eat at the hotel & rest for a busy next day.
Read More »jordan: petra!
As someone who began his travels in Iberia —at one extreme of the Roman Empire— you can imagine how thrilled I was to see the other side. Darío had wanted to see Jordan for a long time, so celebrating the completion of his Ph.D. seemed like a great excuse to go. Although we cut Syria from the original plans (for obvious reasons), I was excited to visit another corner of the planet.
Read More »jordan: roman remnants
…and the tradition continues. I do this mainly for personal reasons, but you’re welcome to revisit the past year with me. White asterisks above show release dates for Endless Mile guides. Let’s look back…
Read More »year in review: 2013
First a little background…
Even as a child, I had a strong desire to travel. Interests in biology & chemistry pointed me to medical school… but that proved only to be a distraction in the long run. I remember wading through the foreign language section in Memphis libraries for albums in Russian (yeah, that long ago!), books in basic Hawaiian or whatever French material I could find. Yet at the age of 27, I’d only managed to go as far as the Bahamas, Canada & México. When my ex landed a job as Assistant Director for the University of Washington’s Spanish program in Cádiz, I was all for it. Finally an opportunity to go to Europe! The year was 1998, & I knew the experience would change my life.
Read More »cádiz: exorcising demons