Rome Again 2011

We came back to Rome for a few days after visiting the Middle East. The city really speaks volumes – behind every nook and cranny is grandeur, history and culture and we really appreciated it even more on our second go around.

Our last ‘must-see’ left on our list – the Sistine Chapel. We knew it is part of a collection of galleries and rooms but were amazed by the variety of art contained therein. We certainly did not expect to find Egyptian mummies and other non-religious artifacts. Being totally unprepared for what the Vatican Museums had to offer, we just followed the flow of people and signs, stopping along the way to admire all that we saw. Our last stop, of course, was the Sistine Chapel. With our necks craned at the ceiling we took time to appreciate the work by Michelangelo as well as the works by other artists in the room.

On our way out of the Vatican Museums, I was delighted to see that there was an exhibition of the famous Faberge Easter Eggs. They are quite exquisite and detailed and it was certainly a highlight for me to see this small part of the collection. For some reason it conjured up memories of Dr. Zhivago, a favourite movie of mine.

Part of our plan was to leave the hustle and bustle of Rome behind and take a couple day trips into the countryside. It just looks so inviting when flying over it all.

Our first trip was to Frascati, a little hamlet 20 km south east of Rome. We decided to take a bus to get there so we could enjoy the sights of the countryside along the way. It took about 25 minutes to reach our destination, which we timed since we weren’t exactly sure which stop would be ours. But we knew instantly when we had arrived as the bus stopped in a small town square with Villa Aldobrandini looking down on us from atop a hill.

The area is renown for its Villas and I was hoping to get a peak inside one of them. However, my hopes were dashed when we were informed that only the gardens of Villa Aldobrandini were open to the public. Having recently seen the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, we didn’t feel the need to walk up the large hill for possibly only some greenery as no flowers of any sort were in evidence. We were left to our own devices since we had no map and no other ideas as to what the city might offer, but we weren’t disappointed. Frascati is quite quaint and so typical of any place European, with its cobblestone streets, interesting architecture and outdoor cafes and restaurants.

There are lovely views of the surrounding countryside as the town is perched on a hill. Then it was time for a bite to eat since it was lunch time. We were glad we ate when we did – shortly thereafter we were surprised that all the restaurants and shops closed for an afternoon siesta so we were left to window shopping at best. Our day of site seeing finished, we opted for a train ride back to Rome, just for a different experience. Along the route is a well preserved ancient Roman aqueduct, and to think we had traveled all the way to Spain on a previous vacation to see one of those.

Our other day trip was to Sperlonga to enjoy a wonderful day at the beach. It is about an hour from Rome by train to Fondi and then another short bus ride into Sperlonga. The beach ‘scene’ here was a pleasant surprise and much to our liking, with its colourful umbrellas, clean sand and warm water. The town is situated high on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea with Truglia Tower below, once used as a look out point for pirates during the 16th century. The beach stretches for miles on either side of the Tower. I truly wish we had more time for and knowledge of the area although we did take note of the accommodations for a visit in the future – whenever that might be. Arriving back in Rome, via train again, we realized that it had rained in the city so we had timed our outing perfectly.

Our last day in Rome was spent walking, walking and more walking. We headed to Trastevere and enjoyed a morning coffee and newspaper read in a square with the usual fountain and church as our backdrop. Then it was over the Tiber River to Aventino (I think) somehow ending up in a very nice area of Rome. Gilbert stopped to watch how a door and frame were being fitted to a house. He talked to a person who seemed to be part of the process and found out they were putting in the door for a movie set that they would be filming later. He told us the house was amazing inside, with its own lift (elevator). I was obviously out of my usual character that day or I would have asked if we could have a quick look inside.

Then it was on to an area near Celio Hill and Parco San Sebastiano where we stopped to have lunch and proceeded to watch the action that was transpiring. More and more police were gathering and we found out a demonstration was on the way. Protesters were marching down the street upset at their jobs being relocated to Asia. The demonstration remained peaceful but we were forced to take a detour on our walk through Parco Sebastiano.

Our excitement for the day finished, we continued our walk, somehow reaching the infamous Spanish Steps. But not before stopping at a café to have a rest and quick drink – the most expensive limondada I have ever had in my life – about $10 and it wasn’t even made with real lemons. We had obviously made the mistake of stopping at a tourist ‘Square’ and ‘paid the price’ for our actions. Leaving the Spanish Steps behind, we joined the hoards of tourists walking towards Piazza Del Popolo. We took note of the perfect symmetry of the layout and buildings before finally making our way back to ‘home’, our evening spent with one last meal and glass of vino outdoors in the pleasant evening temperature.

The next morning, ‘up and at ‘em’ to the airport, not lingering for a last early morning coffee at the nearby outdoor café. Maybe I would have changed my mind if our usual café that we patronized was still open but it had closed suddenly 2 days prior. The competition was delighted with this, no doubt, and explained in his very limited English and sign language to Gilbert that his neighbor was ‘Mafioso’. We’re not sure if there is any truth to this suggestion but we do know that the other café had the best cappuccino at the best price and the owner had been extremely friendly.

I have left my heart, my’ amore’, in Italy (or maybe just Europe) and will be back sometime to reclaim it once again.

Eilat 2011

We decided to spend our last days in the Middle East at the Red Sea town of Eilat, Israel. Our other choice for some sun and fun on the beach was to take a bus to the Egyptian border, walk across and then haggle with a cab driver over a fare to the resort area just south of Taba. Given the governmental instability in Egypt, prices are relatively dirt cheap, but we decided to forgo this option since we needed rest from travel.

Described by the Israeli’s as the Las Vegas of their country, Eilat suited our relaxation needs just fine. There are a few large hotels at one end of the town, but we were more interested in heading to the beach, then lubing and buttering up with our lotion, renting our loungers and umbrella (to avoid the heat of the direct sun), basking in the warm temperature and taking a dip in the Red Sea or the outdoor showers (for rinsing off the salt) to cool us off. Yes we did get out there and soak up a few rays of sun (and much needed Vitamin D) but we were determined not to be voted the “Best Lobsters” on the beach. As you can imagine, there were quite a few perfect specimens, all roasted red and beaming that competed for the numero uno spot daily. Those burnt babies – just looking at them is painful!

There is a reef at the south end of town and we rented snorkeling gear for a peak at some of the underwater wildlife. It is hardly extensive but we knew that going in. It is better to snorkel in Egypt so we will have to come back to that some other time. Still, there was a variety of fish (apparently 650 species), a few schools to swim through and a bit of colourful stony coral to keep us entertained for about an hour. Then we high tailed it out of there once the jellyfish invaded our territory.

One thing you can’t help but notice is that the airport is smack dab in the middle of town. We were walking over to the beach and this plane came so low flying over our head, I thought for sure Gilbert was in for a new haircut – quite a bit off the top, leaving the sides long. From a further distance away we realized the planes are clearing the treetops with plenty of room to spare, but when you’re directly under the plane and the runway is 2 blocks away you pretty much go into your own autopilot - ducking to give adequate clearance.

And what is this description of Eilat from the guide book we have. A quote from Lonely Planet “For most visitors Eilat’s real appeal is its surrounding desert mountains and canyons”. What planet are these writers on anyway? It’s sunny and hot (36 C) with a clear blue sky and even bluer sea and every imaginable water sport available. I can promise you we saw no evidence that anyone was heading to the desert for the day. Especially when the standard dress is bathing suits and cover ups with an incessant smell of coconut oil in the air.

Our time in Israel and the Middle East was nearly over. Which brings us to the ultimate question - How do you define archaic? Answer -Gilbert and Christine So we pass the interrogation process at customs in Eilat for our late evening flight to Tel Aviv. Then it’s on to the ticket agents for the boarding pass and luggage drop-off. Thinking we will have to pass through customs again for our flight to Rome from Tel Aviv, Gilbert asks the agents if we will have any problems with the alarm clock he is carrying (that’s right alarm clock). The agents say “Why don’t you use your cell phone, that’s what we do”. Gilbert says, “We don’t have one.” The agents say “Oh, you have one but you left it back home instead of bringing it along travelling.” Gilbert says “Actually no, we really don’t have one.” I can promise you the agents were in disbelief and wondered how we ‘stay connected’. Do you think running through their mind they wondered “What planet are they on? I can tell you I feel just like a Bedouin who hasn’t joined ranks with the 21st century, especially when we saw an 85 year old lady on the beach the day before, texting like crazy. I promise Chau Wei - next year I’ll have that phone.

And now it’s on to Rome again for a few more days before going home.

Jordan 2011

It was a last minute decision to visit Jordan although we had a hankering from the start. A four hour bus ride south - my last sights just beyond Jerusalem are the barrier/wall that Israel has been building in contrast to a wild herd of camels grazing on some shrubs in the all too familiar brown landscape - and we are at the border. We walked through from Eilat, Israel, ‘passing go’ and into Jordan, amid sun and heat (35C?) and flies (they only congregated at the border – thank goodness!) Gilbert negotiated a fare with a taxi (of course we came out a bit on the losing end) that was in a severe need of a tune up with a young driver that could barely keep the thing from stalling. And as we lurched and jerked into the town of Aqaba, he asked us if we needed a driver (him) to take us to Wadi Rum – about an hour away. We politely declined and were just happy we didn’t end up pushing his taxi into town.

Aqaba is a resort town on the Red Sea and a popular place for diving and snorkeling. I’ll clarify this further – it is a Muslim resort town. So the public beach has women, heads covered and wearing long coats (often black), huddling under cover with a picnic lunch or snacks, while the men and children play in the sea. A few adventurous women will take a dip in the sea – coat and all. How the women don’t swelter in the heat I’ll never really quite understand. Other than that the streets are lined with the usual trinket stalls and local fast food eateries, often with a swarma rotating.

Arriving in Aqaba in the heat of the day and still trying to find street signs that coincide with our map, we were delighted to run into some of ‘our people’ – naval sailors from England on leave for the day. Their best advice – follow the signs to McDonald’s. I can’t remember the last time those golden arches looked so inviting. We ducked into the air conditioning, made our plans and sent Gilbert off to find us a place to stay for one night. Mission accomplished, we walked around the town enjoying a few different sights, sampling some local food and then retiring for the night. We had decided to rent a car for the following day and drive the Kings Highway as reliable transportation in the country is lacking and the drive is suppose to be quite scenic.

Of note – we thought we would stay in Aqaba on our way back to enjoy the sun, beach and snorkeling. After thinking about it, I nixed the idea with Gilbert in agreement. The Muslim beach culture would just be too restrictive for me and not as enjoyable for Gilbert either. To say I wouldn’t fit in if I wore beach clothing would be an understatement. So not much in the way of pictures, except the usual tourist camel, as we had originally planned to take them when we returned.

Kings Highway – as we had read, we found this to be an amazing scenic route through the heart of Jordan. To some, scenic may be a misnomer as the landscape is dry, barren, brown and almost devoid of vegetation and water. The road climbs up and down mountains turning this way and that but rarely travels in a straight line. I’m not sure how long it took us to drive from Aqaba to Al Karak, 5 hours maybe?. The desert is hot and dusty and finding a place to get out of the car and stretch was impossible as there was nothing to offer us a bit of shade. We now understood why they say Jordan has only 5% of arable land.

But amidst all this desert landscape we were hardly alone. We had the Bedouin to keep us company, their tents continually dotting the hillsides. The men are out herding their goats and sheep and sometimes camels, the women tending camp. There is even evidence they are emerging into the 21st century as many have a pick-up truck, a sign of the times. Another sign – one Bedouin was walking his herd to pasture talking on a cell phone. When we would stop to look or take pictures, we were always greeted with a friendly wave of the hand. And this warmth and hospitality extends throughout the country. Gilbert and I both agree that the Jordanians are the friendliest people we have ever met travelling.

That being said, we were tourists so getting gas for the car put us at a distinct disadvantage once or twice. An example - somewhere out there on that lonesome road, Gilbert decided we had better fill-up with gas. We found a station and asked for 10 JOD (dinar) which should have filled us close to the top. You guessed it, the needle barely moved a quarter of a tank. The old man, with his mild manner, showed us he had obliged. We drove away thinking our gas gauge was probably malfunctioning with no confidence as to how much gas we actually had. Filling up later the gauge rose to the top. My thought – some of the stations have a special tourist button they push on their pumps – little gas is pumping even though the dinars are adding up quickly.

Al Karak – we arrived in Al Karak around 1:30 in the afternoon definitely in need of a break. The city’s claim to fame is an old Crusader castle built in 1142. We were much more interested in food and across from the castle entrance was a recommended restaurant in our guide book. We saw one Japanese couple walking down the street and 2 Dutch girls having lunch. The girls had also rented a car and were heading on to Madaba, another 1 ½ hours north. I felt a bit relieved we weren’t the only ones travelling through Jordan as we had not encountered any other foreigners for quite some time. Talking to the owner of the restaurant we found out why. Since the crisis in the Middle East began in December, tourism has declined up to 88% in Jordan. But we were also duly assured that we wouldn’t encounter problems in the country since the people are supportive of their government.

Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated by food and company, we decided to continue driving to Madaba. The restaurant owner advised us the road north is difficult and to be very careful driving. We eventually found out why. Rounding a corner we came face to face with Wadi Mujib, aka the ‘Grand Canyon’ of Jordan. The canyon is 1 km deep and 4 km wide with a dam and reservoir at the bottom. We drove down into the canyon, over the dam and on up to the other side, all total a distance of 18km. But the views were spectacular and breath taking and we had plenty of opportunity to stop and take it all in.

And as we left the canyon behind us, we began to notice a bit of green and fertile land. It felt like civilization again as we passed through small towns. Shortly thereafter we reached the town of Madaba and traffic became crazy in this town of 70,000 or so – we immediately witnessed two car accidents. As well, Gilbert really noticed how impatient drivers could be. The minute the light turned green at a traffic stop, a car behind would honk immediately. Fortunately, no road rage ensued. Our stay was just overnight, continuing on to the Dead Sea in the morning. However, we enjoyed the drive so much we decided to try and change the car rental to a full week.

Dead Sea – the drive from Madaba to the Dead Sea (30 km) is billed as the best of the Dead Sea drives. Gilbert and I have to agree as it was equally spectacular to the Kings Highway with its canyons and dry, barren landscape. How ‘brown’ that stretches to the ends of the horizon can be so awe inspiring is a bit beyond comprehension – but it has a beauty all its own. We still passed the occasional Bedouin with their herd of sheep and so again, we weren’t really alone.

And then lo and behold the Dead Sea is visible beyond the mountains edge. The drive from here on in is down, down, down – switching back and forth until we reached 373 meters below sea level and our desert oasis. We decided this ‘hostel’ was up to our standards and stayed here for 2 nights soaking up some warmth and sunshine (36C) as well as our obligatory float in the Dead Sea.

We were successful in renting the car for a longer period of time, and after 2 days we roused ourselves out of our vegetative state and hit the road again. We decided to return to Madaba and stay 2 more nights since we really hadn’t done justice to the town and the Jordan Valley was nearby for a day of exploring.

I’m sure you get the gist by now- even though we took a slightly different route to Madaba it was still back over the mountains and desert landscape with one difference – we encountered another monstrous canyon (Wadi Zarqa Ma’in) and found ourselves driving down and up again. But our main reason for travelling this route was to visit Mukawir and the Bani Hamida Centre to see their carpets.

First Mukawir – it is a very small village of about 5000 people and we actually missed the turn off first go around (I think I blinked). We turned around and finally made our way up a dusty dirt road to the Bani Hamida Centre. The centre is a cooperative that employs women in the surrounding area with the various stages in carpet making, from the beginning process of preparing the wool to the final finishing touches on the carpets. The results are beautiful. We were surprised to see that the Canadian government provided the funds for the building. There was one carpet that caught our eye and the ‘sales lady’ jumped in to help with her very limited command of English, “No cash? Visa!”. In the end we postponed our decision until we had checked out other places in Madaba.

Mabada – besides crazy traffic, the city is known for the Mosaic Map in St. George’s Church. In 1884, Christian builders came across this map while preparing the site for their new church. The significance of the map – it is the oldest map of Palestine in existence today and depicts many regional sites. The dating of the mosaic is 560 AD with 157 Greek captions, noting the major biblical sites from Egypt to Palestine. There are many other mosaics in the city, giving rise to a flourishing mosaic tourist industry today. Another recommended highlight is the Haret Jdoudna Complex – a restored old house that is now a restaurant. The main seating area is in the open air courtyard and the local specialties are delicious. We did try the Jordanian wine but it still seems to be in its infancy stage. I should mention there is a walking tour of the city that we attempted. At most it is 2km long but we got lost along the way and just could not follow the instructions. So we eventually gave up trying to visit all the little ‘odds and sods’ of sites.

Of particular note was the place we stayed at in Madaba for 2 nights. There was a team of archaeologists visiting from the United States that come every year for work and study. It is headed up by 2 or 3 instructors and a number of students. I had heard one of the students talking about how interesting he thought it was to have broken pieces of pots that they had to put together like pieces of a puzzle. Well, the morning we left, Gilbert and I saw the puzzle pieces. There is a room set aside with tables set up in a u-shape – maybe 30 feet long? - and covered with a couple thousand shards of broken pottery. After seeing that I can’t imagine anything so tedious and time consuming, with no results for days on end. It was obvious the teachers have the students do the ‘dirty work’ in learning their trade.

Amman – everything we have read says ‘by pass the city’, all the locals say ‘by pass the city’ but in the end ‘ curiosity got the cat’ and we drove to Amman, just to see what everyone told us we wouldn’t miss. By accident we did drive by one of their 2 sites – The Roman Theatre. It is cut in to the side of a hill so a drive by is really all that is necessary. We ticked that off our list and headed to the Shmeisani area, reputed to be quite upscale with cafes and restaurants. We’re not really sure about this as the guard at the Hyatt Hotel who helped us with directions informed us that it was Independence Day for Jordan so everything was closed with people spending the time at home with their families. He said he’d be at home if he didn’t have to work. Gilbert proceeded to ask him how many children he had. The guard told us 6 girls and 1 boy. I sort of blurted out, “You’ve been busy”. With a twinkle in his eye he said, “I work 12 hour days. If I only worked 6 hour days I’d be busier!” We certainly had a laugh over that and then headed on our way.

Jerash – having had enough of ‘nothing in Amman’, we drove north to Jerash, about 50km away. There was certainly evidence of this being a much more fertile area as fruit and vegetable stands line the highway. I have never seen so many watermelons just piled up in big heaps for sale. Unfortunately we really didn’t have the chance for a good picture. In the northern part of Jordan, the landscape is rolling hills with roads that are quite pleasant to drive. We arrived in Jerash and were immediately greeted by Hadrian’s Arch. This is part of the old Roman provincial city of Gerasa, as Jerash was formerly known. It is an extensive archeological site but having just seen a similar site in Rome, we decided not to stay and visit.

Instead, we headed west to the Jordan Valley to round out a circular drive in the north. I can tell you that we saw a castle, Qala’at ar-Rabad up on a hill top. I can tell you we drove through the Jordan Valley with many crops growing, namely tomatoes, cucumbers and melons. I can tell you we saw the West Bank off to the west. I can tell you we had to wait for a herd of sheep crossing the road. But I can also tell you we had only a general idea of the direction we needed to go using the sun as our guide. But other than that, once we left Jerash we were sort of lost. Road signs are often seriously lacking throughout the country so you learn to trust your sense of direction, which served us well in this instance. At one point we even asked a policeman how to get back to Madaba, he just said, “Turn Left, Turn Right”. Fortunately, we didn’t follow his instructions or we would have been ‘more lost’, if that’s at all possible. In the end, we made it back to Madaba just before the sun began to set in the west, calming my ultimate fear of driving lost at night.

Petra – this is the number one tourist site in Jordan and we can certainly attest to its ranking. Around the 6th century BC, the Nabateans, a nomadic Arabic tribe settled in this area of Jordan and began to built the city of Petra. From that time until about 1189 AD the city changed hands various times and was continuously added on to. It was an important city as it was on the silk road trade route and also the capital of the region more than once. Once the trade route changed, Petra became a forgotten outpost. The local Bedouin tribes were determined to keep its location a secret, fearing its discovery by foreigners would alter their lives. In 1812 a Swiss explorer finally tapped into the secret and since then, it has been a focus of many archaeologists and tourists alike.

So what makes Petra so special? How do you describe magnificent? To start with is the entry or Siq, a 2 km walk through a narrow gorge - a single block of rock, 200 meters high that was split apart by earth’s natural forces thousands of years ago. It is also the colours in the rock which add design and beauty all its own, from sand to varying hues of reds. This walk ends at The Treasury, an ancient tomb carved out of the sandstone and standing 43 meters high. It is just truly amazing and leaves one thinking of the engineering genius it took to carve this. From this point onward, there are numerous tombs carved into the sandstone mountains, as well as remnants of a theatre and Roman Colonnaded Street (Petra’s original city centre). For those looking for a further challenge, there is a 800 step hike uphill to the hidden Monastery. Similar in style to The Treasury, the Monastery is equally impressive. Being aptly rewarded for our efforts to get there, we stayed for awhile just admiring the structure before us. From this spot there is a short hike up even higher which offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and countryside. Unfortunately, there is no circular hiking path so we retraced our steps back the way we came, through the Siq to the entrance to Petra.

I should point out that we also enjoyed watching the Bedouin children run up and down the rocks, often barefoot, but extremely nimble, agile and comfortable with their footing. And riding their mules is 2nd nature. They really have an education and experience all their own. But life is a hardship for the Bedouin as the women work in the trinket stalls and the men offer ‘taxi rides’ on their animals. For better or worse, this is the change in lifestyle that has occurred since the secret of Petra was discovered about 100 years ago.

After visiting Petra, a shower never felt so good. That desert dust just clings to every inch of clothing and skin and clean never felt so good. We only stayed one night but enough time to meet 2 other travelers which led to interesting conversation. We also spoke to someone who worked at the hostel, a friendly youngster who reconfirmed our suspicions that the country is multiplying like rabbits. He is the oldest child in his family of 5 girls and 3 boys and the only sibling working. However, I got the impression from him that his family size is just medium since his friend is from a family of 12 children.

The next morning we decided on a very brief stop in Wadi Rum on our way to drop off the car and cross the border. From our limited vantage point on the outskirts of the area, Wadi Rum is reddish desert sand in between jagged hills. For a closer look it would mean a significant time commitment as well as dinars so we left it at that.

However, if the timing is right for a Wadi Rum visit, you may even catch a camel race or two.

Our vacation in Jordan is over for now, once we walked across the border into Israel. The flies were still teeming but I made sure not to wear any perfumes in an effort to keep them at bay.