ROAD KILL

Valley of the Nile

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:12:24 -0500

We hopped over to Cairo for the weekend. It was amazing. Our adventure started on the short (about an hour) plane ride on Egypt Air from Amman to Cairo. The flight attendants made all the usual requests about staying in your seat during take off, not smoking, and not using your cell phones. It didn’t take long to realize that either no one listened or maybe they just didn’t care.

The gentleman sitting next to me talked on his cell phone during the takeoff and the climb to cruising altitude (or whenever his signal finally gave out). Then, about the time we were crossing the Red Sea, he pulled out his cell phone, changed SIM cards and started making calls all the way into Cairo.

The passenger next to my son decided to indulge in a smoke of his pipe. Needless to say, Charlie was a little freaked out.

After a quick stop at our hotel our guide, Maggod, gave us a tour of Coptic Cairo that included the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Amr ibn al-As Mosque,

and Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Church (the Hanging Church) which is believed to be the oldest church in Egypt and dates back to the 3rd century.

The next morning, we were off for another day of tours, stops, and shopping. First stop, Giza to see the Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

We were there early in the morning and already the smog had started to settle in. Cairo is an amazing city full of commerce, culture, and art, but also horribly over-crowded, polluted, and poor.

Next we visited a shop that sold papyrus paintings. At the shop, we were treated to a demonstration on the art of making papyrus. Then it was off to a perfume shop that mixes essential oils to mimic brand name perfumes or custom scents.

It had the aire of a tourist trap, but it was still fun to sample all the various oils and learn about the process.

We ended the day at the Mohammed Ali Mosque overlooking Cairo.

Before heading to the airport on our final day, we took a cab (an adventure all in itself) to the Khan el-Khalili Market, an old world bazaar full of shop where owners beckon you in with offers of tea and “to just look, no obligation buy”.

It was a great weekend full of fun, culture and art ...... not to mention an awesome passport stamp!

In the footsteps of T.E. Lawrence

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:08:03 -0500

On Friday, my sister and her family flew 12 hours non-stop to spend their spring break with us in Jordan. We put together a fun filled week of Jordanian adventures for them, with stops at Petra, the Dead Sea, Jerash, Aqaba, and Wadi Rum.

Wadi Rum is the northern tip of the Arabian Desert and has been the home of the bedouin people for centuries. It was also the desert the Lawrence of Arabia crossed with an arab army and attacked the fort and Aqaba that was held by the Turks allowing the British army to gain a foot hold in the region.

For our trip to Wadi Rum we drove for about 4 hrs. south of Amman to the Wadi Rum protected area where we met our host and bedouin guide Aodeh Abdullah.

We loaded up on camels and headed off for a 2 hour trek trough the desert.

Once we arrived at the Bedouin Whispers camp we were welcomed with sage flavor tea, cold water, and cushions to rest on. Our guide showed us areas where we could climb the rocks and watch the sun set over the desert.

Dinner was a prepared in a traditional bedouin style in a below ground oven. We had roasted chicken, onions, and potatoes, along with a variety yogurt, flat bread, and tea.

We were very luck to have been in the desert in the spring because all the desert flowers were blooming especially the lavender. As we rode across the desert, and the wind would blow, the smell of sage and lavender filled the air.

On our second day in the desert we went on a jeep tour of the preserve stoping at canyons, natural bridges and sand dunes.

The highlight was when they drop us off at the beginning of a canyon and we walked for about and hour through towering walls of rock that looked like dripping wax.

Petra: by night and by day

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:55:21 -0500

We drove 3 hrs. to the ancient city of Petra near the town Wadi Musa late Thursday so we could be there in time to visit Petra at Night! It was one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen. The 1.2 km walk was lit only by candles. After a short walk we entered the Siq that wound its way down into the canyon.

Our walk ended at the plaza in front of the Treasury building where we sat on bedouin rugs and listened to music, songs and stories of the desert.

The next morning we were up and ready to walk through the Siq and explore all of Petra. Unlike the night, the walk was move lively, full of tourists, vendors, and all means of transportation.

This ancient Nabataean city laid on the trade routes linking the Far East and Africa creating a melting pot of cultures.
The ruins of Petra have influences from, Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and local Arabian art all combined into one unique style within this city.

We continued through the canyon via donkey, up to the top of the mountain and the location of the Monastery.

A short walk up past the monastery, we came to the top of the mountain where we could overlook the Rift Valley below.

Desert Castles

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:03:26 -0500

This weekend we visited three desert “castles” on the way to Azraq in eastern Jordan. These structures are called castles because of their size not because they housed nobility.

The first was Qasr al-Kharraneh. It is believed to date back to 711 AD. Archeologists are unsure whether its original purpose was an Umayyad retreat, a caravan way-station, or fort.

Next up was Qusayr Amra. An early 8th century desert bath house complete sauna and steam room. The most intriguing element is the painted frescos on the ceiling that are examples of early Islamic art. These features are among the reason why Qusayr Amra is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Last up was Qsar al-Azraq. The current structure was a redesign and fortification of the original 300 AD Roman fortress by the Ayyubids in 1237 CE. Since that time it has been used by Ottoman Turks and T.E. Lawrence in 1917 as a winter headquarters during the Great Arabic Revolt against the Turks.

In Azraq (“blue” in Arabic) we stayed at the Azraq Eco-Lodge, adjacent to the Azraq Wetlands Reserve. The lodge is a converted British field hospital from the 40s, and sits on top of a ridge that overlooks the Wetlands and Qa’ al-Azraq (a large mud flat).

In the morning, before heading back to Amman, we stop at the Azraq Wetland reserve for a quick visit. Unfortunately, a fire damaged a large portion of the reserve several months ago.

But, we were still able to get a glimpse of a herd of Water Buffalo roaming near the visitor’s center.

Holy Moly

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 04:39:14 -0600

We took a two day road trip this weekend. Friday/Saturday is the weekend in Islamic countries (Friday is the Muslim holy day) and the work week is Sunday thru Thursday.

First we stopped at the ancient church St. George in the city of Madaba that holds one of the oldest maps of the Holy Land laid out in mosaic tile on the floor.

In addition to the mosaic floor the walls where filled with framed mosaics of christian iconography.

After that we went to a mosaic store where they make their own pieces right on site.

Next we drove to Mount Nebo.

Moses was allowed to gaze at the Promised Land from this spot.

Then we drove down into the Jordan Valley. Here we stopped at Bethany Beyond the Jordan. Because we were sooo close to the West Bank we had to park several miles away, take a shuttle, then walk about a 1/2 mile back to the river and archeological sites. Based on archeological data, including the map at Madaba, this is believed to be the actual spot where Jesus was baptized by John.

Over the last 2000 years the Jordan River has diminished in width and changed course, so it no longer flows past this spot.

At the closet point we were no more than 20 ft. from Israel and the West Bank.

Next, it was off to the Marriott Resort & Spa at the Dead Sea for some mud, salt and relaxation at the lowest place on earth.

The salinity of the Dead Sea is so high that you can easily float. In fact, it is very hard to submerge yourself under water. All-in-all it was a fun, educational and relaxing weekend . . . and I even got to partake in a little Shisha(hookah) at the bar.

Venturing out in Jordan

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:11:02 -0600

Today we went out on our first adventure. We started off by car to the ancient city of Jerash north of Amman. Jerash(Gerasenes in the Bible) has been inhabited for over 6500 years.

70 years ago excavation began on the Roman city that had been buried in the sand for centuries. These ruins are currently acknowledged as being one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. Resurrected are both the north and south gates, a grand paved boulevard, two theaters, the forum, temples, bathes, and the hippodrome.

After we finished our tour of the ruins we had our first truly authentic Jordanian meal. We dined on a variety of salads, slaws, relishes, dips, grilled meats, hummus, and flat bread. To drink we had a very sour lemon-aid with mint.

After lunch we drove back into Amman and stop at the Citadel or Jabal al-Qala’a. The site of the original ancient city of Amman dating back to around 1000 BC.

The excavation site has Nabataen, Roman and Byzantine archeological structures.

We finished the day at a small bazaar and picked up a few trinkets.

Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:04:55 -0600

Our time in Germany has come to an end, and as I look back, there are so many things that I will remember always.

image created by: www.wordle.net

Cornelia Nicodemus and Irina Turner at the Welcome Center of the Universität Bayreuth helped us find an apartment, get settled, and were there to answer all of our silly questions.

Clemens and Suzanne Lukas with their boys Fabian and Fredrick live on the ground floor of the house we lived in. They were always there to give advice, translate a form, letter, or set of instructions, and most importantly offered their friendship. We would drink Schnapps, tell stories, and laughed till late in the evening around their table.

Werner Burr and Iris Schneider Burr. They took us under their wings and showed us the countryside of Upper Franconia (northern Bavaria), and the small pub that only the locals know about.

I especially enjoyed Werner getting me to taste the local Franconian delicacies like, blood sausage, liver sausage, cold fried herring, and lung soup, along with the many beers in the many pubs we visited. A table knock goes out to Werner for his friendship!

Schinner’s Braustuben was our favorite place to have a beer and eat traditional Franconian food.

The restaurant is run by Sindy and Holm Biederman, with Sindy running the front of the house and Holm in the kitchen. In addition to being wonderful hosts every time we visited, they prepared a special meal for us on Thanksgiving Day, served up a memorable Sylvester (New Year’s Eve) dinner, and helped make our last night in Bayreuth, a memorable one.

German language course taught by Thorsten Parchent. The class was made up of students and scholars from all over the world. So in addition to learning German, we got the opportunity to learn about may different cultures while interacting with all the other language students.

And last but not least - The GREAT beer.

One of my favorite things was getting to try all the different beers as we travelled throughout Germany (see Cindy’s picture study of all these beers: A Study of Beer with Paul). Every town has at least one brewery, and in Bavaria every pub brews their own beer that is only available there. This is all done while complying with the oldest consumer law in the world, the Reinheitsgebot or “German Beer Purity Law”, which very strictly spells out what can be in beer. It is quit simple really, you may use only these three ingredients: hops, barley, and water. If you put anything else in it . . . then it isn’t beer. Plan and simple. In Bayreuth alone there are at least 5 breweries, and over 25 varieties of beer. My favorites:

Schinner Braunbier Aktien Zwick’l Becher Bräu.

So I’m 50

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:35:53 -0600

On December 15th I turned 50. I am truly a lucky man because I was in Germany and got to avoid the black balloons, cards, and cake, but still able to celebrate and enjoy the day with my wife and kids.

It has been and interesting 50 years.

Cleveland: Born, Kite out a window.

Fort Wayne: Ice skating at Lakeside, Changes on the playground, Sailing, Waterskiing & Turtle hunting at James, Scouting at Little Turtle, Leo Football, Marine Bio with “D” in Big Pine, 68 Camero. Fred.

College at IU: Fiji Isle, Little 5, Ernie Pyle - Counts, Hazel’s, Upstairs at Nick’s, Perspective. Cindy.

LA LA Days: Otto Nemenz, the 405, Brunch at Fess’s, Yosemite, the PCH, Westwood movies, Chicken Salad at ChinChin, Big Sur, Kern River, Pasadena Oldtown. Charlie.

ACCD: The Wall in the rain, Stage 1, Seeing into shadows, Death Valley, “Redos” (ya gotta love Archie), Workin’ for Wolin.

Twin Town: Lightmeter holder, Berthiaume, Arndt, Lotzer, Volvos, Snow.

Cinci: Understanding light in a Swedish square, Nearer to family, Gas Lights, 3rd Street studio, Doug and the ladies, Hyde Park, Test shots, Habitat. Maggie.

Big D: Goodbye yellow boxes - Hello histograms, Integra, Camping with Guides, Chief of Princesses, Southlake, NYC Subways, BJNC, Sound no longer all around, CTMN, Pit Dads, Conchs & Blue Heaven. Buck & Willie.

Deutschland: Bayreuth, Tents in Okotber, So many knockers, DB trains, Beer w/Paul, Mauerfall 20, Internationale Wiehnachten, Christkindlesmarkt.

So there you have it. 50 years in a nutshell. If you have crossed my path, you are in these memories and I hope to have you in my future as well.