It’s actually hard to travel in Syria alone. Everybody wants to talk to me, share tea with me, introduce me to their children and ask questions. I find the hospitality to be on par if not more so than many of the supposedly “dangerous” places I’ve visited. Axis of evil? Oh, come on! With so […]
To get a flavor of Damascus I share with you some photographs I took while wandering the old city. How many people can you fit on a motorcycle. The answer might be found here in Damascus, Syria. Heading to the Mosque. Woman always must pray separate from the men, who are praying below. The ancient […]
When I travel to a new city, particularly one that is capital of the country I’m visiting, I tend to park the bike and walk, take mass transit or in the odd case I’m traveling far or on a time schedule I’ll take a taxi. This way I get some exercise and can seamlessly blend […]
Staying up until after 11pm last night meant getting through the border this morning shoulda been a snap and there’d be no problem making Damascus before sunset. So with my official stamp in both my passport and carnet, I rode my motorcycle to the checkpoint at the border. Asked to pull Doc aside so other […]
Getting out of Israel was a snap and all the immigration officials on both sides of the border played along with stamps or lack thereof so that a trip to Syria wouldn’t be hampered with any evidence that I’d been to Israel. Any time you can take a diversion for a trip into Salt is […]
For Jews the most holy site in Jerusalem, and in the world is the Western Wall. Also referred to as the “Wailing Wall”, today it refers to a nearly 200 foot section of an exposed ancient wall once part of The Second Temple dating back to the 19th Century BC. The exposed section of this […]
One night I ventured into New Jerusalem in hopes of tapping into the modern city while finding some great food. But because of the festivities and our president’s visiting entourage, even this solo traveler had a tough time finding a table at one of the cities nicer restaurants. Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City. […]
Of all the venerated religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, most important to the Christians and an important pilgrimage target is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where purportedly Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected. Today the Church is the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, but interestingly the key […]
As unmarked dark black cars with tinted windows and nests of antennas are escorted through the streets by a bodacious display of lights, sirens and artillery, its another blatant snub in the face those who would have preferred an alternate destiny for the holy land post World War II. … Yet as I take quiet time to wander through the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem and climb and walk above the city in the ramparts built originally by the Ottoman Turks, I can’t help but think that this is a city that belongs to everyone.
A Wall Too Far?
Flanking the Dead Sea it’s hard not to consider the history of those lands just a stone’s throw from Jordan. I wouldn’t have much time to spend in Israel, so I had to make what time I had count. The wine regions of the north, the resorts of the west and the bustle of Tel […]
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