I. Have. Five. Days. Left.
Holy shit. [ <-- excuse the French]
My time in Nice (and Cannes) and Barcelona was really fun. Full of sun, beach time, cool people, and magical fountains. Plus, I snuck into the VIP section of the Cannes Film Fest and felt super badass. But you'll have to ask me about that in person.... I'm currently in the beach town of Tossa De Mar (north of Barcelona), just relaxing and soaking up some rays for the majority of my last week abroad. It's extra easy to enjoy being a beach bum when you know you have to hit the ground running with work literally four days after you get back home. Le sigh. Real life can be such a slap in the face.
But really? From eight months (!) to less than one week. How did this happen? Where did my gap year/walkabout/year abroad go??
I'm sure there's a similar feeling for those of you who just finished (or are finishing, Anri) your academic year. Especially if it was your freshman year of college. Yet your endings may have had a bit more jubilation and relief attached to them, whereas my thoughts about finishing up are sort of... conflicted.
On the one hand, I'm SO ready to be home. I want to see my family and friends. I'm ready to return to the familiarity and comfort of STP. And by all means give me some free, home-cooked meals, my own room and bed to sleep in, and access to a washer and dryer 24/7. Honestly, for stretches of days at a time within the past few weeks it feels like all I've done is count the days, hours, minutes until my plane arrives back in MN. At certain points recently I've just lost the will to travel: I don't want to walk around new cities, I don't want to pay for museums, I don't want to meet new friends I'll just say goodbye to a few days later, I don't want to take advantage of my legal drinking age, just get me HOME.
...But on the other side of that equation- I don't want to stop traveling. Returning home means going back to having parents [whom I love! But nevertheless it'll retract a bit of my complete independence], to beginning jobs and having responsibilities, to doing chores, to sinking back into "real life." No more exploring large, new, foreign cities at night with a crew of other travelers; no more "playing tourist" in the hopes of riding the metro for free; no more recounting travel tales without feeling like I'm bragging, and no longer will my biggest problem be whether or not the sun will stay out long enough for me to get five hours of beach time in instead of four....
As I've been discussing with other travelers recently, being away from your normal routine for an extended period of time is always an amazing, surreal experience. Yet once you get back, sure there's some culture shock or whatever, but soon enough you've settled back into your old ways of life, and you think to yourself "Did I actually do that? Was I really drinking Long Island iced teas in the south of France only one month ago?" It's depressing. I don't want to believe an experience like this- and especially one so [dare I say it?] life-changing- could just fade into a fond, dreamlike memory.
Because I can honestly say that this year- this decision to embark on a year abroad- has been the best thing I've ever done. I've learned so much about myself, about being self-sufficient, about how life really IS what you make of it. I've met incredible, fun, inspiring people, people who became my best friends for days, weeks, and months. I've had amazing, new experiences. I've seen beautiful, historic, breathtaking places. I [pretty much] skipped winter. I caught up a bit on my sleep debt. Traveling has lots of pros :)
I really did this by myself- was on my own, completely independent. And I've certainly grown from that. Maybe in ways that are apparent, maybe not. One thing I am sure of, though, is that I am NOT that same little, unworldly, sheltered girl who stepped naïvely onto a plane bound for Costa Rica last September.
No fucking way.
I'll see y'all soon!
xoxo, Cleome
Friday, May 31, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Big City Livin'
As I sit here in Paris, I have (slightly) less than three weeks of backpacking left. It's crazy to think that the end of not only this leg of my adventure, but my ENTIRE year of traveling, is in sight. When I touch down on June 6, I'll have been away from home for a total of eight months.... And as ridiculous as it sounds, I'm sure in just a few weeks after being back in MN, this whole journey will have felt like a dream. But that's traveling for ya- all about living in the moment and making the most of the present. Because in the future you could be stuck in a dorm room cramming for finals....
But coming back from the above musings, let me update you on how/where I spent the last 12 days.
Berlin
Sooooo I got stuck in Berlin. Oh, nothing as dramatic as being mugged and left without money or official documents, no- by "stuck" I just mean I couldn't find enough motivation to leave the city for a while. Like, a full week a while.
See I went in thinking I'd stay three, maybe four nights. Because I'd planned to visit Cologne (and actually had already booked a hostel there) for a few days before arriving in Paris on the 14th. But after a few days in Berlin, I realized that 1) the city was too big to see everything in only a few days, 2) my hostel was a great place to hang out and full of cool people, and 3) Berlin was cheap. AND training/bussing it to Cologne and then Paris would have been extremely expensive. AND I really had no reason to go to Cologne except to say hi to a few people for a night. AND I was tired of moving around so fast.
Plus, the hostel had a decent kitchen and I was having a blast actually cooking. A girl can only live off of raw carrots, apples, and the occasional bag of trail mix for so long. Trust me.
All that ^ is to say that I stayed in Berlin the longest of any city on my backpacking adventure so far, and totally loved it. The city is gritty, raw, unrefined, and completely real. Remnants of Berlin's (and Germany's) tumultuous past litter the streets. The people are essentially all hipsters. The atmosphere is extremely laid back. Everything and anything you want to do is available there: parks, art and history museums, shopping districts, cheap hair salons, and tons of great bars/music/clubs. [Actually, such things as 36-hour clubs exist in Berlin- people enter Friday night and don't stumble out until Monday morning. Insane.]
It's interesting how my style of traveling has developed over the past month or so. At the beginning (up until Germany, actually) I was blasting through cities. Two nights, three nights, four only if it was reeeaaaally special. And I enjoyed moving around like that. It kept things fresh and interesting and I got to see a LOT.
...But try doing a month of that, and all the motion starts to get a bit old. And by 'old' I mean exhausting. Right around the time I arrived in Berlin (and if I'm being honest, maybe even a few cities beforehand) I felt in need of a break. A little bit of time where I could just plop my backpack down and not have to pack it right back up in a few days. Where I could buy food and store it in the fridge for more than a night. Where I could actually get to know people for an extended period of time. And Berlin hit the spot. (I think the rest of my visits to cities will last longer from this point on as well.)
I spent the first few days in Berlin doing all my normal touristy activities: sightseeing, taking a walking tour, wandering, museum-going, etc. And then I said a final goodbye to Alec (we'd actually split up before Berlin, anyway), settled into the hostel and a new crew of people, and just chilled. It got to the point where I'd plan one activity for the day (going to the grocery store, for example), and feel successful if I managed to complete it. So in retrospect I probably stayed one or two days too long (as I really don't remember doing anything my last couple of days), but the chill-out time was a great battery recharger. Especially because Paris was next, and I planned on doing nothing but walking the streets for five solid days (in the non-prostitute sense).
My last day in Berlin consisted of contracting major blisters on both my feet, as well as spending a sleepless night on the freezing cold airport floor before my 6am flight to Paris, but it in no way colored my view of the German capital. Berlin's a top-of-the-lister, for sure.
Paris
The capital of France, the city of romance, the location symbolized by a large metal tower... what a place! I think I'm in love. Seriously. And it's the kind of affection that really has little solid basis, because as I now try to pinpoint actual reasons I think I could stay here all my life, I'm sort of drawing a blank. The world-famous museums? The impressive monuments? The food? The vibe? The exclusivity the extortionate prices create? The weather? (<-ha, I'm so funny. It's been 60 and rainy/cloudy pretty much my whole stay...) Well, whatever the reasons, I really have enjoyed my time here.
True to my original plan, I did spend my days here just walking the city. I toured the main tourist attractions (though didn't make it up close to the Eiffel Tower/Arc Du Triomphe until my third day here), got a history lesson on the artsy Montmartre area, popped into some nifty shops, soaked up the intermittent sun in parks, and did a handful of the top museums [I did the Louvre last night for free, and after hitting the celebrity pieces like the Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo (who decides which artworks become so famous, anyway?) wandered to the Islamic art area. Where I'd step into a room and literally be the only person there. In the Louvre.... Sometimes the curators were even MIA. Kind of a surreal experience.]. Also hit the small-yet-beautiful Rodin museum. Totally recommend it.
My hostel here isn't the nicest place to hang out, but it was fine as I wasn't planning on cooking, relaxing inside, or (as sad as it sounds) meeting people in Paris. So all in all, even with the iffy weather, I think I may have found my absolute favorite city. Though I still have yet to visit a few others that may give Paris a run for its money.... But for now, it's top.
Now I'm off to really do nothing but read, tan, and stargaze on the beaches of the south of France. And the Cannes film festival. So pumped.
And yes, I'm still trying to snag a ticket to a movie premiere. I'll let you know if I succeed.
xoxo, Cleome
But coming back from the above musings, let me update you on how/where I spent the last 12 days.
Berlin
Sooooo I got stuck in Berlin. Oh, nothing as dramatic as being mugged and left without money or official documents, no- by "stuck" I just mean I couldn't find enough motivation to leave the city for a while. Like, a full week a while.
See I went in thinking I'd stay three, maybe four nights. Because I'd planned to visit Cologne (and actually had already booked a hostel there) for a few days before arriving in Paris on the 14th. But after a few days in Berlin, I realized that 1) the city was too big to see everything in only a few days, 2) my hostel was a great place to hang out and full of cool people, and 3) Berlin was cheap. AND training/bussing it to Cologne and then Paris would have been extremely expensive. AND I really had no reason to go to Cologne except to say hi to a few people for a night. AND I was tired of moving around so fast.
Plus, the hostel had a decent kitchen and I was having a blast actually cooking. A girl can only live off of raw carrots, apples, and the occasional bag of trail mix for so long. Trust me.
All that ^ is to say that I stayed in Berlin the longest of any city on my backpacking adventure so far, and totally loved it. The city is gritty, raw, unrefined, and completely real. Remnants of Berlin's (and Germany's) tumultuous past litter the streets. The people are essentially all hipsters. The atmosphere is extremely laid back. Everything and anything you want to do is available there: parks, art and history museums, shopping districts, cheap hair salons, and tons of great bars/music/clubs. [Actually, such things as 36-hour clubs exist in Berlin- people enter Friday night and don't stumble out until Monday morning. Insane.]
It's interesting how my style of traveling has developed over the past month or so. At the beginning (up until Germany, actually) I was blasting through cities. Two nights, three nights, four only if it was reeeaaaally special. And I enjoyed moving around like that. It kept things fresh and interesting and I got to see a LOT.
...But try doing a month of that, and all the motion starts to get a bit old. And by 'old' I mean exhausting. Right around the time I arrived in Berlin (and if I'm being honest, maybe even a few cities beforehand) I felt in need of a break. A little bit of time where I could just plop my backpack down and not have to pack it right back up in a few days. Where I could buy food and store it in the fridge for more than a night. Where I could actually get to know people for an extended period of time. And Berlin hit the spot. (I think the rest of my visits to cities will last longer from this point on as well.)
I spent the first few days in Berlin doing all my normal touristy activities: sightseeing, taking a walking tour, wandering, museum-going, etc. And then I said a final goodbye to Alec (we'd actually split up before Berlin, anyway), settled into the hostel and a new crew of people, and just chilled. It got to the point where I'd plan one activity for the day (going to the grocery store, for example), and feel successful if I managed to complete it. So in retrospect I probably stayed one or two days too long (as I really don't remember doing anything my last couple of days), but the chill-out time was a great battery recharger. Especially because Paris was next, and I planned on doing nothing but walking the streets for five solid days (in the non-prostitute sense).
My last day in Berlin consisted of contracting major blisters on both my feet, as well as spending a sleepless night on the freezing cold airport floor before my 6am flight to Paris, but it in no way colored my view of the German capital. Berlin's a top-of-the-lister, for sure.
Paris
The capital of France, the city of romance, the location symbolized by a large metal tower... what a place! I think I'm in love. Seriously. And it's the kind of affection that really has little solid basis, because as I now try to pinpoint actual reasons I think I could stay here all my life, I'm sort of drawing a blank. The world-famous museums? The impressive monuments? The food? The vibe? The exclusivity the extortionate prices create? The weather? (<-ha, I'm so funny. It's been 60 and rainy/cloudy pretty much my whole stay...) Well, whatever the reasons, I really have enjoyed my time here.
True to my original plan, I did spend my days here just walking the city. I toured the main tourist attractions (though didn't make it up close to the Eiffel Tower/Arc Du Triomphe until my third day here), got a history lesson on the artsy Montmartre area, popped into some nifty shops, soaked up the intermittent sun in parks, and did a handful of the top museums [I did the Louvre last night for free, and after hitting the celebrity pieces like the Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo (who decides which artworks become so famous, anyway?) wandered to the Islamic art area. Where I'd step into a room and literally be the only person there. In the Louvre.... Sometimes the curators were even MIA. Kind of a surreal experience.]. Also hit the small-yet-beautiful Rodin museum. Totally recommend it.
My hostel here isn't the nicest place to hang out, but it was fine as I wasn't planning on cooking, relaxing inside, or (as sad as it sounds) meeting people in Paris. So all in all, even with the iffy weather, I think I may have found my absolute favorite city. Though I still have yet to visit a few others that may give Paris a run for its money.... But for now, it's top.
Now I'm off to really do nothing but read, tan, and stargaze on the beaches of the south of France. And the Cannes film festival. So pumped.
And yes, I'm still trying to snag a ticket to a movie premiere. I'll let you know if I succeed.
xoxo, Cleome
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
To the East and Back Again
My time in Italy ended roughly one week ago, but damn does it feel like so much more time has gone by since then. In these past eight/nine days, my route took me through Vienna, then I hit the non-Western cities of Budapest and Prague, and am currently stationed in Berlin (just arrived). Kind of a whirlwind tour, but luckily I (so far) have lived to tell the tale.
[Oh, and if you happen to remember back to my possible list of cities to visit and their order... yeah, it's safe to say that has COMPLETELY changed. Like, everything after Italy. So get ready for some surprises :)]
Out of Italy #1~ Vienna, Austria
First on the trajectory was Vienna- a city that managed to secure a place on my list of favorite spots by the time I had to say goodbye (three days after getting in).
If I had to describe the vibe present in Vienna in one word, it would have to be "artsy." Everything had a creative bend: murals on the walls lining the river banks, art-nouveau architecture, random decorations on buildings... not to mention the hundreds of art museums all over the city. <- all the prettiness within Vienna made it so much fun to walk around and just marvel at the various types of public artwork.
I was mostly on my own in Vienna, but the city was so full of things to do and see, it didn't matter. To be honest, I generally prefer exploring cities on my own. I have gone out wandering with others, which is certainly fun, but I like to walk... like, a lot, and so when I'm going solo I can move around as much/little as I want. Also, I've devised the perfect method to get the most out of sightseeing in a city: grab a map from the hostel and figure out where that is located, then pick a direction that heads toward the main tourist attractions and put my map away until the evening when I realize I should start heading back to cook some dinner. Using that way of exploring, I invariably end up seeing more of the city than I otherwise would have, as I rely on my sub-par sense of direction (and which streets look coolest) to determine where I end up walking. Trying to make it back to the hostel with the map always turns into an adventure, as well....
So yeah, at this point I think Vienna would be one of the few cities I've visited which I could see myself returning to to live for a more extended period of time. Highly recommended.
Out of Italy #2~ Budapest, Hungary
Umm, it had never even crossed my mind to venture into Budapest, even briefly, until people I'd met in Europe (from Athens on) began mentioning the city as a cool place to go check out. But as I began rethinking my route- due to finanicial as well as interest reasons- I started to formulate a plan to hit a few more eastern cities (namely Split, Croatia; Budapest, Hungary, and Prague, Czech Republic) before stepping into Berlin....
Which happened to worked out perfectly when I met Alec (my travel buddy basically beginning in Budapest) in Rome, and it turned out he was planning on doing a similar thing at basically the same time (only he wanted to hit Vienna instead of Croatia). So we decided to keep in touch on our separate trips through Italy, and then just see if it would work out to meet up and travel together through Vienna [though we only arrived there together- he was staying with family friends, so we didn't see each other much in Austria], Budapest, Prague, and Berlin. And it did. By the time we split (at end of our visit to Berlin), we'll have traveled together for about a week.
Anyway, back to Budapest. My first real venture into "Eastern Europe." So cool.
Budapest the city, if taken solely at face-value, has little to offer tourists. You can see the monuments in a day, there are few museums, and it takes maybe 45 minutes to walk from one side to the other. But if you delve a bit deeper, there's a lot of cool things to DO. In my one and a half days in Budapest I: saw a $5 opera, went to a cheap Hungarian buffet, got caught in a torrential downpour, and visited "the 3rd best pub in the world" (according to Lonely Planet) in a cool ruins bar- building blasted in WWII and kept in its damaged condition. I had a lot of fun, and the vibe in the city (and among the travelers who pass through) is extremely relaxed and into having a good time. The atmosphere felt a lot more sunny than the majority of other European cities I've been to; it reminded me of Central America a bit, actually. Extremely comfortable and easy to immediately feel at home. Had I not already planned to go to Prague, I most likely would have stayed in Budapest longer. It was nice and cheap, too :)
[Also, Budapest reminded me that, though in Europe there are tons of possible routes to take/places to visit, the traveling community is weirdly small. I ran into not one but two different people I'd hung out with in my earlier travels (one in Israel, one in Athens) in the same day while walking through Budapest. Forces of the universe at work, I tell ya....]
Out of Italy #3: Prague, Czech Republic
Second (and final?) stop in the east was Prague- a city I'd heard a lot about, beginning in Costa Rica. It had the reputation of not only being extremely gorgeous, but also possessing a pretty active nightlife. Best of both worlds, right?
I really did enjoy Prague, no doubt. But maybe if I hadn't already seen Vienna, I would've been more amazed by its Victorian beauty. And maybe if I wasn't coming from Budapest, I'd have been overwhelmed by the nightlife experience....
That being said, I still had a great time in Prague. The walking tour I took was my favorite of the five or so I've been on so far. Seeing the astronomical clock "performance" was pretty cool. I came across free-ranging peacocks one morning, which definitely made my day. The city was full of scenic views and elegant architecture. And trying authentic absinthe had been on my To Do list... ;)
Plus, met some cool people and had a good Prague-after-dark experience. A fun, beautiful, and cheap city.
Loving All the Moving, But...
To those of you who don't know much about backpacking, it may sound like one big vacation. And while it is most likely on average more enjoyable than a routine of studying/working day after day, let me tell you: straight traveling is exhausting. Most cities are a three or four day stop, and in that short amount of time you try and fit in EVERY single "touristy" thing to do. Plus activities you hear recommended by other travelers. Plus going out at night. And if you're me, you walk everywhere. Because you're cheap. And wandering around is fun, anyway. But put it all together and it's a lot.
No, I am in no way complaining. Honestly, the backpacker life is pretty stress-free :) However, I am quite looking forward to spending at least a week in southern France. I'm planning on beach-bumming it for a while, coupled with some daytrips to the Cannes film fest. Sounds like a good life, no?
Two more big cities and then the beach. Hope y'all are enjoying finals....
xoxo, Cleome
[Oh, and if you happen to remember back to my possible list of cities to visit and their order... yeah, it's safe to say that has COMPLETELY changed. Like, everything after Italy. So get ready for some surprises :)]
Out of Italy #1~ Vienna, Austria
First on the trajectory was Vienna- a city that managed to secure a place on my list of favorite spots by the time I had to say goodbye (three days after getting in).
If I had to describe the vibe present in Vienna in one word, it would have to be "artsy." Everything had a creative bend: murals on the walls lining the river banks, art-nouveau architecture, random decorations on buildings... not to mention the hundreds of art museums all over the city. <- all the prettiness within Vienna made it so much fun to walk around and just marvel at the various types of public artwork.
I was mostly on my own in Vienna, but the city was so full of things to do and see, it didn't matter. To be honest, I generally prefer exploring cities on my own. I have gone out wandering with others, which is certainly fun, but I like to walk... like, a lot, and so when I'm going solo I can move around as much/little as I want. Also, I've devised the perfect method to get the most out of sightseeing in a city: grab a map from the hostel and figure out where that is located, then pick a direction that heads toward the main tourist attractions and put my map away until the evening when I realize I should start heading back to cook some dinner. Using that way of exploring, I invariably end up seeing more of the city than I otherwise would have, as I rely on my sub-par sense of direction (and which streets look coolest) to determine where I end up walking. Trying to make it back to the hostel with the map always turns into an adventure, as well....
So yeah, at this point I think Vienna would be one of the few cities I've visited which I could see myself returning to to live for a more extended period of time. Highly recommended.
Out of Italy #2~ Budapest, Hungary
Umm, it had never even crossed my mind to venture into Budapest, even briefly, until people I'd met in Europe (from Athens on) began mentioning the city as a cool place to go check out. But as I began rethinking my route- due to finanicial as well as interest reasons- I started to formulate a plan to hit a few more eastern cities (namely Split, Croatia; Budapest, Hungary, and Prague, Czech Republic) before stepping into Berlin....
Which happened to worked out perfectly when I met Alec (my travel buddy basically beginning in Budapest) in Rome, and it turned out he was planning on doing a similar thing at basically the same time (only he wanted to hit Vienna instead of Croatia). So we decided to keep in touch on our separate trips through Italy, and then just see if it would work out to meet up and travel together through Vienna [though we only arrived there together- he was staying with family friends, so we didn't see each other much in Austria], Budapest, Prague, and Berlin. And it did. By the time we split (at end of our visit to Berlin), we'll have traveled together for about a week.
Anyway, back to Budapest. My first real venture into "Eastern Europe." So cool.
Budapest the city, if taken solely at face-value, has little to offer tourists. You can see the monuments in a day, there are few museums, and it takes maybe 45 minutes to walk from one side to the other. But if you delve a bit deeper, there's a lot of cool things to DO. In my one and a half days in Budapest I: saw a $5 opera, went to a cheap Hungarian buffet, got caught in a torrential downpour, and visited "the 3rd best pub in the world" (according to Lonely Planet) in a cool ruins bar- building blasted in WWII and kept in its damaged condition. I had a lot of fun, and the vibe in the city (and among the travelers who pass through) is extremely relaxed and into having a good time. The atmosphere felt a lot more sunny than the majority of other European cities I've been to; it reminded me of Central America a bit, actually. Extremely comfortable and easy to immediately feel at home. Had I not already planned to go to Prague, I most likely would have stayed in Budapest longer. It was nice and cheap, too :)
[Also, Budapest reminded me that, though in Europe there are tons of possible routes to take/places to visit, the traveling community is weirdly small. I ran into not one but two different people I'd hung out with in my earlier travels (one in Israel, one in Athens) in the same day while walking through Budapest. Forces of the universe at work, I tell ya....]
Out of Italy #3: Prague, Czech Republic
Second (and final?) stop in the east was Prague- a city I'd heard a lot about, beginning in Costa Rica. It had the reputation of not only being extremely gorgeous, but also possessing a pretty active nightlife. Best of both worlds, right?
I really did enjoy Prague, no doubt. But maybe if I hadn't already seen Vienna, I would've been more amazed by its Victorian beauty. And maybe if I wasn't coming from Budapest, I'd have been overwhelmed by the nightlife experience....
That being said, I still had a great time in Prague. The walking tour I took was my favorite of the five or so I've been on so far. Seeing the astronomical clock "performance" was pretty cool. I came across free-ranging peacocks one morning, which definitely made my day. The city was full of scenic views and elegant architecture. And trying authentic absinthe had been on my To Do list... ;)
Plus, met some cool people and had a good Prague-after-dark experience. A fun, beautiful, and cheap city.
Loving All the Moving, But...
To those of you who don't know much about backpacking, it may sound like one big vacation. And while it is most likely on average more enjoyable than a routine of studying/working day after day, let me tell you: straight traveling is exhausting. Most cities are a three or four day stop, and in that short amount of time you try and fit in EVERY single "touristy" thing to do. Plus activities you hear recommended by other travelers. Plus going out at night. And if you're me, you walk everywhere. Because you're cheap. And wandering around is fun, anyway. But put it all together and it's a lot.
No, I am in no way complaining. Honestly, the backpacker life is pretty stress-free :) However, I am quite looking forward to spending at least a week in southern France. I'm planning on beach-bumming it for a while, coupled with some daytrips to the Cannes film fest. Sounds like a good life, no?
Two more big cities and then the beach. Hope y'all are enjoying finals....
xoxo, Cleome
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Ciao Ciao
Gray day in Venice. Luckily I've got a nice apartment, five cool American chicks, and- of course- this blog post to keep me going :)
My time in Italy is up! One day more and I head for the hills. Literally- I'm going to Vienna. And gaining a travel buddy (finally) along the way. It's crazy to imagine I've been solo-but-not-alone backpacking for essentially one whole month now. And I've got basically only one month (okay, five weeks) left until I return from my time abroad. I'll have been out for eight of the past twelve months once I touch down in STP. Insane.
But it's a bit too early to get nostalgic for experiences I'm still not through with. Let's talk about Italy.
Roma
Rome I already briefed y'all about. Amazing city to walk around in, but I moved on pretty quickly [in retrospect, definitely WAY too quickly] due to my severely lacking social scene.... C'est la vie.
Firenze
Florence is where I left off in blog world. I stayed there four nights (the longest of any city in Italy- and actually in my backpacking journey so far) because I really just couldn't get enough of the city! To me, it felt like Rome on a smaller, more Cleome-friendly scale: less streets to get lost on, a bit calmer vibe, gorgeous river in the middle with actual grassy banks, and still lots of old buildings and museums to go check out.
Another reason I felt no need to rush out was thanks to the cool people I met (at last!). I met a guy studying in Rome, Max, my first night, who acted like my guide around Florence for a day. A fun group of five American girls studying in Grenoble (France) checked in the next night, and that's who I'm staying with in this apartment in Venice. And I found a museum-going buddy in Robin on my last full day in town. So a much better friend scene there, which allowed me to take my time and enjoy the sites a little less hurriedly than in Rome.
Florence is definitely near the top of my "Favorite Cities I've Seen" list.
Bologna [I think the English and Italian names are the same...]
Now this was a different type of tourist experience.
For one, I was only going to Bologna because I had a place to stay (my dad's old Italian girlfriend and family live there- not that I'd ever met them... but in traveling, any and every connection is valid). I don't even think there's a hostel there. And two, Bologna is not really set up in any way for tourists. Which is great! Makes for a very authentic Italian town experience. But for all the pros (no entrance fees, no one speaking English, no people trying to sell you stuff on the street), there are also some cons... mainly that NO ONE speaks English. Makes it tricky to, say, buy a train ticket, or, for example, understand when people are yelling at you for entering a private art showing....
But I loved walking around the city! I pretty much just walked down cool looking streets, under all the archways, and into any open door I could find. Not many large monuments, but enough to keep you occupied for a good chunk of time. Also, Bologna has parts that are incredibly green and flowery and gorgeous. Which I was able to find thanks to having a tour guide in the form of Cinzia- my mother for the two days I stayed in Bologna :)
Getting that homestay feel in the middle of traveling was an experience too great for words. In backpacking you're always in a hostel, no privacy, strangers everywhere, everything costs you money, and you feel the need to go go go. Being able to sleep in a non-bunk bed, in my own room, have my meals cooked for me and my laundry done, was almost too much. I felt immediately at home, and just went into relaxation mode. Which was desperately needed. [Though now I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to get out and do my normal eight hours of walking a day....]
So I was really sad to leave Bologna. 'Nuff said.
Venezia
Venice is one of those cities I'm pretty sure the majority of the [Western] human population wants to see. Because it's supposed to be magical- it's a floating city, for goodness sake. One that may go underwater in the not too distant future... but let's not think about that.
[Also, not sure if everyone but me realized this, but an aerial map of Venice shows that the city looks like a fish. How cool!]
I think Venice is a nice place to visit, certainly, but a few days is by far enough (for me). It's so cool walking around as there are no cars, narrow, twisting alleyways lead everywhere, and you're surrounded by water. But the city is also extremely touristy, expensive (literally everything costs money- and more euros than the rest of Italy), and has NO nightlife. I'm serious. It's like a ghost town at night. So I guess a decent spot for a family vacation, then... haha.
Walking around and stepping into church entries (so I don't have to pay <- cheap backpacker tip), plus the occasional artsy shop has been fun. And getting lost in the crazy, non-planned city streets is definitely part of the Venetian experience. But after one more full day tomorrow (in which I'll be kicked out of the apartment where I've been holing myself up...) I think I'll have gotten my fill.
Though walking around at night, having the streets to yourself and taking in the reflection of lights on the water is quite magical. Venice works well for lovers I'd say, too.
To sum up Italy, I enjoyed every place I visited for different reasons.
Rome for the history and the walking and the monuments.
Florence for the atmosphere and the people.
Bologna for its authenticity and my insider experience.
Venice for its novelty.
Italy is a terribly beautiful country that inspires romance with every scene you drink in. Incredible cities. Ancient histories. Wonderful people (locals and travelers). Delicious food.
...But traveling through this country also burned a not-so-attractive hole in my pocket. I'm ready to stop living in poverty. I'm ready for Eastern Europe!
Vienna- it's on.
xoxo, Cleome
My time in Italy is up! One day more and I head for the hills. Literally- I'm going to Vienna. And gaining a travel buddy (finally) along the way. It's crazy to imagine I've been solo-but-not-alone backpacking for essentially one whole month now. And I've got basically only one month (okay, five weeks) left until I return from my time abroad. I'll have been out for eight of the past twelve months once I touch down in STP. Insane.
But it's a bit too early to get nostalgic for experiences I'm still not through with. Let's talk about Italy.
Roma
Rome I already briefed y'all about. Amazing city to walk around in, but I moved on pretty quickly [in retrospect, definitely WAY too quickly] due to my severely lacking social scene.... C'est la vie.
Firenze
Florence is where I left off in blog world. I stayed there four nights (the longest of any city in Italy- and actually in my backpacking journey so far) because I really just couldn't get enough of the city! To me, it felt like Rome on a smaller, more Cleome-friendly scale: less streets to get lost on, a bit calmer vibe, gorgeous river in the middle with actual grassy banks, and still lots of old buildings and museums to go check out.
Another reason I felt no need to rush out was thanks to the cool people I met (at last!). I met a guy studying in Rome, Max, my first night, who acted like my guide around Florence for a day. A fun group of five American girls studying in Grenoble (France) checked in the next night, and that's who I'm staying with in this apartment in Venice. And I found a museum-going buddy in Robin on my last full day in town. So a much better friend scene there, which allowed me to take my time and enjoy the sites a little less hurriedly than in Rome.
Florence is definitely near the top of my "Favorite Cities I've Seen" list.
Bologna [I think the English and Italian names are the same...]
Now this was a different type of tourist experience.
For one, I was only going to Bologna because I had a place to stay (my dad's old Italian girlfriend and family live there- not that I'd ever met them... but in traveling, any and every connection is valid). I don't even think there's a hostel there. And two, Bologna is not really set up in any way for tourists. Which is great! Makes for a very authentic Italian town experience. But for all the pros (no entrance fees, no one speaking English, no people trying to sell you stuff on the street), there are also some cons... mainly that NO ONE speaks English. Makes it tricky to, say, buy a train ticket, or, for example, understand when people are yelling at you for entering a private art showing....
But I loved walking around the city! I pretty much just walked down cool looking streets, under all the archways, and into any open door I could find. Not many large monuments, but enough to keep you occupied for a good chunk of time. Also, Bologna has parts that are incredibly green and flowery and gorgeous. Which I was able to find thanks to having a tour guide in the form of Cinzia- my mother for the two days I stayed in Bologna :)
Getting that homestay feel in the middle of traveling was an experience too great for words. In backpacking you're always in a hostel, no privacy, strangers everywhere, everything costs you money, and you feel the need to go go go. Being able to sleep in a non-bunk bed, in my own room, have my meals cooked for me and my laundry done, was almost too much. I felt immediately at home, and just went into relaxation mode. Which was desperately needed. [Though now I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to get out and do my normal eight hours of walking a day....]
So I was really sad to leave Bologna. 'Nuff said.
Venezia
Venice is one of those cities I'm pretty sure the majority of the [Western] human population wants to see. Because it's supposed to be magical- it's a floating city, for goodness sake. One that may go underwater in the not too distant future... but let's not think about that.
[Also, not sure if everyone but me realized this, but an aerial map of Venice shows that the city looks like a fish. How cool!]
I think Venice is a nice place to visit, certainly, but a few days is by far enough (for me). It's so cool walking around as there are no cars, narrow, twisting alleyways lead everywhere, and you're surrounded by water. But the city is also extremely touristy, expensive (literally everything costs money- and more euros than the rest of Italy), and has NO nightlife. I'm serious. It's like a ghost town at night. So I guess a decent spot for a family vacation, then... haha.
Walking around and stepping into church entries (so I don't have to pay <- cheap backpacker tip), plus the occasional artsy shop has been fun. And getting lost in the crazy, non-planned city streets is definitely part of the Venetian experience. But after one more full day tomorrow (in which I'll be kicked out of the apartment where I've been holing myself up...) I think I'll have gotten my fill.
Though walking around at night, having the streets to yourself and taking in the reflection of lights on the water is quite magical. Venice works well for lovers I'd say, too.
To sum up Italy, I enjoyed every place I visited for different reasons.
Rome for the history and the walking and the monuments.
Florence for the atmosphere and the people.
Bologna for its authenticity and my insider experience.
Venice for its novelty.
Italy is a terribly beautiful country that inspires romance with every scene you drink in. Incredible cities. Ancient histories. Wonderful people (locals and travelers). Delicious food.
...But traveling through this country also burned a not-so-attractive hole in my pocket. I'm ready to stop living in poverty. I'm ready for Eastern Europe!
Vienna- it's on.
xoxo, Cleome
Saturday, April 20, 2013
[Nearly] Three Weeks In
I'm currently sitting in the reception area of a hostel in downtown Rome, minutes from the main Termini station. Since all I really have on the agenda today is to make it to Florence by mid-afternoon (as opposed to my last couple weeks of what feels like non-stop activities crammed into each and every day), I figured this was a good time to write a quick update on my solo traveling adventures. Here goes!
Week 1: Jerusalem, Mitzpe Ramon (Israel)
I left my volunteer position at the Fauzi at the beginning of April- literally April 1. I, accompanied by my volunteer bestie Jake who had a few days off, headed to Jerusalem to base ourselves there for a couple of days. While there I finally got around to doing all the major touristy stuff, haha: hiked the snake path up to the ruins of Masada, swam (floated?) in the Dead Sea, and hiked through the natural oasis of Ein Gedi. I had fun, but mainly enjoyed being able to check them off my Israel to do list... they'd sort of been hanging over my head. <- And that may sound really flippant, but I think I've slightly overloaded on gorgeous treks and ancient Roman/Ottoman/Byzantine ruins. There happen to be a ton all over Israel. So while they were still nice to visit, I wasn't as wowed as a first-timer would've been, I'm sure.
Jake left me to return to Nazareth on Wednesday, and so Thursday morning I set out to my first real location where I didn't know anyone: Mitzpe Ramon, a town situated in the middle of the Negev desert. The draw of Mitzpe is that it happens to be right next to this huge crater-like thing (but it's not a crater!) called a makhtesh. Only seven makhtesh exist in the world; five in Israel and two in Jordan. I'm not exactly sure on the actual differences between a makhtesh and crater... but makhtesh aren't formed by meteors or eruptions or anything- it's all about the natural shifts of the earth that happen in a particular sequence. Anyway, I LOVED it there- stayed for three nights. I did a few different desert hikes that were just amazing, got some sun, and did I mention that the Green Backpackers hostel was incredible? Great vibe, intimate, run by accredited tour guides, and attracted the coolest people (other guests and volunteers). We had a communal dinner, movie night, poker game (which I won!), and lots of interesting conversations. I felt extremely comfortable there and was sad to leave. But I didn't stay as I had other places I really wanted to visit, too.
Week 2: Petra (Jordan), Eilat, Mishmar Haemek, Nazareth (Israel)
I managed to pick up a travel buddy in Mitzpe Ramon- this cool Argentinian named Jose who happened to be a hostel volunteer at Green Backpackers, but used his free days to travel south with me to the beaches of Eilat. We missed our bus... but it turned out for the best as we hitch hiked and arrived at the resort town earlier and for free. We spent two days just picking out beaches to hit up, playing guitar, speaking Spanish (attempting to, on my part...), snorkeling (so good there! An amazing variety of vibrant fish), and chilling on the hostel patio at night. I had a great time, and parting was bittersweet. I hope we meet up again someday.
After Eilat I joined an old person tour to the ancient Nabitian city of Petra, located about two hours over the border in Jordan. I spent two days wandering around one of the eight wonders of the ancient world, and it was an incredible, impressive sight to behold. The city was just so picturesque- and extensive! Right when you thought you'd reached the outskirts, another little path was leading you up a million stairs to some other monastery.... I spent two days there and still didn't get to see everything. A definite highlight from Petra was also getting to stay in a real hotel (part of the tour package). A non-bunk bed. My own bathroom. A full-length mirror. I was in heaven. Took full advantage of my privacy and just stripped and flung myself on the bed. It felt soooo good. <- by far the nicest place I have stayed and will stay while traveling alone.
Once I was let back into Israel (there was a bit of border iffiness, but they finally let me through), I took a series of busses over the course of eight hours to get to my friend Jess's kibbutz in the north- about one hour from Nazareth. I'd been there once before for a day, so arriving again felt a bit like coming home... or at least to a relievingly familiar place with familiar people. It was so much fun hanging out on the kibbutz for a night with Jess and her friends again. They're always a fun group to see :)
On Friday I bid farewell to the kibbutzers and headed off with Jess to Nazareth (she wanted to come back for a few hours to say hi). We arrived at the Fauzi, and that definitely felt like coming home: we knew the town, the people, and it all felt so normal. Though I have to say, returning to a place you already left always feels a bit weird. Like you're coming into another dimension's version of that area, sci-fi- everything's the same, but different, too.... Regardless, it was really nice having a place to stay, eat, and do laundry for free before leaving Israel- the next day I'd be setting off for only unfamiliar locales where I have 0 connections. Which was simultaneously freaky and exhilarating.
Goodbyes while traveling are always hard, and even more-so when it's with people you've gotten to know really well. Saying goodbye to Jess was difficult- she was my best friend in Nazareth for almost a month, and we really bonded. Our goodbye was more of a see-you-later. I sincerely hope we meet again. Plus, I'll have gotten her some cool present by that point as a thanks for her incredibly touching gift of a hamza necklace (which I haven't taken off since I got it). Love and miss you Jess! I also had to say bye to Jake, but we can meet up in the States, so. And the last person I said goodbye to was Hagai, an amazing night receptionist, even if he hates people ;) He saw me to the train station, and from there I was on my way to fly to Europe!
Week 3: Athens (Greece), Rome (Italy)
And then I got to continental Europe! My first day in Athens was more of a catch-up-on-sleep day, as I'd been ridiculously interrogated by israeli security throughout the early morning hours for whatever reason. When I finally felt like getting out, I was immediately overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness. Here's an excerpt from an email I sent my parents that first day:
"So much of a good time traveling is about meeting others. No way in hell am I going to spend 6 weeks walking around and doing everything alone. Maybe I'm not ready to be an independent backpacker. Maybe we all overestimated my abilities to get out there, be social, be alone, and SURVIVE. Or at least enjoy it.
Clearly I'm still not feeling very positive. I had a good thing going in Israel. I had friends, a community, knowledge of the transportation system and what to do in each location I visited. Out here I have nil. And a major dip in self-confidence.
Part of me wants to end this now and just come home.
I'm too afraid to hack it solo in this big world."
...So I was being a bit dramatic. But looking past the woe-is-me stuff, I actually was feeling like I'd made a huge mistake. And then literally as I was sitting in the hostel, about to write another depressed email, my knight in shining armor [hi MJ!] sits down next to me and strikes up a conversation. And from there my time in Athens was bomb :)
I found myself a part of an awesome crew of two other 18-year-old girl solo travelers (!), and this Canadian dude. We had dinners together, roamed Athens at night, went off to a lake, and just had each other's backs. It was great, and though we were only together two days, it was extremely sad parting from them. But I think we met because forces in the universe wanted to give all of us young, independent girls a confidence boost: you are badass, check out these other chicks who are just as amazing as you are! Oh, and Athens itself? A really cool city. All monuments are located in one spot, the city feels extremely safe, and walking around was fun. A great intro to Europe.
And last but not least, Rome! This incredible city I've heard so much about. And boy does it live up to expectations. I literally spent two full days (at least eight hours) wandering the streets of Rome. Part of that may have to do with my lack of map-reading skills as opposed to how far everything is, but hey, it's a great way to see more of a city than you were originally planning, yeah? There are not only important historic sites every street you turn down, but some of the neighborhoods are adorable, there is so much greenery, and the street fashions make people-watching super cool.
The only bummer with Rome is the people. Not the Italians or anything- my personal people. The people I'm bonding with and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Rome with. The people who don't exist. [Don't get me wrong- I've met people, and even went out to get authentic Italian pasta with someone, but I have no CREW. Which is what I want and what I'm missing.]
So I'm off to Florence today. You could spend months in Rome and still not know it all, but after two days I've hit all the major sites, and think I know what the city's about. I'll come back, maybe. But for now I'm moving on.
Let's go, baby.
xoxo, Cleome
Week 1: Jerusalem, Mitzpe Ramon (Israel)
I left my volunteer position at the Fauzi at the beginning of April- literally April 1. I, accompanied by my volunteer bestie Jake who had a few days off, headed to Jerusalem to base ourselves there for a couple of days. While there I finally got around to doing all the major touristy stuff, haha: hiked the snake path up to the ruins of Masada, swam (floated?) in the Dead Sea, and hiked through the natural oasis of Ein Gedi. I had fun, but mainly enjoyed being able to check them off my Israel to do list... they'd sort of been hanging over my head. <- And that may sound really flippant, but I think I've slightly overloaded on gorgeous treks and ancient Roman/Ottoman/Byzantine ruins. There happen to be a ton all over Israel. So while they were still nice to visit, I wasn't as wowed as a first-timer would've been, I'm sure.
Jake left me to return to Nazareth on Wednesday, and so Thursday morning I set out to my first real location where I didn't know anyone: Mitzpe Ramon, a town situated in the middle of the Negev desert. The draw of Mitzpe is that it happens to be right next to this huge crater-like thing (but it's not a crater!) called a makhtesh. Only seven makhtesh exist in the world; five in Israel and two in Jordan. I'm not exactly sure on the actual differences between a makhtesh and crater... but makhtesh aren't formed by meteors or eruptions or anything- it's all about the natural shifts of the earth that happen in a particular sequence. Anyway, I LOVED it there- stayed for three nights. I did a few different desert hikes that were just amazing, got some sun, and did I mention that the Green Backpackers hostel was incredible? Great vibe, intimate, run by accredited tour guides, and attracted the coolest people (other guests and volunteers). We had a communal dinner, movie night, poker game (which I won!), and lots of interesting conversations. I felt extremely comfortable there and was sad to leave. But I didn't stay as I had other places I really wanted to visit, too.
Week 2: Petra (Jordan), Eilat, Mishmar Haemek, Nazareth (Israel)
I managed to pick up a travel buddy in Mitzpe Ramon- this cool Argentinian named Jose who happened to be a hostel volunteer at Green Backpackers, but used his free days to travel south with me to the beaches of Eilat. We missed our bus... but it turned out for the best as we hitch hiked and arrived at the resort town earlier and for free. We spent two days just picking out beaches to hit up, playing guitar, speaking Spanish (attempting to, on my part...), snorkeling (so good there! An amazing variety of vibrant fish), and chilling on the hostel patio at night. I had a great time, and parting was bittersweet. I hope we meet up again someday.
After Eilat I joined an old person tour to the ancient Nabitian city of Petra, located about two hours over the border in Jordan. I spent two days wandering around one of the eight wonders of the ancient world, and it was an incredible, impressive sight to behold. The city was just so picturesque- and extensive! Right when you thought you'd reached the outskirts, another little path was leading you up a million stairs to some other monastery.... I spent two days there and still didn't get to see everything. A definite highlight from Petra was also getting to stay in a real hotel (part of the tour package). A non-bunk bed. My own bathroom. A full-length mirror. I was in heaven. Took full advantage of my privacy and just stripped and flung myself on the bed. It felt soooo good. <- by far the nicest place I have stayed and will stay while traveling alone.
Once I was let back into Israel (there was a bit of border iffiness, but they finally let me through), I took a series of busses over the course of eight hours to get to my friend Jess's kibbutz in the north- about one hour from Nazareth. I'd been there once before for a day, so arriving again felt a bit like coming home... or at least to a relievingly familiar place with familiar people. It was so much fun hanging out on the kibbutz for a night with Jess and her friends again. They're always a fun group to see :)
On Friday I bid farewell to the kibbutzers and headed off with Jess to Nazareth (she wanted to come back for a few hours to say hi). We arrived at the Fauzi, and that definitely felt like coming home: we knew the town, the people, and it all felt so normal. Though I have to say, returning to a place you already left always feels a bit weird. Like you're coming into another dimension's version of that area, sci-fi- everything's the same, but different, too.... Regardless, it was really nice having a place to stay, eat, and do laundry for free before leaving Israel- the next day I'd be setting off for only unfamiliar locales where I have 0 connections. Which was simultaneously freaky and exhilarating.
Goodbyes while traveling are always hard, and even more-so when it's with people you've gotten to know really well. Saying goodbye to Jess was difficult- she was my best friend in Nazareth for almost a month, and we really bonded. Our goodbye was more of a see-you-later. I sincerely hope we meet again. Plus, I'll have gotten her some cool present by that point as a thanks for her incredibly touching gift of a hamza necklace (which I haven't taken off since I got it). Love and miss you Jess! I also had to say bye to Jake, but we can meet up in the States, so. And the last person I said goodbye to was Hagai, an amazing night receptionist, even if he hates people ;) He saw me to the train station, and from there I was on my way to fly to Europe!
Week 3: Athens (Greece), Rome (Italy)
And then I got to continental Europe! My first day in Athens was more of a catch-up-on-sleep day, as I'd been ridiculously interrogated by israeli security throughout the early morning hours for whatever reason. When I finally felt like getting out, I was immediately overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness. Here's an excerpt from an email I sent my parents that first day:
"So much of a good time traveling is about meeting others. No way in hell am I going to spend 6 weeks walking around and doing everything alone. Maybe I'm not ready to be an independent backpacker. Maybe we all overestimated my abilities to get out there, be social, be alone, and SURVIVE. Or at least enjoy it.
Clearly I'm still not feeling very positive. I had a good thing going in Israel. I had friends, a community, knowledge of the transportation system and what to do in each location I visited. Out here I have nil. And a major dip in self-confidence.
Part of me wants to end this now and just come home.
I'm too afraid to hack it solo in this big world."
...So I was being a bit dramatic. But looking past the woe-is-me stuff, I actually was feeling like I'd made a huge mistake. And then literally as I was sitting in the hostel, about to write another depressed email, my knight in shining armor [hi MJ!] sits down next to me and strikes up a conversation. And from there my time in Athens was bomb :)
I found myself a part of an awesome crew of two other 18-year-old girl solo travelers (!), and this Canadian dude. We had dinners together, roamed Athens at night, went off to a lake, and just had each other's backs. It was great, and though we were only together two days, it was extremely sad parting from them. But I think we met because forces in the universe wanted to give all of us young, independent girls a confidence boost: you are badass, check out these other chicks who are just as amazing as you are! Oh, and Athens itself? A really cool city. All monuments are located in one spot, the city feels extremely safe, and walking around was fun. A great intro to Europe.
And last but not least, Rome! This incredible city I've heard so much about. And boy does it live up to expectations. I literally spent two full days (at least eight hours) wandering the streets of Rome. Part of that may have to do with my lack of map-reading skills as opposed to how far everything is, but hey, it's a great way to see more of a city than you were originally planning, yeah? There are not only important historic sites every street you turn down, but some of the neighborhoods are adorable, there is so much greenery, and the street fashions make people-watching super cool.
The only bummer with Rome is the people. Not the Italians or anything- my personal people. The people I'm bonding with and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Rome with. The people who don't exist. [Don't get me wrong- I've met people, and even went out to get authentic Italian pasta with someone, but I have no CREW. Which is what I want and what I'm missing.]
So I'm off to Florence today. You could spend months in Rome and still not know it all, but after two days I've hit all the major sites, and think I know what the city's about. I'll come back, maybe. But for now I'm moving on.
Let's go, baby.
xoxo, Cleome
Friday, March 29, 2013
Preliminary Itinerary
I've heard that for a lot of people, the planning of a trip is almost as (or even more) enjoyable than actually taking the trip. While, maybe that'd be the case for me if I actually had a lot of time to plan... but backpacking is a bit different than vacationing, for one, and two, I think the most "planning" I can do at this point is just try and create a basic route to follow.
Below is what I've come up with so far.
Will it change? Duh. Not only is it super bare-bones at this point (I'll probably end up cutting through some small towns I've never know existed before), but I'm sure it also includes way too many spots for me to feasibly hit [though you should've seen my first first draft...]. And I've no idea whether I'll like a place so much I want to stay for a week, or hate a place and be on the first train out after not even a day. Plus, I'm still crossing my fingers that I meet cool people to hang with- who'll no doubt influence my route as well.
But are these the places my brain believes I can (and want to) make it to in ~9 weeks? Yup.
(By the way, dates are totally approximate once I leave Israel.)
Israel
April 1-14
>Negev (Desert) Region
-Masada
-Ein Gedi
-Dead Sea
-Mitzpe Ramon
>Eilat
>Petra (technically in Jordan- I've got to see if I've got the time/funds to visit a wonder of the ancient world for a few days)
>back north to say goodbye if I have time?
Europe: April 14-June 6
Greece
April 14-17?
>Athens
-day trip to Mycenae?
Italy
April 17-May 4?
>Rome
-be there on April 21st for its b-day celebration?
>Naples (yes Mom, I'm still planning on going. I'll try to find a guy to travel with...)
-Pompeii
-grotto azzurra
>Florence
-trips to Pisa for the tower and Cinque Terre for the view
>Bologna
>Venice
Germany
May 4-16?
>Munich
>Prague? It's the most interesting thing between the two German cities, so I may have to pop over to the Czech Republic for a bit.
>Berlin
>Cologne
>Frankfurt or Black Forest or Geneva (Switzerland) or Aosta Valley (Italy) <-- clearly having some issues making up my mind... I know I just need to go south from Cologne
France
May 16-June 3?
>Cannes
-Film Festival May 15-26 <-- wierdly enough, this event has become what I'm orienting my whole trip around... not sure why, but ever since I realized I could get there timing-wise, it's become non-negotiable. It also help that Cannes is located on the beaches in the south of France. AND that I can see some of the premieres for free.
[Slight topic deviation: I've developed a small goal of meeting an actor/producer/director/etc. who I can then entice into inviting me to a VIP-only movie premiere. I'll make sure to update the blog should any progress with that occur....]
>Nice, Marseilles, other beach towns in southern France
[>Biarritz or Bordeaux or Normandy if I find myself with some spare time?]
>Tours
>Paris (and Versailles)
Netherlands
June 3-6
•Amsterdam
So my Europe route is sort of zig-zagging its way up through Italy, looping around Germany (possibly detouring into the Czech Republic), and then cutting down across the south of France, up to Paris, and finally ending in Amsterdam. Definitely a bit bizzare and not at all what I'd have thought I'd be doing even a few months ago. But I always wanted to go through Italy... and I met a lot of Germans, so Germany had to be included.... then I learned about the Cannes Film Fest and had already bought my ticket out of Amsterdam, so there you have it.
And while I'm trying to sound all professional and rational about this thing, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Yay!
xoxo, Cleome
Below is what I've come up with so far.
Will it change? Duh. Not only is it super bare-bones at this point (I'll probably end up cutting through some small towns I've never know existed before), but I'm sure it also includes way too many spots for me to feasibly hit [though you should've seen my first first draft...]. And I've no idea whether I'll like a place so much I want to stay for a week, or hate a place and be on the first train out after not even a day. Plus, I'm still crossing my fingers that I meet cool people to hang with- who'll no doubt influence my route as well.
But are these the places my brain believes I can (and want to) make it to in ~9 weeks? Yup.
(By the way, dates are totally approximate once I leave Israel.)
Israel
April 1-14
>Negev (Desert) Region
-Masada
-Ein Gedi
-Dead Sea
-Mitzpe Ramon
>Eilat
>Petra (technically in Jordan- I've got to see if I've got the time/funds to visit a wonder of the ancient world for a few days)
>back north to say goodbye if I have time?
Europe: April 14-June 6
Greece
April 14-17?
>Athens
-day trip to Mycenae?
Italy
April 17-May 4?
>Rome
-be there on April 21st for its b-day celebration?
>Naples (yes Mom, I'm still planning on going. I'll try to find a guy to travel with...)
-Pompeii
-grotto azzurra
>Florence
-trips to Pisa for the tower and Cinque Terre for the view
>Bologna
>Venice
Germany
May 4-16?
>Munich
>Prague? It's the most interesting thing between the two German cities, so I may have to pop over to the Czech Republic for a bit.
>Berlin
>Cologne
>Frankfurt or Black Forest or Geneva (Switzerland) or Aosta Valley (Italy) <-- clearly having some issues making up my mind... I know I just need to go south from Cologne
France
May 16-June 3?
>Cannes
-Film Festival May 15-26 <-- wierdly enough, this event has become what I'm orienting my whole trip around... not sure why, but ever since I realized I could get there timing-wise, it's become non-negotiable. It also help that Cannes is located on the beaches in the south of France. AND that I can see some of the premieres for free.
[Slight topic deviation: I've developed a small goal of meeting an actor/producer/director/etc. who I can then entice into inviting me to a VIP-only movie premiere. I'll make sure to update the blog should any progress with that occur....]
>Nice, Marseilles, other beach towns in southern France
[>Biarritz or Bordeaux or Normandy if I find myself with some spare time?]
>Tours
>Paris (and Versailles)
Netherlands
June 3-6
•Amsterdam
So my Europe route is sort of zig-zagging its way up through Italy, looping around Germany (possibly detouring into the Czech Republic), and then cutting down across the south of France, up to Paris, and finally ending in Amsterdam. Definitely a bit bizzare and not at all what I'd have thought I'd be doing even a few months ago. But I always wanted to go through Italy... and I met a lot of Germans, so Germany had to be included.... then I learned about the Cannes Film Fest and had already bought my ticket out of Amsterdam, so there you have it.
And while I'm trying to sound all professional and rational about this thing, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Yay!
xoxo, Cleome
Highlights, High Fives, and High Hopes
Alright, because I've been so lame about posting on the blog for the past month (or two...), I'm going to hit you with a long-yet-relatively-undescriptive list of Cleome's Favorite Things while having been a volunteer at the Fauzi Azar Inn.
Which I figured I should do before I set off on my true backpacking adventure on Sunday (!)
Cleome's Favorite Israeli [fill-in-the-blank]:
Ruins~
•Caesarea- Huge city complex from Caesar's era.
•Megiddo- Where "Armageddon" is supposed to take place.
•Arbel Castle- Crusader castle carved out of the cliffs. A real-life Treasure Island playground.
•Heridion- Kind Herod's castle on (and under) a hill.
Museums~
•Yad Vashem- Holocaust museum. Surprisingly not as depressing as I'd been expecting.
•Israel Museum- Lots of exhibits and art about/from Israel (duh).
People~
•Guests
- ones I learned from
- ones with crazy adventures
- ones I connected with and were fun to talk to
- ones that became possible contacts throughout the world
• My Israeli family I'd seen only once before (and definitely didn't remember). So cool to have relatives in other countries!
• Locals. Extremely hospitable and interested in showing off their culture. Extremely friendly, for the most part.
• Other volunteers/staff members. Of course. Who I worked with and chilled with. They're the ones with the most impact on making this experience what it was. Shout out to Jess, Pat, Mike, Jake, Hagai, Elisa, Linda, Yafit, Marwa, Norhan, Maoz, Suraida, Gangaanai, and James.
Hikes and Nature~
•Yehudea- Golan Heights nature reserve with amazing natural pools and views.
•Arbel Cliffs- Crusader castles.
•Jesus trail- Varied landscapes on a fairly easy (but long) hike.
•walk from kibbutz to Nazareth- a six hour/30 kilometer walk I'm very proud of having accomplished completely on my own due to the lack of public transportation on Saturdays. And I still made it back in time for my shift. Booyah!
Events~
•going out (Patra, tel aviv, Jerusalem)- always fun
•visiting Jess- I stayed at her Kibbutz for a day and had a blast seeing her again :)
•peanut butter find- yes, I am including inheriting two jars of peanut butter left by guests as one of my favorite events. Stereotypical American, what can I say?
•learning Arabic- sort of...
•guitar playing at the Fauzi- I have been practicing, Dad.
Extended Trips~
•Jerusalem- Breaking the Silence tour of the South Hebron Hills, seeing Israeli family, free official pub crawl, stalking Obama, visiting museums, walking around, seeing Bethlehem & Banksy originals
•Tel Aviv- meeting cool people, getting a taste of the nightlife, visiting the old port city of Jaffa
First Times~
•smoking hookah/nargila- didn't really like it, but was definitely entranced by the smoke rings others could make.
•official pub crawl- at 18. In Jerusalem. Totally free. Yeah.
•hitch-hiking alone- during daylight and picked up by a girl. Stop freaking out Mom.
•visiting west bank- my second week I went to the town of Jenin with Jess. It really stuck with me as I honestly hadn't even imagined I'd feel safe enough to go to the West Bank. Clearly perspectives change when you actually arrive in a place you'd heard nothing but negative things about before...
•staying on a kibbutz- yeah, I really liked the night I spent on the kibbutz with Jess. Do I think I could live on one (or even volunteer there for a couple months)? Probably not. But for a short visit it was incredibly fun to experience a different way of life.
And those are just the highlights I could come up with off the top of my head. I've had an amazing time being based in Nazareth, and am conflicted about leaving in a handful of days. On one hand, I've grown comfortable here and have a community, friends, and bed to sleep in that I can call my own. Alternatively, I think my life here is now too familiar. I more or less have a daily routine, talk to the same people (mainly), and have lost the motivation to explore/go on day trips [though being sick the last week may have contributed to that also...]. Anyway, I think it's a good time to be moving on. I'm not yet sick of the place, but I am getting there. Some days have been almost boring, and at times I've wanted to punch a few people in the face I was so annoyed by them... so it's probably best I'm on my way soon ;)
Being a hostel volunteer at the Fauzi has been by far my favorite volunteer experience I've had on my year abroad- I've met some incredible people and had some unparalleled experiences. I can't imagine having chosen anything more fun or beneficial, and I know what I've learned here will help ease me into traveling on my own [regardless of how terrifying that still seems].
I thank the Fauzi, Nazareth, and all the incredible friends I've made for a great two months volunteering.
And here's to a fucking awesome final two months of my walkabout- bring on the backpacking!
xoxo, Cleome
Which I figured I should do before I set off on my true backpacking adventure on Sunday (!)
Cleome's Favorite Israeli [fill-in-the-blank]:
Ruins~
•Caesarea- Huge city complex from Caesar's era.
•Megiddo- Where "Armageddon" is supposed to take place.
•Arbel Castle- Crusader castle carved out of the cliffs. A real-life Treasure Island playground.
•Heridion- Kind Herod's castle on (and under) a hill.
Museums~
•Yad Vashem- Holocaust museum. Surprisingly not as depressing as I'd been expecting.
•Israel Museum- Lots of exhibits and art about/from Israel (duh).
People~
•Guests
- ones I learned from
- ones with crazy adventures
- ones I connected with and were fun to talk to
- ones that became possible contacts throughout the world
• My Israeli family I'd seen only once before (and definitely didn't remember). So cool to have relatives in other countries!
• Locals. Extremely hospitable and interested in showing off their culture. Extremely friendly, for the most part.
• Other volunteers/staff members. Of course. Who I worked with and chilled with. They're the ones with the most impact on making this experience what it was. Shout out to Jess, Pat, Mike, Jake, Hagai, Elisa, Linda, Yafit, Marwa, Norhan, Maoz, Suraida, Gangaanai, and James.
Hikes and Nature~
•Yehudea- Golan Heights nature reserve with amazing natural pools and views.
•Arbel Cliffs- Crusader castles.
•Jesus trail- Varied landscapes on a fairly easy (but long) hike.
•walk from kibbutz to Nazareth- a six hour/30 kilometer walk I'm very proud of having accomplished completely on my own due to the lack of public transportation on Saturdays. And I still made it back in time for my shift. Booyah!
Events~
•going out (Patra, tel aviv, Jerusalem)- always fun
•visiting Jess- I stayed at her Kibbutz for a day and had a blast seeing her again :)
•peanut butter find- yes, I am including inheriting two jars of peanut butter left by guests as one of my favorite events. Stereotypical American, what can I say?
•learning Arabic- sort of...
•guitar playing at the Fauzi- I have been practicing, Dad.
Extended Trips~
•Jerusalem- Breaking the Silence tour of the South Hebron Hills, seeing Israeli family, free official pub crawl, stalking Obama, visiting museums, walking around, seeing Bethlehem & Banksy originals
•Tel Aviv- meeting cool people, getting a taste of the nightlife, visiting the old port city of Jaffa
First Times~
•smoking hookah/nargila- didn't really like it, but was definitely entranced by the smoke rings others could make.
•official pub crawl- at 18. In Jerusalem. Totally free. Yeah.
•hitch-hiking alone- during daylight and picked up by a girl. Stop freaking out Mom.
•visiting west bank- my second week I went to the town of Jenin with Jess. It really stuck with me as I honestly hadn't even imagined I'd feel safe enough to go to the West Bank. Clearly perspectives change when you actually arrive in a place you'd heard nothing but negative things about before...
•staying on a kibbutz- yeah, I really liked the night I spent on the kibbutz with Jess. Do I think I could live on one (or even volunteer there for a couple months)? Probably not. But for a short visit it was incredibly fun to experience a different way of life.
And those are just the highlights I could come up with off the top of my head. I've had an amazing time being based in Nazareth, and am conflicted about leaving in a handful of days. On one hand, I've grown comfortable here and have a community, friends, and bed to sleep in that I can call my own. Alternatively, I think my life here is now too familiar. I more or less have a daily routine, talk to the same people (mainly), and have lost the motivation to explore/go on day trips [though being sick the last week may have contributed to that also...]. Anyway, I think it's a good time to be moving on. I'm not yet sick of the place, but I am getting there. Some days have been almost boring, and at times I've wanted to punch a few people in the face I was so annoyed by them... so it's probably best I'm on my way soon ;)
Being a hostel volunteer at the Fauzi has been by far my favorite volunteer experience I've had on my year abroad- I've met some incredible people and had some unparalleled experiences. I can't imagine having chosen anything more fun or beneficial, and I know what I've learned here will help ease me into traveling on my own [regardless of how terrifying that still seems].
I thank the Fauzi, Nazareth, and all the incredible friends I've made for a great two months volunteering.
And here's to a fucking awesome final two months of my walkabout- bring on the backpacking!
xoxo, Cleome
Monday, February 25, 2013
Versus
While my time in Israel has so far followed a similar theme to my time in Central America (volunteering for an extended period/traveling during service work breaks, etc.), there are some poignant differences between life here compared to anywhere and anything I've experienced before.
Israel vs USA
I'll try not to spew the obvious differences (like the fact that Israel is roughly the size of New Jersey or that the official languages don't include English here), but instead delve a bit deeper into dissimilarities.
•Israel is a land of extreme differences, in every way: socially, geographically, politically. We all know that the US is famed for the multitude of cultures/ethnicities/traditions it combines, yet Israel has all that plus some. You've got your wealthy citizens living in high rises on the coast, while not even 20 minutes away a Bedouin camp has been erected and the nomads are out taking their goat herds to pasture. (The juxtaposition of a Bedouin shepherd tending the flock while being immersed in a texting conversation via cellphone gets me every time.) Then there is the less comical distinction between Israel proper and the West Bank. The separation (physical or not) of Jews and Arabs.
Land-wise, Israel's small chunk of the world contains mountains, deserts, forests, seas, the lowest point on Earth (the Dead Sea), and both extremely habited and uninhabited land. An impressive amount of unique ecosystems.
And lastly, the political extremes found here top probably most places in the world. I'm not even going to get into that.
•Israel is both more forward and more backward than the US. For example, the amount of solar energy used here far surpasses that of America. And (though I'm not sure that this proves any sort of higher level of modernity) Israel has the largest per capita use of cellphones in the entire world. Yet they drive here almost like the only requirement to pass their test was being able to turn on the car. And separation of church and state (a basic foundation of the US) is essentially non-existent here. Which leads to a bunch of issues, as one can imagine... or hear on the news.
•People are extremely open. The good kind of openness that moves complete strangers to invite you into their houses for tea or coffee and to tell you about their lives. And the kind of open that nearly reaches the point of hostility when people discuss their political and social views, and urge you to state your opinions on the matter.
•Religion is paramount. While levels of religiousness differ, the majority of the population attends some sort of regular services, and on days of rest (be it Friday night-Saturday for Jews or Sunday for Christians) cities and public transport completely shut down. Quite inconvenient for traveling, I'll admit. Along those same lines, there is no such thing as a civil union here- you must be married in a religious institution (or alternatively flee to Cyprus to elope). And lastly, everyone wants to know what YOU are. Makes for an awkward situation when I confess to an Arab my mother is Jewish... I generally follow that up by quickly saying my father is Christian and that I personally am non-religious. Which is hard for some to understand. (Don't get me wrong- not everyone is biased for or against one religion/nationality. But in smaller, predominantly Arab cities like Nazareth, it's best to play it safe and not admit Jewdom unless directly questioned.)
•Guns are on display. I'm still not used to seeing the 18, 19, 20-year olds dressed in military garb casually having their M16's slung across their bodies. And whenever I'm overtaken by a group of them, I feel very uncomfortable. Though if I was raised in Israel I'm sure I wouldn't think twice about it.
Israel vs Central America
Certain aspects here are surprisingly reminiscent of my time in Costa Rica/Nicaragua. Like how the guys are pretty aggressive, or how the society is relatively chauvinistic (especially out of the big cities). And the copious amounts of stray animals (though in Israel it's cats instead of dogs) or trash in the streets. But being in Israel does provide some novelty.
•Food is waaaayyyyyy better here. Just look at the local fast foods of choice- hummus, falafel, or shwarma as opposed to McDonald's. And non-fast foods are inevitably more impressive than the ubiquitous rice and beans. The Mediterranean-infused cuisine regularly includes cucumber and tomato salads, fresh goat cheese, tabbouleh, omelets, kebabs, and baked eggplant. And while the selection of fruit in Central America was more impressive, the amount of fresh veggies at any time here is to die for if you're a salad junkie like me.
Don't even get me started on sweets here. Let's just say it's incredible what they can do with sesame seeds- grind them, spin them with sugar, bake 'em into cookies, the list goes on and on. Yum.
•The culture is much less risqué here. In Costa Rica, I literally saw people's grandmothers wearing short shorts and lace-backed tank tops. Maybe since it was so much warmer there, the culture just moved away from conservative dress out of necessity. But in Israel (especially the more traditional places), skirts above the knees/without tights, cleavage, and bare shoulders are a no-no. Here's to hoping I'll get to wear the tank tops and dresses I brought in Europe....
•I'd love to say public transportation here far exceeds that of Central America, but alas I would be lying. I guess the nicer thing is that here they have shared taxis called sheruts as an alternative to the bus system: large vans you can take to places that cost as little as the buses and don't take as long.
Israel vs Nazareth
You may be wondering about this comparison, as Nazareth is a part of Israel. Let me explain.
•Nazareth is unlike the majority of Israeli towns. It is a predominantly Arab city, and parts of it appear (at least to my uncultured eyes) almost indistinguishable from the West Bank. The city doesn't shut down for Shabbat (instead, nothing is open on Sunday), Muslim call-to-prayers are heard in time with the tolling of the church bells, and the most common language spoken is Arabic (so much for my "Hebrew for Dummies" book). You're much more likely to see a woman in a burka than a man wearing a yarmulke here. A bit different from the rest of Israel, I'd say....
Nazareth vs Atenas
The two towns I've had as home bases are quite different, leading to very different experiences and relationships with each.
•Nazareth is a much larger city, with acclaimed restaurants, bars (sort of), a huge shopping mall, and pretty much any knick-knack you could think of. We were able to find a guitar and a capo in one of the jumbled shops. That would've been left for a shopping trip to San Jose in Costa Rica.
Plus, as there's more to do in town, it leads to staying out/getting to bed later, and it's harder to force yourself to get out of town. Sort of.
•While Nazareth is no tourist hot spot akin to Jerusalem, it certainly draws more foreigners than the sleepy town of Atenas did. So not only do you meet more travelers in day-to-day activities (working in a hostel helps that, too...), but the majority of the locals speak English.
•Nazareth's layout is way more confusing than that of Atenas. After one day of exploration (and yes, getting lost) in Atenas, I had the geography of the town down pat. Here, not only are the Old City streets super twisty and confusing, but once I get a bit away from the Old City I'm completely in unknown territory. I really only venture through the Old City, the restaurant district, the path to the top of Mount of Precipice, and the part of the Jesus Trail that doubles as my running route... anything outside of that sphere, and I could be on Mars. A Mars with atmosphere and civilization....
Hostel Work vs Orphanage
I've come to the conclusion that I much prefer the volunteer work I'm doing here in the hostel in Nazareth to helping out in the children's home in Palmares.
•As the local staff I'm interacting with are adults, not only am I making new friends I can talk with, but I'm also meeting people who I can go out with, or who can introduce me to more of the local community of Nazareth. Kids are cute, but their social lives are pretty bland.
•Along that same vein, I'm meeting just more people in general, as one of the main jobs of working in a hostel is talking with the guests. Some you just exchange pleasantries with and answer questions, while other you find yourself talking to for hours and going out with after shifts. I love that! (Originally I was apprehensive about working in a hostel, as I don't immediately label myself a social butterfly. But either my self-perception is really off, or traveling/working at the Fauzi has stretched my social ease. I've found it pleasingly fun and easy to get into conversations with total strangers. I feel the sociable persona is half a type of act and half genuine until you get to know someone and it's all genuine. A major plus of this increased comfort in initiating conversations with strangers is I think I've essentially become immune to feeling socially awkward. It's become so commonplace it barely phases me anymore, haha.) This work is certainly doing more for my Facebook friends list ;)
Major Differences in this Trip vs the First Four Months of my Gap Year
Just some general other differences I'm too lazy to try and categorize.
•I don't at all speak the national language(s) of Israel. The Spanish I started out with might have been basic, but it did allow for communication beyond "hello" and "thank you" (the extent of my Arabic... but I'm working on it!).
•I'm supposed to provide all my own food (though we get free breakfast, fruit, cake, and leftovers from the Fauzi, so...) instead of being provided with three home-cooked meals a day.
•There's a much more extreme time difference between the States and Israel than the US and Costa Rica. Like, eight hours vs one. Which makes it more difficult to communicate with people back home.
•My schedule changes daily. No set weekly routines of knowing exactly when I'll be working and when I'll be free. I guess for all the inconvenience that gives, it also inspires me to be more active in taking day trips and researching locations to visit.
•I'm sharing a room with the other volunteers instead of doing a home-stay. First extended dorm room experience?
•The hostel work (while in no way difficult) is stuff I've never done before, whereas I felt pretty confident I knew how to entertain children.
•This time abroad I'll be spending equal time volunteering and actively traveling. Instead of just tacking on the traveling at the end (besides weekend trips).
•Since Israel is a bit further from Minnesota, I won't get to see my family at all for these four months. Sadface.
•Going out, getting connections through the hostel and local staff, and being a bit more into exploring the town has led me to be much more immersed in the local community of Nazareth. Which is incredibly fun.
I've loved everything I've done so far, and every place I've traveled. This "gap year" just keeps getting better and better.
Now I'm off to learn the "Cooking by the Book" remix by Lil Jon. A farewell request from the lovely Mike Chong. Parental advisory suggested.
xoxo, Cleome
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Fauzi
Alright, seeing as I've been volunteering at the Fauzi Azar Inn for pretty much two weeks now (excluding the days I was in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv), I can finally, with total confidence, give you the gist of the place and my duties as Volunteer Supreme.
About the Fauzi
I know earlier I provided some background information concerning the Inn that I took directly from its website. However, now that I've actually seen and experience the place, I can tell you about its history and characteristics with a few more details.
How the Fauzi Came to Be
The Fauzi Azar Inn was originally an extremely gorgeous mansion belonging to a wealthy Arab family, the Azars. However, when the War of 1948 occurred and the state of Israel was created, the majority of the citizens of Nazareth fled to nearby countries- mainly Lebanon. Fauzi Azar (the head of the Azar family and the owner of the house) was the only one in his family, as well as one of the only Arabs in town, who chose to remain in Nazareth- he couldn't bear to give up his magnificent house.
After successfully living alone for some time, one day disaster struck for Azar- fire! In the process of saving the carpets of the mansion, Azar suffered intense burns that sent him to the hospital and eventually caused his death. The magnificent house sat empty for many years, as the rest of the family didn't want to live there, but couldn't bear to part with it.
The Inn may very well have remained empty until it crumbled to the ground from lack of use, had a young Israeli backpacker named Maoz not happened upon it. Maoz was a visionary who believed that not only would the house provide the perfect location for a hostel, but the city of Nazareth would be the ideal spot to begin a hiking trail he was developing with an American friend- what would later become known as the Jesus Trail. But convincing the surviving family of Azar that opening a B&B in their old, prized home was a laborious process, so I'm told. Maoz got in contact with the granddaughter of Azar, Suraida, and while she was not convinced by his proposal, she agreed to pass on his contact information to her mother for further discussion. I'm not quite sure how long the issue was debated, or who finally gave in, but eventually an agreement was reached that allowed Maoz to open his hostel, with Suraida as co-owner and her grandfather's named immortalized in the name.
The hostel opened in 2005, and since then has accrued an amazing reputation. [Sorry if the next part sounds like a preachy ad- I'm just not sure how else to convey its awesomeness....] The Fauzi consistently receives highly rated reviews on travel sites, is top pick in Lonely Planet guides, was awarded an Environmental Tourism Award in 2011, and has received TripAdvisor's "Travelers' Choice" Award for the years 2012 and 2013. Plus, the Jesus Trail is constantly getting more and more press for being an impressive hiking trail that roughly follows Jesus's path as he performed his miracles. Though of course non-Christian pilgrims walk it for the scenery as well. [Oh, and Tony Blair visited the Fauzi a few years ago. How about we start a petition for Obama to come by next month....?]
What Makes the Fauzi Special?
I'd like to think after five months of staying in a wide variety of hostels, I've a pretty good idea of what a hostel is- and what makes one good or not. Hostels span a wide spectrum, from the crazy party ones on one side to the super chill, laid-back ones on the other. I've discovered my personal favorites tend to lie closer to the party side, but with a good dose of relaxation thrown in as well.
The Fauzi embodies all that a decent hostel should. And then it goes a bit beyond. Features that all hostels tend to have include:
-cheaper accommodations than hotels
-both dorms and private rooms
-shared bathrooms
-an available kitchen for guest use (some are even affiliated with a bar/cafe)
-free coffee all day and some sort of free breakfast
-a common area meant to foster meeting people
-routine activities, whether it's trivia night, Sunday afternoon BBQs, open mic night, or a pub crawl
-help in setting up tours
-a book exchange
Fauzi is special (in my opinion), thanks to:
-the unique free old city tour (purposefully leaves out the main tourist attractions, and instead focuses on the local community)
-the amazing complimentary smorgasbord breakfast (delicious, contains a wide variety of traditional Arab and Israeli foods and is cooked by staff with actually culinary skills)
-the history you can feel radiating out from the aged, muraled walls
-the most in-depth (and longest) reception shpeil I've ever witnessed [I have to learn it by heart- a daunting task]
-and finally, one thing that I personally am most impressed by, is Fauzi's ties/commitments to the local community. Before the Fauzi, Nazareth literally had 0% gains from tourism. The city used to just be a tour bus stop where religious tourists would get out to ogle the churches and then pile back on to hit the next site. This day-trip tourism for solely the holy places didn't contribute at all to the local economy in Nazareth, and that may still have been the trend today had the Fauzi not opened and begun to market Nazareth as a place to stay for at least a few nights. Some absurdly large (maybe 80) percentage of businesses in the old city are recent developments that appeared only after the Fauzi began attracting tourists who came to see all of Nazareth, not just the Basilica of Annunciation (the largest church in the Middle East). The Inn promotes local restaurants, souvenir shops, market vendors, etc. to its guests, and in gratitude most Nazareth-based businesses give discounts to guests of the Fauzi Azar as a way to say thanks for sending patrons to frequent their establishments.
Enough yapping about the Fauzi, Cleome (we can tell you're infatuated), what do you actually do?
Right, my oh-so-difficult volunteering duties.... I bake cakes. I help with reception and answering the phone/guests' questions. Sometimes I choose which music to play. I take out the trash. I do dishes and make sure there's always hot water available for tea or coffee. I tidy up the kitchen and the lobby. I restock the free fruit bowl. I do whatever the staff (two bosses, four managers, a Mr. Fix-It and a handful of cookers/cleaners) ask me to. I get to talk with guests. I meet really interesting, varied types of people. I play chess with the other staff/volunteers. If nothing's really going on I'll read or write. Or check Facebook. Or plan my next trips out of Nazareth.
Pretty chill "work."
Now don't get me wrong- what we do as volunteers aids the Fauzi considerably. We accomplish the menial tasks required of running a hostel day to day. And like I said, it's not hard work, but I've had shifts where it felt like I spent the entire six or so hours rotating between washing dishes and bringing out tea trays for newly arrived guests. Just depends on the day.
Overall I'm a huge fan of this set-up. I work roughly six hours, five days a week. The shifts are either 7:30am-2pm, 1-7pm, or 6-11pm, so it gives you time to do stuff either earlier and/or later in the day. Plus in your two (generally consecutive) days off, you can get a bit further out of Nazareth than just a day trip. There's usually at least one other volunteer free to hang with, though longer trips are generally embarked upon solo. And during your shift you tend to get free time for about half of it, so it honestly doesn't even feel like work.
Plus, the travelers that pass through the Fauzi are incredibly varied. In the few weeks I've been here I've met families on vacation, religious tourists, school study-abroad groups, pro-Palestinian activists/documentarians/journalists, travel bloggers, avid hikers, and plain old curious backpackers that have heard of the Fauzi's amazing rep. I've gotten to meet and talk with incredibly interesting people who've taught me a lot. Or just had amazing conversations with the coolest people.
I'm feeling incredibly lucky right now.
Plus, I think I've convinced Moaz to get the Inn a guitar! Life is pretty damn good right now.
xoxo, Cleome
About the Fauzi
I know earlier I provided some background information concerning the Inn that I took directly from its website. However, now that I've actually seen and experience the place, I can tell you about its history and characteristics with a few more details.
How the Fauzi Came to Be
The Fauzi Azar Inn was originally an extremely gorgeous mansion belonging to a wealthy Arab family, the Azars. However, when the War of 1948 occurred and the state of Israel was created, the majority of the citizens of Nazareth fled to nearby countries- mainly Lebanon. Fauzi Azar (the head of the Azar family and the owner of the house) was the only one in his family, as well as one of the only Arabs in town, who chose to remain in Nazareth- he couldn't bear to give up his magnificent house.
After successfully living alone for some time, one day disaster struck for Azar- fire! In the process of saving the carpets of the mansion, Azar suffered intense burns that sent him to the hospital and eventually caused his death. The magnificent house sat empty for many years, as the rest of the family didn't want to live there, but couldn't bear to part with it.
The Inn may very well have remained empty until it crumbled to the ground from lack of use, had a young Israeli backpacker named Maoz not happened upon it. Maoz was a visionary who believed that not only would the house provide the perfect location for a hostel, but the city of Nazareth would be the ideal spot to begin a hiking trail he was developing with an American friend- what would later become known as the Jesus Trail. But convincing the surviving family of Azar that opening a B&B in their old, prized home was a laborious process, so I'm told. Maoz got in contact with the granddaughter of Azar, Suraida, and while she was not convinced by his proposal, she agreed to pass on his contact information to her mother for further discussion. I'm not quite sure how long the issue was debated, or who finally gave in, but eventually an agreement was reached that allowed Maoz to open his hostel, with Suraida as co-owner and her grandfather's named immortalized in the name.
The hostel opened in 2005, and since then has accrued an amazing reputation. [Sorry if the next part sounds like a preachy ad- I'm just not sure how else to convey its awesomeness....] The Fauzi consistently receives highly rated reviews on travel sites, is top pick in Lonely Planet guides, was awarded an Environmental Tourism Award in 2011, and has received TripAdvisor's "Travelers' Choice" Award for the years 2012 and 2013. Plus, the Jesus Trail is constantly getting more and more press for being an impressive hiking trail that roughly follows Jesus's path as he performed his miracles. Though of course non-Christian pilgrims walk it for the scenery as well. [Oh, and Tony Blair visited the Fauzi a few years ago. How about we start a petition for Obama to come by next month....?]
What Makes the Fauzi Special?
I'd like to think after five months of staying in a wide variety of hostels, I've a pretty good idea of what a hostel is- and what makes one good or not. Hostels span a wide spectrum, from the crazy party ones on one side to the super chill, laid-back ones on the other. I've discovered my personal favorites tend to lie closer to the party side, but with a good dose of relaxation thrown in as well.
The Fauzi embodies all that a decent hostel should. And then it goes a bit beyond. Features that all hostels tend to have include:
-cheaper accommodations than hotels
-both dorms and private rooms
-shared bathrooms
-an available kitchen for guest use (some are even affiliated with a bar/cafe)
-free coffee all day and some sort of free breakfast
-a common area meant to foster meeting people
-routine activities, whether it's trivia night, Sunday afternoon BBQs, open mic night, or a pub crawl
-help in setting up tours
-a book exchange
Fauzi is special (in my opinion), thanks to:
-the unique free old city tour (purposefully leaves out the main tourist attractions, and instead focuses on the local community)
-the amazing complimentary smorgasbord breakfast (delicious, contains a wide variety of traditional Arab and Israeli foods and is cooked by staff with actually culinary skills)
-the history you can feel radiating out from the aged, muraled walls
-the most in-depth (and longest) reception shpeil I've ever witnessed [I have to learn it by heart- a daunting task]
-and finally, one thing that I personally am most impressed by, is Fauzi's ties/commitments to the local community. Before the Fauzi, Nazareth literally had 0% gains from tourism. The city used to just be a tour bus stop where religious tourists would get out to ogle the churches and then pile back on to hit the next site. This day-trip tourism for solely the holy places didn't contribute at all to the local economy in Nazareth, and that may still have been the trend today had the Fauzi not opened and begun to market Nazareth as a place to stay for at least a few nights. Some absurdly large (maybe 80) percentage of businesses in the old city are recent developments that appeared only after the Fauzi began attracting tourists who came to see all of Nazareth, not just the Basilica of Annunciation (the largest church in the Middle East). The Inn promotes local restaurants, souvenir shops, market vendors, etc. to its guests, and in gratitude most Nazareth-based businesses give discounts to guests of the Fauzi Azar as a way to say thanks for sending patrons to frequent their establishments.
Enough yapping about the Fauzi, Cleome (we can tell you're infatuated), what do you actually do?
Right, my oh-so-difficult volunteering duties.... I bake cakes. I help with reception and answering the phone/guests' questions. Sometimes I choose which music to play. I take out the trash. I do dishes and make sure there's always hot water available for tea or coffee. I tidy up the kitchen and the lobby. I restock the free fruit bowl. I do whatever the staff (two bosses, four managers, a Mr. Fix-It and a handful of cookers/cleaners) ask me to. I get to talk with guests. I meet really interesting, varied types of people. I play chess with the other staff/volunteers. If nothing's really going on I'll read or write. Or check Facebook. Or plan my next trips out of Nazareth.
Pretty chill "work."
Now don't get me wrong- what we do as volunteers aids the Fauzi considerably. We accomplish the menial tasks required of running a hostel day to day. And like I said, it's not hard work, but I've had shifts where it felt like I spent the entire six or so hours rotating between washing dishes and bringing out tea trays for newly arrived guests. Just depends on the day.
Overall I'm a huge fan of this set-up. I work roughly six hours, five days a week. The shifts are either 7:30am-2pm, 1-7pm, or 6-11pm, so it gives you time to do stuff either earlier and/or later in the day. Plus in your two (generally consecutive) days off, you can get a bit further out of Nazareth than just a day trip. There's usually at least one other volunteer free to hang with, though longer trips are generally embarked upon solo. And during your shift you tend to get free time for about half of it, so it honestly doesn't even feel like work.
Plus, the travelers that pass through the Fauzi are incredibly varied. In the few weeks I've been here I've met families on vacation, religious tourists, school study-abroad groups, pro-Palestinian activists/documentarians/journalists, travel bloggers, avid hikers, and plain old curious backpackers that have heard of the Fauzi's amazing rep. I've gotten to meet and talk with incredibly interesting people who've taught me a lot. Or just had amazing conversations with the coolest people.
I'm feeling incredibly lucky right now.
Plus, I think I've convinced Moaz to get the Inn a guitar! Life is pretty damn good right now.
xoxo, Cleome
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The Big Intro to Israel Post
Hello there! It's been a little while since I last posted, and I've finally gotten a good chunk of time to sit down and write, so I thought I'd take advantage of it.
I left for Israel a week from today (though technically I've only physically been in Israel for five and a half days, thanks to an amazingly long 19.5 hours of travel time between home and here...) and have experienced a lot of newness in these past seven days. But let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start....
Flights and Firsts
So, like I said, it took me 19.5 hours (three different flights) from taking off in Minneapolis to touch down in Israel. I left MN late morning on my first flight and arrived in Newark, NY mid-afternoon. After waiting a few hours in the airport, I boarded the airplane that would jet me away from the US, over the Pacific, and allow me to step foot for the first time ever on another continent. <- That flight was the longest one I've ever been on- seven hours. I flew on SAS, a Scandinavian airline, and was quite impressed by their level of service. Not only did they show recently released movies [I got to watch Argo, what what], but they actually served MEALS on the plane. Free of charge. And they came in the most adorable little portion-sized containers. I was so awed I took a picture, haha.
Although that second flight was great in many ways, it wasn't my favorite simply because
1) It was a "red eye" flight, but I couldn't sleep.
2) There was a freaky amount of turbulence as we were exactly in the middle of our trip aka over the ocean. I won't deny that images of a watery grave briefly flitted past my eyes before I shut them out and mentally chanted think positively over and over again.
3) We changed what felt like a million time zones in those seven hours, and so by the time we arrived in Copenhagen it was 7am in Denmark, while my body still thought it was 1am. After zooming through the cute and sleepy Copenhagen airport [they have hardwood floors, open lounge areas, inviting colors, and a little mermaid statue- how much more adorable can it get?] to find the gate for my third and final flight, I shlumped over and blearily stared at passersby through half-closed lids. Yeah, I felt pretty gross at that point compared to all the sharp-looking European travelers. And
4) I was located in the back of this huge airplane, in the middle row of three seats, and I just had to be put with this older guy who (even with the empty seat between us) had stinky farts. Not very conducive for trying to sleep....
My last flight was about four hours and landed me in Tel Aviv around 2:30pm Israel time on Sunday. Luckily the passport control guys didn't give me too much grief and I was riding in a shared taxi to Jerusalem half an hour later. I arrived at the Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem- recommended to me by the GoEco project- a bit before 5pm and immediately took a shower and tried to sleep. Key word: tried. I was physically exhausted, having at that point slept only about four hours of the past 36, but mentally I couldn't quiet down. I think I fell into a restless sleep around 9pm that night, but certainly woke up the next morning still feeling tired.
Orientation in the Old City
Monday was a jam-packed day.
It began with a two hour meeting in the hostel with GoEco (the volunteer agency) representatives. They gave myself and two other soon-to-be-volunteers [we were all leaving for different projects, however] an explanation of our volunteering projects and some basic information about Israel. Then one of them, Yan, acted as our tour guide for the rest of the day.
First, we explored and had lunch in the major Jerusalem marketplace [he managed to get us millions of free samples of cultural dishes by explaining in Hebrew to the vendors that we were foreigners and had no idea what any of the dishes were] before heading out to Jaffa Gate to take part in a free tour of the Old City. [The term Old City in any area refers to the location where buildings, monuments and historical places built hundreds of years ago remain intact and are still used/inhabited by people today. However, the Old City in Jerusalem is one of the most well-known as it contains many incredibly important religious sites.]
I was extremely awed on our walk through the Old City. We hit all four quarters (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian) and our guide was quite knowledgeable about the history of each quarter and their development. It was amazing to think that we were walking through streets and archways that had been there and seen by people for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. And to just actually be in this place I'd heard about for so long felt incredibly unreal. I mean, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I was literally standing 100 feet away from the Western Wall. Wow.
Since the free tour was a general overview of the Old City but didn't actually take us into buildings, once it was over Yan guided our volunteer group back to a couple of impressive sites. We watched the sun set while standing on the top of the Austrian Hospice, taking in the scenic view of the entire Old City; we walked through the [amazingly unpopulated] Church of the Holy Sepulchre once darkness had fallen, and then window-shopped in the new mall outside the Old City on our way to dinner. After dinner (my first authentic Israeli hummus experience!) we explored a few more buildings that had nice views (including one incredibly swanky hotel that impressed me almost as much as the Old City had, haha) and then headed back to the hostel to sleep.
Tuesday was the day I needed to catch my bus to Nazareth to actually begin volunteering, but that wasn't until 4pm, so I had a bit more time to wander around Jerusalem. I went out with Antonia, the girl volunteer I'd hung with the day before, and we saw the Western Wall up close (I did indeed put a piece of paper with a wish on it into an unused crack in the wall). We also walked up to the Dome of the Rock (an extremely holy Islamic site) and marveled at the detail and gorgeousness of the mosque. Finally the time to head to the bus station rolled around, and after a bit of messing around with a temperamental ticket machine, I was on my way.
Finding Fauzi Azar
I sat next to a very... talkative... guy on the bus who also happened to be going to the Fauzi Azar Inn. He came in handy, though, when asking for directions [we arrived at night and the Inn is tucked away in a part of the Old City that takes some maneuvering to get to] and in making me feel a bit more secure when hiking past groups of smoking guys in black leather jackets. But finally we found it, and I had arrived to the place I'm going to be calling home for the next two months!
[I'll be posting specifically about the Fauzi and my duties in another entry very soon!]
I met the other three volunteers that I'll be working with for the next few weeks at least (since two are leaving in a few weeks and new people may be showing up):
Pat- extremely sociable Australian guy working here for his summer break.
Jess- another girl taking a gap year! She's from London and will spending eight months (until August) in Israel doing a variety of activities. Once she's done volunteering at the Fauzi she's heading to a kibbutz for five months. You can bet I'm going to be visiting her.
Mike- Canadian, eh? ...Sorry, he's taking some time off from studying software engineering to travel and has a bunch of short-term volunteer gigs lined up in various parts of Israel.
(Oh, and there's also a long-term volunteer lady, Linda, who gives all the guided tours. But she's pretty much a permanent fixture as she's been here for four years.)
Pat and Jess have both been here for roughly a month and only have a few weeks left, while Mike will be leaving only two weeks before I am. I really like them all, and the vibe is great because there's enough of us that we won't get sick of each other too soon, but not too many that it's hard to get to know everyone. Though I do hope that when Pat and Jess leave, other volunteers show up. I like you Mike, but some new blood potential friends would also be nice.
The night I arrived was a first-ever movie night, so I dropped my backpack off at the volunteer apartment (about 20 feet up the street) and went back to watch Life of Pi. After the movie I went out for a late-night snack with Pat, Mike, two German guests, and a local named Fadi. The food was good, but I was pretty much falling asleep at the table, so it was relieving to just head back to the apartment and go to bed finally at 2am.
Navigating Nazareth
Wednesday began with free breakfast at the Fauzi and then a guided tour of the Old City. It was a great, alternative tour that ignored the holy places (since you can do that on your own) and instead focused on getting to know the locals and the back roads of Nazareth. It was a great introduction to this city I'm going to be based in for the next while. I then grabbed lunch with Mike, hung out and explored the city some more with Jess, and had the most touching hospitality experience I've felt in a while.
A local Christian Arabic family that Mike and Pat had met earlier had invited them to dinner, and since I was free, both I and a Fauzi guest Jackie were invited along. However, when we got to the family's house after running through the winding alleyways in the pouring rain, we discovered that the electricity in their area was completely out. No lights, no heat, no nothing. Certainly no cooking, we surmised [<- like my word choice, Pat&Mike?]. But the family surprised us, and after an hour of sitting in the candle-lit living roomexchanging broken English and Arabic talking with the daughters Ruth and Jessica, we were informed dinner was ready and we were ushered into the kitchen.
An amazing spread of traditional Arabic food lay on the table before us. The four of us sat down with Ruth and the dad, Adell, and had a wonderful meal highlighted by lamb, rice with a special yogurt sauce, and Italian champagne. The food was very tasty (and they managed to magically heat it somehow- candles?), but there were about a million dishes and each was heaped onto our plates in such great quantities that I couldn't even finish half of it. After dinner the electricity came back on (of course) and we moved back to the living room to join the rest of the family (mom, brother, Jessica and fiance) in smoking hookah (first time for me!) and listening to music. And when we finally excused ourselves after lavishing thanks upon the family, the brother insisted I take the sweatshirt of his I'd been wearing for warmth as a parting gift. To be honest, I'm a little wary that somehow I've bound myself to a romantic obligation... but I'll admit its oversizedness had come in handy as a makeshift tent-like changing room, as there is no real privacy in our tiny volunteer apartment. Alla in all, I was incredibly touched by their generosity in feeding four guests (two of which had been perfect strangers before that meal) in the middle of a power outage. And we have plans to go back soon and learn how to make authentic felafel, so yay! Free food and good company is always something to look forward to.
Experiencing Everyday Events enjoying the alliteration of the section titles?
Thursday I was shadowing Jess on the afternoon shift, but beforehand we walked up a scenic hill named Mount Precipice and on the way to the Inn stopped by a small cafe for Qatayaf (a traditional Ramadan sweet- essentially a small pancake filled with either soft cheese or walnuts, fried, and then drizzled in syrup. As delicious as they sound). We were kept at the Inn for a while after our shift had technically ended, so just came back to the apartment and slept after.
Friday I attempted to find the Jesus Trail (a hiking trail that starts at the Fauzi- more on that in the next blog post!) and failed dismally- got a good run in anyway, though. Then half slept half read in the sun, and was on evening shift with Mike. Bed.
Today I hiked the Jesus Trail with Pat and Mike and five Fauzi guests. Luckily we didn't get lost, as Pat is an expert Jesus Trail navigator. The first leg takes roughly four hours to walk, and really is pretty gorgeous once you get past the highway. We hitched back to Nazareth (a somewhat depressing only 15 minutes away by car) and grabbed a late lunch before coming back home to chill.
I can't believe I just used the word "home" so naturally. I must really feel pretty comfortable here.
Tonight we're heading out to a local restaurant to see some sort of music. Maybe dancing will be involved? Whatever it is, should be interesting.
Off to find Mike and ask him about that stir fry he's supposedly making....
xoxo, Cleome
I left for Israel a week from today (though technically I've only physically been in Israel for five and a half days, thanks to an amazingly long 19.5 hours of travel time between home and here...) and have experienced a lot of newness in these past seven days. But let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start....
Flights and Firsts
So, like I said, it took me 19.5 hours (three different flights) from taking off in Minneapolis to touch down in Israel. I left MN late morning on my first flight and arrived in Newark, NY mid-afternoon. After waiting a few hours in the airport, I boarded the airplane that would jet me away from the US, over the Pacific, and allow me to step foot for the first time ever on another continent. <- That flight was the longest one I've ever been on- seven hours. I flew on SAS, a Scandinavian airline, and was quite impressed by their level of service. Not only did they show recently released movies [I got to watch Argo, what what], but they actually served MEALS on the plane. Free of charge. And they came in the most adorable little portion-sized containers. I was so awed I took a picture, haha.
Although that second flight was great in many ways, it wasn't my favorite simply because
1) It was a "red eye" flight, but I couldn't sleep.
2) There was a freaky amount of turbulence as we were exactly in the middle of our trip aka over the ocean. I won't deny that images of a watery grave briefly flitted past my eyes before I shut them out and mentally chanted think positively over and over again.
3) We changed what felt like a million time zones in those seven hours, and so by the time we arrived in Copenhagen it was 7am in Denmark, while my body still thought it was 1am. After zooming through the cute and sleepy Copenhagen airport [they have hardwood floors, open lounge areas, inviting colors, and a little mermaid statue- how much more adorable can it get?] to find the gate for my third and final flight, I shlumped over and blearily stared at passersby through half-closed lids. Yeah, I felt pretty gross at that point compared to all the sharp-looking European travelers. And
4) I was located in the back of this huge airplane, in the middle row of three seats, and I just had to be put with this older guy who (even with the empty seat between us) had stinky farts. Not very conducive for trying to sleep....
My last flight was about four hours and landed me in Tel Aviv around 2:30pm Israel time on Sunday. Luckily the passport control guys didn't give me too much grief and I was riding in a shared taxi to Jerusalem half an hour later. I arrived at the Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem- recommended to me by the GoEco project- a bit before 5pm and immediately took a shower and tried to sleep. Key word: tried. I was physically exhausted, having at that point slept only about four hours of the past 36, but mentally I couldn't quiet down. I think I fell into a restless sleep around 9pm that night, but certainly woke up the next morning still feeling tired.
Orientation in the Old City
Monday was a jam-packed day.
It began with a two hour meeting in the hostel with GoEco (the volunteer agency) representatives. They gave myself and two other soon-to-be-volunteers [we were all leaving for different projects, however] an explanation of our volunteering projects and some basic information about Israel. Then one of them, Yan, acted as our tour guide for the rest of the day.
First, we explored and had lunch in the major Jerusalem marketplace [he managed to get us millions of free samples of cultural dishes by explaining in Hebrew to the vendors that we were foreigners and had no idea what any of the dishes were] before heading out to Jaffa Gate to take part in a free tour of the Old City. [The term Old City in any area refers to the location where buildings, monuments and historical places built hundreds of years ago remain intact and are still used/inhabited by people today. However, the Old City in Jerusalem is one of the most well-known as it contains many incredibly important religious sites.]
I was extremely awed on our walk through the Old City. We hit all four quarters (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian) and our guide was quite knowledgeable about the history of each quarter and their development. It was amazing to think that we were walking through streets and archways that had been there and seen by people for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. And to just actually be in this place I'd heard about for so long felt incredibly unreal. I mean, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I was literally standing 100 feet away from the Western Wall. Wow.
Since the free tour was a general overview of the Old City but didn't actually take us into buildings, once it was over Yan guided our volunteer group back to a couple of impressive sites. We watched the sun set while standing on the top of the Austrian Hospice, taking in the scenic view of the entire Old City; we walked through the [amazingly unpopulated] Church of the Holy Sepulchre once darkness had fallen, and then window-shopped in the new mall outside the Old City on our way to dinner. After dinner (my first authentic Israeli hummus experience!) we explored a few more buildings that had nice views (including one incredibly swanky hotel that impressed me almost as much as the Old City had, haha) and then headed back to the hostel to sleep.
Tuesday was the day I needed to catch my bus to Nazareth to actually begin volunteering, but that wasn't until 4pm, so I had a bit more time to wander around Jerusalem. I went out with Antonia, the girl volunteer I'd hung with the day before, and we saw the Western Wall up close (I did indeed put a piece of paper with a wish on it into an unused crack in the wall). We also walked up to the Dome of the Rock (an extremely holy Islamic site) and marveled at the detail and gorgeousness of the mosque. Finally the time to head to the bus station rolled around, and after a bit of messing around with a temperamental ticket machine, I was on my way.
Finding Fauzi Azar
I sat next to a very... talkative... guy on the bus who also happened to be going to the Fauzi Azar Inn. He came in handy, though, when asking for directions [we arrived at night and the Inn is tucked away in a part of the Old City that takes some maneuvering to get to] and in making me feel a bit more secure when hiking past groups of smoking guys in black leather jackets. But finally we found it, and I had arrived to the place I'm going to be calling home for the next two months!
[I'll be posting specifically about the Fauzi and my duties in another entry very soon!]
I met the other three volunteers that I'll be working with for the next few weeks at least (since two are leaving in a few weeks and new people may be showing up):
Pat- extremely sociable Australian guy working here for his summer break.
Jess- another girl taking a gap year! She's from London and will spending eight months (until August) in Israel doing a variety of activities. Once she's done volunteering at the Fauzi she's heading to a kibbutz for five months. You can bet I'm going to be visiting her.
Mike- Canadian, eh? ...Sorry, he's taking some time off from studying software engineering to travel and has a bunch of short-term volunteer gigs lined up in various parts of Israel.
(Oh, and there's also a long-term volunteer lady, Linda, who gives all the guided tours. But she's pretty much a permanent fixture as she's been here for four years.)
Pat and Jess have both been here for roughly a month and only have a few weeks left, while Mike will be leaving only two weeks before I am. I really like them all, and the vibe is great because there's enough of us that we won't get sick of each other too soon, but not too many that it's hard to get to know everyone. Though I do hope that when Pat and Jess leave, other volunteers show up. I like you Mike, but some new
The night I arrived was a first-ever movie night, so I dropped my backpack off at the volunteer apartment (about 20 feet up the street) and went back to watch Life of Pi. After the movie I went out for a late-night snack with Pat, Mike, two German guests, and a local named Fadi. The food was good, but I was pretty much falling asleep at the table, so it was relieving to just head back to the apartment and go to bed finally at 2am.
Navigating Nazareth
Wednesday began with free breakfast at the Fauzi and then a guided tour of the Old City. It was a great, alternative tour that ignored the holy places (since you can do that on your own) and instead focused on getting to know the locals and the back roads of Nazareth. It was a great introduction to this city I'm going to be based in for the next while. I then grabbed lunch with Mike, hung out and explored the city some more with Jess, and had the most touching hospitality experience I've felt in a while.
A local Christian Arabic family that Mike and Pat had met earlier had invited them to dinner, and since I was free, both I and a Fauzi guest Jackie were invited along. However, when we got to the family's house after running through the winding alleyways in the pouring rain, we discovered that the electricity in their area was completely out. No lights, no heat, no nothing. Certainly no cooking, we surmised [<- like my word choice, Pat&Mike?]. But the family surprised us, and after an hour of sitting in the candle-lit living room
An amazing spread of traditional Arabic food lay on the table before us. The four of us sat down with Ruth and the dad, Adell, and had a wonderful meal highlighted by lamb, rice with a special yogurt sauce, and Italian champagne. The food was very tasty (and they managed to magically heat it somehow- candles?), but there were about a million dishes and each was heaped onto our plates in such great quantities that I couldn't even finish half of it. After dinner the electricity came back on (of course) and we moved back to the living room to join the rest of the family (mom, brother, Jessica and fiance) in smoking hookah (first time for me!) and listening to music. And when we finally excused ourselves after lavishing thanks upon the family, the brother insisted I take the sweatshirt of his I'd been wearing for warmth as a parting gift. To be honest, I'm a little wary that somehow I've bound myself to a romantic obligation... but I'll admit its oversizedness had come in handy as a makeshift tent-like changing room, as there is no real privacy in our tiny volunteer apartment. Alla in all, I was incredibly touched by their generosity in feeding four guests (two of which had been perfect strangers before that meal) in the middle of a power outage. And we have plans to go back soon and learn how to make authentic felafel, so yay! Free food and good company is always something to look forward to.
Experiencing Everyday Events enjoying the alliteration of the section titles?
Thursday I was shadowing Jess on the afternoon shift, but beforehand we walked up a scenic hill named Mount Precipice and on the way to the Inn stopped by a small cafe for Qatayaf (a traditional Ramadan sweet- essentially a small pancake filled with either soft cheese or walnuts, fried, and then drizzled in syrup. As delicious as they sound). We were kept at the Inn for a while after our shift had technically ended, so just came back to the apartment and slept after.
Friday I attempted to find the Jesus Trail (a hiking trail that starts at the Fauzi- more on that in the next blog post!) and failed dismally- got a good run in anyway, though. Then half slept half read in the sun, and was on evening shift with Mike. Bed.
Today I hiked the Jesus Trail with Pat and Mike and five Fauzi guests. Luckily we didn't get lost, as Pat is an expert Jesus Trail navigator. The first leg takes roughly four hours to walk, and really is pretty gorgeous once you get past the highway. We hitched back to Nazareth (a somewhat depressing only 15 minutes away by car) and grabbed a late lunch before coming back home to chill.
I can't believe I just used the word "home" so naturally. I must really feel pretty comfortable here.
Tonight we're heading out to a local restaurant to see some sort of music. Maybe dancing will be involved? Whatever it is, should be interesting.
Off to find Mike and ask him about that stir fry he's supposedly making....
xoxo, Cleome
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