A Note from the Past

Here we are resurrecting our blog and I discovered this post from the end of our trip. Since this blog was started for that trip, I thought I would post it...for old times sake...

We are on our flight back to Portland from London which included a nice long layover in Minneapolis. The last three hours of our trip. We are wondering things like what it will feel like to walk back into our house, see friends, drive, cook, will the refrigerator stink, how much mail will have stacked up, etc.

We spent the last couple days in London. Since we have both spent significant time there before, it was nice to just relax and enjoy just being in London, such an old, classy town. We ate Indian food, shopped in Covent Garden, rode the subway and the cabs, had tea, played in the toy department at Harrods (where we saw Elle McPhereson shopping) went to a show…a fabulous time in a fabulous city.

On Wednesday we went to Croydon where I spent part of my youth. We saw the old house and school and other memories. It was a perfectly damp, cool British morning which must be why I like Portland weather so much. I was surprised at how much came back to me and how much didn’t. Mostly, it was fun to awaken old memories and to share a part of my history with Sharon.

Wednesday night we got a personal tour of Parliament from our friend Jack, and then went out to dinner with him. Jack is a Parliamentary researcher for an MP, although I first knew him as a college student when he lived with Jason and me. It made me smile to see him in a suit guiding us around the halls of British government and taking us to dinner at his social club (political in history)…distinctly British.
Thursday night we met up with Tim, my old friend from primary school. We met at a classic, English pub. Conversation was easy and it was great to catch up. In short, it sort of felt right that we had been friends at a young age since we still had so much in common. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed catching up with Tim, and how much sweeter it was to have Sharon there to take part.

Our last day in London, our waiter at the Indian restaurant happened to be from Uzbekistan. Over the last ten years he has applied for a visa to the U.S. seven times. He lives in London as his second choice, but it is expensive and difficult for him to make ends meet in order to send money to his wife and children back in his country. He asked our advice on how best to get a visa to which we had no good answer. I share this because it made me both sad and thankful. We have met so many people who do not have access to the opportunities and freedoms we take for granted as Americans. Some of our basic assumptions about life are proof that we are part of the vast, privileged minority in the world – consistent electricity, peaceful transfer of power in our government, freedom to move about from place to place without being hassled or rejected, relative freedom of discrimination based on race or creed, clean water. And most of this simply because we were born in the right place.

We have loved our travels because of the bonding adventures we have shared, the fascinating things we have learned, the new friendships we have enjoyed, and the perspectives we have gained. Our prayer is that these experiences will grow roots and blossom in our marriage and our community for years to come. Thank you for bearing with us, and we are excited to catch up with you very soon.

During our trip:
- Favorite food: Mezza in Israel. Indian food in South Africa and England. Dinner at Giovanni’s in Florence
- Longest day: The border crossing into Jordan from Israel. We left our hotel in Jerusalem at 2pm and should have arrived at our hotel in Jordan at 4pm. Instead, we arrived at 9:30pm. Long story.
- Favorite form of travel: Train
- Least favorite form of travel: Taxi (with the exception of the London cabs)
- Saddest moment: Tie between visiting the townships in South Africa and learning about the war between Israel and Hamas while standing outside the Damascus Gate of Old Jerusalem.
- Most intense moment: Getting stolen from by the cab driver in Rome and feeling totally powerless. Close second, going to the wrong border crossing into Jordan and rerouting the trip to the tune of many hours and $$.
- New tradition: Name at least one flavor you taste each time you have a new wine.
- Best lodging: Mt. Camdeboo in South Africa
- Worst lodging: Hostel in Jaffa
- Best cup of coffee: Turkish coffee in Bethlehem
- Things we lost: Andy owns this category – sunglasses, gloves, travel alarm clock

Last of Italy

Hi folks. We are sitting on the train between Rome and Paris. Riding the train was probably not the most efficient use of our time, but it has been a fun day of scenery, reading, looking at pictures, blogging, etc. We were organizing pictures from the trip a little while ago, and South Africa seems like the distant past. It is hard to believe we have less than a week left in this adventure. I think we are both sad to see it end, but we are ready to return to the friends and family we love; the place we call home; and the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the familiar.

We just crossed the border into France a few minutes ago. I can’t even remember what all we’ve blogged about from Italy. Basically, we have seen more incredibly beautiful and historic sights together in Italy than we will even begin to remember. Every city and village we visited felt scenic and age-old, but each had its own personality. The Cinque Terre was quaint and colorful and had a local pace. Florence was busy, narrow-streeted, fashionable, and filled with art, architecture, and history. It was also the place of a few new leather goods. Orvieto – a traditional, hill-top, castle town – surprised us with its class and charm, but also with its history. We enjoyed the artisans and the basilica there. One of the “artisans” – a barbieri – even gave me a haircut. Finally, Rome was really busy, obviously incredibly historic, but also more modern. While we had beautiful, crisp weather everywhere else, in Rome, we had to brave the cold and the rainy in order to see the sights, but we were rewarded with short lines.

It has felt a little hollow to go from being hosted by locals to being on our own as tourists. We have appreciated all the sights, and certainly our time together, but we are finding that we prefer to travel to places where we have local friends to help us experience and process the place they call home. This, in turn, has stoked the hospitality fire in us…consider this your invitation to come visit us in Portland (even if you live there).

On that note, on our last day in Rome, a mutual friend of our friends John and David in the U.S., Mario Capello, was kind enough to meet us for a few hours and give us a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Mario is a member of the Papal Household, and his job – as far as I can tell – is sort of a special projects coordinator for the Papacy. The Pope. The tour was great, but it was more of a background to our questions about the Pope, Mario’s job, and the Catholic Church. We have seen and will continue to see spectacular churches, the majority of them funded, built, and maintained by the Catholic Church. It has been hard for us to reconcile the expense and opulence of some of these places with the teachings of Jesus. But, our conversation with Mario about his job and about John Paul II (it was really fun to hear personal stories about John Paul II) was really focused more on people and their needs – both the rich and powerful and the poorest of the poor – than on places or buildings. It was a good way to wrap up our time in Italy.

I think Sharon was surprised how excited I have been to ride on trains – one of the things I have in common with my nephew, Grant. Trains remind me of my early childhood in London, and I’m excited to see if London triggers any memories for me in the few days we’ll have there. I’m looking forward to meeting up with a friend of mine from elementary school. I haven’t seen or spoken with Tim in about 23 years, so that should be really fun. Sharon and I are going to go see our old house, school, and neighborhood. Also, we’re going to hang out with our friend, Jack, who lived with Jason and me in Portland for a bit. He now works on the staff of a Parliamentarian, so we’re going to get a tour from Jack of Parliament.

But, Paris is first…

Ah Italy...

After a drive through the countryside and our first bites of pasta, we were well contented to be in Italy. It is a fitting end to our journeys. It is a great culture, we can explore, and we can share our experience over great food.

We have stayed the last three nights in Vernazza, one of the little towns on the Cinque Terre. These towns are perched on the hillsides and surrounded by the Meditteranean. The homes, considered Ligurian style, are all shades of pastel and cling to the rocks. It is absolutely beautiful. We spent our first day hiking between four of the towns. Quite the exercise but the views were well worth it. The towns are a bit sleepy for the winter, but the sun has been shining, and it is kind of nice to not have to fight the crowds.

Yesterday, we travelled by train to several towns up the coast. It was great to experience a Sunday in these towns. Everyone was out walking their babies, playing with the kids at the shore, reading the paper on the benches, or sharing a cappuccino. It was such a nice slow pace that we often miss in the States. We ended up in Portofino which was quite the swanky little yacht harbor. It has been the playground for the rich and famous for yeas. (Girls, I drooled my way through stores such as Gucci, Hermes, Missoni, Armani, and Ferragamo.) It was a great day of exploring.

Each of our days here have been finished off by great meals. As we are on the sea, we have been sampling the local fare. Fresh anchovies are one of the most popular. We have had them in pasta, on pizza, and in a stew. We have also had mussels in a variety of preparations. Supposedly, this is the birthplace of pesto as well, so Andy sampled that the other night. The pesto here has a much finer, thicker consistency...

That's it for now. Today we head to Florence via the back roads.

Finishing off the Middle East

We are a bit tardy on our posts so we are going to catch you up on the end of our time in the Middle East....

We had a great day walking all around the old city of Petra on New Year's Eve. Words really don't do it justice. It is absolutely amazing what these people were able to build out of sandstone. The pictures are the only thing close to describing the beauty. We will hope to show them to you someday.

On New Year's Day, we headed for Amman...our last day in the Middle East. We had a trusty driver for our few days, Raeb, who would buy us drinks and treats when he stopped..pretty funny. On the way to Amman, we saw a lot of desert, some farmland, and the pretty meager existance that most people have in Jordan. We went up to Mt. Nebo, which is where Moses saw the promised land before he died. It really was amazing. Despite a bit of haze, you could see for miles into Israel - the Dead Sea, Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Galilee all in one panorama.

Our evening in Amman was wonderful because we stayed with Sameer and Mary Petro (again thanks to David Austin). They are originally from Israel, but lived in the US for years, and Lebanon, and now Jordan. It was fun to hear about their lives between cultures, the work that they do together, and to be part of a family for a night. We had a fabulous dinner at a Lebanese restaurant. Andy especially is going to miss the food. We tried to store up the tastes so that we can attempt to re-create them back home. It was a great evening of new friendship and a great ending to our time in the Middle East.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Hello all!

With all of the news these days, we wanted to make sure that everyone knows that we are safely in Jordan. We were on the Dead Sea for two nights relaxing at a great hotel and floating in the Dead Sea, and we are now in Petra. We got here last night and will spend today exploring the ancient city....something old before the new year. We hope all is well back home, are thankful for your emails, thoughts and prayers, and wish you all a Happy New Year!

Love,

Andy and Sharon

A Culinary Adventure

At this point, pre-Italy, it is probably worth mentioning food. I say pre-Italy, because I think we are anticipating the epicurean apex of our trip to be Italy. However, we have eaten some good food and drunk some good drinks. Below are the highlights.
- Mahpundi’s: This was an interesting place at the edge of one of the Cape Town townships. Ricky and Derek took us there. First you pick your meats, or your best guesses of meats. Then, they go into the back room to grill it. Then, they serve it bathed in sauce with an entire loaf of white bread and a single knife. Everyone at the table just digs in, no utensils, wrapping meat and sopping sauce with the bread.
- Traditional Tea Time: Anthony Cordle prepared a fantastic afternoon tea for us, replete with cucumber sandwiches, egg sandwiches, and fruit cake. It was very proper and lots of fun.
- Pinotage: South African red wine we had not heard of. Very full and really earthy. They had some good wines there and are probably better known for their shiraz, but we really enjoyed the Pinotage.
- Pizza: So far, the international common denominator of food. It’s everywhere, and goes very well with Pinotage. In SA we had one with grilled chicken, brie,and cranberry. In Bethlehem, they serve it with corn on it. Jason, we thought of you.
- Indian: The British Empire employed Indians all over the globe. In South Africa, they started an Indian food restaurant called Bukhara specializing in Tandoori. It was forehead-sweat-spicy and perfect. In general, food in SA was really cheap, and this was our favorite place. We followed the tandoori appetizers with curried dishes and vowed to learn Indian cooking when we get back. We thought of the Youngs and the Barefeet as we sniffled and mopped our brows.
- Shewerma: This would be a gyro in the U.S. except for the fact that they fill it with all sorts of goodies including hummus, pickles, pickled cabbage, some sort of yogurt sauce, a spicy red sauce, and lamb of course. Sharon called this the burger of the Middle East, and I am smitten.
- Dried fruit: To help with all the other foods...
- Coffee: Lots of places serve instant Nescafe which has a disappointing coffee flavor but delivers caffeine effectively. Turkish coffee, however, is the truth. Dark, bittersweet, and strong, this is the coffee we had hoped for in the Middle East. It’s like espresso, only more mysterious.
- Mint tea: Hot water, lots of mint leaves, and a tea bag. Fragrant and good for digestion.
- Every meal we’ve had with friends…

The Old City

We arrived in Jerusalem two days ago on Christmas Day. They are playing instrumental Christmas songs in the hotel restaurant as I write this, but generally you would not know it is Christmas here as most of the residents are Jewish and Muslim. It’s an odd transition after visiting Bethlehem and spending Christmas morning at the Church of the Nativity (even there, though, 90% of the residents are Muslim). However, we have had a great experience here.

There is a spot in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City where you can look out over most of the important religious sites of the city. Each spot seems to have been controlled by either the Islamic, Jewish, or Christian faiths at one time or another, destroyed by a conquering power, rebuilt, and controlled by one or the other of the major faiths here, so that many are hard to unravel. To walk the Via Delorosa, the Way of the Cross, is to have a multicultural experience starting in a Muslim school, into a Catholic monastery, through the Muslim Quarter into the Christian/Armenian Quarter, through an Ethiopian church to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is shared by about five Christian traditions by decree of the Ottoman Empire. Then, you stand in line with pilgrims from all over the globe. We happened to be at the church while the priests were singing chants by candlelight and moving between all of the various chapels and significant locations in the church to pray and chant. It is a dark and old place, and the chanting of the priests made for a sober experience that you might have been able to have hundreds of years ago. I was deeply touched by the old Armenian women who entered Christ’s tomb with us on their knees, crying, praying and kissing the tomb. Perhaps, like Mecca, this was the one, late-in-life chance they had to visit the significant place in their faith?

Since then, we have visited other important sites, but again, like the other places we’ve been, perhaps the most touching experience was to meet and talk with a person. Today, we had tea with Sheikh Bukhari here in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. Our friend David was kind enough to share his friend, the Sheikh, with us. He lives in a house his family has lived in for 400 years on the Via Dolorosa. We talked a lot about his house, his family, the ancient artifacts of his family, and the city, but it is his relationship with a local rabbi that is most interesting and instructive. They travel together, invest in the youth together, invite people over for tea together, and organize local events together. They are together in their vision for how relationships and personal understanding might bring peace to this region.

After visiting with the Sheikh, we had lunch and rested and talked about all of this. Then, we went to the non-traditional Garden Tomb of Christ, and experienced what seemed more tangible to us, a simple tomb carved out of the rock in a garden just outside of the Old City.

Everywhere we have been, the sites have been incredible, but the things people are doing on a relational level have been truly inspiring and challenging.

Tomorrow we are going to see a few more sights before leaving for Jordan for a few days. We are hopeful that Sharon’s head cold will pass and that she will have more rest there.