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The Expat Almanac

The Expat Almanac

Author Archives: Louise

Ivory Blades and Metal Hammers

24 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

the treasury in Petra

The Treasury in Petra

People speak of Petra as though it were Oz: the source of all amazement, the end of the rainbow, the most/least obscure/impressive man-made monument in the Middle East, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

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Soaked in Salt and Nearly Blind

10 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 4 Comments

dead sea from our hotel balconey

The Dead Sea from Our Hotel Balcony

On the way to the Dead Sea, Zohar warned us that the water was greasy because of  the natural salts concentrated therein (magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc.). We should shower immediately after our dunk. Zohar, who seems a bit of a worry wart anyway, but has 39 grownups to herd, also advised that we not dive in, or swim, not to splash, to watch for the rocks underwater, and to never, never let the water into your eyes.  Something dreadful would ensue. We were no longer sure that a dip was a good idea. We were nearly ready to pull the senior citizen card. 

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Uziel Remembered

04 Friday Oct 2019

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Uziel

On a wall at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem is a bas relief portrait of Uziel Spiegel (pictured above), who died at age 2 in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. He is chubby, smiling, adorable.

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Goofing Off in Israel

25 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 3 Comments

king david lobby

Lobby in the King David hotel. Credit: Daily Telegraph

Judy and I like history well enough, but we also like to sneak off the tour and have fun.

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Prayer Stuffing at the Western Wall

21 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 5 Comments

Women praying in the Rabbinical Tunnels

Women praying in the Rabbinical Tunnels

After our visit to the Christian Quarter, we spent a day in the Jewish Quarter. The sacred spot is the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall), built by King Herod in 20 BC, the only extant part of the Second Temple.

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Accepted and Embraced

19 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 5 Comments

Site of the crucifixion

Site of the crucifixion, now within Holy Sepulcher church.

This entry in the Expat Almanac features a slightly different cast of characters: I am traveling in Israel with one of my college roommates, Judy Jewell, and 37 motley folks. We are on a tour in a bright purple bus that we can see from anywhere. We are in Israel, and on our way to Jordan.

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Ya fra Murka?

31 Thursday May 2018

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

America, ireland

two flags

Those of us who compulsively read guide books about where we’re going and where we are, read this sensible lesson: “Don’t tell the Irish that you’re Irish too, just because your ancestors were from Ireland.”

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Pink Gin with Floating Strawberries

24 Thursday May 2018

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

ireland, Kilkenny

staunton on the green pub

Pink gin in the Club House pub, wedding on TV. No crowds. There was more enthusiasm for The Wedding in the US than in Ireland.

We made a speedy exit from Dublin. It was Saturday, May 19th, and we needed to get to the Club House Hotel in Kilkenny in time for The Wedding. I had booked the hotel only after the front desk assured us that we could watch the festivities in their bar. Previous research had revealed that the wedding would not be on every single pub TV in Ireland, because, well, soccer.

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The Severely Smitten Student

16 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Amiens, maison ulysee, Notre Dame d'Amiens

amiens opener

The south portal of Notre-Dame d’Amiens

As much as we love Paris, we always try to take a little out-of-town trip so that Tom can get a train ride. This year it was Amiens, just over an hour away.

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The Ghost in Box 5

05 Saturday May 2018

Posted by Louise in Travel

≈ 2 Comments

All-focus

Box 5 was always reserved for the Opera Ghost. If management dared to sell it to the public, dire consequences ensued. A stagehand murdered in a deep basement. An 8-ton chandelier falling on an innocent patron. A great soprano who suddenly can only croak. The Ghost had the Paris Opera in its clutches, a possible curse always at the ready.

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  • Ivory Blades and Metal Hammers
  • Soaked in Salt and Nearly Blind
  • Uziel Remembered
  • Goofing Off in Israel
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