You might notice my blogs are a bit garbled.... I was blocked out of Google for about 10 days.... it was concerned I'd been hacked, but it was speaking in Arabic so I couldn't fix it.  Finally today I was able to get in when the language changed to French.  I may not speak it, but I can read enough to figure out what to do.

I've been emailing to most of my followers instead.  If you didn't get the emails, I apologize.

Following are some of them:

9/29/15

Well we made it to Morocco, yesterday was crazy. The queue to get out of Barcelona was chaos... the Turkish couple in line with us couldn't believe how unorganized a EU country could be. We kept our mouth shut on getting out of Turkey .... LOL! Our plane was 2 hours late, and until 10 minutes before boarding we had no clue what gate it was going out of. The taxi ride to the Casablanca hotel was fine, he charged $300 dirham as advertised, but then $200 dirham to get to the... train station, 3 blocks away. We got off a stop too early and by that time we were so tired we took a taxi that took another $300 and should have been $100 -dirhams of course. (drop a zero off the amount and you have it in dollars.)

But the Riad we stayed at in Sala (the Muslim area across the bay from Rabat) was straight out of Arabian nights.... worth all the hassle to get there! We were feted to Chai and cookies and our bags were hauled to our rooms while relaxed and stared in awe at the surroundings. All this and a petite dejeune at 59 Euros.

Today we followed the old wall to the central square ton the way we noticed windows notched in the wall and like the curious cat, had to peek through. We saw a huge cemetery behind it. Ten wandered through the Souk at Sala.... really cool experience. After a cup of chai at a local café, we dragged ourselves to the trolley and are now ensconced at the OAT hotel. Great room, but nothing tops our room last night.

10/7/2015

Back in civilization again.... the Sahara was awesome in a way, but way too hot and way too many flies. From sun up to after sun down flies were everywhere. We went fossil hunting, visited a Bedouin family, rode camels over the dunes, took jeeps four wheel riding and slept in tents.
Today we're in Teneghir. It's at the Todra Valley and like many of the southwest river canyons, crops are grown around the rivers and the rest of the area is built of sand and clay. The houses a...re southwestern in color but with turquoise, green and blue doors and the clothing while still very Moroccan is much more colorful. Bright orange is a favorite for men's turbans.

The food is almost always served in a tagine -clay pots and mostly with a bit of lamb, or a bit of chicken, potatoes onions eggplant, carrots and some variety of other ingredients. Cinnamon and olives are included in every meal.
Being OAT's "Day in the Life" day, we wandered through alfalfa fields and the ruins of old Tineghir, shopped for our own food in the bazaar - I led the vegetable group, we left with 100 dirhams and came back with 20 in change. We think our group did some great shopping and got the best veggies for the price. Larry and the guys were tasked with shopping for chicken and lamb.
Then we headed off to lunch with the local Berbers - great fun! Our host was 6'5" tall wearing - you guessed it a bright orange turban and camel sandals. He never attended school, Tineghar didn't have enough teachers, but he speaks French, Berber, English and Arabic, is the head of his extended family and the president of the local co-op.
I'll try to upload some pictures for you next!
Salaam Aleikem!

Barcelona - Barcino - Catalunya - Catalonia

Catalunya  is in the Northeast corner of Spain, bordering France to the North, Aragon to the west the Levante to the south and the Mediterranean along its eastern coast. Until 1716, Catalonia, as a principality of the Crown of Aragon, continued to retain its own  constitutions and usages and laws, which gradually were adapted until 1705, in the course of the Spanish transition from feudalism to a modern state. In the Spanish Constitution of 1978, Catalonia, along with the Basque Country and Galicia, was defined as a "nationality".- it defines the region as an autonomous community within the Kingdom of Spain.  It remains an autonomous community today  and is designated an historical nationality by its Statute of Autonomy.

 The capital of Catalonia,  Barcelona (originally Barcino) was founded by Phoenicians and ruled by Romans -  ruins from this period can still be found in in the city, especially in the Plaza del Rei and in the Gothic quarter. In the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona continued to be an important city in the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural center and a major tourist destination.

Particularly renowned in Barcelona are the architectural works of  Antonio Gaudi and Lluis Domenech i  Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the modern and avant garde art of Picasso, Dali,  and Miro - who worked and developed their styles in the area.

The area is also famous for its Cava (once referred to as Spanish Champagne) -a sparkling wine, most of which is produced in Catalonia. Its served at most Catalonian celebrations and  may be white  (blanco) or rose (rosado). Only wines produced in the champenoise traditional method can be labelled cavas, those produced by other processes may only be called "sparkling wines" About 95% of all cava is produced in the Penedesarea in Catalonia, with the village of Sant Sadurni d'Anoia being home to many of Spain's largest production houses.

Western Maghreb - The Sunset - Morocco - A Brief History

Ancient Morocco was populated by the Berbers  - a people of uncertain descent. But it's location at the northwest tip of Africa, as part of the Mahgreb - and possession of one half the Pillars of Hercules, made it a constant target for ancient and not so ancient civilizations to conquer. Between the 8th and 6th century BC it was ruled by the Phoenicians, then in the 5th c Carthage extended itself west into the coastal areas of Morocco. The Berbers regained control in the 3rd C BC but the Roman Empire marched in around 40 BC and held control until the mid 5th C A.D when the Vandals overran the area. In the 6th c. AD the Byzantines moved in for 200 years but were themselves overrun by the Muslims in the 8th century.

Different Muslim dynasties ruled Morocco from then on - and under the Almoravid and the Almohad dynasties, Morocco dominated Muslim Spain and the Maghreb (western North Africa) as well.  Ferdinand and Isabella conquered the last Muslim city in Spain -Sevilla- in 1492 drving them back across the channel-  the Alaouites have ruled from 1667 onward.

Colonial Europe had their eye on the prize as well, and in 1906 Germany attempted to wrest France and Spain from Morocco. The Treaty of Fez was finally signed on March 30, 1912, dividing Morocco into French and Spanish protectorates. In 1956, after 44 years of French rule, Morocco regained independence from France, and shortly afterward regained most of the territories under Spanish control.

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Israel - Palestine

I've been trying to write a brief introduction for each portion of our journey - but I don't know what I'd even write about for this portion.  Religions have emerged and religious wars have been fought over this land for milleniums.  Jerusalem/Bethlehem/the Dead Sea/The Sea of Galilee - Israel  is the holy land of at least 3 major religions and many off shoots. It would be presumptuous of me to even try to tell the story.
 So why are we here? We don't intend to pray at the Wall, we don't intend to be baptized in the Dead Sea, we aren't really interested in the  Dome of the Rock from a religious standpoint.  Maybe we just want to get a sense of a place that has pulled so many people for so many centuries back to it's womb.  The thought of seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls excites me, the thought of seeing sites of religious pilgrimages intrigues Larry. We're historians. That's why we're here.

Israel - Part 1 Tel Aviv to the Golan Heights

When last we left you, we were fighting our way through Israeli customs to join Lior -our guide for this part of the trip and the remaining participants.  The heat wasn't abating here in Israel, in fact we had the additional factor of humidity from the Mediterranean Sea. Our group grew by 7 as we continued exploring The Holy Land.


Caesarea and Nazareth
Another hot and steamy day in Israel. Should we feel honored to have arrived during the worst sandstorm in Israel's history? Not. But we're seeing some awesome sights. This morning we visited Caeseria, an audacious Roman harbor and city built by King Herod to rival Alexandria.
Then this afternoon we were in Nazareth... for those Christians in our group it was deeply moving. We visited the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and St. Joseph's Church and finally the Synagogue Church (over the site of the synagogue Jesus spoke at when he announced he was the chosen one.)

There were a steady stream of people through the churches and beneath them we could see the excavations uncovering the original village of Nazareth a very small settlement where Mary and Joseph lived with their son Jesus until he left to become a leader of a new religion - Christianity.
We finished with a visit to an Olive Oil farm. We made our own pita bread and then had a delicious meal of salad, tapinades, tahini, and various other vegetarian mediterranean dishes. It was a great day!

 The Rosh Ha Nikkra Caves at the border of Israel and Lebanon and  Acre - the crusaders slept here!

It wasn't quite so hot today... hooray! We went to the Rosh Ha Nikkra Caves on the border of Lebanon and Israel. Larry was hoping to put his hand over the border to claim another country, but Israel has a guarded checkpoint and no man's land before the border, so no such luck. Then we were off to Akko/Acre - the sight of the Crusaders main entry into Israel from the Mediterranean on their way to Jerusalem. The Knights Hospitalier set up residence there and offered comfort, sustenance and medical assistance to later crusaders coming through. The Mamluks finally defeated the crusaders and pretty much destroyed the city. We wandered around the ruins - not as much as we might have liked (the disadvantage of traveling with a tour) and had a lovely lunch overlooking the Mediterranean.




The Baha'i Gardens and the Golan Heights
We started our day, visiting the Baha'i Gardens. It's a gorgeous garden spilling downhill with a golden dome at the base where The Bab, the founder of their religion is buried. We talked a bit with one of the gate keepers about their faith and practices. Unlike the Druz which we visited later in the day, they welcome new members and are the fastest growing religion behind Islam.
From there, we've been in the Golan Heights today.... Syria was just a home run away, we could definitely see the border and the U.N. camps from the outlook we stopped at. We had a home visit and lunch with a Druz woman and a local young woman who gave us many insights into their life and religion. Did you know - if you aren't born Druz, you can never become Druz? If you marry outside the faith your children can't even be Druz. That the Druz believe in reincarnation - but only as a human? (Even more surprising to me, according to Lior our guide, the Jews do too.) That they are pacifists and their loyalty is to the land they farm, not the country they live in? Few Druz accepted Israeli citizenship when the Golan Heights were captured. They are now in effect stateless and have only a travel card not a passport, making it much more difficult to travel.
Tonight we're staying at a wonderful resort - The Peace Vista. Each of us has our own cabin facing the Sea of Galilee. The view of Tiberia across the Sea of Galilee after dark is awesome.

A Kibbutz and the River Jordan

So.... yesterday we started the day by visiting a kibbutz and learning about their way of life. Interesting fact - there are no new kibbutzes being formed. But when they were originally formed, they were built along the borders of Israel as an early defense system as well as a place for Jewish immigrants to find a home. The kibbutz we visited was very successful building parts for water systems and running a self sufficient dairy. 

Next we visited The Church of Beatitudes, the town of Zhfat where many synagogues are, especially the Caro Synagogue built 410 years ago, and the Jordan River at the location where Jesus was baptized by a leader of a small sect led by John (later called John the Baptist,) Perhaps baptized is the wrong word... purified. My friends Carol and Bill Stanley decided to be re-baptized at the site while the rest of us waded in the river and enjoyed the cooler weather.

Catching up to the end of Jordan - for us, not the country!

Sept 8
Today was a traveling day... along the Kings Highway towards Petra. The heat had stirred up the sand and the sky looked like LA ijn the 60's before smog control..hope it clears some before tomorrow. We stopped at Madaba to see the magnificent mosaic floor- or whats left of it after the iconoclasts had their way, at Mt. Nebo where Moses looked out over the promised land and a mosaic craft store where we succumbed to a purchase of 4 mosaic coasters. Tomorrow is Petra!

Kids are kids everywhere!

Remains of the magnificent mosaic in Madaba.

we visited a mosaic workshop

Mt. Nebo where Moses looked out at the promised land. The sky was too dusty for us to see.

Sept 9

PETRA!

The Monastery - Larry hiked up to see it!

 Sept 10
A travel day.  We spent the entire day crossing the border from Jordan to Israel.  What an experience! And not one I'd like to repeat either.  It was as usual blistering hot and first we went through the Jordan customs, easy peasy.  Then we stopped at another kiosk halfway through the no-man's land.  Jad, our bus driver asked for two passports.. Larry and I volunteered ours. Again easy peasy.  But then we ran into the Israel road block.

Aarghhhh.  Identify your bags, check.  Stand in line, (one window only is open although there are 4 people in the window.) and find the powers that be shuffling people in front of us.  Finally we got through that line then we had to get our carry ons screened, as well as ourselves.  Danger Will Rogers!  No pacemaker friendly scanners here.  So they demand to see my pacemaker card (thankfully I had it with me) and tell me to sit and wait. and wait. and wait.  Finally they decide I'm not a danger to the country, but my books are.  They've torn apart my carry-on.

Once through this horror we get our passports checked by a particularly anal customs agent who reads every entry in our passport.  Imagine how long that took!

Whew! Finally we are met by Lior, our new guide and escorted to the air conditioned bus.

We are told that the airport customs were a piece of cake.  But they weren't coming in from Public enemy no. 3, were they?

Friday, Sept. 4

 Today was really special. We shared a delicious chicken lunch with Franny and then headed upstairs for a nap. About 3 our tour leader called to see if we'd like to go to the King Hussein Park for a picnic with his family. Stuffed to the gills from lunch, we responded yes! of course! We met Jafar and his family and also his sister's family at the park. The kids were riding scooters down a sloping walk while Fran and Larry picked the brains of Jafar and Maumon about the country, the political climate, the financial climate.... etc. Dinner was a chicken "pizza" on naan bread with sumac seasoning and pine nuts -yummy! and figs and grapes for dessert. We really like Jordan so far.

 

Amman at sunset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, Sept.5

 Umm Qais

With a day to spare, we along with Fran Howard decided to rent a car and head north to Umm Qais.

Umm Qais is Jordan’s northernmost point offers panoramic views out over the Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights, set among rolling green hills and plunging valley gorges. It's also the site of some wonderful Roman ruins. We hired a guide to lead us around the site... our driver being just that, a driver with no English skills.

Roman ruins have much in common, a cardo (main thoroughfare through the city) a theater, a nymphonium and baths, shops, and often a racetrack.  Umm Qais had them all.  It was extremely hot and Patrice got somewhat dehydrated, so she cut off from the tour early to find some shade and a cool drink. We found a cafe at the top of the hill and relaxed and enjoyed the great view of Jordan's version  of our Four Corners. We could see Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan as well as the West Bank and the Sea of Galilee.

Finished there, we headed back to Amman to meet our group and join them for dinner.

Sunday, Sept.6

A Day in Amman

Our first day as a group we wandered through the old town of Amman and the fruit and vegetable market.  

We quickly discovered that Jafar was out to stuff us to the gills. We stopped to taste several Jordanian specialties, most including goat cheese and bread, and common Jordanian fruits like dates and figs. The old town was fascinating with woman in varying degrees of observant dress, from the full black burka (which we couldn't help thinking must have been close to suffocating in the 105 degree heat) to the scarf and tight jeans.  Jafar says the young want to be observant but observed.  They certainly were drawing attention from the young shopkeepers.

Amman has it's Greco Roman ruin - the Citadel, which we visited of course, and we then feasted on a buffet lunch of hummus, pita bread, fruit, fresh salads, olives, and chicken,lamb and beef.  It was delicious but very filling and we were expected to go to a home hosted dinner that night!

The home hosted dinner at the home of Suzanne and her daughter Raiya was another very filling meal. You don't go to a dinner her in Jordan and not eat. It's an insult, so despite being stuffed to the gills, we ate., and it was delicious!.  We''re going to be very plump by the end of our trip if this continues!

I can't seem to add any more pictures... so I'll post this and try to upload two more days tomorrow.  1 week in and I'm already behind.  Just for the record it's hotter than a hot here and there's no end in sight.

oldest book stand in Amman

Greek Theater in Amman

A view of Amman

The Citadel in Amman

 

Jordan - Petra!

Ever since I saw Indiana Jones rescue the Chalice and read Mrs. Pollifax's adventures in Jordan and Petra, I have wanted to see these spectacular ruins. Finally we are on our way!

Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a relatively new country. The Emirate of Transjordan was  officially recognized by the Council of the League of Nations in 1922. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan. The name of the state was changed to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 1 December 1948.

The land current day Jordan sits on  became a home for several Semitic Canaanite-speaking ancient kingdoms, including the kingdom of Edom, the kingdom of Moab, the kingdom of Ammon, the kingdom of Israel, and also the Amalekites. Due to its strategic location in the middle of the ancient world, Transjordan came to be controlled by the ancient empires of Persians and later the Macedonian Greeks, who became the dominant force in the region, following the conquests of Alexander the Great. It later fell under the changing influence of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire from the North and the Parthians from the East. Following the establishment of Roman Empire at Syria, the country was incorporated into the Judaean Kingdom of Herod, and later the Judaea Province. Since the mid-seventh century CE, the land of Jordan has remained almost continuously in the hands of various Arab and Islamic dynasties.

Petra

Undoubtedly the most famous attraction in Jordan is the Nabatean city of Petra, nestled away in the mountains south of the Dead Sea. Petra, which means "stone" in Greek, is perhaps the most spectacular ancient city remaining in the modern world.

Sometime during the sixth century BCE, a nomadic tribe known as the Nabateans migrated from western Arabia and settled in the area. As the Nabateans forsook their nomadic lifestyle and settled in Petra, they grew rich by levying taxes on travelers to ensure safe passage through their lands. The easily defensible valley city of Petra allowed the Nabateans to grow strong.

The Nabateans came into conflict  with the Roman Empire, which was threatened by their success and fell into decline after several different conflicts. Finally, the last Nabatean monarch, Rabbel II, struck a deal with the Romans that as long as they did not attack during his lifetime, they would be allowed to move in after he died. Upon his death in 106 CE, the Romans claimed the Nabatean Kingdom and set about transforming it with the usual plan of a colonnaded street, baths, and the common trappings of modern Roman life.

With its incorporation into the Roman Empire, Petra began to thrive once again. The city may have housed 20,000-30,000 people during its heyday. The fortunes of Petra began to decline with the shift in trade routes to Palmyra in Syria and the expansion of seaborne trade around Arabia. The city was struck another blow in 363 CE, when the free-standing structures of Petra were thrown to the ground in a violent earthquake. Fortunately, Petra’s greatest constructions were preserved, carved as they are into the rock faces.
By the time of the Muslim conquest in the seventh century CE, Petra had slipped into obscurity. The city was damaged again by the earthquake of 747 CE, and housed a small Crusader community during the 12th or 13th century. It then passed into obscurity and was forgotten until Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it for the outside world in 1812.

The Journey Is About To Begin!

Our journey begins September 2nd with a flight to Chicago then on to Amman on Royal Jordanian Airlines. We'll join our old friends and make new friends with  Overseas Adventure Travel for a tour of  Jordan and Israel.  

 

We look forward to your joining us our our exploration of Mediterannean Cultures ... all of which were occupied at one time by the Roman Empire.