If you are a woman of any size, age or shape and you’ve walked down a street in any city in the world, you’ve experienced it: the whistles the cat calls, the winks, the terrible pick up lines. The language may vary, but the message doesn’t. I’ve spent enough time in enough countries now to … Continue reading »
Last year I was lucky enough to spend three whole months traveling. I nearly made it all the way around the world from Europe, to the Middle East, through the US and around South East Asia. I saw some wonderful places, met fascinating people, and got to celebrate a few milestones with good friends. I … Continue reading »
I have been traveling in and out of the Middle East quite a bit over the last couple of years, and I have become accustomed to the rigmarole. But on my latest trip, which took me to Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, the level of ridiculousness reached record-breaking levels. For starters, getting to Lebanon from … Continue reading »
I am fascinated by what makes a city tick. Every place has its own pace and style and I always want to go behind the scenes and see how things work. While out walking one day in Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian territories, I came across a store front that housed an ancient looking machine … Continue reading »
“Sorry, I have to work late” takes on a different meaning when your boyfriend is a foreign correspondent and the region he covers is quickly descending into war. But that is essentially how a recent conversation went. It looks as though our plans for a weekend visit will have to be put on hold – … Continue reading »
Today’s Tip: Tabesh Restaurant and Park Jifna, Palestine Tabesh is a family friendly restaurant just outside of Ramallah in Jifna. I say family friendly because there is a park with little playground in the restaurant’s outdoor area that proves to be very popular with the little ones. But it’s the chicken that brings most people … Continue reading »
Today’s Tip: SnoBar Ramallah, Palestine Snobar means pine tree in Arabic and this sprawling outdoor restaurant, bar and swimming pool are surrounded by them. SnoBar is probably one of the coolest places in Ramallah. For one thing it’s beautiful. Tucked away on a hillside, the large blue swimming pool is flanked with lounge chairs. The … Continue reading »
I have a week off from school so I decided to hop on a plane to Tel Aviv to visit the Englishman. We are trying to keep the space between visits to under two months. Ridiculous by most standards of coupledom, but it’s an improvement for us. I arrived at the airport, and after surprisingly … Continue reading »
After a summer of non-stop travel and excitement I am settling back into the apartment in Nice and trying to stay put for a few months. It is quite a change to be back and to be adjusting to the pace of life in the South of France. I spent so much time in the … Continue reading »
It has been just over one year since I decided I’d had enough of Washington, DC and set off on this adventure. Since then I have been to seven countries and countless cities. I have traveled by plane, train, subway, boat, motor scooter, bike, car, bus, and on foot. I’ve lounged poolside, hiked up volcanoes, … Continue reading »
No matter how long a visit, I have with the Englishman, I never seem to realize it will come to and end, until its time to say goodbye. This time we had a full month in each other’s company. Something of a record for the past few years. We certainly crammed a lot into the … Continue reading »
Today’s Tip: Abu Jamal Hummus shop in Ramallah. (972 298 4773) The sign on the window says Abu Jamal has been selling hummus and falafel here since 1952. The sparse room with a domed, stone ceiling certainly looks like it has been sitting here on this corner for quite some time. Abu Jamal is one … Continue reading »
Coffee is an integral part of travel. It is for me anyway. From the first piping hot cup in the morning, to the afternoon pick me up, or the punctuation after a particularly wine infused lunch or dinner, coffee is a daily ritual I love to partake in.
I don’t consider myself a particularly high maintenance person. The Englishman may disagree with me here, but relatively speaking, I think I keep my primping and preening time to a minimum. I do however have a couple – shall we say – up-keep regimens that I like to try to adhere to no matter where … Continue reading »
The great creaking travel machine that is my summer has gained some momentum and feels nearly up to speed. The Englishman and I returned to Nice from Corsica and then almost instantaneously boarded our next flight back to London to keep the Birthday celebrations going. The weather cooperated beautifully with our cautiously optimistic plans for a … Continue reading »
The only word to describe Nice at the moment is: glorious. The summer is in full Mediterranean bloom and the weather is beyond perfect. The deep aqua sea is putting on its best sparkle for the hordes of visitors who stare in awe and the magic golden sunshine saturates every corner of the city until … Continue reading »
The Englishman and I said our last goodbye over two months ago at the airport in San Francisco. Fittingly, we said hello again last week at the airport in Nice. The two of us have had countless rendezvous in airports all over the world: from Cairo, to Rome, to Tel Aviv, to London and Portland, … Continue reading »
More than four months after touching down in the US, I have finally booked my flight back to France. I have spent nearly as much time back here on the west coast as I have in France in the past months, which strictly speaking was not part of the plan. But it feels good to … Continue reading »
Before I left for France, everyone had some advice or opinion about what I would find there: “Don’t take it personally, the French are going to be rude”… “Only order the house wine”… “Try the bouillabaisse”… Before leaving for Ramallah, I heard no such insights. Most people don’t have a ready-made image of what things … Continue reading »
If adapting to life in France takes learning a new set of rules, spending time in the Palestinian Territories is a lesson in patience. The West Bank, where the Palestinian town of Ramallah lies, has been occupied by Israel since 1967. To get in or out of the city, you have to go through military … Continue reading »
