2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip - In Review - Part One

Whenever Wife and I return from one of our trips, people we meet up with always say the same thing..."What was your favorite?"

And we inevitably are silent. For it is so incredibly hard to pick out one thing from the vast number of experiences and places we would have visited. For those who only occasionally travel and who have never had the experience of spending months on the road visiting country after country and tens of cities and places, I think it is hard to conceptualize the vast amount of experiences one gets doing trips like this.

So I am going to use this post to recite just the significant impressions I had from this trip. In my next post, I will do the deeper analysis related to our overall transitioned state and how our next steps. So without further ado...

2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip

Best Of Impressions...

• The chaos of departure. It is really quite amazing. Every trip something always goes wrong. Phones die, Computers crash. Credit cards get compromised (this trips version). We've gotten to the point where when it happens we just say, "Ah this is this trips version."

• Have to say the overall bad quality of Israeli short-term rentals really made an impression – whether it was communication, the beds, the cleanliness, the amenities, our experience here would rate as the worst we've experienced.

• I personally really regret we didn’t go to modern Tel Aviv (as opposed to Old Jaffa). I think we got a distorted view of Israel (not seeing the modern secular Jewish side)

• It is freaking amazing how much historical stuff we learned throughout this trip…even for a confirmed history geek like me!

• The ‘Wife getting trapped in the bomb shelter’ story..while NOT very funny at the time…is destined to become a true classic for the ages

• The intensity of religion in Jerusalem was overpowering

• Food in Israel– one can get really tired of shawarma, falafel, hummus when served exactly the same way with exactly the same accompaniments.

• Being a Jew who is conflicted on traditional Jewish behavior traits is not a recipe for contentment in Israel

• Israeli behavior patterns somewhat jarred my sensibilities – politeness on the tram and in the street, rudeness in the markets, a sort of a chip on the shoulder attitude toward language and visitors

• Then there was the soldiers, young men and women, all over the place with weapons, but looking more like just young people anywhere…surreal. There was one scene in particular that lodged in my mind. While in Jerusalem, walking back to our apartment we saw this attractive young woman in military garb, with an automatic rifle slung over her back, carrying to bags of groceries in one hand, while texting on her cell phone in the other.

• I don't know about you but I think there is a favorable prejudice towards the old and ancient, But the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth – Modern but way cool!

• Thank you Southeast Asia for giving me the ‘go with the flow’ attitude toward driving that served us in good stead in Northern Israel

• ARGH! tour bus groups of ‘the faithful’ at Northern Israel sites

• Thumbs up for the Roman ruins at Bet She’an

• Thumbs up for the incredible spread of salads at the Israeli BBQ place near Bet She’an

• And speaking of Roman ruins, none could top those of Jerash in Jordan

• Madaba and Mt. Nebo – Some of the most spectacular mosaic art I've ever seen and I am mad about mosaics

• As far as the overall tourist experience is concerned, there was the incredible juxtaposition of the peace and calm at sites like the Citadel, Jerash, Madaba, Mt. Nebo and Karak Castle versus the tourist huckster overload at Petra

• Petra, one wonders what it would be like to go there and not be harassed every moment by people trying to sell you things.

• Rereading it, I can’t believe how much we did in our five days in Jordan. Jordan was truly a different experience in terms of culture, look, society

• Many thanks and appreciation to our driver/handler Ashraf in Jordan. He was a person who you felt was looking out for your interest...even to buying for me a kilo of Jordanian coffee from his own roaster for me to take home

• I think both Wife and I were somewhat surprised at our joy of coming to familiar ‘Euro’ culture in Greece after our three weeks in the very different Middle East feel of Jordan and Israel

• Have to give thanks also to the great learning we got with Vassilis and his photo workshop/tour in Athens

• We loved our Athens apartment

• Greece a nation of patios!!! Honestly there any place that has more? We have yet to see one

• And we loved that the Greeks were comfortable using English without putting a guilt trip on you if you didn’t know much or any Greek. Made it feel very welcoming and comfortable.

• So appreciative of our Guide in Greece, Ioannis and his taking us to great places off the beaten train in the Peloponnese

• And loving our base in Kalamata, a great Airbnb, the kind of place I want to bring family members back to!

• Oh Thessaloniki! Why are you not recognized as the gem of a city you are? I don’t care. Let the cruise ships go to the islands and leave your beauty and energy to us.

• As jarring to us as Israel was, the smashing the expectations about Turkey in Western Anatolia equaled that. It is so dangerous to travel with expectations. 

• Our guides in Turkey, Işık & Sezgin, such windows into what life was like in that part of Turkey

• One of our great joys in travel is those snapshot, personal interactions you have with people. Our experience with the sweet old soul running the marzipan shop in the Izmir bazaar was one of those

• The cooking demonstration and dining with hotel staff…yet another of our wonderful experiences

• I think it was a bit of a shame that we were getting tired and a little jaded by Greco/Roman ruins by the time we got to Turkey because the places there on looking back were as fine as any we saw the whole trip

• Oh the joy of our ‘decompression’ time in Amsterdam. The #3’s are so welcoming. We are so comfortable in Amsterdam. It is the perfect way to start winding down from our big trips.

• Seriously, we have the jet lag management thing down to a science.

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