To all my visitors: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to visit this blog despite the fact that I left Oman in June of 2013 and haven’t written anything on here in the last year. I was astounded to get these stats from WordPress letting me know that despite this, the blog had 54,000 hits in 2014! It pleases me immensely to know that people still care about what I’ve written here. Thank you again, everyone, for your support and kindness. As most of you know, I’m now living in the south of China, in Nanning, not too far from the Vietnam border. You can find me here now: catbird in china. I hope you’ll drop by for a visit. 🙂
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 54,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 20 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 78,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 3 days for that many people to see it.
Saturday, June 22: Tonight, Mario and I climb a small rocky hill east of Izki to view the rise of the Supermoon. On this hazy evening, we wander among fossilized and painted rocks, waiting and watching. We see several ladies walking across a huge empty expanse in their abayas. We see a few wisps of clouds. We see fascinating rocks. And somehow we miss the moonrise, veiled as it is by the thick haze. Only later, as the moon is rather high in the sky, do we spot it through the haze, and by the time we do, it doesn’t look so super. Never mind. At least we saw a lot of nice rocks, something Oman has in great abundance. A geologist’s heaven, here on earth.
Click on any picture below to see a full-sized slideshow.
fossilized rocks
fossilized rocks
eking out a living
three Omani ladies in abayas walk across a wide expanse
Tuesday, June 11: I’ve planned my time in Spain, but, so far, I haven’t even begun to think of Portugal. I know I better start thinking about it soon because I have to fly out of Lisbon on July 25.
Here’s my itinerary so far.
June 28-July 3: Barcelona, Spain, including Montserrat. I’m staying at BCN Fashion House: (bcn fashion house)
I decided to skip Madrid altogether.
July 3-6: Toledo, Spain. I’ll be staying at La Posada de Manolo. Last summer when I was traveling in Greece, I met an inspiring South African lady, Marie-Claire. She had come to Greece after traveling all over Europe, but especially in Spain and Portugal. She highly recommended I stay more than one day in Toledo. Since I have a small group tour lined up in Andalucia from July 6-12, I booked 3 days/4…
Friday, June 7: Today, I meet up with Mario near the Costa Coffee at Qurum Beach. We plan to go on a photo shoot of Muscat to capture “the essence” of the Sultanate’s capital city.
Qurum Beach is a popular area for both tourists and locals. The little shopping center near the Intercontinental Hotel is quite a hub of activity, especially Costa Coffee, a hot spot which sits at a strategic people-watching corner overlooking the beach.
ice cream cone in front of Costa Coffee on Qurum Beach
view of Qurum Beach from the Costa Coffee and mall terrace
view of Qurum Beach
Costa Coffee, where people sit to people-watch
a crepe restaurant
wall of crepe restaurant
We end up capturing only a few icons of Muscat because of the extreme heat (42 degrees) and high humidity. Getting in and out of the oven of Mario’s car and walking around blinded by salty sweat dripping into our eyes and down our backs is not a pleasant experience, but Mario keeps reminding me: “What’s the worse that can happen? So what, we’re sweating. That’s the worst, right?” And so we go: starting from the east on the harbor side of Al Alam Palace and working our way west, making a stop at Muscat Gate on the way.
view toward Mutrah from Ruwi
Ruwi
Ruwi
Our first stop is at Muscat Gate Museum. The museum is closed, but we walk around and over the gate. Opened in January 2001, the museum contains displays about Oman’s history from the Neolithic times to the present. I’ve never been inside the museum, but apparently it has a number of special exhibits on Muscat’s water springs, the ancient wells, underground channels, the souqs, houses, mosques, harbors and forts (Wikipedia: Muscat Gate Museum).
Muscat Gate
Muscat Gate
zinnias at Muscat Gate
view of the Al Riyam Incense Burner from Muscat Gate
View from Muscat Gate
View of watchtower from Muscat Gate
historic sign about Muscat
minaret
Al Alam Palace is the ceremonial palace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. The palace was built by Imam Sultan bin Ahmed, the 7th direct grandfather of the current Sultan. The existing palace, which has a facade of gold and blue, was rebuilt as a royal residence in 1972. Visitors are not allowed inside the palace, despite the fact that His Majesty normally lives elsewhere in Oman. Al Alam Palace is surrounded by the Mirani and Jalali Forts, built in the 16th century by the Portuguese.
The Palace is used for official functions and receiving distinguished visitors and in January 2012, the Sultan received Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at Al Alam Palace during her state visit to Oman (Wikipedia: Al Alam Palace).
I’ve visited Al Alam Palace several times while in Oman, but usually we come from the center of Muscaat, which has a long colonnaded approach and is quite picturesque. I have heard there’s a back view, from the harbor, so today we go to the harbor side for pictures. If you want to see the front view, you can check out this post: al alam palace in muscat.
Al Alam Palace from the harbor side
fort and government buildings in Muscat
government buildings in Muscat
Al Alam Palace from the back gate
fort near Al Alam Palace
Al-Riyam Park is along the coastal road and is a leafy park with a small fun fair and an ornamental incense burner adorning a rocky crag.
Incense burner in Al Riyam Park
Watchtower near Riyam Park
Watchtower
Incense burner
Incense burner of Riyam Park
I want to stop and photograph a small mosque I always pass on the highway between Qurum and Ruwi. We stop but the view from the ground is much less impressive than the view from the highway, which sits above the mosque. Too bad it’s impossible to stop along the highway for photos.
the mosque on the way from Qurum to Ruwi
mosque
The Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque (جامع السلطان سعيـد بن تيمور) was built in the memory of the father of Sultan Qaboos in 1999. It sits off a roundabout in Al Khuwair near the Radisson Blu Hotel and the Technical College. The mosque is built in the style of Ottoman mosques which are found in Turkey. Sadly, Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque is not open to non-Muslims. (Oman Tripper: Muscat’s Ten Most Beautiful Mosques)
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque, fashioned after Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
flowers in a garden near Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
flower garden at Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
Here’s a video of the mosque during the Friday call to prayer, with a backdrop of screeching cicadas.
Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque
We end the night with an Iranian meal at the Shiraz Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza, at the opposite end of Qurum Beach from where we started. We meet our friend David, whose birthday is today, along with his friend and colleague, Janice, who’s from Marin, California.
the view of Qurum from the Crowne Plaza
view from the Crowne Plaza
I’m exhausted from our hot day, so I stay overnight at my favorite go-to hotel in Muscat: Safeer Suites, near Medinat Sultan Qaboos. It’s really nice not to have to drive back home to Nizwa, as it’s a long tedious drive. However, it’s money I certainly don’t like to spend. Muscat hotels are not cheap. I’ve been saving like crazy for my month in Spain and Portugal and I really don’t want to part with any money in Oman unless absolutely necessary. 🙂
Saturday, June 1: This morning, Mario takes his friend Sultan and me to see the extensive ruins in Adam, about 40 km south of Nizwa in Ad Dakhiliyah region. I am surprised to see such an extensive array of ruins, and to see that they are actually being restored.
the first of three huge sets of ruins in Adam
one of many painted metal doors in the ruins of Adam
We take a long stroll through ancient forts, citadels and towers, mosques and deserted traditional souqs, all surrounded by beautiful gardens of date palms, pomegranates, apricots, figs, bananas and numerous other fruit trees. Today is about 40 degrees C (104 F) and unusually high humidity for the interior, so we are sweating profusely. I drink a bottle of water; despite this, my head is pounding. We make a short detour to the local market for Panadol. This is not a strenuous hike, mind you, but even a leisurely stroll is taxing in this heat.
ruins and gardens in Adam
arches and gardens
The history of the Wilayat of Adam dates back to pre-Islamic times. Adam has several meanings in Arabic but most likely means “fertile land.” The most notable places are Harrat Al Ain, Harrat al Bousaid, Harrat Al Hawashim & Harrat Bani Shiban, where several archeological sites have been found, and Harr Al Jamii, which is more recent. About 13,000 people live in sixty villages around Adam. (Wikipedia: Adam, Oman)
Click on any photo in the gallery below for a full-sized slide show.
crescent moon on a mosque in Adam
banana plants
date palms through an arch
Omani door with lock and spikes
dates
gardens of Adam
ruins in Adam, Oman
ruins and gardens of Adam
ruins and gardens
watchtower
ruins and gardens of Adam
ruined door
door lock
arches and gardens
gardens and ruins
ruins and shadows of date palms
layers of arches
watchtower
a stand-alone wall
another watch tower
ruins and arches
arches and ruins
metal gate
gardens
colorful metal door
When Mario visited Adam last weekend, he got a tour of the ruins from a local Omani man who told him about the restoration project. A large section of the ruins, where we find many painted rooms, has been restored already. The government seems to be using mud bricks for the restoration, which is same construction material as the original buildings.
mud bricks lined up for the restoration project
Apparently, in March of 2012, a meeting was held between the Ministry of Heritage and Culture (MoHC) and the Ministry of Tourism on restoration and management plans for Al Jame village in Adam and Al Bilad in Manah, where intensive restoration work is going on. Other members of the committee included the Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources and the Supreme Committee for Town Planning. (Muscat Daily: Restoration of historical sites to be discussed at MoHC meeting).
It’s obvious to us as we walk around how expensive this project must be. We have visited so many ruins throughout Oman that are in various stages of disintegration, so Mario and I are both pleased to see the government restoring these amazing ruins. At least these villages can increase local employment and make some money off these tourist sites. Mario also thinks the ruins could be used in movie sets.
Click on any of the images below for a full-sized slide show.
painted rooms in the restored section of ruins
paintings
wall paintings and niches
carvings on door
painted room
painted ceiling
painted room
painted room
the restored ruins on the outside
another painted room
painted room
painted room
painted room
old door
crumbling watchtower
bicycle in the ruins
This project is just one example of the amazing things Sultan Qaboos has done in this country to bring its people into the modern world. The list is extensive: excellent roads, hospitals, schools and universities, a huge airport that is currently under construction, desalination plants, dams and recharge dams, and too many other projects to count. As I have a Master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy, the focus of which is economic development, and as I have traveled extensively all over the world and seen many places where the governments do NOT take care of their people, I have to salute the visionary Sultan and his government for a comprehensive development plan in the midst of a very harsh environment.
painted room and ceiling with Quranic verses at the top perimeter of the walls
We’re exhausted from our 2 hour stroll through these ruins in the heat, so we go to the New Firq Restaurant for an early lunch. On our way, I ask Sultan when he started wearing glasses, as I’ve never seen him wearing them before. Mario says, “Show her your glasses.” He doesn’t take them off, but I say to him what I suspected all along: “Don’t tell me those glasses don’t have lenses in them!” Sultan shows me how the frames broke and the lenses fell out. I ask why he is still wearing them. I am reminded of Korean boys who often wore frames without lenses, and I thought that was silly. Sultan says, “Don’t they make me look stylish?” I say, “They make you look like you’re trying too hard.” Mario says, “I said the same thing to him!”
Friday, May 24: Today I go up to Jebel Akhdar with my oldest friends, Anna, Kathy and Mario, for a farewell gathering. Anna is leaving the university at the end of July, a month after me, and Kathy is going on vacation in a couple of weeks. Mario will still be here for a while, but, regrettably, we will be leaving him behind as we vacate the premises.
the view from Wadi Al Ayn of the escarpment above
Spina Christi
flowering bushes
lovely flowers
flowers
the path down into the wadi
delicate white flower
pomegranate flowers
baby pomegranate
pomegranate buds
I’m thinking it will be the same old stroll we always do, along the villages of rose garden fame. Anna, however, has other ideas. She wants to drive past Diana Point down into Wadi al Ayn, park the car and walkthrough the village of Al Qasha. Although I like the hikes we always do on the Green Mountain, I am surprised to find a new place to discover as I begin my last month in the Sultanate.
looking up the wadi to Al Qasha
terraces with pomegranate trees
the falaj to Al Qasha
flowering wild bushes
more flowering bushes
a little pool ~ possibly the source of the spring?
“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” ~ Jack Kerouac, On the Road
Kathy and Anna
me
You and I will meet again, When we’re least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won’t say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again. ~ Tom Petty
Kathy
little swimmer
We only intend to do an hour stroll, and that’s exactly what we do. We descend a rocky path down into the wadi, where we see terraces of pomegranate trees. We can look up to the escarpment above where the rose gardens and the three villages of Al Aqr, Al Ayn, and A’Sheragah are situated. It’s strange to see the escarpment from below when I’ve always been up at the top looking down. We see some beautiful wild flowering bushes, blooming pomegranate trees, and terraces fringed by fuzzy trees. Eventually we climb up on the falaj and walk along that until we reach a little pool where the spring seems to originate. Frogs are swimming in the pond. Other frogs are croaking out a symphony of sorts from a pool deeper in the wadi. A giant lizard lies placidly in the sun; Mario tells us he’s dead.
pomegranate flower
We make our way back to our car and drive up to the Sahab Hotel for their buffet dinner.
appetizers at the buffet
appetizers and a little donkey friend
our table setting
an Omani door made into a coffee table at the Sahab
During dinner, we share tales of dreams, premonitions and ghosts. Mario doesn’t believe in ghosts, but he’s dreamt of people with whom he’s fallen out of touch, only to find they die within the next week or so. Kathy feels there is a presence of some sort in her flat in Oman. Anna has dreamt of carpets, cars and strange evil men, all of which (or whom) have shown up on her doorstep matching the dream images. I can’t say I’ve had any of these types of encounters, but I’m open-minded enough to believe there very well might be a different reality than what most of us know.
Strawberry mousse desserts
chocolate mousse desserts
Mario’s plate
Mario, Anna and Kathy
“I’ll never see them again. I know that. And they know that. And knowing this, we say farewell.” ~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Friday, Mary 24: I will carry to America hundreds of wonderful memories of my time here in the Sultanate of Oman.There are too many to put into one blog post, as I have written over 475 posts during my 20+ months here. As part of my fond farewell to Oman, here are my top 10 happy memories.
1. On April 19, 2012, Mario, his Omani friend Sultan and I went on a mis-adventure to Wadi Damm. It was shortly after a big rainfall and we had to cross about 10 fast-flowing wadis. It was a foolish exploit, because many people get killed every year in flooding wadis; it rains so rarely here that most of the time the wadis are bone dry and people don’t realize how dangerous they are. For us on this day, it was a grand & somewhat dangerous adventure. We laughed a lot and then ended up at my house drinking wine and enjoying the night away ~ high jinks all around. (an attempted trip to wadi damm ~ foiled by raging wadis)
one of the raging wadis on the way to Ibri
2. On April 26, 2012, two of my friends, Kathy and Tom, and I ventured across the Hajar Mountains in Oman. We drove over a treacherous dirt road along the edges of steep mountains through Wadi Bani Awf toward an idyllic little village called Balad Sayt. In order to get to this beautiful village, we had to clamber through a pool-filled canyon to emerge on the other side in an open bowl surrounded by mountains. The village with all its lush green plantations sits in the middle of this bowl. Kathy made the mistake of abandoning her shoes beside one of the pools in the canyon. When she came out on the Balad Sayt side, she struggled mightily to walk over the burning gravelly path up to the village. She devised several methods to protect her feet, using discarded pieces of rotten wood which she tossed ahead of her one step at a time; this painstaking method didn’t work too well. She finally tied some flexible bark around her feet with old twine. I know it wasn’t too funny for Kathy, but Tom and I never laughed so hard in our lives! (52 pick up: success (aka overcoming adversity))
Kathy and her bark and twine makeshift shoes ~ at Balad Sayt, Oman
3. On March 28, 2013, Mario and I went up to Jebel Akhdar to see the roses. The year before, we had tried to see the roses but had come too late. This time, we were able to breathe in the sweet fragrance and take lovely photos of the pink blossoms. We had a lovely time walking through the rose gardens and then having wine and dinner at the Sahab Hotel after (the roses of jebel akdhar & a lovely encounter with an irish couple). We repeated similar amazing experiences on Jebel Akhdar so many other times, I can’t even count them all.
Roses on Jebel Akhdar
Everyone who reads my blog knows that my favorite place in Oman is Jebel Akhdar. Each time I went up the “Green Mountain,” I had different memorable experiences that I’ll carry in my heart always. Here are a couple more of my favorite times.
4) On May 11, 2012, Mario and I went hiking on Jebel Akhdar in search of the roses, but we were too late to see them. However, we had one of many great conversations throughout the course of our friendship. After our hike, he invited me to come over and share lime-flavored white corn TOSTITOS® tortilla chips (a rare find in Oman), apricot & almond cheese, cheddar cheese and a bottle of wine. We sat in his air-conditioned living room and talked about the tribal society of Oman and the confining rules under which a tribe must live, a conversation I call “escaping the tribe.” Sometimes I think I should write a book titled “Conversations with Mario.” (searching for roses on jebel akhdar & a conversation about escaping the “tribe”)
Ruins at Wadi Bani Habib on Jebel Akhdar
5) On January 13, 2012, my sons came to visit me in Oman, and all of us loved our excursion into the watery cave at Wadi Shab (cliff-jumping in the hidden caves of wadi shab). Stunningly beautiful.
The entrance to the pools at Wadi Shab that you must swim through to get to the cave
6) On April 11, 2013, Mario and I went to explore Wadi Bani Kharous. Not only did we explore the multitudes of picturesque villages in that wadi, but we experienced some great Omani hospitality along the way. (a trip to wadi bani kharous)
Omani hospitality at Wadi Bani Kharous
7) On Tuesday, February 21, 2013 Mario and I went on a huge road trip, where we explored Wadi Dayqah Dam, among other places, and ended up in Wadi Arbiyyin on the east coast of Oman. Then we headed to Muscat and had a sushi buffet. It was the road trip to beat all road trips, and perfectly lovely, except for the gunshots that scared us out of our wits. (wadi arbiyyin >> quriyat >> sushi in muscat. {the road trip: part 3})
Wadi Arbiyyin on the east coast of Oman
8) When I first arrived in Oman, I coudn’t find anyone who wanted to go exploring Oman on the first National Holiday, so I went by myself. I had a great time at Al Areesh Desert Camp meeting random people and listening & dancing to the Bedouin music. (national holiday chapter 3: sharqiya sands & al-areesh desert camp)
Bedouin singers at Al Areesh Desert Camp
9) When I went to Jordan over the 2011 Eid, I met an Italian guy, Guido, who came to visit me in Oman in December. We had a great time going to Wadi Tiwi on his visit here on December 2, 2011. (cathy takes guido to wadis tiwi & shab…and up the coast to muscat)
I’ve been to some of these places many times, and each time was wonderfully special. I’ve picked my favorites based on a feeling of peace and contentment I experienced during those specific times.
My time here in Oman is coming to a close. I am ready to leave, but I will carry many happy memories with me. 🙂
Friday, May 17: This morning, a small group of us meets at Mario’s house in Izki at 6:30 a.m. for a day trip to Wekan, a small village perched on the side of a mountain at the end of Wadi Mistal in Al Batinah.
Anna and I drive in my turquoise Suzuki Celerio because I have to return it Budget Renta Car at the airport on our way back through Muscat. I had a flat tire last week and found out from the person who helped change the tire that ALL the tires on the car are bad. Now I’m driving with no spare. Besides that, there is no crank for the jack. I am returning it this afternoon for a different Suzuki.
Mario and Gavin drive in Gavin’s 4WD; he’s the one who will drive us off the beaten path through Wadi Mistal. At the clocktower roundabout at Al Rusayl, I leave my car and we all get into Gavin’s car for the rest of the drive.
When we arrive at the entrance to Wadi Mistal, we are pleasantly surprised to find 18km of the paved road into the wadi is now complete. We only have to drive an additional 12 km on a dirt track. That makes for a smoother and more pleasant drive.
When we arrive, Gavin brings out a plastic container of muffins to fortify us for our hike through the gardens of Wekan. It’s quite hot today, about 106 degrees Fahrenheit, but up on this mountain, we find it’s a wee bit cooler, thank heavens.
the view of Wadi Mistal from the village of Wekan
shadow play in a building near the entrance of Wekan that looks like it was once a ticket booth
the watchtower at the entrance to Wekan
Heed the sign!
Wekan is quite an exciting village for those of us living in Oman because it is one of the few places with a lot of green. Our first sighting is of some green ornamental grasses. We don’t see too many grasses in this country.
some pretty grasses near the entrance to Wekan
the field of onions that seems to have been harvested already
a budding pomegranate
We come across some Bangladeshi boys who have picked a bunch of apricots and Mario shells out a couple of Omani rials to buy a bag of them. We all enjoy the snack of fresh fruit right off the trees.
a collection of apricots
It seems the whole mountainside is lush with grapevines.
trellises of grapevines
figs
beautiful red and yellow leaves from the grapevines
a makeshift fence
another pomegranate
the fuzzy bush in the foreground is an asparagus plant. I never knew asparagus looked like this!
I’m especially captivated by the smattering of red and yellow leaves on the grapevines. As I haven’t experienced autumn in two years, I feel compelled to capture them in a photo so I can look at them and dream of being back in the USA this fall for my favorite season.
red and yellow grapevine leaves
I love the colors of this leaf
I love this delicate little weed
looking across the wadi to the mountains on the other side
Looking down on Wekan from the gardens above
some harvested Omani garlic. We can really smell it!
view of Wekan from above
another view of Wekan
going up the Persian steps in Wekan
Gavin, Anna and Mario
grapes, not quite ready for harvest
figs
more grapes
grapevines on trellises
more grapes
date palm and the Western Hajar Mountains
more tiny grapes
another interesting weed
partly shaded Persian steps alongside the pomegranates
shaded steps and the falaj beside them
date palms and the mountains above
the falaj and the Persian steps
more of the Persian steps
Wekan
a picture of an Arabian Oryx drawn on a wall
a pretty onion, according to Mario
I always feel like a walk through Wekan is like experiencing a bit of paradise. With the running water in the falaj humming a soothing tune and the slight, though warm, breezes on the mountain, it’s a little escape from the miserable heat down below.
As it takes about 3 hours to get to Wekan from Nizwa, I don’t think I will be returning to Wekan again before I leave Oman.
Fare thee well, Wekan! You’ve given me many happy memories. 🙂
Wednesday, May 15: On this Wednesday afternoon, after listening to and double-marking eighteen tedious presentations by John G’s students about the cities in the world they dream of visiting, about how “the life is beautiful” and “Paris/Tokyo/Sydney are so beautiful and nice and I advice {sic} you to go there,” I escape the university early. The temperature on this day is 106 degrees Fahrenheit and even after I drive my tiny turquoise Suzuki Celerio home with the air conditioner cranked up full blast, I feel like burnt toast when I pull into my driveway 30 minutes later. I immediately do as I do every day when I get home: put on my pajamas, turn on all three air-conditioners and all five fans, gobble down two dolmas and a plateful of sliced cheddar cheese with tomato wedges on crackers, and plop down on my couch to read about Barcelona in my bulky Lonely Planet Spain.
Always the queen of wasting time, I eventually force myself to get up and at least make one small step toward packing for my not-imminent-enough departure soon after June 26. I open my red suitcase and start trying on clothes that I think I’d like to wear on my vacation to Spain and Portugal.
Yikes! I know I have gained weight but I didn’t realize how much the bulge around my middle is now emphasized in every tank top and cute knit sleeveless top I own. Since in Oman I always wear baggy long-sleeved shirts, I have been in great denial (though admittedly secretly aware) of how unsightly my body has become. I try on a number of plain tank tops and cute flowing ruffled tops and red tops with colorful embroidery, tops that remind me of flamenco dancing and sangria and azulejos (blue & white painted tiles found everywhere in Portugal) and the striped arches of Cordoba’s Mezquita. The ones that best camouflage the bulges go in the suitcase and the others go in a pile to be shipped back to the USA for hopefully better days.
first steps in my packing process
I have been dreaming of wandering through the Glory Facade of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and eating paella by the sea in Valencia, wandering through and marveling at the Alhambra & the Cordoba Mezquita, eating tapas in Seville and drinking wine while under the influence of Spanish guitarists. In these dreams, I look as cute and Spanish as a person of my age and German heritage can look. But. Unless my right knee stops giving me problems and I can go on a full-out exercise regime in the next month, I will sadly need to change my vision.
Oh well. In the meantime, after finishing off marathon sessions of the 3rd season of Downton Abbey and the Christmas special where Matthew Crawley gets killed in a car accident right after his baby boy is born, I distract myself from my sorrows by diving in to Lonely Planet Spain, making asterisks next to places I want to visit in Barcelona and Valencia. Alternately, I lie on my couch in my air-conditioned flat and read Duende: a journey into the heart of Flamenco, by Jason Webster, about the author’s search for “the intense and mysterious emotional state – part ecstasy, part melancholy – that is the essence of Spain’s signature art form: flamenco.” I search on Youtube for Spanish flamenco music and classical Spanish guitar music to add to my iPod Nano. I download Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, to my Kindle and search in vain for a Kindle version of The Seamstress by Maria Duennas (highly recommended by mrs. carmichael of being mrs. carmichael). I do a Google search for novels set in Spain or in Portugal and add 22 titles to my Goodreads “to-read” list. I look for a small-group local tour in Andalucia, which I find, and I look on booking.com for low-priced but decent hotels in Barcelona, which don’t seem to exist. I pencil in an itinerary on a calendar and on maps of Spain and Portugal.
And of course, I manage to waste time preparing a new blog where I will eventually post about all my European journeys. So far, I’ve only written one post from a 2003 trip to France, but once I return home to the USA, I plan to post about both of my trips to France, a 1999 trip to England, and my upcoming trip to Spain and Portugal (and hopefully many future trips including a walk on the Camino de Santiago and trips to Italy, Croatia, Ireland, Switzerland, and anywhere else I can afford to go). If you feel like taking a look, hop on over to in search of a thousand cafés.
