Jerusalem: A Reading by Debbie

Michael has wanted to go to Israel for years. I'm not sure why, maybe fear of the unknown or concerns about safety or just because it seemed overwhelmingly complicated, I was not as enthusiastic. Now that we have almost two years of intrepid Senior Nomad travel under our belts, I was finally ready and perhaps it would prepare me for an upcoming visit to Belarus and a potential dip into the Ukraine. Regardless, I am so happy we spent ten days in this amazing part of the world. Israel will be a Senior Nomad highlight no matter where else we travel. And I am a better traveler for it.

In this blog I will stay away from any deep political opinions - those of you who know me, know that I don't let facts get in the way of a good story - and in this case I don't want to offend or misrepresent the situation in this complex corner of the world. While we were there, I read a book called The Lemon Tree by Stacy Tolan and it really helped me understand the background of the conflict here - but it was meeting real people that live their daily lives under often intense circumstances that taught me the most. I admired their pride, their courage and their history as well as their faith and hope for peace. Michael stays current on Israeli politics and should be the one to write this - all I can do is share my journey. So here it is.

We were ready for whatever the week brought on!

We found cheap airfare from Cyprus and two lovely airbnb apartments; one for three nights in Tel Aviv and one for week in Jerusalem in April. Sometimes that's all it takes for us to choose a destination, so Israel moved to the top of the list.

Had we given the dates a closer look we would have have realized we would be arriving during Passover - the holiest week on the Jewish calendar! That's like spontaneously deciding to go out to dinner on Valentines Day. As it turns out, it was also the week Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, so we got a double dose of religious fervor.

Once in Israel - it was a good thing we didn't have a burning desire for bread, because during Passover that was off the table as the saying goes, and there were other quirky thou shalt and shalt nots, closures, shut-downs and, of course, extra security. Tel Aviv was a soft landing as it was more laid back about strict observance of Passover than Jerusalem. Beach life continued, bread was discreetly available, and there were fewer Jewish citizens in full regalia. In fact, a lot of citizens wore very little clothing of any kind both on the beach and on the streets.

A long walk along the shore between new Tel Aviv and the Old City of Jaffa.

Tel Aviv is a young, vibrant city stuffed with skyscrapers and nightclubs that stretches out in the sun along the Mediterranean before bumping up against the ancient walls of the Old City of Jaffa.

Tel Aviv curls up next to the Old City of Jaffa like a child on Grandma's lap

Our apartment was a five minute walk to the beach, however it was in a neighborhood that you'd call "in transition". That means the location was great - and lots of trendy bars with indie retail were within walking distance, but our actual building and those in it's immediate surroundings were works-in-progress.

"What are you lookin' at?" The Guardians of our doorway in Tel Aviv.

I have mentioned before that with Airbnb, you often don't know what your front door looks like until you arrive. Maybe every host should be required to post a photo. Or not. If we had known we'd have to cross a gauntlet of feral cats along a sketchy side alley we might have made a different choice. But as veteran Airbnb guests, we knew there was a nice apartment just behind door #41 just as long as we got to it. Here's the link:  https://www.airbnb.com.mt/rooms/2935050

The highlights of our three day stay included a walking tour of the well preserved Old City of Jaffa where several centuries of history came visibly alive. A perfect lunch of fresh vegetables and lamb kufta hot off the grill in the famous Carmel de Hay Market where we jostled for seats at a tiny restaurant counter. We could feel the push of the next hungry customers pressing in behind us as we ate. Michael had an opportunity to experience an exceptional football match - his story, including his determined quest for a ticket is can be found on his blog post MC Sports Report: Never Give Up!

Early morning prep at the tiny restaurant where we fought for two of the four seats.

A delicious, hot off the grill lunch in the Ha' Carmel market. Three little salads and a pile of fresh pita not pictured.

Tel Aviv could be any of the larger beach resort cities we've visited. Our real Israeli experience would start in Jerusalem. Since our coverage in the New York Times we experienced an explosion of responses both to the article and our blog. Michael has answered every e-mail with enthusiasm. I try and run-along-side to keep up the blog and help him with answers to comments and questions.

During the initial deluge of e-mails we received after the article ran we flagged a note from a couple living in Jerusalem hoping we could spend a little time with them during our stay. They were very proud of Jerusalem and wanted to show us their city, and if there is one thing we have learned along the way - never turn down an invitation from a local! That is where the magic happens.

Our new found "forever" friends, Ruth and Stu. They kept us safe, fed and informed.

Ruth and Stu, two of the most generous and helpful people we've ever encountered, not only took us under their wings, they sat on the nest to make sure we were safe and well taken care of. They moved to Jerusalem from New Jersey 15 years ago to live the dream of settling in Israel. They knew there would be any number of challenges and even danger, but they were committed to their faith and their vision for the future. Their insight into life in Jerusalem was the perfect introduction for us. That and living for a week in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. More on that later.

Ruth came to Tel Aviv on our last day to show us her favorite parts of that city - including a stop at Le Mamma del Gelato for the best ice cream and sherbet we've had on our entire trip.

To say this Gelato was better than any we tasted in Italy is a bold statement. But true.

Stu swooped in with his trusty white mini-van complete with a flapping Israeli flag to drive us all the way to Jerusalem. There were stops along the way for expansive views and some further commentary on the political situation - but also lots of laughs and discussion around just how we became "Senior Nomads".

Stu and Michael could have talked politics for hours. Oh wait - they did!

They even took us grocery shopping at their supermarket because most everything around us would be closed for the next few days. But wait, there's more. Once we realized the Old City of Jerusalem was just about impenetrable due to the Passover holiday they drove around tirelessly looking for a "local" way in. In desperation Stu made a swift maneuver past stalled traffic and a road block to shoot down a back alley into a parking lot where a shuttle bus was about to make it's last run of the night into the Old City. Our first miracle! With Ruth and Stu still in tow we jumped on board and found our new home.

The next morning they came to collect us to share their favorite stalls in the famous Mahane Yehuda Market - a sprawling inner-city food mecca. Bakeries closed, of course. A few days later we visited their son's home, and met his wife and four of his six children. He is a Rabbi, and has just recently returned to Jersualem with his family after living in Los Angeles for several years - of course Ruth and Stu are happy to have them close, but worry about their safety. They live in a settlement about a half an hour out of town very near a lookout point where we saw miles of rolling desert, Bedouin camps, and in the far distance, the Dead Sea and the red hills of Jordan. Our lively discussions around life in this ever challenging country continued, and again, having so much time with people who actually live here made all the difference in our understanding of the Jewish perspective.

A bird's eye view of the Mahane Yehude Market from a little known perch.

Our time in the Old City turned out to be another incredible piece of our Senior Nomad puzzle. Michael sometimes refers to our travels as a "Self-Directed Masters Program in 20th Century European History and World Affairs".  If this experience didn't fit that description, nothing does. We were in the absolute heart of the Jewish Quarter during the holiest days of the Jewish religion.

Our host Yishia at our front door in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City

Our Airbnb was a "mother-in-law" style apartment in the home of Yishai and Rivka. They were wonderful and very hospital hosts that made sure we had everything we needed. Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com.mt/rooms/1423284.  I did have to ask for a few things in the kitchen because (and here's a first) there were two sets of dishes and cookware. One for Kosher cooking and the other for non-Jewish guests. I coveted a few things on the Kosher side (is that a sin?) so Yishai found a large pot, a colander and a frying pan for "my side". We were all set.

One of the reasons it feels good to "Just say No!" to souvenirs.

As for shopping - yes, everything in the Jewish Quarter and most of downtown Jerusalem was closed from Friday at dusk until Sunday. However, the Muslims in the next quarter were doing brisk business! I could find whatever I needed, including bread, just a few cobbled streets away. There is a certain reverence to shopping along streets that existed in biblical times. If you look past the bobble-head bible figures and smiley face yamakas you can still buy sandals and over-priced cold drinks just like the Apostles did.

It was fun to spend  these colorful "Shekels" - unless you did the conversation rate. It was very expensive here.

We were tucked in the Jewish Quarter near the Western Wall.

The Old City is a narrow maze of passages that weave drunkenly between four distinct populations. Today, 36,000 people actually live within the walls of this quarter mile enclave! So of course the streets are teeming with locals, and during this week in particular, thousands of tourists and pilgrims from around the world. It was truly a gauntlet to get from our apartment to the Jaffa Gate where we spilled out into relative calm outside the walls.

Just one of the many streets in the Muslim Quarter where you lose yourself in the sights and smells.

The largest of the four quarters is the Muslim Quarter. This labyrinth overflows with cubbyhole sized food and souvenir stalls and shops for daily needs. The Christian Quarter was more sedate. This is where pilgrims gather to follow Jesus' tortured walk through the city carrying the cross to his crucifixion. There are 14 stops along the way that conclude at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - the world's holiest Christian site. Inside this elaborate church two monuments mark the sites of Jesus' death, and the nearby tomb where he was buried. Thousands of people visit the church each day - and of course, the week were were there, multiply that by 10. The Armenian quarter is quiet, but their presence in Jerusalem dates back to the fourth century A.D following Armenia's adoption of Christianity. It recently got a little buzz due to a visit from the most famous (or infamous for this conservative population) Armenian - Kim Kardashian. Kim and Husband Kayne West had their daughter North baptised into the Armenian Christian faith in the Old City. All televised, of course.

The Kardashian clan visits the Old City with body guards and cameramen along side

The Jewish Quarter has it's own very distinct personality. It was filled to the hat brim with the families that live here, and because it was Passover it was even more crowded with worshipers from around the world visiting the Western Wall and sacred synagogues. Everyone was dressed in their finest including the children. I won't even try to go into all the variations on that theme, but suffice it to say Jews can wear whatever represents their particular sect, and their beliefs on a daily basis with pride, and without prejudice here. I like that.

A typical family in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter in the Old City

We took a moment to pray at the wall - it was a profound experience for any believer.

Just steps from our apartment was a small courtyard that looked over the Western Wall - sometimes called The Wailing Wall. It was fascinating to walk out there at any time of day and see hundreds of people praying - women separated from the men by a barrier. The Dome of the Rock was also in clear view from our apartment window. That golden egg of a building is the most contested piece of land on earth since it is coveted by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike. Currently it is controlled by the Muslims and Jews are not allowed to go there.

Just a few steps from our apartment we had a panoramic view of the Western Wall.

The vast site of Dome of the Rock can only be appreciated in person. Security was tight.

In order to get a balanced experience while we were there we wanted to visit the Palestinian Territory known as the West Bank. We weren't sure exactly how we were going to do that, but we remembered when we watched Rick Steve's Holy Land special a few weeks earlier he credited the guides that he used. We watched it again while in Jerusalem - a good idea in itself, and then contacted one of the guides that presented the Palestinian perspective. His name was Kamal. Unfortunately, he was unable to accommodate us, but his mother, Faten was available. She is also a licensed guide. Three days later, we found the right bus that took us through the checkpoints into Bethlehem. We spent a full and very informative day with Faten (including a home-cooked lunch at her house). In an unusual twist her family is Orthodox Christian - a super minority in Palestine. She took us well beyond the tourist sites although we did have a brief visit to the birthplace of Christ as well as the site where the angels appeared unto the Shepherds. Speaking of Good News - that is exactly what happened when our bus driver called Faten to say that he'd found my wallet on the bus! I hadn't even noticed it was missing. We jumped in the car and met him on his route to collect it with everything safely inside. People have been so nice here on both sides of the walls.

Standing along a portion of the security wall that now runs through Faten's family property.

Almost every surface of the walls on the Palestinian side were covered in graffiti. This was a prominent image by the world famous artist Banksy.

Other graffiti images were less peaceful and the difference in living conditions was eye-opening.

Back to our tour - we drove to a piece of farm land that had been in Faten's husband's family for generations. It was now split down the middle by the security wall that surrounds Israel. From there she drove us past the heavily graffiti-covered wall (including works by Banksy) and told some harrowing tales of life in Palestine. We returned to Jerusalem by walking through the long, heavily guarded security checkpoint that Palestinians must cross daily to go to work in Israel. It was daunting.

By the end of our day in the West Bank, our heads were spinning with all that we had learned from Faten, Stu and Ruth, Yishai and Rivka and many others. It would seem the problems here are intractable and all we can do is hope and pray for a peaceful solution for our new friends.

The full day at TEDx Jerusalem will go down as one of the best days of our trip.

On our last day we attended an all-day TEDx Jerusalem event! What an absolutely perfect way to end this journey. We heard 12 incredible speakers on a wide range of topics - several of which had to do with the current politics of Israel. I could write an entire blog about it. If you are ever in a city where you can attend a TED or TEDx event we strongly recommend you drop everything and go. Here's a link to the event we attended:  http://www.tedxjerusalem.com

Without trying to gloss over the complexities and problems of this part of the world, I would end by saying that walking the streets of this holy place that has witnessed thousands of years of conflict and persecution, but also renewal and hope, was life changing for me personally and certainly sums up why Michael and I are on this journey.

Thank you for following along.

Debbie and Michael
Senior Nomads

MC Sports Report: Never Give Up!‎

Welcome to Israel and the beaches of Tel Aviv.

Two weeks before we went to Israel I opened my favorite Football App, ESPN FC, and learned that Maccabi Tel Aviv was at home on Monday night, April 6. We were only going to be in Tel Aviv for three nights on our way to Jerusalem, and that date worked, so I was excited about the chance to see Israel's oldest and most decorated football club.

We were in Nicosia and my Cypriot phone plan allowed me to make a few international calls so I found the phone number for the Macabbi Football Ticket office and gave them a call. Got through without any problem and learned this was the biggest match of the year. #1 Maccabi vs arch-rival #2 Hapoel Be'er-Sheva, No chance to get a ticket. Sorry sold-out!

Undeterred, I sent an email to the club office and pleaded my case. I probably mentioned that I write a blog and that somehow it would make sense if I could attend and write about the match. I also sent emails to our Airbnb host in Tel Aviv as well as our host in Jerusalem asking them if they knew how I could get a ticket. No joy.

When we arrived in Tel Aviv I started asking everyone I met, including the Taxi driver from the airport how to get a ticket. Still no joy.

The next morning, Monday April 6th, we were on a Free Walking Tour of the Old City of Jaffa so I asked the Tour Guide. She had no clue but took me into a little Tabac/betting shop before the tour started and asked the owner how I could get a ticket. Turns out that a group of men were sitting around a table filling out stacks of Keno cards, or betting cards or who knows what. Her question started a conversation between the men, the shop owner and other patrons, all in Hebrew of course. Before long a man sitting at the table told our tour guide that he was planning on going to the match. He didn't have a ticket either, but if I would meet him back at the Tabac shop at 8pm I could go with him to see if we could buy tickets from a scalper. His name was David.

As in all things in life, the harder it was to get a ticket, the more I wanted to go to the match. Since David's offer was the only one I had, I decided to go for it. I came back at 8:00 pm as requested and found David and the three other men still sitting at the same table filling out the same forms. I'm not sure what they do all day but apparently that's a day's work for David and his friends.

My friend David made it all possible. Thanks.

David's English was very limited but we soon set-out on foot for the short 10 minute walk to Bloomfield Stadium. The match was set to start at 8:45. Our first stop was behind the visitor's section. David thought we'd most likely find tickets from fans of Be'er Sheva, but as it turns out no one was selling.

So, we walked to the other side of the stadium where the Tel Aviv fans were pouring in. David dove into the crowd of men and started looking for sellers. My assignment was to stay right behind him and not get lost. By now it was 8:20 pm and even I could see buyers and sellers. It is legal to buy and sell tickets so transactions were pretty much out in the open yet still discreet.

That's David in the white/gray shirt working the crowd looking for tickets

David told me he was only willing to pay 100 NIS (New Israeli Shekels) which translates to $25. I set a budget of 150 NIS. As things started to heat-up, David reported that tickets were be offered at 300, 400 and even 500 for a VIP ticket. It was now 8:30 pm and I could feel the level of activity and anxiety rise as fans streamed into the stadium and the crowd outside was shrinking. (The whole experience made we want to contact Planet Money and suggest they do a story on the supply/demand curve for scalpers and buyers in the final minutes leading up to kick-off.)

At 8:35 pm David decided that he could not find a ticket within his budget and he said he was heading home to watch the match on TV. I thanked him for his help and we said our goodbyes. Off he went. A moment later I turned around and somehow made eye contact with a guy who said, in English, he had a ticket for sale. I offered 150. He accepted and that's when I started to panic because David had been telling me all night that I needed to be aware of fake tickets and if I bought a ticket I should only pay the seller once I was inside the gate.

Security check. One more stop to go.

I wasn't sure what to do next. That's when I looked-up and saw that David hadn't gotten that far so I yelled for him. Somehow he heard me, turned around and I waved frantically for him to come back. He did and for a minute or two he and Rory (my seller) conversed in Hebrew. It was now 8:37 pm and David said I should take the deal. He headed home and I  followed Rory towards the gate.

Just below the lights are floor-to-ceiling metal turnstiles

Rory showed the guard his tickets (actually two club membership cards) and in we went. I thought that was a good sign, but that was just the pre-check. The noise from inside the stadium was getting louder by the minute. The match was minutes from starting and the crowd surged forward doing the Israeli push 'n'shove leading into the metal crowd barriers and toward the security guards. I still had my money in hand. I looked at my watch and it was 8:39 pm and there were at least 100 guys in front of us. Eventually, we got to the head of the line, were quickly frisked and directed to the full-body turnstiles where Rory gave me a ticket to put in the scanner. I was nervous and put the ticket in the wrong way. Red Light. One of the cops saw what I had done and turned it around. The light turned green and in I went! Rory was right behind me and a moment later we were spit out into the stadium. The field was right in front of us and the players were filing out onto the field. The place was electric and the noise was deafening. Yay! I did it.

Looking across the field just before the match started, Maccabi colors are yellow and blue.

I got out my 200 Shekel note and offered it to Rory. He fumbled in his wallet and feigned something about he didn't have the right change - "did I have another  50 so he could give me 100 back?" The adrenalin was pumping and I wondered if he was going to take my 200 +50 and slip off into the crowd but instead he dug a 100 Shekel note out of his wallet and handed it over. Whew!

At that point I remember saying something like, can I sit with you? He mumbled something that I couldn't understand and before I could say anything else he disappeared into the crowd. I was so excited to be inside that I was not thinking clearly. That's when it dawned on me that the match was really and truly "sold-out". Yes, I was in the stadium but without my "friend" Rory I had no place to sit because it was all reserved seating and he'd taken back the card I used to get in. I had no idea where I should sit. In a matter of 30 seconds I went from feeling pretty clever to feeling stupid - now what? 

The match was just about to start so I looked for an open seat, someplace, any place. Of course everyone was standing so it was hard to even identify a seat at all. I spotted one low down near the pitch. Oops, the owner suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I decided to head up the stairs thinking maybe I could find a seat near the top of the stadium. Got there. Saw a couple of empty seats and quickly realized they were "sight obstructed" by the press box and girders. New plan.

Bloomfield Stadium seats 14,400 - In Hebrew אצטדיון בלומפילד‎

Went down a few rows and tried to blend in with a group but moments later a guy using some sort of international sign language, or Hebrew or both indicated I was in his seat. Damn. Another plan.

As I headed back down the stairs I noticed a seat on the aisle in row 21 that seemed empty but everyone was still standing so it was hard to tell. The referee was about to blow the whistle and start the match. In desperation, I tapped a young man on the shoulder who was standing next to the aisle and asked if he spoke English. No. That's when I tried the international hand signals and gestures to "ask" if I could sit next to him. For whatever reason, by the grace of God or some other higher power he indicated "yes" and he moved over a little to allow me to stand next to him in, what I learned later was seat 15. Whew! Thank the Lord.

Ended-up in Row 21. Note all the sunflower seed shells. Soon to be banned at Israeli stadiums.

The whistle blew and the match got underway! My shoulders dropped and I said a silent prayer of thanks. I had made it - but I started to worry that someone would come at any moment and claim their seat. There was nothing I could do about that so I focused on the match and was swept up in the emotions and excitement that filled the stadium.

The 2,000 Be'er Sheva fans were restricted to one end. The other 12,000 seats (including mine) were filled with screaming Maccabi fans who desperately wanted a win and the three points that would guarantee them the League Championship for a record 21st time.

They didn't have to wait long because in the 3rd minute, Maccabi scored and the place erupted and  the fans went crazy. Before I knew it, my seatmate, Avi Haccoun, was giving me high fives followed by a huge bear hug. I was an official fan!

Avi Haccoun saved my bacon.

From there, things settled down. I think it was about the 20 minute mark that I finally relaxed and told myself that if someone was going to claim "their" seat they surely would be here by now. That's when I looked around and realized I had one of the absolute best seats in the house and once again felt incredibly blessed to be a part of a football match a world away from Seattle.

At halftime it was still Macabbi up 1-0 but Be'er Sheva (Sister City of Seattle) came-out fired-up for the 2nd half and drove-in the equalizer in the 46th minute. Boom! For the next 30 minutes the match was played evenly by both teams but the pressure rose as the clock headed to full time and Maccabi scored off a rebound in the 79th minute and again in the 83rd to go up 3-1 and sealed the deal.

It is impossible to get a good photo from the stands with the light levels on the field. I was there!

I celebrated the win with Avi and my other new-found friends in Row 21 and made my way out of the stadium. It was 11:00 pm and Google Maps told me that it was a straight-forward 3.5km walk home so off I went. It was a beautiful night and along the way I home I joined two Macabbi fans walking the same direction. Their English was good so I was able to engage them in a post-match analysis, get answers to questions about the Israeli First Division, their thoughts on the recent Israeli elections, Netenyahu, Obama and Iran before arriving at our Airbnb apartment. A night well spent!

I was home by midnight thinking just how fun it is to experience the local culture in each country through football. Might not be for everyone, but it's a win/win for me.

Until next time.

Michael

Cyprus - The land of Sneetches

After three weeks in Greece and Turkey, we headed to the island nation of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. Cyprus is about the half the size of Connecticut, and is split into two "countries" The southern half being known as Cyprus and and the northern half as The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Cyprus is recognized as an EU country and uses the Euro, the Turkish side is only recognized as a country by Turkey.

This unhappy scenario began when Turkey invaded the island in 1974 under the guise of protecting the Turkish Cypriots during a civil war that began shortly after the British gave up control of the island in the early 60's. Before the invasion the Greek and Turkish population co-existed quite nicely. After the invasion, the country was divided between the Turks and the Greeks with a 124 mile "Green Line" complete with barbed wire, armed guards and U.N. Peacekeepers.  The on-going dispute over the occupation causes headaches and heartaches on both sides. Thus my comparison to the Sneeches. In my opinion this book gets to the root of just about every problem facing mankind. Deep, I know.

We flew from Izmir, Turkey to the island, so we landed on the Turkish side. That meant we would have to cross the Green Line to get to the Greek side where we were staying. Our host organized a taxi to pick us with a driver that was authorized to travel between sides - that is not always the case. We presented our passports at the border and got through with out any problems.

The entrance to our courtyard. Ours was the door in the left corner.

Our stay began in Cyprus' capital city of Nicosia at a lovely airbnb in the old city near the center of town. Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1829849 Our hosts were wonderful people who quickly became friends. Paulo is a retired Alitalia pilot and his lovely wife Laura was a stewardess - classic! They live in an apartment adjacent to their airbnb so we saw them often and spent some great time together in the garden courtyard under the lemon tree.

Our gracious Italian hosts Paulo and Laura. They were some of the best people we've met yet!

Their home is near the city's dividing line. In fact, if you walked just two blocks down the street and around a corner you bumped into a barbed wire fence and crumbling structures covered with ominous Do Not Enter warnings. Go a little further and armed guards back-up the message.

Signage at the "green line" near our house.

The areas between the two sides are abandoned and filled with rubble and trash.

We were so close to the Turkish side that we could hear the calls to prayer from the nearest mosque quite clearly beginning at 5:00 am in the morning. Shortly afterwards, at a slightly more civilized 7:00 am start, the Greek Orthodox church around the corner fired back with clanging bells and a broadcast of their service over loud speakers. Oddly, they are both in chant form. It made for an interesting, and early start to the day.

Michael would have loved to try his hand at backgammon - but these guys were intimidating!

Our hosts bought their house in a part of town that had nearly been destroyed during the war. The government gave generous grants to those willing to buy abandoned and damaged homes and accurately restore them to their former glory. Paulo and Laura did a fabulous job with their property. The area is now full of vibrant cafes, galleries, and start-up businesses - all benefiting from the restoration initiative.

An example of a neighborhood much like Paulo and Laura's before renovation.

These houses were dilapidated after the war - but they are lovely now! Ours is on the right.

The city of Nicosia is also divided between Turkey and Cyprus - with each side managing their half. One day Paulo and Laura invited us to walk to the Turkish side of the city for lunch and to experience crossing the border that divides the city. This involves showing your passport twice - once to the Cypriot guards, and then again, about 50 yards along the road at the Turkish side. As obvious tourists we didn't get questioned in detail, but it isn't as easy for locals. And if you feel like doing some shopping on the Turkish side for some "genuine fakes", you could lose your loot coming back to the Cyprus side. Many Cypriots have never been to the Turkish side out of principle.

Crossing back into Cyprus after a day trip to "The Other Side".

The crossing was interesting - but even more interesting was the marked difference from one side to the other. Once on Turkish soil, we were immersed in a typical souk market place and surrounded by Muslim culture. The level of affluence also dropped considerably. As we approached the crossing on the Greek side we passed dozens of high-end shops including Sephora, H&M, Zara, Tiger and more - while no brand names were visible on the Turkish side. That said, your dollar went a lot further!

Strolling the souk on the Turkish side of Nicosia.

After a week in medieval Nicosia it was time to head to the beach for a restful week in Larnaka before heading to Israel. Larnaka is just an hour's bus ride away from Nicosia but it felt like we'd flown to another country. This was beach party town! The promenade was lined with bars and restaurants, and vendors selling sunglasses, beach toys, ice-cream, fresh juice and buckets full of beer.

Standing at our 'front door' in Larnaka!

Our apartment was fine - small and a little on the sterile side, but the deck faced directly out to the sea and made it special. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1742220 . I talk about our front doors sometimes, in that you never know what they might look like or what really lies behind them...well this one was a McDonald's. That's a first. The most direct way to our apartment from the main road was through the restaurant and out the back door to the entrance. We were five floors up. One cheeseburger meal, and a Sausage McMuffin with Egg breakfast later - I'll take a more traditional, less fattening entrance next time, thank you!

The view from our deck. On this particular morning there was a parade!

Our week was spent reading, writing, walking, and occasionally swimming in the deep blue sea.
And eating of course. The cuisine on the island is the best of these two colliding cultures - Greek and Turkish! The weather was mixed, but when the sun was out it was glorious. It was nice to spend a week somewhere that wasn't too mentally taxing. It felt like a "vacation" from our usual Senior Nomadic adventures. Sounds odd, doesn't it?

A day trip by bus to the town of Girne (Kyrenia in Greek) on the Turkish side.

The highlight for Michael was attending a 1st division Cypriot football match between Apoel and Apollon. It was one of the most exciting matches he's attended so far and, as always there are some great moments to share. Read his Excitement in Cyprus blog that we posted last week for the full story.

Michael enjoying one of his best football adventures yet!

Cyprus is an island with a exhaustive history of occupation by numerous tribes and nations. We were happy to have occupied it for two weeks. We leave in peace.

...I'm quite happy to say that the Sneetches got really smart on that day. The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches, and no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches. That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether they had one, or not, upon thars.

Thanks for joining us!

Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads

MC Sports Report - Excitement in Cyprus

Beautiful day for local derby in Nicosia, Cyprus

The last match I attended was a 2nd Division match in Italy. Then things went dry for a few weeks. Our travel schedule did not sync-up with football fixtures while we were in Greece and Turkey so I was happy to find out that I could attend a match when we got to Nicosia, Cyprus. Here's a quick "scene set" to catch you up on the country Cyprus.

• Small island in the Mediterranean just 150 miles west of Syria and 175 miles south of Turkey.
• Divided into two parts since the Turkish Invasion of 1974.
• The Republic of Cyprus is in the south - a member of UN, European Union; uses the Euro; speak Greek.
• Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Not recognized as a country by anyone in the world except Turkey; use the Turkish Lire; speak Turkish.
• The capital city of Nicosia is in the center of the island and is also divided with the two sides separated by the "Green Line" and monitored by UN Peacekeeping forces since 1974. Actual razor wire, guards with guns along a 124 mile dividing line running east to west.

With that said, when a person talks about football in Cyprus, they mean the Republic of Cyprus with a population of little over a million people, ranked 155th of the193 countries in the United Nations. The Cypriot national team is currently ranked 96th in the FIFA World Rankings. Pretty good for a country its size. The 1st Division has 12 teams.

We landed on a Saturday at noon in the Northern part of Cyprus because we flew in from Turkey. We quickly crossed the border to the Republic of Cyprus and found the house we had rented in the Old Town of Nicosia. I knew there was a match that afternoon at 4 pm and our Airbnb host offered to drive me to the match and drop me off. Just 4 km away he said so I figured I could easily walk home.

My Greek is close to zero but this says Apoel vs. Apollon

So, off we went in his car but before long I realized that we had driven way more than 4 km. In fact we were on a freeway headed out of town. Ten minutes later the stadium came into view next to the freeway and traffic slowed to a crawl. At that point we were at least 10 km from town but there was no turning back. Paolo dropped me off by the side of the road and just for a second I wondered if I had become a little too cavalier about my ability to find my way home from these matches. In this case, matters were worse because I hadn't had time to get a Cypriot SIM card and my Turkish SIM card was not working so no Internet access, hence no Google Map app which meant I was pretty much flying blind. Nothing like a little challenge :)

Mind you I didn't have a ticket yet and didn't know anything about the match except that it started at 4 pm. It was now 3:30 and I blended into a crowd of fans making their way towards the stadium. I quickly realized I was on the "wrong" side of the highway from the stadium in a run-down, dirt parking lot where all the away supporters (in this case Apollon fans) were dropped off. There were cops all around, many in balaclavas, knee pads and full riot gear where the police work the crowd of 200 hundred or so like cowboys driving cattle.

After speaking to one of the cops and asking where to buy a ticket, I found myself among a group of fans walking under the highway, stepping over and around a stream on our way to the stadium. It reminded me of pictures you see on the news of illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico into America.

I followed the away supporters from a dirt parking lot under the highway to the stadium

As we approached the stadium I found some nice young kids who spoke English. They were all Apollon fans and their section was sold-out. They didn't know anything about tickets for the home team. Mild panic set in but the stadium looked pretty big so I remained optimistic.

I kept walking and before long I was in line for tickets for Apoel, the home team. Good news. I could buy a ticket. I made friends with Marios, the guy behind me in line who spoke English. By the time we got to the ticket window I found out that tickets were the equivalent of $9. More good news. It turns out that he and his buddies were supporters of Appolon. They had not bought tickets back home in Limassol in time to sit in the away supporters section so their plan was to buy tickets on the Apoel side and then sit on their hands the whole match so as not to give away their loyalties. They had jackets that covered their team colors in order to blend in.

Supporters for Apollon from Limassol in the away section. Note yellow-vested security surrounding them.

By the time we both had our tickets, we were joined by 3 of his friends and were making our way into the stands where we found our seats near the top of the section.

Apoel supporters (home) at the other end with pre-match "card stunt" felt like a college game in America

By now I had the story line down for the match. This was a huge derby. Going into the match, Apollon (in blue/away) was at the top of the table by 1 point. They had not won in the stadium since 2000. Apoel (in yellow/home) was 2nd in the table. An Apoel win would put them top of the table above their arch-rival. The sun was out. The place was packed. The noise was intoxicating and I was ready for a match that lived-up to the billing. Apoel struck early and scored just 9 minutes into the match and of course the fans went crazy.

The air went out of their balloon win the 29th minute when Apoel was called for a foul in their own penalty area. Drama. Penalty kick. Apollon scored! Match tied 1-1. The whistles from the home town fans were deafening.

Normally I cheer for the home team. Why not? I usually don't have loyalties one way or the other but in this case since I was sitting with Marios and his friends so decided to become a closet Apollon supporter for the day. Remember, "we" were in first place wanting to defend our position top of the table AND "we" had not won here in 15 years which made it fun to root for Apollon.

A few minutes later, Apoel seized the day and scored again in the 34th minute with a beautiful shot on goal to go up 2-1. Minutes later Apollon went on the offense. The Apoel keeper left the goal box to try and block a shot. Then the ball ricochet off his foot and what seemed like slow-motion the ball keeps rolling slowly towards the goal. Both teams start chasing the ball but no one gets there before the ball dribbles across the line and the score is tied 2-2. More whistles.

At halftime, I started focusing on how I was going to get "home" to Nicosia. I told Marios the story of the cop I met before the game who pointed out where I might catch a bus a mile or so from the stadium. I was hoping that they might have more information but since they were from Limassol they didn't know Nicosia that well. Just before I left for the match I grabbed a map which fortunately had a  red "x" indicating where our house was in the Old City. Marios and his friends studied the map and before long said "not to worry". They would give me a ride to town and then I could catch a bus, taxi or walk. Whew!

Time for the second half. The first half had been thrilling. Maybe the best I had seen in a dozen matches I'd been to in Europe as a Senior Nomad. Knowing I had a plan on getting home, I relaxed and got ready for another exciting 45 minutes of soccer....and wow, was it ever!

Up and down the field. Back and forth. As time went on both teams started pressing harder and harder. Yellow cards starting popping up like dandelions. Both teams really wanted the 3 points. At one point I thought both teams would start throwing punches but the referee got the match under control.

Referee Vasilis Demetriou earning his wages keeping the teams apart late in the match

The clock kept ticking and the intensity grew along with more yellow cards until the 76th minute when Apoel put the ball in the net to go ahead 3-2 but then everyone looked to the linesman (actually a young woman, the only female Assistant Referee in the Cypriot 1st Division) and her flag was up.

Offside!!

No goal!!

The home fans were the picture of dejection.

Discussing the merits of the offside call

End of regulation. 4 minutes of extra time. Apoel almost scores then commits a foul at the other end. Penalty Kick for Apollon from 30 yards out. Just misses. Whistle blows. Match Over. Both teams take away 1 point and Apollon remains top of the table. Home town fans walked out of the stadium with heads down in despair. Their team, of course, was robbed by the bad offside call. The away fans were elated and happy to get out of town with another draw (their 5th draw in the stadium since 2000).

After the match, I follow Marios and his friends back under the freeway to the parking lot, over some fences and across a farmer's field headed for his car. While we were walking, they took off their jackets to show their colors now that we were lost in a sea of Apollon supporters.

A great day of football + a ride home. Who could ask for more?

We jumped in his Skoda and off we went headed (I hoped) to Nicosia. After dropping off two of his friends, Marios suggested I jump I the front seat and away we went. Again, I was hoping that we were heading somewhere near home. It seemed like we drove for a long, long time. It was dark by now and I didn't see any businesses open, a single bus or a taxi. My bravado about walking home was starting to feel a little misplaced when Marios said something like, "I think where you are staying should be somewhere around here."

I looked up and like an airplane descending from low clouds and seeing the runway just before landing, I recognized the mini-mart in front of us. We had shopped earlier in the day for groceries and I knew I was going to get home. I jumped out. Thanked Marios and told him that because of his kindness to a stranger he was going to heaven for sure. I still was not sure exactly where our house was because they all looked the same in the dark. I headed down the first narrow road hoping to recognize the house. After walking for a few minutes I thought I found it. I got out my key and tentatively put it in the lock hoping that I was opening the door to the our courtyard. The key went it. I gave it a turn and "voila" it opened. Yay!

Prayers answered. Great day out. Confidence back and before I was in the house I was already thinking about the next match when we will be in Larnaca. The home team is AEK Larnaca. They are currently in 3rd place and will host Apoel.  If I'm able to get a ticket to see the match I'll let you know. I'll take a map!

Until then,

Michael

Mama Mia - Here we go again!

At least I don't have to chisel our blog!

My how time flies in the blogosphere! In recent posts - Michael told a great football tale, and answered the first of several questions we received from readers of the New York Times story and the Huffington Post Live interview. His post is about our budget and we welcome your feedback. I am the one behind on travel tales!

Since my last post from Malta, we've been to Rhodes, Symi and Kos in the Greek Islands, spent time in Turkey, including a mind-boggling trip to Ephesus, and are now settled on the Greek side of the divided island country of Cyprus. All that in just twenty days! Not our usual Senior Nomads pace, but there was still so much to see in this part of the world.

Some of this whirlwind travel included a few hotel nights, and I have to say I didn't mind someone else making the beds and preparing breakfast, let alone going out for lunch and dinner! And we were within budget, so that made it even better.

Here's a quick recap of the past twenty days. Let's begin with my birthday, March 6th. We started the party early - as in a 2:30 am wake up call for a 5:00 am flight from Malta to Athens. Note to travel planner: Not your best planning, even if we saved a few bucks.

We arrived in Rhodes just in time for a national holiday - and that came with a parade!

One of the quirks of our nomadic lifestyle is "we always have to be somewhere" - as in not at home and not on vacation. Traveling these past few weeks  included stops in Greece with hardly another tourist in sight because "the season" doesn't start until early April. After a layover in Athens our first stop was Rhodes, a lovely fortified city with  history around every corner.  Our hosts picked us up at the airport and we settled into our home in the old city (as in really old city). https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1037492. Our back door opened onto to the courtyard of a church built in the 15th century.

The Byzantine church out our backdoor.

On the way to town along an alley that hasn't changed in 500 years. Well, maybe the restaurant has a new name.

Our first stop, as always, was the closest grocery store - since we were inside the walls of the old town it was more of a place that offered snacks, beverages, staples and limited fresh products. Nothing exceeded a 500 year sell by date, but there was dust on some of the cans. A small, random selection of fresh meat arrived on Thursdays (this was a Saturday) and produce got a top-up twice a week - another sign that we were on an island that was still gearing up for tourist season.

That's okay. We made fresh orange juice everyday and found some fun new ways to use eggs, potatoes, canned food, cured meats and pasta. And of course the delicious kebabs, Greek salads and fresh seafood at local restaurants (if they were open) filled in the gaps.

Not taking reservations quite yet

It turns out this time of year, once you've had your fill of ancient ruins all to yourself, there is not much else to do. Shops and cafes were closed or getting a fresh coat of paint. Museums and other tourist attractions were open sporadically if at all, and, again we were so far ahead of the hordes we couldn't even find a scoop of ice cream! But we did get noticed and appreciated by the locals who assumed we didn't get the memo about arriving in early April. It was nice though, because everyone had time for leisurely chats and were very friendly. I am sure that's not the case when four cruise ships have dumped thousands of tourists on your doorstep for the day.

Road repair Unesco World Heritage Site style

We took a lovely day trip to the island of Symi on a modern catamaran. In port we watched a ten minute performance that could have been a modern dance titled Unloading. The daily delivery of human cargo, a few cars, crate after crate of fresh food, mail, newspapers, building materials, flat screen TVs and whatever else needed to keep this community humming was critical. However, to keep on schedule and meet the needs of about 6 more islands the choreography was tight.

Off-loading the daily delivery of goods to the small island of Symi

Again, the town was deserted, but our same ferry and other day trip boats will soon flood this picturesque village with tourists. I am glad we got to see the sleepy side of the harbor full of fishing boats and lazing cats. We took the local bus around the island and saw two other villages - we didn't get off, we just enjoyed the ride, the view and peppering the locals with questions.

Symi harbor on a picture perfect day

Another highlight was a day trip to the historic hillside city of Lindos to visit the "must see" Acropolis. I'd read about donkey rides up the side of the steep hill to the ruins and that sounded like fun! But like the rest of Greece, the donkeys were still resting up for the season, so we climbed 600 stairs to the top - it was worth it.

Halfway to the Acropolis in Lindos

The site at the top of the climb - I am sure crane would have been welcome  in 300 B.C.

The view of the sea from the top was worth every step

Ten days later we left Rhodes on very choppy seas for a quick stop on the Island of Kos. We were lucky not to be sea sick - a lot of people were. We had just one night in a hotel there before heading to Bodrum, Turkey the next day. We walked the town and bought our boat tickets then we took it easy as we prepared for another sea journey. Perhaps it was due to the candle we lit at the Greek Orthodox church service in the morning, but our Sunday afternoon ferry boat ride to Bodrum was, as they say, smooth sailing.

The Greek Orthodox church in Kos was stunning

Bodrum is considered the "St.Tropez" of Turkey. It is a sleek and stylish city with a harbor filled to bursting with giant yachts, sailboats, charters, ferries and fishing boats. We wandered the marina on our way to our hotel and were awed by the size and magnificence of most of the boats. On our second day we returned to the marina and found a gregarious French couple living aboard their 60 foot sailboat. They invited on board for a look around the good ship Kavira and libations. They have been cruising throughout the Mediterranean for the past four years - and spent the winter in Bodrum.

Michael hard at work in the hotel lobby in Bodrum

Our small hotel, the Akkan Luxury Hotel www.akkanhotels.com  (don't take the word luxury too seriously) was near a maze of lively shops and restaurants that all seemed more than open for business - including the gelato store! The sun was out, the beach was beautiful and we were happy to relax for a couple of days before moving into our next airbnb home in Izmir.  The hotel was great. It was small but well staffed, served an interesting complimentary "mezze" breakfast and boasted a reserved spot for guests to lounge on the beach across the street - starting in April, of course. I don't know if we would have found this wonderful city if we were not Nomads. Bodrum is worthy destination if you ever find yourself exploring this wonderful country.

Admiring the boats in the harbor in Bodrum

Note: I seemed drawn to eating octopus while in this part of the world. I don't know why, really. It's ugly and chewy and never seems to meet my expectations - but I persevere, and I have had some that was tasty. Stewed in wine with garlic was best - lightly grilled came in second.I guess it had to do with it being so fresh - and it's definitely not something I would wrestle with in an airbnb kitchen!

Grilled octopus and a Greek salad makes for a perfect lunch

From Bodrum we took a pleasant four hour bus journey north to Izmir. Our ultimate goal was to visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus and Izmir, Turkey's third largest city is just an hour away. The city itself felt bigger than Istanbul - crowded and full of high rises jammed together.

A stone carving of  Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey gazes down on Izmir

Our airnbnb https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1626650 was downtown, but our neighborhood felt almost tranquil. When we search for our apartments I can easily get sucked into photos (especially of the kitchen and outdoor space) and put my tick mark in the yes box without going too deep.

Michael is more thorough and looks at practical things like location, accessibility, local transportation, reviews, and cost. Good thing, really. More often than not however, we circle back and agree to my "gut feel" choice. In this case, everything about it was awesome - except we both overlooked (or chose to ignore) the notation about 5 flights of stairs with no elevator. This particular gauntlet was a winding stair case in an old building. We had to off-load some things in the lobby and carry them up in shopping bags before we could tackle bringing the actual suitcases up. Luckily, our host was helpful (although winded at the end).

Ready to tackle 5 flights on stairs in Izmir

 One of the challenges is we have packed for a year - and that equals heavy suitcases (23 kg each) I always want to explain to our hosts, taxi drivers,  and anyone else who handles our bags that we travel full time, blah, blah, blah.They don't care - they have already decided we are crazy Americans and I must have 20 pairs of shoes in my suitcase. I should stop trying.

Ephesus is not easily described. I feel like we had been teething on other sites like Pompeii, Lindos, and Rhodes just so we could truly appreciated the magnitude of this place.

Jodi Magness, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has visited Ephesus more than a dozen times, says the city "is almost like a snapshot in time. You get the sense of what walking down the street of a Roman city was like without having to use your own imagination."

So true. We decided to splurge on a guided tour and it was worth it. Our mini-bus picked us up in Izmir and again, since it was early in the season, we were the only guests. We had the bus and our very knowledgeable guide, Sky to ourselves. As we entered the grounds of this 3,000 year old city called Ephesus we fell under it's spell - probably because we were able to explore it with just a couple of hundred visitors. In the peak season over 10,000 people visit every day!

I am sure in another life time, Michael was putting on events in this huge stadium

I am also sure Nike was a sponsor and this was the signage

One thing that always struck me from Florence to Paris, and certainly in these ancient sites, is that we sit and rest with a water bottle on stones that are hundreds or even thousands of of years older than any revered structure in America. I love that our country is still new and shiny and full of the ambition and the bravado of a teenager, but the awe that comes with being able to perch on a bench that Caesar might have passed on his way to have lunch in the Forum is an amazing experience.

The library building at Ephesus - an amazing sight.

We could call the last month The Old Stones Tour - and I don't mean the rock band.

Five days later, we left Turkey for the island nation of Cyprus and are having a wonderful time here. I'll catch you up on this divided country next time. From here we head to Israel for a much anticipated visit. We will be there during Passover and The Orthodox Easter celebration.

Thanks for following along,

Debbie and Michael
Senior Nomads