RoBOT

Good morning, we are from the RoBOT association, i.e. Ruination of Battery Operated Toys.  I am pleased to announce that our movement is alive and well in Scotland.  As I was walking around in Edinburgh with fellow associates, we passed a pile of garbage in front of some personal apartments.  I wasn't paying it much heed, until suddenly I heard a strange voice nearby.  As I assessed the garbage pile, I realized that some brave soul had tossed the plaything, battery and all, straight into the rubbish bin.  I can just picture the debacle: a child with its monstrous pile of plastic, the buttons being pressed nonstop, the mother's mind slowly deteriorating, and finally the mother ripping away the toy and tossing it away.  I've made sure that a RoBOT associate will be contacting her promptly.

In related k-news, one of the associates I was walking with was our cousin who we stayed with in New York.  When we were staying with her, we found out that she was going to be in Scotland at the same time as us, so we were able to hook up and see Edinburgh together.  We did a very nice tour underneath some of the buildings along the Royal Mile, where we got some history of Scotland in the 17th century.  The streets that people lived along were called closes and went from the Royal Mile down to the river.  They were very narrow.  Twice a day, people would empty their waste into the streets, and it would flow down the close to the river below, and if you needed to walk down the street, you'd be walking through other people's waste.  So...don't you wish you'd lived in Scotland during that time?  Yeah, I thought so.  But it was a very interesting glimpse of what life was like back then.  

Later, while we were having lunch with our cousin, we found out that they were headed to England next, and then Ireland.  So we will be in Dublin at the same time, and later in Galway at the same time.  What are the odds?  Three different countries, and we happen to be there at the same time every time!

Aside from all that, we've walked the Royal Mile a few times, walked around the New Town area, and looked into the Writer's Museum and the Edinburgh Museum.  We also got to take a little tour on how the Scotch Whisky is made.  Which is, of course, a very very important part of the Scottish culture.  And I've had haggis as well.  It was actually really really good.  People are silly to be grossed out.

Tomorrow we'll be going on a day tour to Loch Ness, and get to take in the beauty of the Highlands.  Yay!

Did ew know...?

The five steps to appreciating Scotch Whisky are colour, body, nose, palate, and finish.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

The Land of Scots

Hmm, first of all, let me explain our exciting trip here.  And in so doing, relate the wonderful way God works.  We had an early flight this morning.  A 7 o'clock flight.  When we asked at the desk of our hostel when the first bus was that left for the airport, they said 5.  Which is the same thing the schedule said.  Depending on which bus.  The bus on another street was 5:15.  It's all very confusing.  So, those being the earliest buses, and our flight leaving at 7, that would put us at the airport without much time to spare.  On the other hand, we'd save about sixteen euros, which is significant.  So we got up early, headed out to the bus stop, couldn't find the right one, went back to the desk, went out to the right stop, and waited.  Until two drunk Irishmen informed us that the first bus didn't come until 6:00.  So, does one trust two drunk Irishmen?  We wait a few more minutes, and some more people pass by, this time with a very helpful, "You'll be waiting a long time for that bus!"  So dismissing the fact that it's extremely rude to say that and pass by without helping, it did support the other two guys.  And yet, would a bus schedule lie?  Would our hostel not know what they were talking about?  Hmmm...intoxicated locals, or government papers...I'm sure you can see our dilemma.  So I prayed, "God, if we should be taking a cab right now, please have one pull over and offer."  Within a few minutes, a cab driver pulled over and offered.  He had another passenger, so our fee was lower.  The other passenger was a sweet local lady, originally from India.  It just so happened that she was on the same flight as us.  She provided us with the information that our flight was at 6:30, and not 7.  She got us in the correct line quickly RyanAir is very strict about timing, and we didn't have a lot left).  RyanAir is also very strict about luggage weight, and so we had tried to move some heavy stuff into our carry-ons so that our big bags would be within their 15.3 kilo requirement.  Elizabeth was significantly below.  Mine was... drum-roll, please... 15.3.  Is God cool or what?  And now we're safely arrived at this lovely home, with this lovely family that has been good enough to take us in.  It's going to be nice to be in a home for a little while.  My only complaint is that immigration control is nonexistent between Ireland and Scotland, so I didn't get my passport stamped.  I wanted a Scotland stamp!  'pout'

Now, remember how I expressed difficulty not fawning over the Irish accents?  Well, multiply that by about ten.  Or fifty.  It's very hard to respond to people here.  I just kind of stare at them vacantly.  And to top it all off, what should I see walking through the terminal, but a man in a kilt.  Hee.  I just about died.  I know I've said it before, in fact I'm pretty sure it's been featured as a  Lod's Little Tidbit(TM) before, but real men wear kilts.  And speaking of LLT (TM), Ireland was a fountain of them.  All sorts of precious tidbits, lying around just waiting to be used by me.  Some of them even in Gaelic.  Like this one.

Did ew know...?

"Is giorra cabhair De na an doras."  God's help is nearer than the door.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

The Woes of Little Lod

Herein I relate the tale of Little Lod, and the horrors she suffered at the hands of her own sister, Little Liz.  Once upon a time, Little Lod curiously peeked into a cannon.  Unbeknownst to her, her sister sat upon the other end of the cannon.  The pictures say the rest.

These events occurred at Elizabeth Fort in Cork Ireland.

Names have....er, not been changed to protect the innocent.  OoPs.

Well Fed Are We

I'm sure you've all been worrying that we aren't nourishing ourselves properly.  Well...true, perhaps we have skimped here and there to save money, but mostly we've been thoroughly enjoying our cuisine, be it authentic Irish, or just plain old fast food.  But since pictures of subway sandwiches aren't that exciting, I provide for you our smorgasbord of interesting Irish...stuff.  In the middle are some rhubarb tarts and tea for two at a quaint bakery around the Ring of Kerry.  Yes, dearest family, we did want to rub it in that though you got tarts at the Shakespeare Festival without us, we got tarts in a small Irish town.  Beat that.  ;-)=  The meal at the top was Gallagher's Boxty House in the Temple Bar area.  They have a traditional Irish meal called boxty where they cook your choice of filling in a kind of a potato/crepe thing.  Our filling was corned beef and cabbage...of course.  This meal was completed with some seafood soup and our fabulous Irish coffees.  For the last food entry, we have our lovely Elizabeth showing off our fresh fish and chips.  And shockingly enough, I ate some ketchup...and kind of enjoyed it.  Weird day.

And now, here we have two very special pictures.  First, on the right, is me matching a door.  And no, the door and I did not coordinate it.  It just sort of happened.  What can I say?  Me and the door, we just gotta a good thing goin' on.  My grammar, on the other hand, cannot handle any more egregiousness.  Therefore, to translate for the grammar snobs, the door and I just happened to match, so we snapped a picture.  The picture on the left, I would like to dedicate to Sara.  This be the remaining tower of the Red Abbey in Cork Ireland, which I'm sure they really intended to call the Redwall Abbey.  And since my dear Sara got me hooked on the Redwall books and then promptly deserted me...wait, why am I dedicating this picture to her again?

Okay, well, these pictures put up quite a fuss about being arranged properly, so in the end I just let them fall where they wished and typed around them.  I know indulgence is not the best way to raise and nourish little pictures, but alls y'alls have been clamoring for pictures...what's a gel to do?  

(translation: gel is the British way of saying girl...say it out loud ((with a hard g)), it'll make sense.)

Well, now that I've finally got that post up, I do believe I have two more begging to get out, so prepare to be bombarded with posts.

Did ew know...?

"Nior bhris focal maith fiacal riamh."  A good word never broke anyone's teeth.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

The Land of Ire

It is very important to taste the wonderfullness of Guinness in Ireland.  It's supposed to be a world-changing experience.  Well, I'm pretty sure my world is the same, but it was pleasant.  Last night (our first night in Ireland), we walked around the Temple Bar area and started off with a pint of Guinness.  Later on we enjoyed some live Irish music and I got to try Irish whiskey.  And before those of the parent persuasion worry about all the drinks in between those, I'll put your mind at ease.  There weren't any.  Mostly we just walked around.  Today we walked a bit around Dublin, saw a few cathedrals, a castle...etc.  It was nice to just walk around and plan our own day.  And although we were determined to stay away from overly touristy shops, like Carrolls, we did stop in so I could get my spoon.  Which was, I'm pleased to say, cheaper and cuter than the other spoons I had seen.  Go team!  When we entered the shop, there were signs hanging from the ceiling saying that the music playing was a CD exclusive to Carrolls.  Which made us think that they must play that same CD all day.  Every day.  We asked, and indeed, it is.  That's what we call cruel and unusual punishment.  The poor girl said she mostly tunes it out.  But when one of those tracks is "The Lord of the Dance," well, I don't know if you've all heard it...it's supposed to be triumphant and exuberant, but if you have to listen to it too much, it just gets grating and irrepressible.  If I had to listen to it five or more times a day, I might feel like shooting something.  Maybe even Michael Flatley himself.  But that's just me.  And everyone else on the planet.

Anyhoo...we did go to Trinity College and see the Book of Kells.  The artwork that goes into those books is amazing.  Once we passed that, we entered a library of old books (unfortunately we couldn't actually look at them) with display cases in the middle of the hallway.  There were remnants and sections of some other manuscripts, one being part of an old choir book.  I'm pretty sure I saw pictures of some of those in my Music History class, so it was great to actually see them.  There was also an old harp they had restored, which was awesome to see.

So, so far I'm loving Ireland, and we just barely started.  I'm even enjoying the hostel, since you get to meet other travelers from different parts of the world.  Though I feel like I'm in a movie while we walk down the streets, because everyone's talking with these great Irish accents, and I'm sure people don't really talk like that.  Only in movies.  I'm actually having trouble listening to anything anyone says to me, because I'm too busy listening to their accents.  Thankfully my sister is paying attention.

Since Elizabeth talked about our fabulous customs experience at the airport, I won't bore you with a repeat.  But definitely read about it.  It was loads of fun.  Fun fun fun.

Did ew know...?

There's poetry in a pint of Guinness.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

P.S.  Mother, the problem with the orange flower picture was that it wouldn't load.  At all.  Even by itself.  Which is too bad because I really wanted to share my orange flower obsession with alls y'alls.  Ah well.  C'est la vie.  Or as the Irish say, c'est la vie.

Pick-too-rays

This picture is a milestone.  And not just because it's a freakin' chocolate shot.  No, it's special, and shiny, because I was finally able to upload a picture to my site.  Which has not been working.  So, here Elizabeth is with a syringe filled with nice warm chocolate.  Mother, try not to be too jealous.  We were envious of a child we saw buying one at the mall, so we followed her to the bathroom, knocked her out, and stole it.  Or else we decided to buy one ourselves.  Either way.Miracles abound.  The pictures can be moved.  I k-learn a k-new thing every k-day.  And for those of you who don't speak Rebeccaleese, A 'k' can go before any word to indicate goodness.  As in, a k-day would be a good day.  On the flip side, if something is bad, it would have a 'q'.  A q-day would be a bad day.  But the 'q' is more archaic and rarely used by Rebecca/kahs of today.  Hmmm...perhaps I should provide a Rebeccaleese dictionary somewhere...hmmmmmm...

N-E-wayz, this is our communion on the Mt. of Olives.  We had spiffy little wooden cups.  And wine.  And pita bread.  And did I mention the cute little wooden cups?  We got to keep them.  So now we'll be communion snobs at church, and every time we have communion at home, we'll pull out our genuine Israeli wooden communion cups, whilst sneering at all of you with your little plastic wannabes.

By the way, I have now discovered the source of my inability to post pictures, though I still don't know the reason.  I was trying to post a picture of the pretty orange flower trees I loved so much, but it won't let me post that picture.  All the rest (so far) are fine.

Okay, on the right you see me floating on the Dead Sea.  Just so it is established that Elizabeth was not the only adventurous one.  So lest you think that my hatred of beaches, sand, salt, all of the above stopped me, let me assure you that I did it, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  And I was going to exalt that I now had text going on the left side of the picture, but clearly that didn't work, so never mind.

Oh, there we go.  Pfff.  This thing is touchy.  Anyhoo, gotta go now, as we are headed to our flight to Dublin.  Yay!  One last explanation before I head out.  Pick-too-ray = picture.  Just go with it.

Did ew know...?

Long, drawn out airport trips make you smelly, tired, and sick.  In that order.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

It's Been One Month Since...

I've been home

I've pet my kitty

I've slept in my bed

I've told Sara I've seen her before

I've had pizza

I've played the harp

I've had to carry a tray

On the other hand

It Has Not Been One Month Since...

I've had a decent cup of coffee

I've worshiped in a church building with Christians

I've had three good meals a day

I've had McDonalds

I've done Sudoku

I've seen my family

I've seen the pyramids

Did ew know...?

Where you have two Jews, you have five opinions...at least.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

8-16-08

What can make Rebecca act like a 2-year-old?  Kitties.  Every time she sees one she points.  And grins.  And says “KITTY!!”  In a high pitched voice.  Every.  Single.  Time.

What can make Rebecca act like an 82-year-old?  Orange flowers.  Every time she sees an orange flower, she points.  “Wow, that’s pretty!”  Yeah, like the last twenty orange flowers we saw.  And then she has to ask what kind it is.  And wants to know if it would grow in our climate.

What can make Rebecca act like a basketball player?  The irresistible urge to speak about herself in the third person.

We went swimming in the Dead Sea today.  It really stung my fingers where the rashes are, but meh.  It was totally worth it.  The water was actually very very warm.  And you really do float.  You don’t have to tread, not even a little.  If you lie down on your back, you will float above the water, and you have to work to get your feet back under you.  It is very trippy, and extremely entertaining.  Of course, if I had bothered to try swimming in the Salt Lake that’s just a stone’s throw from my home, I guess I’d already know that.  We’ll say it’s their fault for not setting up some good beaches there.  It’s really fun!  Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever had more fun in the water.  Now if you couldn’t smell, taste, or feel the salt, then it would be perfect.  I wonder if they take suggestions.

We also saw Ein Gedi earlier today, which was quite hot, but really neat to see.  There was a tree there with orange flowers.  But no kitty.  For those of you who don’t know, Ein Gedi is the place where David hid from Saul, and though they don’t know the exact cave, we did see a possible candidate.

Beit-Shean was amazing!  It’s an ancient Roman style city.  And the best part is we were able to walk around and climb around.  Not everywhere, but enough that I felt like I got to explore.  Give me some ruins to climb around in and I’m in heaven.  We saw the baths, public latrines (I didn’t get to use those though), the theatre (got to go down under the stage, though I’m not sure if I was supposed to do that part), and lots of cool pillars and stuffs.

And other good k-news, we get to see Bethlehem tomorrow.  It was going to be an optional tour at the end of the trip, but it’s been moved to tomorrow, which is fabulous.  The option before was Bethlehem or shopping.  Okay...come now, I realize I’m a woman who loves shopping, but that or Bethlehem?  Duh.  But now I’m being forced to go to Bethlehem.  Poor me.  ‘sniffle’

 

8-18-08

We walked the Via Dolorosa today.  It’s a traditional site, not historical.  In other words, they have shrines and things set up so you can remember the events as they happened.  They’re not the actual locations of those events.  It was a bit disturbed by the venders along the rode, though they weren’t nearly as pushy as others I’ve encountered, such as in Egypt.  Although I’m not exactly taken with shrines, I’ll admit, it was significant to join thousands of people in remembering Christ’s sacrifice.

Now, in other k-news, what really distracts me is all these poor, flea-bitten kitties everywhere.  I want to gather them up and take them home with me.  Think Patience would be okay with that?  Meh, okay, enough of that.

In other other k-news...we’re in a really stupid hotel.  Our view: the building next door.  Our room: decent, but nothing exciting.  Our tea maker: there isn’t one.  Our internet: outrageous.  Here we are for four nights, with e-mails and connections we need to make for the next leg of our trip, and we can’t get internet because the hotel thinks they have to gouge you of every last cent for little conveniences like internet.  We’re not all rich business people.  And also...the halls stink.  Seriously.  Yesterday they smelled like stinky socks.  Today they smell like nail polish.  What is the hotel up to?  Meanwhile, our pastor group leader, Dan, is living like a king.  He had a bottle of red wine waiting for him in his room...free of charge (which we dutifully helped him finish).  And a fruit basket.  And chocoalte.  Free.  All of it free.  And a balcony.  And non-stinky halls.  Because he’s a VIP pastor leader.  Ooooohhhhh.  I want to be a pastor.  Of course, he claims this hasn’t been the norm at all of our stops.  Suuuuuure.  There are also rumors he’s been getting this treatment because his roomie and brother-in-law is Kevin Kostner.  Long story.  Actually, it’s not.  I just like saying that because everyone says it and it’s almost never true.  It’s their way of saying, “I like having this inside joke...it makes me feel special, so I don’t want to explain it to you.”  N-E-wayz, basically, someone thought Brad looked like Kevin Kostner, and now that they mention it, he kinda does.  Whew, that was a very long story.  It really took the wind out of me, and now I should go recover.  Bye now.

 

Did ew know...?
Jewish history: they wanted to kill us, they failed, let’s go eat.

Thank you for choosing Lod’s Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Long Stories

8-16-08

What can make Rebecca act like a 2-year-old?  Kitties.  Every time she sees one she points.  And grins.  And says “KITTY!!”  In a high pitched voice.  Every.  Single.  Time.

What can make Rebecca act like an 82-year-old?  Orange flowers.  Every time she sees an orange flower, she points.  “Wow, that’s pretty!”  Yeah, like the last twenty orange flowers we saw.  And then she has to ask what kind it is.  And wants to know if it would grow in our climate.

What can make Rebecca act like a basketball player?  The irresistible urge to speak about herself in the third person.

We went swimming in the Dead Sea today.  It really stung my fingers where the rashes are, but meh.  It was totally worth it.  The water was actually very very warm.  And you really do float.  You don’t have to tread, not even a little.  If you lie down on your back, you will float above the water, and you have to work to get your feet back under you.  It is very trippy, and extremely entertaining.  Of course, if I had bothered to try swimming in the Salt Lake that’s just a stone’s throw from my home, I guess I’d already know that.  We’ll say it’s their fault for not setting up some good beaches there.  It’s really fun!  Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever had more fun in the water.  Now if you couldn’t smell, taste, or feel the salt, then it would be perfect.  I wonder if they take suggestions.

We also saw Ein Gedi earlier today, which was quite hot, but really neat to see.  There was a tree there with orange flowers.  But no kitty.  For those of you who don’t know, Ein Gedi is the place where David hid from Saul, and though they don’t know the exact cave, we did see a possible candidate.

Beit-Shean was amazing!  It’s an ancient Roman style city.  And the best part is we were able to walk around and climb around.  Not everywhere, but enough that I felt like I got to explore.  Give me some ruins to climb around in and I’m in heaven.  We saw the baths, public latrines (I didn’t get to use those though), the theatre (got to go down under the stage, though I’m not sure if I was supposed to do that part), and lots of cool pillars and stuffs.

And other good k-news, we get to see Bethlehem tomorrow.  It was going to be an optional tour at the end of the trip, but it’s been moved to tomorrow, which is fabulous.  The option before was Bethlehem or shopping.  Okay...come now, I realize I’m a woman who loves shopping, but that or Bethlehem?  Duh.  But now I’m being forced to go to Bethlehem.  Poor me.  ‘sniffle’

8-18-08

We walked the Via Dolorosa today.  It’s a traditional site, not historical.  In other words, they have shrines and things set up so you can remember the events as they happened.  They’re not the actual locations of those events.  It was a bit disturbed by the venders along the rode, though they weren’t nearly as pushy as others I’ve encountered, such as in Egypt.  Although I’m not exactly taken with shrines, I’ll admit, it was significant to join thousands of people in remembering Christ’s sacrifice.

Now, in other k-news, what really distracts me is all these poor, flea-bitten kitties everywhere.  I want to gather them up and take them home with me.  Think Patience would be okay with that?  Meh, okay, enough of that.

In other other k-news...we’re in a really stupid hotel.  Our view: the building next door.  Our room: decent, but nothing exciting.  Our tea maker: there isn’t one.  Our internet: outrageous.  Here we are for four nights, with e-mails and connections we need to make for the next leg of our trip, and we can’t get internet because the hotel thinks they have to gouge you of every last cent for little conveniences like internet.  We’re not all rich business people.  And also...the halls stink.  Seriously.  Yesterday they smelled like stinky socks.  Today they smell like nail polish.  What is the hotel up to?  Meanwhile, our pastor group leader, Dan, is living like a king.  He had a bottle of red wine waiting for him in his room...free of charge (which we dutifully helped him finish).  And a fruit basket.  And chocolate.  Free.  All of it free.  And a balcony.  And non-stinky halls.  Because he’s a VIP pastor leader.  Ooooohhhhh.  I want to be a pastor.  Of course, he claims this hasn’t been the norm at all of our stops.  Suuuuuure.  There are also rumors he’s been getting this treatment because his roomie and brother-in-law is Kevin Kostner.  Long story.  Actually, it’s not.  I just like saying that because everyone says it and it’s almost never true.  It’s their way of saying, “I like having this inside joke...it makes me feel special, so I don’t want to explain it to you.”  N-E-wayz, basically, someone thought Brad looked like Kevin Kostner, and now that they mention it, he kinda does.  Whew, that was a very long story.  It really took the wind out of me, and now I should go recover.  Bye now.

 

Did ew know...?
Jewish history: they wanted to kill us, they failed, let’s go eat.

Thank you for choosing Lod’s Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Rich Americans

Those we are not. And therefore the internet here is unattainable. For they feel they must gouge us of every penny we have to contact loved ones. Probably to say our last goodbyes before we starve from lack of food from lack of money. Hence we are using the computer of a very kind couple who offered. Hence this post will be quick. Basically, I have some details on what we've been up to and Elizabeth has more, but they're already typed up and waiting to be posted on Elizabeth's computer, hence we shall post them when we have our own internet access. Hence I won't be divulging details. Basically, we're in Israel, we're almost done with Israel, it's been great, we're excited about Ireland, sad to leave our tour group, and excited about the unknown. There you go.

Q&A:
Cas*, the autopsy was sad, but necessary, and not overly graphic, as I recall (unless I blocked the memory), so all in all, I was okay. Thanx for the concern. ;-)=
And as far as the faith and mustard seed thing goes, call me paranoid, but am I being picked on? It was entirely necessary, and perhaps didn't work because I had faith the size of a sunflower seed. So the water got confused.

Did ew know...?
The Pools of Bethesda were possibly there in worship to the god Asklepios...the Greek god of healing.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Well, I went swimming in the Sea of Galilee.  Which is really a lake.  I tried walking though...it didn't work.  I guess faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains but doesn't defy gravity.  Hmph.  Well........I'm thinking of something to type.....and failing.  I got nothing.  I think Elizabeth covered it pretty well, so toodle on over there.  But you can leave comments here.  I like stealing comments....hee hee.

Oh, and no, I didn't squash grapes here, I didn't even see anyone harvesting while we were there.  Except the gecko.  Whom I certainly did not squash.

Did ew know...?

TV cords don't work well without a TV connected to them.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Drunken Geckos, Steroidic Birds, and Other Highlights of israel

Nazareth.  We’re in a hotel in Nazareth overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  And do you know what atrocities I’ve already witnessed?  No TV in our room.  No wireless in our room.  We have to go all the way down to the lobby.  What kind of place is this?  Who wants to look out the window at the sea when there should be a perfectly functioning television in front of you?  Where you can see movies.  About the sea.  Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do with these people. 

Okay, funny moment I just remembered and I believe is worth documenting.  Actually, it could go in the quote book, so pay attention.  We’re talking about the fact that if you get your passport stamped in Israel, you won’t be able to go into places like Syria.  One of the girls in the group looks up and seems confused about that.  “Really?” she questions.  We affirm that.  She says, “What, they don’t get along?”  Hee hee hee.  I laughed.  Er, where have you been?  It was pretty funny.

Well, we saw some pretty cool stuff today, like Caesarea, the Nazareth Village, and now Nazareth.  And tomorrow we’ll see more cool stuff, and the best part?  We’re staying in this hotel!  After moving in and out of hotels everyday, it will be nice to stay put for just one day.  The Nazareth Village was really cool.  It wasn’t authentic remains or anything, but it was cool because they had recreated what a lot of Jesus’ village would have looked like.  It was tons of fun to see a home of a carpenter, watch him use his tools, and walk around to little bedrooms.  Sort of helps you picture stories in the Bible a little better.  We got to see a synagogue too, which was spiffy.

Well, that’s about all you’ll get out of me right now.  I’m headed to dinner.  Ciao mein and all that.

Did ew know...?

Americans have the best humour: they laugh twice...once when they hear the joke, and again when they get it.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits and have a nice day.

P.S.  The food was great. Of course, I was pretty hungry.  But they had these nummy candied pears in some kind of wine sauce or something.  They were excellent.

P.P.S. After dinner we strolled down to a very small beach (which was difficult because Daddy never taught us how to stroll).  There was no one else there, so we helped ourselves to the beach chairs.  It was really lovely.  We mostly just relaxed there, and watched a bird I'm sure was on steroids fly around frantically like it was the end of the world.  It was pretty funny.  Then, after dipping our feet in the sea, we turned to leave, and saw a crab.  I tried to get close and be friendly, but he was like, "Yeah, right, lady, I don't think so."  Ah well.

P.P.P.S.  I forgot to mention the gecko we found at the last hotel.  It was in the vineyard area, where they squash the grapes.  The had a bucket of leftover grape skins and such.  There was a gecko in the bucket, his feet totally purple, and when we picked him up, he just sat there, totally stoned.  It was pretty funny.  Interesting animals here in Israel...

Daddy:

Falafel is a kind of sandwich in pita bread.  It has some ground up chickpea mixture rolled in a ball and fried.  Then you put other sauces and garnishes in it.  It's really good.

And you can tell the guys that the next one to crack jokes about eating cats is being sent their own private mummy curse.  So there.

Home Away From Home Away From Home

We arrived in Israel today.  Haven't really seen any sites yet, but what we have seen is lovely.  Very green.  No grass, but lots of trees.  And it's funny, but there's something about being here.  Just thinking about walking in Jesus' homeland.  I almost started crying while we were driving here to our guest house.  It almost feels like coming home, to know that my saviour was here.  Heh heh...speaking of, I wonder if he carved that on a tree: Jesus wuz here.  In English of course.  I'm certain Jesus spoke English.  Maybe we'll see that tree in our touring.  N-E-wayz...

Okay, serious again, it reminded me that I really do have another home.  A place I'll be for eternity.  A place where if anyone asks for a baksheesh, I'll just point to the ground.  And so now, being in Israel, away from Utah, away from heaven, I find myself in a home away from home away from home. 'sniffle' Aaaahhh, that was beautiful, right?  I hope you had your tissues with you.

Did ew know...?

Falafel - Israel's national snack.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Quiche

Well, just before I hit the road...and then get on the bus and ride to our next location, I'd like to let you all know that I'm still alive and getting better every day.  We saw Petra yesterday, which was wonderful, but I don't think it compares to the amazing temples we saw in Egypt.  Just my opinion.  I don't have time to go into detail though.

Just a couple of explanations:

my current title...short version, it means quickie.  As in quick post.

my last title...reference to A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and to the fact that everyone wants a tip (like a fiver/five dollar bill)

lastly, the Bedouins with their cell phones...I definitely would have taken a picture, except that again, if you took a picture of any local, they would want a baksheesh/tip.  So I didn't want to risk it.

That's all for now.

Did ew know...?

Parts of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed in Petra.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Here's a Fiver!

Well, we went to the pyramids, obviously.  And wouldn't you know it, I was sick.  As in throwing up.  It was really bad.  But I still managed to suck it up and go inside one of the pyramids.  Which was really really cool.  There's really not anything in there except for an empty sarcophagus, but just to walk through a tiny hallway that is that old...it's amazing.  And really hot.  So that's the first picture.

The second is da sphinx.  Translated as The Sphinx, for those of you who don't quite speak Rebecca...ese.  Very cool.  Obviously.

The third is me on Mount Sinai.  Very very awesome.  We took camel rides up.  It was very dark (we started around 2 in the morning) and were guided up by Bedouin guides, and the stars were amazing, and the camels were fun, and and and...I loved it.  When we got as far as the camels would take us, then we got to climb up 750 irregular stairs.  And then we waited for the sunrise.  It was so beautiful!  Of course then we had to walk all the way back down, and this time in the sun, but what do you do?  Funny thing though: the Bedouins have cell phones.  Up on Mount Sinai.  And we're thinking, the Bedouins can get cell phone service all the way up here on Mount Sinai, but we have trouble getting a signal in regular areas of the states?  Psh.  It was pretty funny though.  Okay, enough of that.  I'm tired, so I'm going to bed now.  I'll just answer a few questions first:

Mother: the tunnels were tombs for various pharaohs, and this was also the supposed location of Queen Hatchepsut's grave...I think.  And as for the Egyptian motto, they're referring to Egyptian hospitality.  They often offer you a complimentary drink, and believe me, it's the only thing here that might actually be free.  And while I'm on that topic...I'll be so glad to get away from all the "Bakshish?" requests.  I don't even know how to spell that.  But it's a hated word.  It means tip.  And you'll hear it about fifty times a day.  You learn pretty quickly to just keep your head down and say no to everything.  Which might be a problem now out of Egypt where not everyone is angling for a tip.  Ah well.  I had a guy ask for a tip for showing me to the stairs of the museum that would eventually lead to the exit.  They were about ten steps away.  Luckily for me, I don't even carry to money, so too bad for him.  And one last thing: in case you saw Elizabeth's pictures, yes, of course I played with the cobras too.  Hee hee.

Did ew know...?

Five star hotels will charge an arm and a leg for just staying there, and then the rest of your limbs for everything else.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Back-blogging

8-11-08

Back-blogging

Well, these aren’t necessarily in order with the stuffs I’ve already posted.  But too bad.  What with having to access internet at internet cafes and not being able to use Elizabeth’s laptop, I’ve been partly keeping up blogs in Word, and then posting short stuffs on other computers.  So, each post plan should be preceded by the correct date.

And now, before I let that loose on you, here are a few tidbits.  Not necessarily Lod’s Little Tidbits, but take them as you will.

I am falling apart.  Over the last few days, I have had my mouth swell in random places, had an allergy attack, gotten horribly sick where I was throwing up (no, not from tap water, from a cold I picked up from one of our group peoples), cracked my toenail in half, jammed and bruised my right middle finger...and there’s probably more, I’m just too traumatized to remember.  But don’t worry, I rallied my spirits enough to actually still enjoy the last few days...for the most part.

I’m afraid these upcoming posts may be a bit disjointed, as since I’ve been so out of it, I haven’t kept up on the writing like Elizabeth has.  Still, you should be able to glean something from them.

Er...smoke.  I sick of it.  Everyone smokes.  Everywhere.  Just thought I’d mention it.

Mmkay, I’m out of tidbits.  Actually, I’m stalling because I had some and I’m totally drawing a blank, so onto the posting.

Bgglw.  I’m relaxing in the hotel room now.  And though I desperately wish to blog about stuffs, and stuffs is blogable, I find it hard to even focus on the screen, much less type anything.  Let’s see...today, I shall contrast things.

 

Hotels: Our first hotel was actually quite cozy.  Small, but with everything we needed, and fun to be in the middle of downtown Cairo.  This hotel, being five stars, is extremely nice and westernized.  The room is large, it has a TV, soap in the bathroom...a safe in the closet...honestly, it feels a little weird.  I travel around the world to Egypt of all places, and stay in a totally westernized place that’s nicer than anywhere I stayed in the U.S.  Plus, although being pampered can be fun, it leaves me feeling stuck-up and useless.  On the other hand, two meals a day, a gift shop, and a place to exchange money...it’s nice not to have to go searching.  On the first hand again, at the other place we didn’t have to pay 110 L.E. (that’s twenty-two dollars...now I’m just showing off) to use the internet.

 

      Side-bar: There are six TV channels in English.  Last night Elizabeth and I stayed up late watching The Sixth Sense, which was fun.  Earlier we watched a movie with James McAvoy (Mr. Tumnus from the new Narmia movie) called Bollywood Queen, which was cheesy and a total Romeo & Juliet story, but fun.  It’s one of those Indian/Pakistani movies where the girl and sometimes the other characters randomly break out into music video styled songs.  It’s funny.  And of all shows, an episode of Summerland was on yesterday, which is a horrible show, but there are some fun characters, so that was cool.  Today, I’m hoping to catch Earth Girls Are Easy...heh heh.  Hey,  our tour’s over for the day, and dinner’s not for another few hours, so whaddaya do?  But lest you worry that all our time in Egypt is wasted on TV, don’t be silly.  Yesterday was just our take-it-eays-day, since all we did was show up at the hotel and wait.  But it’s still a cultural experience, because the commercials are in their language, as are the subtitles.

 --end side-bar

 

Citadels:

The citadel in Cairo was where we went to see Mohammad Ali’s mosque.  Conquering rulers would come in, level previous palaces, and build their own on top, but Mohammad wanted something that would last, so he built a mosque instead.  The citadel in Alexandria was right on the edge of the sea and was used to defend the place.  It was really cool, with the big outer walls, the windows in the walls to shoot through...ya know, the works.  It was lots of fun to crawl around.

 

Mosques:

When we got to the mosque in Alexandria, they were in the middle of prayer, so we had to go back later.  When we did go back, we had to enter from the back door, take off our shoes, and wear the green head coverings they provided.  There were still people there praying of course.  The mosque in Cairo, on the other hand, is not even a fully functional mosque, since the citadel closes for the evening so they can’t get in to pray then.  It was originally just a private mosque anyway.

 

Tour guides:

Mohamed was very friendly, great at bargaining for us, and so helpful, going out of his way to get us what we needed.  He is still in school to be a tour guide, so he doesn’t know as much as our tour guide now through Pilgrim Tours, who is an Egyptologist and has studied theology.  This tour guide is a woman named Shereen (no idea how she spells it), and is extremely knowledgeable.  Her English and accent are extremely good as well, and it’s nice to be shown around by a woman for a change.

ed. Our tour guide for the Nile Cruise was also very knowledgeable.  His name is Mohamed.  Yes, about 50% of the men in Egypt are named Mohamed.  It’s a thing.

 

Street markets in Egypt and Mexico:

...Pretty much the difference is the language and product.  Mexico sells blankets.  Egypt sells papyrus.  Their behaviour, pushiness, belief that if they tell you you’re beautiful you’ll buy something...it’s exactly the same.  Go figure.

 

Papyrus:

We bought papyrus paintings at a registered place.  They showed us how it is made, and how to tell the fake.  At places like the street market, they make it cheap and fake from banana leaves.  So I’m glad we got the real deal.

 

Pyramids and mountains:

I tend to take the mountains at home for granted, but when I leave Utah, I miss them a lot.  They’re beautiful and cozy somehow.  But here in Egypt, with the pyramids as the back drop for your sightseeing...well true, in the winter I’d miss the snow.  But seriously, the pyramids?  You just don’t miss the mountains too much, except for maybe the snow.  But every time I see them I want to ask who painted the backdrop.  It’s just so unreal that I’m walking around a city with the pyramids right there.  I don’t think I’ll get used to it before we leave.

 

Tea and Coffee:

Why order coffee here when you can get Egyptian mint tea?  We’re talking real mint leaves and everything.  It’s really good.  And ironically, the shops will offer free drinks all the time, but I think they catch you in the end since everyone expects a tip for everything.  You insist you don’t need their help, they insist they will help you, and then they want a tip.  But that has nothing to do with tea and coffee.  But basically, the coffee here is good.  The tea is better.

 

Well, I’m impressed that I actually stuck with the comparing/contrasting deal.  I figured I’d give up after one paragraph.  Yay me.  True, it was a bit obscured in places, but, meh.

8-4-08

 

We have to fly tomorrow.  I got sick of airports really quickly.  I don’t wanna.  Mommy.  Don’t let them put me away again!

 

Okay, I feel better now.  Just had to get that out.  Well, today we were supposed to see Joseph’s storehouses.  We have yet to see Joseph’s storehouses.  Splainy?  Hopefully she’s just moving it to when everyone else has joined us (there are only four of us so far, five on the Nile cruise, and then 28 when we get back).  I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t get to go, but I didn’t remember that on the itinerary until we got back.  We did get to see a giant statue of Ramses II, which was missing the legs past the knee and was very eroded on one side, but actually extremely well preserved for something over three-thousand years old.  We also got to see a structure built by Imhotep.  Who is, of course, exactly like he was in the movie The Mummy.  And don’t try to tell me any different.

8-6-08
What is the one thing that could make Elizabeth and Rebecca forsake their preference for darkness and avoidance of the sun at all costs?  A cruise on the Nile, that’s what.  We have actually been sitting here for about an hour with the curtains wide open, because to miss the scenery would be just wrong.

 

I think our tour guide is amused by all of us.  Brad is one of those classic tourists who is pretty easily befuddled, and is a real joy and constant amusement to travel with.  Lou is another classic tourist who carries the book around with her everywhere, highlighting and such. and then Dan, Elizabeth and I just try to fly below the radar.  We’re having a lot of fun with our small group, and are a bit disappointed that there will be about thirty of us once we reach Cairo.

 

Did ew know...?

Denial is more than just a river in Egypt.

Thank you for choosing Lod’s Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-7-08

I got to pet my first kitty today!  It’s been two weeks, and I’m having major withdrawals.  Of course, I had all kinds of allergies later, but that’s a small price to pay.  She was sleeping in the Philae temple, a beautiful temple located on an island.  We had to take a small motor-boat to get there.  Of course, it also happened to be Imhotep’s stop after Karnak in The Mummy.  In case you were wondering.  Which I’m sure you were.

 

I have also managed to almost rip my toenail off.  I caught it on the motor-boat when I was getting on, and my nail got split in half horizontally.  So it started oozing blood.  Which was quite pleasant.  N-E-wayz, when we asked if they had anything to wrap it with just so it wouldn’t get dirt in it tomorrow, he comes back with disinfectant, gauze, bandaging, and tape.  I was hoping for a low key band-aid.  I felt like a spoiled, wussy little princess.  Needless to say, I was irritated, but grateful for their help and aware that it would be rude to be irritated, which just made me more irritated.  So now I have a mummified toe.  Yay me.

 

Tommorow (or rather today at this point), we are taking a bus to Abu Sembel to see a few more temples.  We’re leaving at 3:15 in the morning, so Elizabeth is just trying to stay up until then, because getting up that early after a few hours of sleep would be harder.  I, on the other hand, don’t think I can stay up, so I shall say goodnight and turn in.  Lay’uhs.

Update on Lack of Updating

No pictures for now, sorry. For now we're having to access internet at internet caffes, so we can't use Elizabeth's computer, which means no pictures. The good news is, now that we're cruising the Nile (yes, it's true, and the view from our window is amazing), we'll probably have access to cheep internet along the dock for the next few days, so you might get small updates. But don't take that as a promise...ya never know what might happen. As for pictures, we have plenty plenty plenty to post, so eventually you'll get to see more...hopefully at least by Ireland or Scotland in a few weeks. Today we went to see the Karnak temple, which was absolutly wonderful. Very large. Of course, all I wanted to ask was where Imhotep took Alex in The Mummy, but I restrained myself. ;-)= We saw Queen Hatchepsut's temple, which was likely designed by Moses. We also saw the temple of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. Walking through tunnels deep underground, though the heat is reminiscent of the New York subway station, leaves me completely awestruck. How can I really be touching walls carved three to four thousand years old? Our cruise boat is very nice, and we'll be spending three nights there. Unfortunately, at the moment, Elizabeth has a pretty bad headache, so she went to bed after our tour. She'll be fine, she just needed some rest, so she won't be updating today.

Now, to answer some questions:
Mother and Daddy:
I haven't bought sunglasses, but I already had some. And the tipping? Heh heh. It's totally guessing. You learn to refuse any help anyone offers you, because they will expect a tip. But hey, it's better than begging, right? When it comes to drivers and tour guides, we went off of what seemed reasonable and a few things we had read online. I think we've done pretty well.

Cas*:
Elizabeth and I both want to thank you very very much for showing us those flip-flops. We have only used our tennis shoes once, because these are so comfortable, we can walk everywhere in them. Plus, it turns out that you can spot an American by white tennis shoes, so I need to buy new ones. 'pout' ;-)=

Rebekah:
Yes, the fish was extremely good. Here, I'll cyber some to you.............get it? Good.

Okay, that's going to be all for now. Love you all! Really, reading your comments is a highlight for the day.

Did ew know...?
The Egyptian motto: Easy to choose, hard to refuse.
Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.

Take Two

Picture Post

It's late, so I'm only going to post a few pictures now....

Never mind.  Sorry, it's not uploading right now.  I promise we'll get pictures up just as soon as we possibly can.

Experiencing Egypt

Flying Over Egypt

   The whole flying process was exhausting.  However, flying over Cairo...amazing.  You're looking out the window, and you're looking, and looking, and thinking, "okay, the pilot said we're arriving in five minutes and I see nothing but desert.  Where's the city?"  And then you squint, and see a few constructs just as you're passing over it.  And then a few more...and then BAM!  Suddenly there's the city, huge, sprawling, tall buildings, and exactly the same colour as the sand.  It was amazing how a city that big could actually sneak up on you.  Reminded me a little of Hamunaptra in The Mummy.  And speaking of, guess which movies I'm in the mood to see?  The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and Joseph.  Go figure.

Airporting Egypt

    Israel was fast and intimidating, Jordan was strange and smokable, and Egypt was friendly.  Very, very friendly.  We had lots of people wanting to help us (for a tip of course).  We prosperous Americans have loads of money after all.  But we were swooped upstairs and into an office where we were provided Egyptian mint tea and all of our travel arrangements before we join our tour.  I'm sure they just wait to pounce on poor, unsuspecting tourists, but since we weren't really sure how we were going to arrange everything, it was quite nice.  Then our driver took us down to the car.  We were followed by the young man who insisted on carrying my luggage...for a tip...even though I insisted that I was perfectly capable.

Driving Egypt

    Hmmm....what to say, what to say.  They have lanes.  They have turn signals.  They have traffic lights, crosswalks, and speed limits.  They don't use any of them.  They make up their own lanes, they weave, they go as fast as traffic allows (which isn't usually very fast), pedestrians push their way into traffic, traffic pushes back...and it's absolutely fascinating.  So, for those of you really worried about us, does this put your mind at ease?  :-)=  Don't worry, we've arrived safe and sound back at our hotel every time.  They're all used to it.

Living Egypt

    Our little hotel room is small but functional.  We have a fridge, a flushing toilet, a working shower, two beds, complimentary breakfast which they deliver to your room...it's nice.  We even have air-conditioning.  And we're being very good about not drinking the tap water here.  Haven't had a drop.  We've already seen the Pyramids and Sphinx once, when we went to see the Sound and Light show.  It was cheesy, but fun, and they gave a nice brief history of the pharaohs.  We also saw how papyrus paper and their fragrances are made.  Today we went to Alexandria, courtesy of our own private driver and tour guide.  We saw the citadel, the library (but didn't go in), the ocean, some shops, a fish restaurant (we picked our own fish and then they cooked it), and the mosque.  And a lot of the city just from driving around.  And also we saw two kitties on the beach, one being black, which was of course the best part.

And just in case you worry that I'm not taking in all the beautiful aspects of this place, let me assure you, there are some very beautiful men with beautiful accents.  And plenty of boyfriend offers...never mind that they were angling for tips and sales.

So, N-E-wayz, I'm going to post again with some pictures, but for now...

Did ew know...?

Haggle for a man and get him one souvenir.  Teach a man to haggle and he'll come home with more junk than you know what to do with.

Thank you for choosing Lod's Little Tidbits, and have a nice day.