Happy Holidays from the Road!

Our travels have taken a much more circuitous route than we could have ever imagined!  This has been due partly to our poor planning, to our 90-day Schengen Zone limit, and to arranging visits with family.  Although it has felt impractical, time consuming and expensive, it has also brought us to places we would have missed, so we are grateful.

From Cyprus, we decided to visit Istanbul, on our way to Israel (All the flights from Cyprus went through Istanbul, so why not stop?).  In Istanbul, we continued our studies of the Ottoman Empire, again seeing the layers upon layers of civilizations. The richness of the ancient civilizations was impressive.  After a few days in the Sultanamet area, we had the good fortune of staying with a family in the lovely suburb of Kuscunjuk, on the Asian side of Istanbul.  We found this family through a wonderful internet site, "Workaway.com," who are involved with setting up a Waldorf pre-school in Istanbul.  This added so much to our experience!  We discussed the state of the schools in Turkey and in the United States, the reasons they felt strongly about the need for a Waldorf School, and our experiences at Coastal Grove Charter School.  This group of parents is trying to start the first Waldorf Elementary School in Turkey!  We were so impressed with the generosity and kindness that strangers showed us, simply because we had the interest of Waldorf Schools in common.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to have some personal connections in a foreign country.

Thanks to a tip from a well-traveled friend, we made a side journey to the wonderful rock formations of Cappedocia! We woke up in our cave hotel to the sight of over 50 balloons above tuff formations and rock caves. We were amazed by the vast underground cities that were dug as a defense against the invading Roman soldiers.  Our favorite day was our bike ride away from the crowds, among the rocks.  (We wanted more time here too, by the way.)

From Istanbul, we flew to Tel Aviv, Israel.  Landing in Israel was surprisingly emotional for me, and our 2 weeks there continued to be a muddle of thoughts and feelings.  After a day in Tel Aviv, we traveled by bus to the Negev desert.  We had arranged to volunteer for a week on a pomegranate farm near the Egyptian Border (thanks to "Workaway.com).  We were traveling on a Thursday, the day when much of the young people in the military are going home or changing locations.  It was quite an experience to be surrounded by young people with big guns!  We thought we had seen a lot of military in Cyprus, but that was nothing compared to the buses in Israel!  We arrived just after sunset, in the middle of the desert, at a small trailer, surrounded by sand dunes.  We were greeted by another volunteer from Seattle, who's parents graduated from Humboldt State University and had grown up in Ukiah, CA!

The next week was spent mixing mud, straw and sand for a mud house.  Of course, there was also much picking, juicing, eating, and cooking with pomegranates!  We enjoyed the heat, tried to be patient with the flies, and we especially loved working and contributing instead of just consuming.  We tried to gain some insight to life in this part of Israel in discussions around meals.  At times, I felt like we were back at the Tower of Babble, hearing three or four different languages at any one time.  Luckily, for us, English was the main common language!  I was amazed to see trees growing out of the sand and learning that they water these trees with partially salt water!  We wished we had had more time (a continuing theme) here.  Again, we felt so grateful for the generosity of others and loved the connections that we had while there.

We continued our journey through Israel with a stop and the obligatory float at the Dead Sea.  One the first night of Hanukah, we stayed at Kibbutz Ein Gedi.  What a beautiful place!  It is the only botanical gardens that is also where people live, and is a stunning example of a desert oasis!  We arrived in time for a Hanukah parade and the lighting of a hanukia by sending a torch down a zip line...very festive!  Menorahs everywhere!  I loved being in the holiday majority! We floated in the Dead Sea, visited Masada, and hiked in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.  There is something so magical about flowing water in the desert!  We regretted not having a car, and would have spent more time at the Dead Sea and in the nature reserve.

To Jerusalem!  I was so excited to finally see and experience Jerusalem.  We left by Friday afternoon so our traveling was finished before 4:00 pm, when the public transportation shuts down for Shabbat.  We found our way through the crowded streets of the Old City, past the families lighting their menorahs and placing them in window boxes for all to see, to the Western Wall for Shabbat.  I don't think I can describe my thoughts and emotions!  I returned to the Western Wall each day during our Jerusalem stay, and was always moved by seeing so many people praying.  I was inspired by people's hopefulness and the comfort that they seemed to find here.  We loved learning about the history of the Temple Mount, touring the tunnels, and walking around the City Walls.

After our short visit, we are inspired to return to Israel to spend more time in the places we saw, and to visit some of the many things we missed.  We spent a long, noisy night in the airport, due to the early time of our flight.  During our much anticipated "exit interview" it was noticed that our last names were different.
       "Why do you have a different last name?" the interviewer asked me.
       "I never changed my name," I responded, wondering if they would take Jeremiah away from me.
        "How do you pronounce your first name," the interviewer asked me.  I answered, a bit confused by the reason for the question.
        "Do you know the meaning of your name?"
         Stunned hesitation!  Why would they ask this question?  What is the right answer?  Is there a wrong answer?  These thoughts flew through my head.  I did manage not to laugh, and gave an answer which seemed to satisfy the powers that be.  They let us out of the country!  We still wonder about that question!  I was sad to leave Israel, wishing I had more, hoping we'll return someday soon.

We have since traveled to Granada, Spain to stay with Christine and Abe, Seville, Spain to visit Dylan and Blair, and England to see our exchange student from 10 years ago, Benoit and his fiancee, Tara.  Experiencing such wonderful hospitality from people we haven't seen in so long means so much to us.  We are so thrilled to be able to have these visits!  We wish we could see all of you during our travels.  Being away, we appreciate more than ever our families and the wonderful people that surround us at home.  We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a peaceful, healthy, happy, and growthful New Year.  We hope to see you all in 2014!

     

Cyprus, both sides

      It has been a long time, it feels like, since I've written.  Travel seems to be non-stop, and I keep waiting for our itinerary to slow down.  We attempted to slow things down by heading to Cyprus for a week of biking.  We booked a self-guided bike tour of Northern Cyprus before we knew anything about the North vs. the South of this small island.  After a few days in Athens, gazing at the Acropolis and more Greek and Roman ruins, we flew into Larnaca, Cyprus (south).
      It was such an interesting week in many ways!  Southern Cyprus is part of the EU, but not a Schengen zone country, which was very important for us. (We only get 90 days in the EU, so we had to leave, thus going to Cyprus.)  Northern Cyprus, or the Northern Turkish Republic of Cyprus, is not a recognized country by anyone else except Turkey.  We spent two days relaxing by the beautiful sea in Southern Cyprus, which is Greek.  The beaches and weather were superb!  Then, since no buses go across "The Green Line" (the border between these countries), we took a bus to the edge of the Greek side in the city of Nicosia, and walked through "no man's land" to the Turkish side of the city, Leftkosa...same city, different countries, different names.  We stood by military posted with automatic weapons as we got our passports stamped.  We biked to the ancient walled city of Salamis, and also saw Verusha (google it), which is the largest abandoned city (other than Chernobyl) in the world in the middle of Farmagusta.  The Greeks and Turks can't decide who gets it, so a city 17 km squared, full of high rises by a beautiful seaside, is fenced off and guarded.  So strange! (no pictures allowed, but we snuck one anyway)
      By luck, we got to share our bike ride with a couple from Germany (who spoke english of course).  We had so much fun getting to know them, and hearing their stories of post-war (WWII) Berlin, and stories of all their travels.  We biked all day together, and shared meals.  It was perfect!  We biked in the Karpas Peninsula, which is a protected area, home to turtles and wild donkeys.  We found the Cypriots so friendly and welcoming and glad to have people take the time to see their country.  It was great to be active every day and not have a list of tourist sights to see.  The man who organized our trip, Mahmet, was a wonderful representative of his country!  We felt blessed to make connections to the people and this place.
   
   

A few pictures from Italy

Our Last Two Stops in Italy--Bellisimo!

Athens, Greece
       As I write, I'm perched on our hotel bed, facing the evening star hovering above the Acropolis, while the church bells sound 6:00 (over and over), and Jeremiah and Jon throwing the frisbee in the Plaka below.  The sky is that brilliant, post-sunset blue, and Venus is shining brightly above the well-lighted Parthenon.  Wow!
     That said, Athens is quite a contrast from Italy's Cinque Terre and Venice!  We had 2 blissful weeks of very low car exposure!  In the 5-Terre, as the Italians say, private cars aren't in most streets, but there are plenty of taxis and utility vehicles.  Still, people use wheel barrows to haul things around, and garage is dragged down steep steps in heavy duty bags.  Other items are pulled up with ropes and pulleys to upper floors.   Narrow, steep stairways are carved into the hillside.  I LOVED wandering through them!  The small towns were perfect for me, because I really couldn't get lost! (Usually I can get lost quite easily.)  Although the towns grew on us, they didn't quite live up to what we had imagined: hiking from town to town, quite and solitude.   Quite the opposite, and this was the OFF season!  Magic was still found, often when least expected: mojitos made from fresh lemons and mint while watching the sunset over the Mediterranean from high above Vernazza; a friendly waiter bringing Jeremiah some homemade raviolis just because; finding a deserted cove near the wharf of Cornelia to swim; ferry rides; grandmas knitting as they watch the sea; delicious pastries and fun conversations about wine and coffee; and Jeremiah playing violin with an Italian man in Vernazza.  We enjoyed the slower pace, and tried not to count our dwindling "EU" days too carefully.

We stopped in Pisa on our way to Venice.  We stayed near the tower so we went early and late to avoid the crowds of people posing for pictures as the held up the tower.  There was a jewish cemetery right next to the Tower's Plaza...no information about it; it was closed.  I was fascinated by its prominent location.  After the museums and tower, it was our requisite down day...laundry, etc.  We're finding we are needing more of these days to do nothing as our trip goes on.

We left for Venice in the morning...I LOVE VENICE!!!  From the moment we arrived, I found it exquisite!  Maybe this was because I was bracing myself for the throngs of tourists that detracted from the Cinque Terre, and thought I'd have a similar reaction to Venice.   I think I could have stayed the rest of our trip right there.  I think it was because there were NO CARS.  People walked, or they drove boats!  They smiled, waved to each other, sang, shouted greetings, pulled wheelbarrows...people didn't seem to mind moving around boxes of things on boats.  One morning, on my early morning walk, a person was pushing a big wheelbarrow, going door to door to pick up garbage...SINGING and shouting greetings, laughing!  REALLY!  Maybe its the way the light reflexes, or the sea air?  I think its that people are out and about, not in their cars.  Oh, and the dogs don't have to worry about getting hit, so they just walk along, doing their own thing.  Next time, I'm bringing the dog!

We did most of the touristy things, but one of our favorite times was something we hadn't planned to visit:  The Biennale.  We didn't really know what it was, nor had we known about it.  It is a bi-annual international art symposium, with displays from about 88 countries.  WOW, it was incredible!  But, the BEST part was just happening upon a huge room filled with original chalkboard drawings from 1923 by Rudolf Steiner.  I could have stayed in that room for hours!  Jeremiah loved going from building to building as well, never knowing what surprises were waiting for us.  The other incredible one was from Italy: weavings that were absolutely astounding.  It was hard to leave not seeing everything, but our minds and hearts were full.

Jeremiah and I visited the Jewish Museum and took a tour of the synagogues of the Old Ghetto.  Venice was the very first ghetto in Europe, and it is surmised that this is where the word originated.  More stories of Italians protecting their fellow citizens: the Doge refusing to hand over the names of the Jews in Venice to Hilter; and two beautiful memorials to the Jews taken away to camps.

It was hard to leave Venice and Italy, but we were excited for the adventure of a 34 hour ferry ride down the Mediterranean (still, no cars!).  Believe it or not, it went all too fast!  Sleeping in our little cabin was very comfortable.  We met a lovely family from New Castle, Australia, who we hope to see when we are there.  And here we are, gazing up at the Acropolis, going back further in time.  I still can't quite believe that I get to finally see and experience these places!

Our days in Tuscana come to an end

It's been quite a whirlwind of Tuscan hill towns, medieval and renaissance art, Medici's, churches, piazzas and walled cities.  The red-tiled houses, stone walls and towers are a constant part of the landscape.  We've had lovely days, and days that felt like we were spinning our wheels a bit.  We are actually missing work, believe it or not!  We had to take some time to regroup and make some different plans for after our days in lovely Italy come to an end.  But for now, we've been able to let the architecture and history of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance seep into our souls.
     Our Tuscany Hill Town Tour:  We broke down and rented a car in Florence because we longed to get out of a city and into the hills.  We spent 4 days at a 4th generation winery in Chianti.  From there we visited:  San Gimangiano (I might have spelled that incorrectly), the town of towers; Volterra, a lovely, ancient walled city; Sienna, and Lucca.  They all had roman ruins, and/or Etruscan ruins, as well, showing the layering of cultures and passing of time.   Even today, each town seemed to have its own flavor and specialties.   I especially love those tiny winding streets! We pondered the effort it took to built and protect such walls and towers, and what being surrounded by walls might do to a culture. What will be layered on top of our buildings and walls?
    While on a drive around to smaller hill towns, we stopped at an old abbey, now owned privately.  We happened to get there right in time for a tour.  The tour guide was lovely, and we found it so interesting to learn about the history of this small abbey, who's monks brought the Sanviovese (spelling?) grape to Chianti.  But also, what did they store in their safe?  SALT, of course (we've learned a lot about the importance of salt on this trip)!  This, we learned, is why in Tuscana, they don't bake their bread with salt--because those darn Pisans charged so much for salt.  The monks, however, were well off, and had plenty of salt of their own.  We also got to see an invention of Leonardo da Vinci...a flour sifter.  Very cool!  It was interesting to learn that the first private owner was Jewish and was deported to a concentration camp during WWII.  He survived, and his family still owns and runs the winery.
     During much of our trip in Italy, we have sought out the works of Michelangelo Buonoroti.  We have seen his paintings, architectural achievements, and of course, sculptures.  So, we could not be this close to Carrara and not see the marble quarries where he obtained much of his stone.  We had to arrange a guide because the area is really not set up for tourists.  We had the nicest tour guide, Nicola, who met us and drove us around to various points of interest.  We learned the history of Carrara, saw tiny quarry towns, and saw the mountains being carved for their marble.  It was the perfect way to cap off our study of Michelangelo!
    I am now sitting on the roof of a hotel in Pisa, as the Torre Pendantare fades into the evening sky.  It is something else to see the Leaning Tower, even though we've seen it so many times in pictures etc.  I tried to drop a golf ball and a bowling ball off the top, but the guards stopped me just as I was about to let go!  DARN!  So much for the science part of the curriculum!  Maybe we'll try again, but we'll be sneakier.  We send our love and best wishes to you all!  Love, Shana, Jon and Jeremiah
   

Amazing Italy!

Between being so busy, and not having easy access to internet, much time has passed since my first post!  Our 3+ weeks of travel has been full of one event after another.  We started our time in Italy with a week in a wonderful port village of Orbetello, in Tuscana.  Here we attempted to learn a piccolo of italiano.  Four hours of sitting listening Italian was a bit rough, but we treated ourselves to gelato (there will be a gelato theme throughout Italy) and a swim in the Mediterranean Sea.  Bellisimo!  We loved the feeling of this village; families filled the piazza, especially on Friday and Saturday; kids played soccer with fathers and grandfathers; cafe and wine shared in the warm Mediterranean air.  SO lovely!  We walked around ancient roman homes and temples, through Pinyon forests, and on limestone cliffs.  We met such wonderful people as our teachers and hosts.  We hope to return and visit so many things we missed!
        We almost went north from Orbetello, avoiding Roma altogether.  The thought of a big, busy, loud city after such serenity was not appealing for Jon nor myself, but Jeremiah insisted.  "We can't be THIS close and NOT see the Colosseum!"  We are so glad that we listened to this sage advice!  We got   completely soaking wet in a rainstorm while in the Roman Forum, but managed to get dried out in the Colosseum.  The Senate House was very impressive, as were the random marble columns and capitals strewn randomly around the area.  However, the Colosseo was amazing!  The immensity of the task and scope of the building is mind-boggling!
         That was our first day in Roma.  Yesterday, we decided to do our own walking tour and we followed the tourist route.  We all agreed that the biggest surprise was the Pantheon and the Jewish Ghetto.  The Pantheon is spectacular!  The dome which inspired Filippo Brunelleschi's duomo was exquisite in its grace and beauty. (We were wishing we had been there during the rain storm the previous day, both for shelter, and to witness the torrents of rain coming into the building.)  A marvel of art and architecture.
        We then headed over to the old Jewish Ghetto.  Suddenly, there was hebrew writing, kosher restaurants and a synagogue!  We learned that the Jews in Rome were neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardic, but Italiano, the first Jews to leave Israel after the destruction of the Temple.  The ghetto was created in 1555 because the Pope did not like the idea of Jews and Romans living side by side.  Roughly 8,000 jews lived in a small 7 block area.  The gates were unlocked in the morning, and locked again at night.  They could only work making clothes or as money lenders.  Yet, they created a richness that was displayed in a lovely collection in the museum.  The ghetto was opened when Italy became a country, no longer under the Pope.  It was at this time that the temple was built, with the help of the Italian community.  It is a beautiful building with a square dome (to distinguish it from the churches) and a rainbow ceiling, to remind us of the promise made to Noah.
          During WWII, when Hitler invaded, he demanded 150 kilograms of gold in 36 hours  to not take the Jews away.  The whole community, Italians and Jews, contributed their precious gold, and met his demands.  Soon after, however, Hitler rounded up 2,000 of the 8,000 residents.  The rest were saved by being hidden by local residents.  Luckily, the occupation only lasted 9 months, so many of the Jews hidden were saved.  The synagogue survived because Hitler had made an agreement with the Pope not to bomb Rome and its many monuments.  After a PLO terrorist attack, the Italian government provides security for all the Jewish sites Italy.  You can look up more information on Rome's Jewish Ghetto if you are interested.
      We have one more day in Rome, and then we hop on il treno to Venezia. (Venice)  Caio!

Here it goes, my first attempt at a blog entry while on our grand adventure.  We arrived in Innsbruck, Austria on a gorgeous sunny warm day, tired from a night flight.  We made it from the airport to train station by bus, and walked to our hotel, the Weisses-Krutz, built in 1475.  Our lovely room faced the main pedestrian walk way and we could see the famous Golden Roof from our window.  (Later, this lovely view turned out to face an extremely loud and boisterous crowd enjoying wine and beer into the wee hours of the morning.)  We toured around the next day with our Innsbrucker cards.  We visited Schloss Ambras, the castle of Ferdinand II (1529-95), went to the Olympic Ski Jump site, and took a tram to the top of the mountains overlooking the city.  A fun-filled day!
        We packed up that night to get ready to head into the mountains.  We were greeted, however, the next morning, by rain and a very tired boy.  We decided to go to Neustift anyway, and hopped on the bus.  When we got off in town, it was painfully obvious that Jeremiah was not hiking up a mountain that day, so we checked into a hotel, and took turns going on walks in this mountain resort village.  We tried to figure out what to do.  We were ready to give up on all of our planning and leave the mountains without visiting them.  The next morning, however, dawned clear, and Jeremiah seemed well rested.  So, off we went...to the Franz-Senn Hutte, where we were supposed to have stayed the night before.  The scenery was spectacular!  We made it to this hut easily, and against the advice of the host, we went on to the Neue Regensberger hut, a mere 4 hours away (distances are listed in hours, not km).  Thus followed perhaps the longest 4 hours (a bit more for us) ever!

           Soon after we left the shelter of the Franz-Senn Hutte, the clouds got thicker...and thicker...and thicker, covering the beautiful views, and casting an ominous feeling on our hike.  The "trail" (well marked, but hardly a trail) kept going up and up and up; and the clouds kept coming down.  Just as we approached the saddle, the rain and wind started.  At this point, cables were fixed to the rocks to help navigate the steep route.  We were wet, cold, and exhausted...and we couldn't see anything!  When we finally saw the lights of the Neue Regensburger hut, we were so relieved...until we saw the tiny space we each had to sleep.  (2 feet wide)  We got into dry clothes, and enjoyed a simple meal of meat and noodles.  Luckily, not all the spots in our dorm were filled, so the 3 of us got to share space for 4, and didn't have to sleep 6 inches from people we had just met.
        We woke up the following morning to a blanket of snow on beautiful mountains that we could now see.  The hike in would have been so much easier had we enjoyed these views!  We were told that the next leg of the hike was much harder, and we knew that at least one of us was not up for the challenge.  We opted for the easier way out...down to the valley below, thus saying good bye to the huts and the high route.  We spent some time enjoying the mountains in the snow, then headed down, down, down, out of the snow and clouds, and into the warmth and sunshine.  Our planned trip of 5 days was done in 2.  We were soon sitting eating apple strudel and brat-worst on a sunny terrace, waiting for the next bus to Innsbruck.
        We are now holding up in Innsbruck for the day, hopefully giving Jeremiah a bit more time to recover from a never-ending cough and cold (which was probably not helped by our mountain adventure).  Our plans for 4 nights in the Austrian Alps, hiking the High Trail, was cut very short by said cough/cold, as well as rain and snow...not to mention the fact the the trail was much more challenging than expected.  All that preparation and planning for naught!  We are quickly experiencing the reality of being flexible, and letting go of expectations.  Tomorrow we head to Salzburg to explore the land of Mozart and salt mines.

Our first stop

Well, we made it out of Arcata, barely.  We were busy down to the last minute with all the final touches on the house, packing, and taking care of Freya.  It is still hard to believe that this year that we've been talking about and planning for years is finally here.  We have a week to spend in New York, seeing family and friends, and then we are really off into the world.  I hope that we will be able to draw on the impulses from "the age of exploration" during our year of exploration.  We will be comparing and contrasting our experiences with experience of people who's explorations had huge impacts on people during their times and in times still to come.  Grand goals, perhaps?

Two weeks from today, we will be arriving in New York City, the first leg of our 9-month journey.  We are frantically trying to fix up our home, pack up the last of our things, figure out what to bring, and make some of our first reservations.  Jeremiah just got back from two and a half weeks at Camp Tawonga, paradise for a 12 year old, and is dreading going back to Arcata with no home.  A hard transition...until we reminded him that he didn't have to get ready to go to school next week.  That seemed to soften the blow!