~ wander.essence ~

rome: forgoing the colosseum & dipping into the “heart of rome”

wanderessence1025 February 11, 2020

I welcomed my first morning in Rome with a “Buongiorno,” showered, and put on jeans; they would prove to be my undoing in the day’s heat and humidity. I went directly across from Atos B&B to a cafe where I enjoyed a complimentary cappuccino, croissant and some red fruit juice, after which Gabriella walked with me for three minutes to The Beehive Hostel Rome.

I was debating whether to get the Roma Pass since I only had two days in the city, but Linda at The Beehive told me the pass didn’t allow you to skip lines, that you still had to reserve time slots online. There were no slots open to reserve, so I was unable to do anything. I simply deposited my bags and headed out for the day.

I walked about two blocks to Stazione Termini and walked through until I got to Tourist Information, which wasn’t at all helpful.

On the street, a guy presented the City Sightseeing Roma bus, which I bought for 31€ for 48 hours. They also sold me a timed entry ticket to the Vatican Museums for 34€, but the pass had no time on it and I didn’t really understand how it worked. I felt foolish getting roped into that because I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go there with all the hordes of tourists.

I stood in a very slow-moving line to get on the bus because the woman was processing payments from customers. They obviously needed a better system! People like me who already had tickets should have been able to get on the bus right away.

Finally, the bus started moving and we went three stops, going around a church and then to the Colosseum. I got off just past the Arch of Constantine. Rick Steves had said the Palatine Hill entrance was best for shorter lines and WCs, but the line to buy tickets was super long, hundreds of people moving at a snail’s pace.

Palatine Hill

Arch of Constantine

part of the Arch of Constantine

I stood in line for 45 minutes and moved a couple of feet. I could have twiddled my thumbs in that line for two days because I didn’t want to do anything else in Rome but see the ancient arena where gladiators fought to the death, or where doomed prisoners fought off bloodthirsty beasts. However, I wasn’t so enamored of the idea that I was willing to forego everything else.

I finally concluded: forget it! I could wander around outside the gates and see enough to be satisfied. I walked past the Arch of Constantine, then around the perimeter of the Colosseum.

Colosseum

Colosseum

Colosseum

Colosseum

Following the crowds, I wandered up Via Sacra and past the Arch of Titus at the Roman Forum and around the back of the Palatine Hill to a small church. Of course I was limited to what I could see through the gates. I could barely see the Temple of Venus and Roma up on the hill overlooking the Colosseum, with its tall brick arch with a cross-hatched ceiling. Part of the Roman Forum, it was once the temple’s cella, or sacred chamber. The Arch of Titus, built by the Emperor Domitian to honor his elder brother Titus, was said to be the inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I couldn’t see much of the rest except some glimpses through the gates.

Arch of Titus

Arch of Titus

small church

Through the fencing, I only had a peek at the Roman Forum, which in ancient times was a marketplace, religious complex and administrative center.

Roman Forum

Finally, I had enough and boarded the hop-on hop-off bus to go anywhere else. The woman ticket taker told one man to wait for the next bus, but he insisted he was getting on THAT BUS, and he kept trying to push in front of me. He kept saying “Don’t touch me!” to the woman. What an asshole. People in general were testy with all the crowds and the waiting.

The bus went by Circo Massimo and up to Piazza Venezia, where I got off because I saw a cafe where I might be able to use the bathroom. It was close to the Teatro di Marcello, or the Theatre of Marcellus, an ancient open-air theater once known for song and dance performances; it was built in the waning years of the Roman Republic. Julius Caesar cleared space for the theater, but he was murdered before construction began. It was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus, named after his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who had died in 23 BC. It originally held between 11,000 and 20,000 spectators, and was the largest and most important theater in Ancient Rome.

The theater was on the edge of the old Jewish ghetto, Ghetto Ebraico, and I saw they had some kind of Holocaust museum there. The Jewish community in Rome was one of the oldest in Europe, dating back to the 2nd century BC. Jews were confined in the ghetto from 1555 until the 20th century, due to a period of official intolerance ushered in by Pope Paul IV.

Teatro di Marcello

unknown dignified building

Found in the center of the Jewish ghetto was the Il Portico di Ottavia, built after 27 BC by Augustus in the name of his sister, Octavia Minor. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina, as well as a library. The structure was used as a fish market from the medieval period up to the end of 19th century.

Il Portico di Ottavia

Il Portico di Ottavia

Nearby was the restaurant Il Giardino Romano, where I sat under an awning and enjoyed bread, sparkling water, and fresh pasta with cheese, pepper and chicory. It was super tasty! 🙂 In retrospect, this was the way I wished I’d spent most of my day, sitting at an outdoor cafe eating delicious food and watching people stroll past.

fresh pasta with cheese, pepper and chicory

From there, I turned on my GPS to lead me to Piazza Campo de Fiori. I stopped in a cute shop where I bought a green and brown parreo and watched an older heavyset Italian woman with a blue streak in her blonde hair try on an exotic maxi dress.

Museo di Roma

Ghetto Ebraico

walking through Rome

buildings in Rome

a little park

streets of Rome

I continued on until I reached Campo de Fiori, a bohemian plaza with a busy fruit and vegetable market and cafes lining the edges. In the center of the square was a statue of Giordano Bruno, an intellectual heretic who was burned on this spot in 1600.

Piazza Campo de Fiori

statue of Giordano Bruno

At Piazza Campo de Fiori, I started Rick Steves’ “Heart of Rome Walk.” I made my way slowly to Piazza Navona, Rome’s showcase square. The long, oval piazza was built around AD80 by the Emperor Domitian. I was first greeted at the southern end of the square by the Fontana del Moro, or Fountain of the Moor, designed by Giacomo della Porta in 1576.

At the center of the square was Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the Four Rivers Fountain, with its four burly river gods personifying the rivers Nile, Ganges, Danube and Plate, with an Egyptian-style obelisk in the center. The fountain showed the Nile with its head covered, the Ganges with an oar, the Danube, who turned to admire the obelisk, and Uruguay’s Rio de la Plata, which tumbled back in shock and gazed upward at the nearby Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone, or Church of St. Agnes. The church was designed by Francesco Borromini.

Fountain of the Moor

Piazza Navona

Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone

Piazza Navona

Four Rivers Fountain

Four Rivers Fountain

Four Rivers Fountain

Four Rivers Fountain

“Heart of Rome” walk

I walked by the 2,000-year-old Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC. After burning down in AD80, it was rebuilt by Domitian, then struck by lightning in AD110. The current version, with its 40-foot single-piece granite columns and its triangular Greek style roof, was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian between AD 118 and 125. Hadrian’s version was dedicated to the classical gods, but in 608, it was consecrated as a Christian church. I didn’t go inside, but there is supposedly a domed room of perfect proportions to be seen there. I regret that I missed the interior.

Pantheon

Pantheon

“Heart of Rome” walk

I continued my walk past the Senate building and San Luigi. After walking past the Parliament, guarded by police or military men, I found a couple more obelisks. In front of the Parliament was a 6th century Egyptian obelisk taken as a trophy by Augustus after his victory over Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in Egypt.

Apparently, Rome has 13 such obelisks, more than any other city.

Parliament

In Piazza Colonna was a huge column from the second century. The decorative relief wrapped like a scroll around its length told in a sort of continuous narration the victories of Emperor Marcus Aurelius over the barbarians. After he died in AD 180, the barbarians began Rome’s three-century-long unraveling. Paul, one of Rome’s patron saints, topped the column that Marcus Aurelius once dominated.

Egyptian obelisk

At this point, I stopped to escape from the heat for a gelato. It had a band of chocolate around the top of the cone, and was topped with walnuts. After this much-needed break, I was ready to turn a corner to the Trevi Fountain, continuing on my “Heart of Rome” walk.

a refreshing gelato break

*Wednesday, April 24, 2019*

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My intentions for my trip to Italy were determined before I left home. One was to use a different Italian word each day. My word for today was “Buongiorno.” The other intention was as follows: Pick up any book you have on your shelf. Turn to page 79. Pick the 4th sentence on the page and write that sentence at the top of each day’s journal entry. Then brainstorm any ideas that come to your mind related to that sentence. Write a travel essay using that sentence as your topic sentence.

I must admit this intention didn’t work out so well for today, because this was the sentence I had written in my travel journal. “I chewed on the string every summer because I never had anything else to do out in right field.” ~ from a short story called “Love Story” from the collection GOOF And Other Stories by Sean Enright. It’s a little difficult to write about being out in right field in a baseball game while you’re in Rome! Thus I altered the sentence and used a version of it to describe my frustration standing in line at the Colosseum. 🙂

It doesn’t matter whether you write fiction or non-fiction for this invitation. You can either set your own writing intentions, or use one of the prompts I’ve listed on this page: writing prompts: prose. (This page is a work in process.) You can also include photos, of course.

Include the link in the comments below by Monday, February 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST. When I write my post in response to this invitation on Tuesday, February 25, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

cedar creek & belle grove national historical park

wanderessence1025 February 9, 2020

In November, I visited Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park in Middletown, Virginia. This park was created by the U.S. Congress in 2002 with the mission to preserve and interpret the history of the area from the time of the first human settlement until today.

It seems the first people arrived in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley around 10,000 years ago and lived on wildlife and plants. Eventually they cultivated the land, growing a variety of crops. Tribal warfare pushed out most American Indians before European settlers arrived. In 1731, Jost Hite led the first of the new settlers, finding fertile soil and abundant water. They discovered that wheat flourished and made high quality flour. By the late 1700s, 96% of farmers in the Valley were growing wheat to sell commercially, mostly to Great Britain. During this Age of Grain, a few plantations were established. Hundreds of mills sprung up along the valley’s fast-flowing streams, which powered the wheels that turned the heavy millstones, grinding the grain into flour.

The Union and Confederacy fought over the Shenandoah Valley throughout the war. But in 1864, the Union attempted to destroy the “Breadbasket of the Confederacy.” President Lincoln aimed to devastate the Southern economy and General Ulysses S. Grant wanted the Valley to “remain a barren waste.” The Union systematically burned crops, mills, factories and two thousand barns, along with confiscating or killing thousands of farm animals, leaving residents with no food for themselves, let alone for either Confederate or Union soldiers.

The Battle of Cedar Creek

On October 19, 1864, Confederate soldiers crossed Cedar Creek and the North Fork of the Shenandoah River to surprise sleeping Union soldiers. The Confederates chased the Union soldiers north. By late morning, The Confederates thought they’d won. However, Union General Philip Sheridan was racing south from Winchester, determined to rally his stunned troops. By sunset, the Confederates were defeated, and the Confederate Army of the Valley ceased to exist. Over 8,600 Union and Confederate men were killed, wounded or captured in the second bloodiest of the Shenandoah Valley’s battles.

At the Visitor Contact Station, I was able to watch an active re-enactment of the battles on a topographical map with blue lights showing the Union troops and red lights showing the Confederates.

Battle of Cedar Creek

wheat farmer in Shenandoah Valley

I stopped to have a look at the Cedar Creek Battlefield, and saw a lone white house. Probably built around 1800, the clapboard-covered log house known as the Heater House was the center of a prosperous 600 acre farm owned by Solomon and Caroline Wunder Heater. Although two of her sons died in Confederate service, Mrs. Heater, a native of Pennsylvania, was a Union supporter and frequently provided shelter and supplies to the federals. Her loyalty was ultimately repaired by a 1901 federal grant for some wartime damages.

Heater House

Cedar Creek Battlefield

Thoburn’s Redoubt, consisting of 134 acres and part of the historic Bowman-Hite farm, was where the Union Army under Col. Joseph Thoburn encamped among the bluffs north of Cedar Creek.

The opening attack of the battle took place in these fields and woods around 5 a.m. on October 19, 1864. The Union troops, utterly surprised, were completely routed in the heavy fog and predawn darkness. Col. Joseph Thoburn’s attempts to rally his men failed, and he was later killed during the retreat through the streets of Middletown. The trail here covers part of the ground where Thoburn’s troops were positioned and then overrun by the Confederate assault.

The Thoburn Redoubt Trail

Signal Knob, 1500 feet above the Valley floor, marks the northern end of the Massanutten Mountain Range. On October 17, two days before the battle, Confederate officers utilized the advantages provided by Signal Knob, where there was a longstanding signal station. From their viewpoint, they could see Sheridan’s army around Cedar Creek and could pick out all the units’ positions towards Belle Grove. This gave them the advantage in the attack against the Union army in the first battle on the 19th.

Signal Knob

A monument to the 128th New York Regiment was erected in 1907. These men had borne the brunt of the Confederate attack against their position around 6:00 a.m.

monument at Cedar Creek

Following the successful Confederate surprise attack, Union forces from the 8th and 19th corps formed battle lines across the woods and fields shown below, hoping to slow the overwhelming Southern assault moving in this direction. The fighting delayed the Confederate advance long enough for the rest of the Union army, on the other side of the Valley Pike, time to readjust their lines.

Morning Attack Trails

The Middletown Cemetery, on a knoll west of the village, was the only point Union officers believed they could slow the Confederate advance. From this high ground, General George Getty’s division, about 2,500 strong, repulsed two Confederate assaults. Frustrated, the Confederates massed 30 cannons, and with a third attack, they finally forced Getty to withdraw.

Mt. Carmel Cemetery

General Philip Sheridan arrived on the battlefield following his famous and dramatic “Ride” from his headquarters in Winchester. Along the way, he ordered Captain (and future U.S. President) William McKinley to stop retreating units and direct them back to the fighting. At the end of his ride, near the point shown below, Sheridan rejected all suggestions to retreat and rode the length of the battle lines to restore his men’s morale. Soon after, he planned a counterattack.

Sheridan arrives

Sheridan arrives

At 4:00 p.m., Sheridan’s reformed battle lines stretched almost two miles east to west, with cavalry anchoring both ends. Their counterattack took them back over the fields they had earlier fled. The battle hung in the balance due to fierce Confederate resistance, but the Union struck hard and the Confederate line unraveled, turning their retreat into a rout. Sheridan had snatched a “victory from the jaws of defeat.”

barn near Union counterattack

Union counterattack

Cancellation stamps

Cedar Creek was a momentous Union victory and marked the end of Sheridan’s overwhelmingly successful campaign and a turning point in the war. Occurring on the eve of the presidential election, the victory assured Abraham Lincoln’s reelection three weeks later. Within six month of his election, the Civil War was over.

At the end of the Civil War, the farms of the Shenandoah Valley were devastated. No fences or cultivated fields were visible for miles. Labor shortages continued due to the abolition of slavery and heavy fatalities of men of working age. Food prices were inflated due to shortages.

After the war, Valley farmers returned to cultivating the land, turning to mixed farming, with a focus on wheat. By 1900, wheat yields had increased 63%.

Before visiting the other part of the park, Belle Grove, I stopped for a lunch of a pulled chicken sandwich at the cute Shaffer’s BBQ and Market.

Shaffers BBQ

After lunch, I ventured to Belle Grove. As small family-owned farms were booming in the late 1700s, Isaac Hite Jr. began building Belle Grove on the 483 acres that his father had given him in southern Frederick County. Within twenty years, Hite had increased his holdings to more than 7,500 acres and owned more than 100 slaves. He lived here with his first wife Nelly Madison, sister of President James Madison.

Belle Grove was Union headquarters during the war, and was surrounded by hundreds of supply wagons, ambulances and tents. As the Confederates advanced to the plantation manor house, the Union scrambled to evacuate them to safety. Most escaped capture, although the fighting was intense.

The Belle Grove Bank Barn was built in 1918 by J. Herbert Brumback, who owned Belle Grove from 1907-1929. The traditional German style barn housed farm animals on the lower level and a threshing floor, granary and haymows in the upper level.

Belle Grove

Belle Grove’s blacksmiths were mostly slaves, and they were skilled in many tasks: forging nails, hooks and horseshoes, making and mending farm tools such as axes, shovels, plows and hammers, as well as shoeing horses. They also made and repaired items used in the house. Eating utensils, candlesticks, hinges and door latches were common fabricated items.

Belle Grove Forge

cow at Belle Grove

Of the many Hite homes in the Valley, Belle Grove is the grandest and the only one open to the public. It is open for guided touring only, but not at the time of year I was there.

The Manor House was completed in 1797. Around 1820, the west wing was added to increase living space on the upper level and work space in the basement.

Belle Grove

Belle Grove

Belle Grove

Belle Grove

Belle Grove

*Friday, Nov 8, 2019*

*11,075 steps, or 4.69 miles*

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On Sundays, I post about hikes or walks that I have taken in my travels; I may also post on other unrelated subjects. I will use these posts to participate in Jo’s Monday Walks or any other challenges that catch my fancy.

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: A Sally through the Salt Marshes.

poetic journeys: letter to the moroccan sahara

wanderessence1025 February 7, 2020

                        Letter to the Moroccan Sahara

Dear Erg Chebbi,

It's that time
- listen -
when silence stirs,
after the vanishing roar
of the quads,
after the words 
of the tourists 
are muffled by 
tightly wrapped turbans 
against the onslaught 
of sand.

My day is done.
I shrug off the wind,
the sting of sand,
and admire your voluptuous
ochre brilliance
- fading -
as the sun drifts into
your sea of dunes.
I chew on your thorny plants,
dry grasses and saltbush,
manna in the desert.
I thirst for nothing.

Even after all the moments 
you've graced my life,
you catch me by surprise,
as you fling into the vast
canvas 
     of sky
          ... pinpricks ...
     of sunlight
that you hoarded by day.

They float into darkness
on the whippoorwill's song,
notes serenaded to the night,
and take their proper places
in the constellations,
like a musical score 
to an entrancing ballad.

The night deepens,
the sand chills.
The Egyptian jars
and desert warblers
have their heyday,
singing one thousand
and one nights,
promising not only Scheherazade,
but a long line of virgins,
another morning,
when they might 
shake their bellies
and throw off 
their impenetrable scarves.

With wonder and hope,
An anonymous dromedary

*Erg Chebbi is an extensive set of sand dunes that are part of the Moroccoan Sahara yet separated from it by a vast hamada (barren, rocky plateau). It is situated near Merzouga.

Erg Chebbi

dromedary in the desert

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“POETRY” Invitation: I invite you to write a poem of any poetic form on your own blog about a particular travel destination. Or you can write about travel in general. Concentrate on any intention you set for your poetry.

One of my poetry intentions for my trip to Morocco was this: Write a letter poem. The poem can be to a town, the sky, a camel, the desert, a famous person, a part of one’s body, to myself, to an idea. Make up a name to sign with. You can write inquiries, or about little things that happen, or things you’ve seen, or made up things (Poetry Everywhere 86). Express affection, fear, curiosity or hope, outrage or gratitude, pride or shame. (Getting the Knack, “Letter Poems,” p. 24-36).

You can either set your own poetic intentions, or use one of the prompts I’ve listed on this page: writing prompts: poetry. (This page is a work in process). You can also include photos, of course.

Include the link in the comments below by Thursday, March 5 at 1:00 p.m. EST. When I write my post in response to this challenge on Friday, March 6, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, on the first Friday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

a japanese take on american landscapes: chiura obata at saam

wanderessence1025 February 6, 2020

Chiura Obata (1885-1975) is one of the most important California-based artists and Japanese cultural leaders of the last century. He received training in classical Japanese sumi-e ink painting in Tokyo, but began to integrate Western practices into his art-making after he immigrated to San Francisco in 1903. He continued to experiment with different styles and methods throughout his career.

Today the artist is best known for majestic views of the American West, based on hiking trips to capture what he called “Great Nature.” We went to see an exhibit of his work at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in December.

Chiura Obata was born Zoroku Sato in 1885, in Okayama, Japan. He was raised by his older brother, Rokuichi Obata, a professional artist, who gave him the family name. He chose a new first name, Chiura – which means “thousand bays.” This was a common practice among Japanese art students. His brother sketched a picture of him reading.

Son Chiura Obata Reading by Rokuichi Obata

Obata’s childhood sketchbooks showed an early mastery of brush painting with watercolor and ink. Obata trained in the conservative nihonga (Japanese-style painting) rather than the impressionism that was popular at the time. This method preferred subjects such as flowers, animals, landscapes and scenes from history and the theater.

Teenage practice book – 1890s

In 1912, Obata married Haruko Kohashi, also an artist and teacher. She was a master of ikebana, the Japanese practice of arranging flowers in which lines and layers convey moods and poetic messages. In 1940, she published an ikebana instruction manual, which Obata illustrated.

Maiden of Northern Japan, 1931

Untitled (Magnolia in a Blue Square Vase), about 1930s

Untitled (Aloe and Daffodils), March 1937

Untitled (Narcissuses in a Boat), Feb. 1938

Autumn Weeds, ~ 1930s

Beginning around 1918, Chiura Obata created paintings to use as covers and interior illustrations for JAPAN, a travel magazine for American audiences and customers.

Plum Blossoms, cover of Japan magazine (Feb. 1931)

The Dawn of the New Year, cover of Japan magazine (Jan. 1925)

The Enthronement Drum, cover of Japan magazine (May 1928)

Osaka, the Industrious, cover of Japan magazine (Nov. 1925)

Obata returned to Japan in 1928 and transformed some of his watercolors into woodblock prints. Below is one of a progression of these prints of “Evening at Carl Inn” (1928-30).

“Evening at Carl Inn”

Obata’s first solo show in 1928 led to wide demand for his work. He was invited to teach in the Art Department at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1932. In 1947, he published a folder of prints reproducing watercolors of landmarks at the University of California, Berkeley, campus.

Campanile (UC Berkeley), 1934

Below are some of Chiura Obata’s tools and materials: a paint box, an ink tray, pigment bottles, brushes, stamps, and minerals used to prepare the pigments. He often mixed his paints using water collected from streams during summer hikes in the Sierra Nevada.

paint box

brushes

pigment bottles

Obata was an avid traveler who loved to explore the natural beauty of California and other western states. He painted numerous watercolor and ink landscapes outdoors while camping and fishing with other artists.

Evening, about 1930s

Alma, August 6, 1922

Mountain Stream in Autumn, Happy Isles, 1937

Mountain Mist (Gilroy Hot Springs), about 1930s

Grand Canyon, May 15, 1940

part of the World Landscapes Series, 1930

Life and Death, Porcupine Flat, 1930

Morning Breeze, High Sierra, 1945

landscape on screen

I loved the artist’s drawings of interiors and his sketchbooks.

indoor-outdoor spots

interior and exterior

sketchbook

As a professor and founder of the East West Art Society, a Bay Area artist’s collective, he opened cross-cultural dialogue despite widespread prejudice against Asian Americans. In 1942, when the U.S. government succumbed to World War II fears, Obata and more than 100,000 West Coast Japanese Americans were forced into incarceration camps. Obata created art schools in the camps to help prisoners deal with their displacement and imprisonment. Between April 1942 and May 1943, Obata produced more than a hundred drawings and paintings documenting the government’s forced removal of ~120,000 Japanese Americans from their home on the West Coast.

Departure from Berkeley, First Congregational Church, Berkeley, April 30, 1942

In the Train, September 24, 1942

Newcomers from Santa Anita, October 8, 1942

Topaz War Relocation Center by Moonlight, about 1943

Obata responded to the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945, with a trio of large watercolor paintings: Devastation, Prayer, and Harmony, showing a cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Devastation, 1945

Harmony, 1946

At the end of the war, Obata was asked to resume his art professorship at the Berkeley campus, where he taught until his retirement in 1954. The painting below captures the moment of his return home in November 1945 after more than three years of imprisonment and displacement.

Dusk: East Bay Bridge, November 1945

*Sunday, December 15, 2019*

The exhibit will continue through May 25, 2020.

(Information about this exhibit came from signs at the exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.)

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“PHOTOGRAPHY” INVITATION: I invite you to create a photography intention and then create a blog post for a place you have visited. Alternately, you can post a thematic post about a place, photos of whatever you discovered that set your heart afire. You can also do a thematic post of something you have found throughout all your travels: churches, doors, people reading, people hiking, mountains, patterns, all black & white, whatever!

In this case, I was intrigued to visit the exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum to see a Japanese-American artist’s take on American landscapes. In addition, I’ve always loved Japanese paintings, and I love Obata’s sketches of the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II.

You probably have your own ideas about this, but in case you’d like some ideas, you can visit my page: photography inspiration.

I challenge you to post no more than 20-25 photos and to write less than 1,500 words about any travel-related photography intention you set for yourself. Include the link in the comments below by Wednesday, February 5 at 1:00 p.m. EST. When I write my post in response to this challenge on Thursday, February 6, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, every first, second, and third (& 5th, if there is one) Thursday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

on returning home from delaware

wanderessence1025 February 3, 2020

My trip to Delaware last June was marred by a case of identity theft. The day before leaving home, I had received a phone call from a number “spoofing” my bank’s phone number (which was entered as a contact in my phone). The person on the line identified himself as being with the bank’s fraud department; he told me someone had used my debit card twice in Atlanta, Georgia to the tune of $500 each time. After 45 minutes on the line with this person, who fooled me into believing he was from my bank, I found out through various notifications from the bank that I had in fact been talking to the fraudster! He had, while on the phone with me, stolen nearly $3,500 from my account from various places in Florida.

I had to stop by my bank on the way out of town to alert them to the fraud, but there was nothing I could do until the withdrawals had cleared. Thus the situation hung over my head during my entire trip, and I couldn’t do anything about it until I returned home. I was unable to fully relax and enjoy when I didn’t know the outcome of the fraud.

Luckily, my bank put the stolen money in my account fairly quickly as a temporary deposit. Finally it was resolved, but not until a month or two after I returned home. Apparently many other customers of our bank had been taken by the same scam. It was the “spoofing” of the bank’s phone number that fooled most people.

One of my intentions for my trip to Delaware was to take photos in black and white or sepia. Since I never wrote a post featuring black & white photos, I picked some of my favorite below to convert. The black & white lends a nostalgic air to the places I visited.

Another intention was to make a list of all the things I’d miss from my trip once I returned home.

I’ll miss wandering through the kitschy beach town of Rehoboth, with its salt water taffy, ice cream, and souvenir shops, and its boardwalk along the beach. I’ll also miss eating the best crab cakes around at Woody’s in Dewey Beach.

Dolle’s at Rehoboth

kitschy Rehoboth

Archie’s at Rehoboth

2. I’ll miss riding my bicycle around Cape Henlopen State Park, with its excellent bike trails through marshlands.

bicycle at Cape Henlopen State Park

3. I’ll miss visiting the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, where I saw an excellent exhibit of African figures from the continent: “Spirit Revealed: New Works by Aaron Paskins.” I loved finding cool art made from paper, especially one piece that looked like a found poem; I’ve been trying to write some of those myself.

Biggs Museum of American Art

paper art at Biggs Museum

poetic paper art at Biggs Museum

flight of birds outside the Biggs Museum

4. I’ll miss visiting New Castle and learning about the three cultures that vied for dominance in the region: the Dutch, the Swedes, and the English.

New Castle

5. Lastly, I’ll miss walking around the beautiful gardens and grounds of Nemours Estate.

Nemours Estate

There were still more places I wanted to visit in Delaware, but time ran out. Since the state is so close by, I hope to get back there and revisit Dover and the First State Heritage Park, The Old State House, and the John Victrola Museum. I’d also love to visit one of the other wildlife refuges, like Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, and ride a bicycle again at Cape Henlopen State Park. I’d also love to explore more of Bethany Beach and the historic town of Lewes. Finally, I’d like to explore more of Wilmington.

I created a number of posts about my trip to Delaware, reflecting on specific themes for some of the days, and using 5 random nouns in some essays.

I visited Delaware from June 4-6, 2019.

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“ON RETURNING HOME” INVITATION: I invite you to write a post on your own blog about returning home from one particular destination or, alternately, from a long journey encompassing many stops. How do you linger over your wanderings and create something from them? How have you changed? Did the place live up to its hype, or was it disappointing? Feel free to address any aspect of your journey and how it influences you upon your return. If you don’t have a blog, I invite you to write in the comments.

For some ideas on this, you can check out the original post about this subject: on returning home.

Include the link in the comments below by Sunday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. EST. When I write my post in response to this challenge on Monday, March 2, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation on the first Monday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time.

a whirlwind tour of fez, morocco

wanderessence1025 February 2, 2020

Today, our local guide in Fez was Hashim.We started in Fez el-Jdid (the new medina of Fez), which is only 700 years old. The paranoid Merenid Sultan Abu Yusuf Yacoub (1258-86) built the quarter as a political and administrative hub and used Syrian mercenary guards to isolate himself from his subjects.

Our first stop was the Royal Palace, Dar el-Makhzen, at the entrance to the grand square. It wasn’t open to the public so we just looked at the imposing brass doors, surrounded by fine zellij (tilework) and carved cedar wood. Lemon trees stood daintily off to the side. The guards posed for pictures.

Dar el-Makhzen (Royal Palace)

guards at Dar el-Makhzen (Royal Palace)

the grand square

Dar el-Makhzen (Royal Palace)

We walked next to the palace walls along the outer edge of the Jewish Quarter, or Mellah. In the 14th century, Fez el-Jdid became a refuge for Jews. Mellah means “salt” and was called this because the Jews sold salt, in addition to jewelry. This quarter offered the Jews protection and they in turn repaid the sultan with loyalty during conflicts. The Jewish people were also protected by the sultans for their precious metal trade. The old houses had open balconies of curved wood and wrought iron looking out over the streets, a contrast to Muslim styles. After the 15th century, Jews were not allowed to leave the mellah without papers, and they weren’t allowed to wear shoes outside the mellah.

Now there are only 200 Jews in the Mellah as most have moved to the Villa Nouvelle, or further afield, to France, Israel or the U.S.

Mellah

Mellah

Our guide drove us to a cemetery on a hill where we had a panoramic view of Fez nestled into its hills. People visit the cemetery on Fridays and Holy Days. We weren’t allowed to enter it.

cemetery overlooking Fez

cemetery overlooking Fez

cemetery overlooking Fez

view of Fez from the cemetery

cemetery overlooking Fez

cemetery overlooking Fez

At a ceramics factory, we watched craftsmen making pottery and tiles. They did a four-year apprenticeship. One potter, age 34, had been a potter for 17 years. He demonstrated how to make different shapes like a tajine and a candlestick. I wanted a beautiful bowl but it was $300 to buy and ship – too much! I was wracked with indecision and didn’t end up buying anything. I liked so much though, and I hoped I’d see cheaper ceramics in the market. Sadly we didn’t have much free time in Fez for shopping.

ceramics at the factory

pretty bowl

vase

another vase

potters

ceramics

potter

When we first went into the old medina, we walked around the residential area, which was very quiet with narrow lanes and mudbrick walls. This part of Fez was founded in 805 A.D.

residential area of Fez

residential area of Fez

petals in residence

We then walked through the medina, Fès el-Bali, tempted by olives and fruits. We walked past the fruit and vegetable sellers and the meat sellers. The Fez medina is full of labyrinthine lanes where it is easy to get lost; I guess that’s why our guide didn’t turn us loose.

olives in the medina

pears in the medina

walking through the medina

lattice shadows in the medina

a canal in the medina

Some musicians in colorful dress marched through singing, drumming and playing cymbals.

Entertainers in the medina

We headed for the Chouwara Tanneries, one of Fez’s most iconic sights – and smells. They handed us sprigs of mint to put over our noses, but it barely kept the horrible odor at bay. Strong odors of skin and dye wafted all around the tanneries. Cow, goat, sheep, and camel are all used to make leather.

The tanning pits are surrounded by leather goods shops. Each shop has a terrace with an overlook. I bought an emerald green wallet, a mustard yellow wallet, and a deep green tote with turquoise suede lining.

me with mint over my nose at the tanneries

Chouwara Tanneries in Fez

Chouwara Tanneries in Fez

leather bags in Fez

Chouwara Tanneries in Fez

Chouwara Tanneries in Fez

We had a look through the doors of Qaraouiyine Mosque and University, one of Africa’s largest mosques and possibly the oldest university in the world. This mosque complex is the spiritual heart of Fez and Morocco. Established in 857 by Fatima al-Fihri, the daughter of a Tunisian refugee, and expanded by the Almoravids in the 12th century, it can accommodate 22,000 at prayer. We observed it from the gates on Talaa Kebira and Place as-Seffarine. Non Muslims are forbidden to enter.

Kairaouine Mosque and University

Kairaouine Mosque and University

Fès el-Bali is a crazy place to walk, because mule drivers and motorized vehicles push their way through the narrow walkways. Mule drivers yell “balak” or “look out,” which is barely enough warning to avoid getting run down.

dried figs in the medina

dried fruits in the medina

brass plates in the medina

slippers in the medina

slippers in the medina

We dipped into the Islamic college: Medersa el-Attarine, founded by Abu Said in 1325 in the heart of the medina. It’s a separate annex to the Kairaouine Mosque. Halls for teaching and a modest masjid (mosque) flank the central courtyard. Multiple floors with dormitories surrounded the courtyard. It showcases traditional Merenid artisanship: zellij (tilework) base, stuccowork, and cedar wood at the tops of walls and on ceilings.

Medersa el-Attarine

stairway at Medersa el-Attarine

Medersa el-Attarine

We then went to lunch on a terrace overlooking the town. We were served up salad, aubergine, green beans, beets, carrots, anise, lentils, and bread – all in little individual dishes. Susan and I shared a Kafta tajine. I drank fresh orange juice, always a welcome treat in Arab countries. For dessert we had orange and banana slices sprinkled with cinnamon. It was delicious.

lunch on the terrace

We stopped into a weaving shop where I bought three scarves: 1) a pink and black striped one; 2) a purple crinkled one; and 3) a blue-gray crinkled one. 🙂 We stopped in another shop selling jewelry, ceramics inlaid with silver, paintings, and lots of other stuff, but I didn’t buy anything.

Door in Fez

wedding party in Fez

street art in the medina

patisserie

two types of transport

Nicknamed the “Blue Gate” because of the blue zellij tile work on the outside, Bab Boujeloud is one of the newest gates of the medina. It was built in 1913, and its color reflects the blue color of the city of Fez.

the blue gate of Bab Boujeloud in Fez

I felt like we didn’t do Fez justice. The tour was mostly a waste, taking us to various shops to entice us to spend money.

When we got back to the hotel, Susan went out for a walk and coffee with the young clique, and I went for an hour-long hot stone massage at Hôtel Mounia. Two Moroccan women massaged me simultaneously with warm oil, using hot smooth stones to rub over my body. I wore tiny paper bikini underpants and nothing else, so I felt rather exposed! When I turned over on my back, one of the ladies grabbed my chubby belly and said in French “graisse.” I said in English, yes, I know it is “fat,” but it’s not nice (“harram” – which actually means “sinful” but I didn’t know the proper word to use) to tell a woman that. After the massage, I was covered in oil, so I had to go up and soak in a hot bath to wash the oil from my hair and body.

Later, I was sitting in the lobby trying to decide what to do, and Susan came back and suggested we go out for a pizza, which we did at a small hole-in-the-wall just down from our hotel. During dinner she told me how her grandfather was a butcher and their family lived for some time above the butcher shop.

*Steps: 11,340, or 4.81 miles*

*Friday, April 12, 2019*

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This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Vaqueiros in Spring.

jude’s photo challenge: composition

wanderessence1025 January 30, 2020

Jude of Travel Words has challenged us to experiment with our photography using different photographic techniques or topics. For January, she’s given us several aspects to focus on. Because I didn’t go anywhere this month where I could practice these techniques, I looked for images in my archives which show different composition choices.

Clearly identify your subject. Begin by explaining your choice. How will you draw attention to it? (2020 Photo Challenge #1)

My subject is a pair of statues: Maitreya, the smiling Buddha, and Guanyin. They stand on the cliff ledges at Baoxiang Temple, also known as “Suspending Temple,” in Shibao Shan in China. Here I wanted to show the two statues in their setting, set up high in the nook of a cliff with two small temples flanking them. You can see the rooftop at the bottom of the photo, which shows they sit higher than at least one temple in the complex. However, this photo doesn’t properly capture the height as it was quite a climb up to the village from the valley floor.

Baoxiang Temple, also known as “Suspending Temple”

Baoxiang Temple, also known as “Suspending Temple”

2. Move in closer to your subject but not too close. Lead the viewer towards the subject. (2020 Photo Challenge #2)

Here, I got closer to the two statues, showing them under the ledge with one of the temples behind them. The lighting was a real challenge as the statues were in shadow. In many of my shots, the green hill in the background was totally washed out.

Maitreya, the smiling Buddha, and Guanyin

3. Get in closer still. Decide whether to use the vertical or horizontal aspect ratio. Image orientation produces different emphases and can alter the whole dynamic of a shot. (2020 Photo Challenge #3)

Here, I got in closer to the two statues, directly underneath them. In the first photo, I decided to use the horizontal aspect ratio to capture both statues. In the second photo, I wanted Guanyin with the temple behind.

Maitreya, the smiling Buddha, and Guanyin

Guanyin

4. Simplify your image. What is it you want the viewer to focus on? (2020 Photo Challenge #4)

Finally, I took photos from below each statue individually, looking up at them. Maitreya is horizontal, because the smiling Buddha is so wide. In the case of Guanyin, I captured it vertically, because the statue is tall and thin.

Maitreya, the smiling Buddha

Guanyin

I hope next month to be able to participate with new photos! Thanks to Jude for hosting this challenge. 🙂

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In this case, I’m participating in Jude’s photo challenge, so this is simply in response to her posts.

You probably have your own ideas about this, but in case you’d like some ideas, you can visit my page: photography inspiration.

This will be an ongoing invitation, every first, second, and third (& 5th, if there is one) Thursday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

morocco: the ancient roman ruins at volubilis

wanderessence1025 January 28, 2020

It would be 3 1/2 hours to Volubilis on winding mountain roads through green fields and forests. I was surprised by all the green I was finding in Morocco. We stopped for one look back at Chefchaouen before we left the blue town behind.

farewell to Chefchaouen

We went through a poor area in a mountainous region with ramshackle dirty houses and a river snaking through the valley amidst piles of rubble and laundry hanging on rooftops. Towns were badly in need of fresh paint.

We stopped for a restroom break at a place with a swimming pool and dining tables set formally with tablecloths clustered around the pool.

The landscape flattened and eucalyptus trees lined the road under chilly gray skies. This was farmland with neat rows of crops – barley and chickpeas – and orange orchards; yellow flowers highlighted the fields. We passed a donkey pulling a cart, a flock of sheep and lambs, a shepherd wearing the djellaba. Cows grazed beside the road. I felt like I’d taken a trip back in time to a previous century. Orange groves and olive trees lined up neatly on the horizon. We stopped at a roadside stand for some oranges fresh off the trees.

a stop at the orange orchards

orange orchards

We arrived in Volubilis by noon. The site is a large expanse of Roman ruins in the middle of a fertile plain about 33km north of Meknès. It is the best preserved archeological site in Morocco, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Excavation is slowly ongoing, with only half the site excavated. It has an amazing number of mosaics preserved in situ.

Evidence has been found, such as Neolithic pottery, indicating that this area was settled as long ago as 3000 BC due to its fertile valley. Later it was settled by Phoenicians and subsequently by Carthaginian traders in the 3rd century B.C. One of the Roman Empire’s most remote outposts, it was annexed around 40 A.D. Up to 20,000 people lived here, planting wheat and deforesting massive swaths of land. The Romans abandoned it in 280. It then prospered under local rule as an Amazigh capital, and its population of Berbers, Greeks, Jews and Syrians spoke Latin until the arrival of Islam. Moulay Idriss founded a sanctuary here in the 8th century before moving the capital to Fès.

The Roman Empire

Volubilis and its fertile plains

Volubilis

Volubilis

Volubilis was inhabited until the 18th century when its marble and precious stone was plundered for Moulay Ismail’s palaces in Meknès. The buildings were finally destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

Volubilis

Volubilis

Volubilis

Volubilis

Volubilis

At Volubilis, olive groves and nearly 60 olive presses were found, indicating olive oil was the economic backbone of the settlement. A female skeleton was found facing Mecca, indicating she was Muslim.

Galen’s Baths was a Roman hammam with underfloor heating and communal toilets.

Galen’s Baths

public toilets at Volubilis

The Capitol from 218 was dedicated to the triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.

The Capitol

A Roman Basilica to the north had columns topped with storks’ nests. The original building was two stories tall. Local markets were held in the surrounding forum.

Roman Basilica

stork’s nest at the Roman Basilica

Roman Basilica

Roman Basilica

Roman Basilica

The marble triumphal arch, called the Arch of Caracalla, dated from 217 AD, was built to honor Emperor Caracalla and his powerful mother, Julia Domna.

Triumphal Arch

Volubilis

There are a number of houses with mosaics along the main thoroughfare and ceremonial road: Decumanus Maximus.

Decumanus Maximus

arches along Decumanus Maximus

Volubilis

The House of the Acrobat showed an athlete getting a trophy for a race in which he dismounted and jumped back on as the horse raced along.

House of the Acrobat

The House of Ephebe showed a man who seems to be fishing with a lot of text and graffiti in a jumble all around him.

House of Ephebe mosaic

The Orpheus mosaic showed Orpheus taming the animals with his music.

Orpheus Mosaic

Orpheus Mosaic

The House of Columns had columns around an interior court.

House of Columns

House of Columns

The House of the Knight had an incomplete mosaic of Bacchus and naked Ariadne.

Bacchus and naked Ariadne in the House of the Knight

The House of the Labors of Hercules had a circular mosaic showing the twelve labors.

House of the Labors of Hercules

In the House of Orpheus was a mosaic with nine dolphins.

House of Orpheus, Mosaic with Nine Dolphins

Another mosaic showcased sea creatures.

mosaic with sea creatures

mosaics near sea creatures

mosaic details

There was a lone cypress tree at the House of Venus, showing the rather erotic abduction of Hylas by the Nymphs and Diana Bathing, glimpsed by the hunter Acteon. She turned him into a stag as punishment. Sadly, I somehow missed these two most important mosaics in the entire complex!

We didn’t spend much time in the Interpretation Center, but I was caught by one mosaic: Mosaic of the Triton; its dolphins were a symbol of good fortune in Roman times.

Mosaic of the Triton

The Roman Empire

We stopped outside of Meknès for a lunch made by a women’s cooperative. It was a rather derelict building in a rural area with mangy dogs wandering around. The ladies there served up a cucumber tomato salad, a delicious aubergine, lentils, chicken roasted with a nice sauce and olives, oranges and mint tea for dessert.

chicken lunch in Meknès

woman in cooperative pouring mint tea in Meknès

I said “Dusharufna” (an archaic form of “pleased to meet you”) to our driver Saeed and he got a hoot out of that. He kept laughing and greeting me with a handshake and speaking to me in Arabic. It was funny when he laughed and smiled because he had braces, a mouth full of shiny metal.

As we drove the final half hour to Fès, Aziz told us that there are 35 CEOs with G Adventures in Morocco. He told us habibi means sweetheart, but could also mean best friends for men. I already knew about the “sweetheart” meaning, but not about the best friends between men.

We arrived in Fès around 5:00. After settling into our room at Hotel Mounia, Susan and I walked past the food stalls and street vendors selling socks, belts, electronics and juices. We walked down the wide avenue Hassan II, known by locals as the Camps d’Elysses. We stopped at a café where I had a small Flag beer and Susan had a coffee. Christian from Germany joined us for a beer as well.

It was a shame our hotel was in the new town, because it made it impossible to wander freely around the ancient medina of Fès.

After returning to the hotel, we met the group at 7:00 to go out for street food. We had Moroccan soup with chick peas along with various kebabs – heart & liver, chicken, beef. I only ate six kofta kebabs. While at dinner, Christian and I told Aziz we’d had a Flag beer at an outdoor cafe, and he argued that we couldn’t have done so because it’s illegal to drink in public in Morocco. However, we did it, openly and without problem, so he was wrong, yet he continued to argue that we couldn’t have done so!

We went back to Symphonique, the bar in the basement of the hotel, and had another Flag beer and smoked some apple tobacco shisha, which brought back memories of smoking shisha along the Nile in Egypt, but not nearly as nice. Chai, Gabe, Rene, Natalie, Christian and Susan were all there.

I finally started getting into my book, The Forgiven. It had been a slow read thus far, but I liked the writing.

*Steps 11,629, or 4.93 miles*

*Thursday, April 11, 2019*

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“PROSE” INVITATION: I invite you to write up to a post on your own blog about a recently visited particular destination (not journeys in general). Concentrate on any intention you set for your prose. One of my intentions was to write using my five senses, which I still struggle with, but tried to incorporate here.

Include the link in the comments below by Monday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. EST. When I write my post in response to this invitation on Tuesday, February 11, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

morocco: the blue-washed chefchaouen

wanderessence1025 January 26, 2020

Susan and I started our “free day” in the blue-washed Chefchaouen, originally known as Chaouen (“peaks”). It was once isolated and xenophobic; Christians were threatened with death if they entered. Occupied by Spanish troops in 1920, it remained so until independence in 1956. The pale blue wash introduced in the 1930s was supposedly to keep mosquitoes away. Previously windows and doors were painted in traditional Moroccan green. In 1975, the town was renamed Chefchaouen, or “look at the peaks.”

We walked around the red-walled kasbah, built in 1471. The kasbah is a heavily restored walled fortress with a lovely garden. Moulay Ali Ben Rachid built the fort in Chefchaouen as a defense against the Portuguese who had seized control of Tangier, Asilah, and other port towns. The town expanded with the arrival of Muslim and Jewish refugees from Granada in 1494.

kasbah in Chefchaouen

kasbah in Chefchaouen

kasbah in Chefchaouen

me at the kasbah

kasbah in Chefchaouen

We climbed up to the ramparts to gather in a view of Old Chefchaouen, including the plaza and the kasbah, as well as the surrounding countryside.

view of the countryside from the kasbah

view of Chefchaouen from the kasbah

view of Chefchaouen and the Rif Mountains from the kasbah

view of the countryside from the kasbah

view of kasbah in Chefchaouen from the kasbah

The kasbah houses a small Ethnography Museum which we briefly walked through.

Ethnography Museum

courtyard in the Ethnography Museum

Leaving the kasbah, we wandered past the Grand Mosque (Jamaa Kbeer), built by Moulay Mohamed, the son of Moulay Rachid, in 1560. Its unusual octagonal minaret, with its three tiers of blind arches wrapping around the tower, was built in the 18th century, inspired by the Torre de Oro in Seville.

Grand Mosque (Jamaa Kbeer)

We wandered through the lanes of the town, dipping into the enticing shops. I found a pair of turquoise cotton striped pants that were lightweight.

lanes of Chefchaouen

colorful dresses for sale

While we waited for a tailor to hem my pants, we had coffee at a small outdoor cafe in the cobblestoned Plaza Uta el-Hammam and watched the square as it filled with people.

Plaza Uta el-Hammam

Plaza Uta el-Hammam

The buildings of the medina were a fresh blinding blue or white, with terra-cotta tiled roofs adding a taste of Andalucia. Apparently the medina was recently repaired with Spanish funding. We wandered all around the town, looking at the goods for sale. I bought a small journal, a scarf, a pair of pink dangly earrings, a small canvas painting of blue steps with flower pots. Other goods included colorful paintings, leather goods, scarves, clothing, shoes, slippers, ceramics, Berber jackets, rugs, woven goods and tajines.

Chefchaouen

slippers for sale

A photographer was taking photos of a Chinese couple decked out in wedding attire in all the charming spots. I found so many charming scenes, although the morning shadows made the light challenging. Chinese tourists were in abundance.

Expo d’Art

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

We had a glimpse of the Spanish Mosque, where we would climb later in the afternoon.

Spanish Mosque

We continued our wanderings through the town and the ancient medina. We ran into Father Anthony having soup and mint tea in a hole-in-the-wall cafe. A true art lover, he had bought a boatload of goods that he said were excellent quality. Anthony is a 76-year-old bodybuilding Catholic priest who showed us last evening how he travels with a kind of mess kit that includes a chalice and other communion accoutrements. He carries two small bottles of airplane-sized wine that he will stretch out over a month of travels. He told me he was praying for my loved one and said he hoped I’d pray for him too even if I wasn’t religious.

We left Anthony and wandered some more until we stopped for lunch at a cafe on the plaza. I had an omelette and an avocado salad with a vegetable-rice mixture, accompanied with “gas” water.

Chefchaouen

kitten in Chefchaouen

Al Hamra Hotel

Chefchaouen

me in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

medina of Chefchaouen

The medina here was one of the cleanest I have ever encountered in my travels.

Chefchaouen’s medina

Chefchaouen’s medina

Chefchaouen’s medina

tailor shop in Chefchaouen’s medina

dyes

Chefchaouen’s medina

dried figs

Chefchaouen

We returned to our hotel to drop some of our purchases. The Hotel Madrid had an old world lobby with red and white cushions on benches and stools and round painted tables.

lobby of Hotel Madrid

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

dyes in Chefchaouen

In the afternoon, we climbed a mountainside path to the so-called Spanish Mosque on a hilltop to the west of the medina. We walked by the Ras el-Ma waterfall where women in djellabas were wading and scrubbing their laundry.

The Spanish Mosque was built by the Spanish for the local population in the 1920s but was never used. From the path and the hilltop, we had great views of the blue town.

views of Chefchaouen from the path to the Spanish Mosque

views of Chefchaouen from the path to the Spanish Mosque

Spanish Mosque

little goat on the mountainside

views of Chefchaouen from the path to the Spanish Mosque

Spanish Mosque

views of Chefchaouen from the path to the Spanish Mosque

As we entered the town again, I was captivated by oranges bobbing in water-filled plastic tubs. The water continuously flowed from a hose into and out of the tub, creating a mini-waterfall.

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

We stopped at another cafe to use wi-fi. I had an orange juice with strawberries and Susan had a mint tea.

Grand Mosque (Jamaa Kbeer)

Hotel Madrid

Susan and I went to dinner at Casa Hassan. We sat next to a cozy fire crackling in a large cone-shaped fireplace. We shared a Moroccan soup of chick peas, vermicelli, lentils, and a bit of ground beef. We also had a vegetable pastilla (vegetable mix in phyllo) with rice and raisins. We shared a lemon tart for dessert, all for 65 dirhams (~ $7) each. It was delicious and the atmosphere was lovely.

Casa Hassan

It was very hard to read in bed with just an overhead light, but I read The Forgiven as long as I could before falling asleep. The next day we would leave early to go to Fez, with a stop at the Roman ruins of Volubilis.

*Steps: 16,490, or 6.99 miles*

*Wednesday, April 10, 2019*

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This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Sáo Bartholomeu de Messines.

anticipation & preparation: jordan in 2011

wanderessence1025 January 24, 2020

Tuesday, November 4, 2011 marked my first (un)official day of the holiday known in the Islamic world as Eid al-Adha. This “Festival of Sacrifice” is celebrated by Muslims the world over to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael in obedience to God. Lucky for Abraham, God intervened and provided his faithful servant with a ram to sacrifice instead of his son.

The real Eid al-Adha didn’t actually start for a couple more days. To be honest, I didn’t even know which day it officially started. However, on this Tuesday, we had drenching rain showers and flooding, so the University of Nizwa cancelled classes at 2:00 pm and, as a follow-up, in a stroke of generosity, cancelled classes for Wednesday as well. I was thrilled because it meant our Eid holiday began one day early.

I wasn’t expecting any substantial holiday so soon after arriving in Oman, but since it was handed to me, I had to take advantage. I immediately booked a trip to Jordan for only 6 days, because it was impossible to get reasonable flights going out on the first couple of days of the holiday. I would leave Saturday, November 5 and return on Friday morning, November 11.

The Dead Sea, Jordan

Uncharacteristically, I hardly planned anything for this trip. I had planned to bring my Lonely Planet Middle East guidebook, but after my suitcases were all packed for Oman, I weighed them and found them to be over the baggage limit. I frantically removed about 10 pounds out of each bag. One of the things I removed was that guidebook.

On my other travels, I had read extensively about my destination, both fiction and non-fiction, and had been enriched by that preparation. This time, it all came upon me too quickly. I’d done almost nothing to prepare for this trip except talk to one of my colleagues, Willem, who recommended every place in Petra where I’d be staying: The Rocky Mountain Hotel and the Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp. From the owners of the Seven Wonders Camp, I got the name of the Jordan Tower Hotel in Amman. Other than that, I had NO plans.

camels at Petra

I figured a near-spontaneous trip like this, without my regular Type-A planning, might throw me for a loop, knock me totally off-balance. It might teach me to loosen up a bit, go with the flow. No matter. It would certainly be another unforgettable experience to add to many such over the the past year and a half.

If I had read any books set in Jordan, I might have read some of these:

West of the Jordan by Laila Halaby (Kindle)
Live from Jordan: Letters Home from My Journey Through the Middle East by Benjamin Orbach (Kindle)
The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Thomas Edward Lawrence
Married to a Bedouin by Marguerite van Geldermalsen
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
Cities of Salt by Abdul Rahman Munif
Story of a City: A Childhood in Amman by Abdul Rahman Munif
Forbidden Love by Norma Khouri
The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber
The Cry of the Dove by Fadia Faqir
Willow Trees Don’t Weep by Fadia Faqir
Staircase of a Thousand Steps by Masha Hamilton
Shepherd of Solitude: Selected Poems 1979-2004 by Amjad Nasser
Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda
Desert Skies, Rebel Souls by M P Tonnesen (also Egypt & Israel)

For more international books, see books | international a-z |.

The only movie set in Jordan that I saw before going was Captain Abu Raed, which was excellent. The others I might have watched had I had more time to prepare:

Lawrence of Arabia (1962-1963)
Saladin (1963)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Free Zone (2005)
Captain Abu Raed (2007) ****
Cherkess (2010)
When I Saw You (2012)
When Monaliza Smiled (2012)
May in the Summer (2013)
Theeb (2014)
From A to B (2015)
Queen of the Desert (2015)
The Rendezvous (2016)
17 (2017)

For more international movies, see movies | international a-z |.

Petra, Jordan

*November 5-11, 2011*

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“ANTICIPATION & PREPARATION” INVITATION: I invite you to write a post on your own blog about anticipation & preparation for a particular destination (not journeys in general). If you don’t have a blog, I invite you to write in the comments. Include the link in the comments below by Thursday, February 27 at 1:00 p.m. EST. When I write my post in response to this challenge on Friday, February 28, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, on the 4th Friday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂 If you’d like to read more about the topic, see: journeys: anticipation & preparation.

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

the ~ wander.essence ~ community

I invite you all to settle in and read posts from our wandering community. I hope you’ll be inspired!

Mari, of Mari’s Travels with Her Camera, has written about how she prepared for travels in Thailand.
- Thailand: Anticipation and Preparations

Thanks to all of you who wrote posts about anticipation and preparation.

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