I haven't updated my blog in a while...mostly because I have been so busy visiting people and running around with them that it has been hard to find a quiet time to sit and reflect. Also, I have to rely on the technology of others to do this sort of thing, and if a computer or internet connection isn't available, then this is virtually impossible to do. That being said, I have taken some notes along the way to make sure that I include some "important" details about my last few weeks of travel. Not interested? Well, you can always just [View Full Entry]

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Although the title says "DC", I have to admit that I was mostly in Arlington, VA and Silver Springs, MD...not DC at all. I guess, though that it is not so important where I was exactly, but with whom I spent my time. Sidenote: The great thing about Austin, TX (where I live), is that people are from all over. The worst thing about Austin, TX is that because people are from all over, they're less likely to stay for the long run. It's a great place to go to school, start a career, maybe stay for a few years [View Full Entry]

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I've recieved many inquiries about why the blog appears to have stopped...and I really don't have a good reason for it. But I did come up with this: When I travel alone, the blog sort of keeps me company. I complain to it, I laugh with it, I share some of my secrets with it. But my last week in Israel was different b/c I wasn't alone. I was with great friends and family, so my blog took a backseat to living in the moment with them. Besides, I can sum it all up pretty quickly here and you'll be [View Full Entry]

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I haven't mentioned it yet, but please let me take some time to tell you about the freaking weather here. And I will start by saying that sometimes ignorance IS bliss. (If you are not aware of the actual temperature, it makes it a little more difficult to complain.) The sun just went down an hour ago and it is.......100 DEGREES! At night! I am not joking! I just looked at weather.com and it informed me (without laughing or snickering or anything) that the high temperature today was 110 degrees! I am not kidding. My advice: Skip Egypt in the [View Full Entry]

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So, no need to worry about my not-so-nice travel companions. There has been an outpouring of (well-deserved) sympathy from abroad. But they have come around! I wouldn't say that I have made the best friends of my life, but it's actually not so bad. In fact, last night we all went out as a group, then the two Aussies (Sarah and Yvette) and I went on our own way. Truth is, I needed some moral support in the tourist bazaar -- I was in the market for one of those god awful Egyptian cotton dress things -- and I didn't [View Full Entry]

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So, here is the question of the day -- when stuck in the Queen Alia airport for 6 hours, what do you do exactly? Frappucino at Starbucks? Cinnabon? Personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut? Or perhaps chicken strips from Popeye's? Ahhh, globalization. But my answer may surprise you -- bring your own food! Even with the smells of America in the air, the airport itself makes even the familiar unappealing. That's not to say that I didn't partake in a banana java chip frap at Starbuck's -- but I was using the coffee to get to the comfy chairs! Observation: [View Full Entry]

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What does she mean, "jumping off her haystack?" Good question. And before I begin telling you about the past 10 days, let me explain. On Friday afternoon, just before Shabbat began, my group and I went to Kinneret Cemetery on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I had been there a few times before, with different trips, so I knew that it was actually a very beautiful and special place -- not creepy at all. You would definitely want to be buried there...beautiful palm trees, a constant breeze, and the sound of rustling leaves and gentle waves all around. [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from New York City -- actually the second leg of my world tour. And by "world tour", I really just mean "summer trip" -- no delusions of grandeur here. :) It seems as if every summer I get out of Austin more quickly than the last. It's not that I don't love where I live -- I do -- I just always feel the need to drink every last drop of summer vacation, starting with the first sip. With my trusty red backpack stuffed with two months worth of multi-continental clothes, and my last fill of Chuy's queso, I [View Full Entry]

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One Czech krown to the first person to tell me what movie this is from: Grover: Oh, I've been to Prague. Well, I haven't "been to Prague" been to Prague, but I know that thing, that, "Stop shaving your armpits, read the Unbearable Lightness of Being, date a sculptor, now I know how bad American coffee is thing..." Jane: They have good beer there. Grover: "... now I know how bad American beer is thing." So, I am in Prague. My first impression of Prague, just from the train station to my hostel even, was pretty amazing...I mean, Prague is a [View Full Entry]

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The whole "w sounding like a v/f" thing throws me off sometimes. I am sitting at an internet cafe in Wroclaw. Not pronounced Rocklaw as you may think...rather it's Vratzlav. Just arrived here this afternoon from Krakow and I need some time to catch up on this before I go and see the town. It's actually a big party/holiday in Poland tonight...the longest night of the year calls for massive celebration in the square and in the park. If I have enough energy this evening, I just might check it out. :) So, I was in Krakow, and I must say [View Full Entry]

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