For those of you who have been holding off on coming to Israel because you are world travelers and still have some Muslim countries you want to visit, we can let you know that you don’t have to wait any longer. Israel has stopped stamping passports. When you arrive they print a small sticker the size of many visas we’ve had and hand it to you. They do not affix it to your passport pages; they do not stamp your book. We believe they realized their political and religious issues had negatively impacted tourism or circumstances and they were impacting people’s ability to travel to other countries. So – problem solved. They are not stamping the passports. The amazing thing about having the wonderful opportunity to travel is being exposed to the differences in nations and ... read more

As our train rolled into Luxor we realized one of the advantages of hiring a local guide is that he or she has that extra shred of knowledge that can make life a lot easier just when you need it. As we neared our destination point, Ragab made arrangements for the train porter to provide an assist, as the train station at Luxor was “undergoing renovations.” On the surface a rather innocuous statement, but it turned out to be a gross understatement as the entire platform had its tiles ripped up, leaving only a sandy surface. Luggage on wheels would only provide good entertainment for the locals, watching the tourists attempt to drag their luggage for about one hundred yards through the sand. Two porters grabbed our bags and made a mad dash for the station ... read more

It was “Dawn Patrol” time again. Many travelers are aware of the scenario: up sinfully early and ready to go before the sun thinks about rising. It was our turn. We had many miles to travel this day and required all the sunlight possible if we were to see what the area had to offer. We were heading 600 km (350 miles) from Cairo into the desert. We were met by Mohamed and Gamel, tossed our belongings in the back of the ten passenger van and off we went, leaving early enough to avoid the morning traffic, which is a plus when you’re in Cairo and honestly we were more than ready to leave Cairo. This was the start of what was going to be a fantastic day, well two days, but at this point, frankly, ... read more

In between our time in Lebanon and the excitement of a rendezvous with BV Chef in Cairo, we descended on the coastal city of Alexandria. In all fairness, we didn’t know much about this city, given our somewhat hectic schedule leading up to our departure on this latest journey about the Middle East and Europe. We knew some key points; it is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and looked like a good place to slow down for a bit. Our subsequent discoveries uncovered a great many things in our abbreviated time here. This is no sleepy seaside town. Alexandria has over four million citizens and is the largest city directly on the Mediterranean Sea, founded by none other than Alexander the Great (which of course, makes sense) in 331 B.C. We chuckle because this ... read more

As we walk into the restaurant and give our name to the hostess for a table, we then move on as we always do….to the softly lit bar and grab a stool where Sami brings us a couple of libations. This place is all too familiar to us, with its fake, yet attractive grape vines hanging from the ceiling and all for that part, all around the room. It is our very favorite restaurant in Toledo, Ohio, Dave’s hometown. When we visit family we always try to spend an evening at “The Beirut.” It is one of those restaurants where you always feel at home. It is a restaurant with fantastic food. A standard that you hold all other Lebanese restaurants to…which may be unfair, but it’s our standard, after all. We’ve eaten our way around ... read more