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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2142
Location: Middle East
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 Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:13 am Post subject: |
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Boabdil, let me know next time you come, I'll show you around some hidden gems off the beaten track in Jerusalem.
I used to live there, but as it happens, never toured it like a tourist. Just discovered it recently, and I'm there almost every weekend, discovering new, exciting places. Much of Jerusalem, the most beautiful, is all hidden, so you can spend even years getting to know it all. I've been countless times and I can say I still don't know most. Much is underground, the deeper the older. Much is behind tall, impenetrable walls that open up only by appointment and depending who you are and who with. Some are big complexes hidden behind some tiny old totally unassuming door, you just can't believe what you discover beyond it.
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"It is the wounded oyster that mends its shell with pearl" - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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BoabDil
Sea Gull
Joined: Jun 10, 2008
Posts: 211
Location: Denmark
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:52 am Post subject: |
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Please dont paint me such image when I sit in a square brick building some people call a college, in a industrial city (village) less than 100 years old and inhabited by 3rd generation locals who think Danielle Steele write books and true culture is to go bowling.
In the 4 years I lived in Barcelona I did exactly the same. The spanish like to eat lunch - for 2 hours. I took a fast sandwich and then went walking in the old city. As you wrote, the best places are behind closed doors and I was never afraid to knock and ask in Catalan if I could see their courtyard or basement (Catalan from a foreigner is rare and they almost never said no). One day I found a basement in the old roman section with the most perfect orgive vaults, not roman and not gothic - I later found the basement was located in the old jewish section of the city and was part of a jewish bath. I went back often 
I have too many stories like that and I have to return to my project and a rainy sunday in The Nordic Hel(l), where the tray of food is named "hunger", the spoon is called "starvation", the room is called "Sickbed" and the sill of the door "TripAndFall". (norse description of hell)
And thank you for the invitation, if I could I would be there tomorrow  |
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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2142
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: |
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Lovely description!
I'd give anything to visit Scandinavia, though, so let's change places for a week.
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"It is the wounded oyster that mends its shell with pearl" - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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MomofTom
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 06, 2006
Posts: 576
Location: Where normalcy and bad puns collide
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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I'll be taking my first trip alone to a conference this week (airplane and all). The thought of this thrills me to no end, but I have a knack of thinking nonstop about not making it to the plane on time and having my luggage lost. The thought of either situation terrifies me. I'll be happy when I arrive at the hotel where the conference is held--that way, I'll be in a self-contained environment where the possibilities of something bad happening won't be on my mind.
Crap. I probably just jinxed myself. 
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Apathy is a dominant gene. Mutate. |
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youknowandy
Blue Jay
Joined: Mar 16, 2008
Age: 31
Posts: 97
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
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| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:00 am Post subject: |
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| is this conference through work or for pleasure? who worked out all the details? i've only been on one business trip, and i pretty much followed the other guy who went with me around and let him handle all the details. then i got to explore old town Albuquerque with my free time. i've never booked a flight or a hotel for that matter on my own. |
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MomofTom
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 06, 2006
Posts: 576
Location: Where normalcy and bad puns collide
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| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:49 am Post subject: |
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| youknowandy wrote: | | is this conference through work or for pleasure? who worked out all the details? i've only been on one business trip, and i pretty much followed the other guy who went with me around and let him handle all the details. then i got to explore old town Albuquerque with my free time. i've never booked a flight or a hotel for that matter on my own. |
The trip can be considered both business and pleasure. It is 'business' because it is on a disease that my son has. I'm going there to learn more about it. The trip is mostly considered 'pleasure' because I can have 4 days to myself as a mini-vacation from the kids.
I made all of the flight and hotel reservations myself. This was my first time arranging a flight online and will be the first time on a regular airline in over 6 years.
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Apathy is a dominant gene. Mutate. |
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Dieselsmoke
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Oct 13, 2007
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone can travel solo and not get lost...that's what a GPS is for.
I have traveled the world on my own......because I get bored real quick and need to move on.....others like to hang around in the museum/art gallery etc and look intellectual. Information needs to come real quickly or I get restless. Most talk to slow and I hate people who don't get to the point.
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BoabDil
Sea Gull
Joined: Jun 10, 2008
Posts: 211
Location: Denmark
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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| If you are alone travelling to see and experience, how can you get lost? - you are right there. |
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CaptainMac
Snowy Owl
Joined: Mar 10, 2008
Posts: 166
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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| I almost always travel alone. I'm so sick of these people who encourage carpooling because I simply cannot do it due to my disability. |
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