In 2014, when I was living in Spain, I published a blog called Great Hikes Near Madrid that I hoped would be useful for English-speaking hikers because almost all of the online info about hiking around Madrid was in Spanish. Four years later, that post gets more traffic, by far, than any other post on this […]
The saying goes that Jerusalem is about 40 miles and 200 years away from Tel Aviv. So its always a welcome reprieve to drive less than one hour from the monochrome ancient city of Jerusalem and to arrive in colorful and modern Tel Aviv, with its beachy vibes, exposed butt cheeks (it’s the year of […]
Israel offers some great tourist spots, and they’re all pretty easy to get to being that that country is the size of New Jersey. We have just five weeks left here and we’ve checked off most of the big ones: The desert in the south, the Red Sea, the Sea of Galilee, many jaunts to nearby […]
After spending a week at the artists’ retreat in France, my writing buddy Chris and I drove to the Mediterranean Spanish town of Cadaqués to meet Mr. Em in Jerusalem for a few days. Cadaqués is in the Catalonia region of Spain, on the Costa Brava. And oh my goodness, if you’re a Spain-lover like […]
I have just returned from a writing retreat on a mountaintop in France. Let me just let that one sink in, so you have a chance to be like “ooh lah lah, someone think she fancy.” But, there it is. After getting a writing degree that required twice a year stays in Paris, I just […]
Remember when my family visited and we had an amazing Jordanian desert adventure in Wadi Rum and Petra? Well, a few week’s ago, it was Mr. Em in Jerusalem’s family’s turn and back to Jordan we went – the land of wide open spaces, mountains, desert, camels, goats, donkeys, and ruins. This time, it was […]
People told us before we moved to Jerusalem that it’s best to plan a getaway every six weeks, as the city can kind of get you down if you don’t leave every now and then. I was indeed feeling a little blah last week — but don’t I feel this way every February no matter […]
Last year’s New Year’s trip to Rome was when I learned about cacio e pepe and that was a little bit life changing. This year’s New Year’s trip to Tuscany brought even more food revelations. (And perhaps cemented an awesome tradition of New Yearsing in Italia?) My friends and I spent the most fun day of our Tuscany […]
I have long been a truffle lover. That sensual earthy sent makes me salivate. I’ve been known to drizzle a few drops of truffle oil to make truffled deviled eggs, or truffled Marcona almonds, and I once ate the real thing, shaved over pillowy ravioli at Del Posto restaurant in New York City. So, during […]
Every day, tour buses come to Bethlehem, drop off a load of passengers at the Church of the Nativity, and then load them back up and leave Bethlehem and the West Bank. For many, all they see of Bethlehem is the church (a very famous church, granted). After living a few miles down the road […]
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