We’re just over three weeks in to our Gap Year in Rabat, and already I’m thinking in percentages. As in that’s 10% of our 10-month tour already gone! First impressions: Rabat seems chill and very livable although probably not the exotic color and spice explosion I’d imagined Morocco to be. It’s modern, clean, and seems […]
A first glance, Machane Yehuda market – or simply the “Shuk” to locals – looks shabby, a sort of a slapdash jumble of stalls selling bright vegetables, fresh fish, dried fruits, spices and a few shops selling kippas, plastic housewares, conservative clothes, Ethiopian baskets. But don’t let the junky exterior fool you: The Shuk is […]
Falafel and shawarma: You know ’em, you love ’em. But I’d like to introduce you to another mouthwatering sandwich commonly found in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv: The sabih. I eat sabih (or sabich – it’s that aspirated sound that somewhere between a “k” and an “h” in English) all the time, and I’m a little […]
I recently had a weekend trip to top all weekend trips: A group of Jerusalem friends and I drove to Jordan’s second largest nature reserve and spent two serene yet adventurous nights in an ecolodge run by Bedouins and spent a day herding goats with a local. We left Jerusalem on a Saturday morning and […]
If you open my fridge, there is at least a 50% chance you’ll see a container of freshly-made pesto. I can’t get enough of the bright, herbal, nutty condiment and I make a big batch a few times a month. Usually, I make enough to last for several days, although it never seems to last […]
First, I’ve more or less recovered from my everything is broken phase. Fixed my bike brake, swept up most of the shards of glass, and recovered much of my novel (in earlier drafts anyway, but a little rewriting can only be a good thing). I did shatter my iPhone in Ikea the other day, […]
After some serious biscuit-eating in Charleston, South Carolina, a visit to Mr. Dame in Spain’s hometown of Atlanta, and a two-night stay on our friend’s family farm outside of Knoxville, we were off to pay homage to our favorite booze: Bourbon. We arrived in Louisville, Kentucky with an ambitious plan: To visit all nine official […]
From the moment I arrived in Porto, I was delighted with the city’s colorful old buildings, sparkling river, steep streets, and possession of a lively, but peaceful charm. I knew I made the right call for a quick overnight trip. Situated along the Douro River in northern Portugal, Porto is one of Europe’s oldest cities. […]
I’ve been a little down on restaurants in Spain lately. Maybe it was spending two weeks in Paris, where you’d have to try really, really hard to eat something that isn’t delicious. Or maybe it was the two-night trip north through Bilbao and Pamplona where the omnipresence of pinxtos (thought by many Spaniards to be […]
You probably wouldn’t think that a longtime vegetarian would swoon over a restaurant with a name that translates to “Chop Room.” Yet, here it is. Mr. Dame in Spain and I were tipped off to the existence of this new foodie haven by the excellent 36 Hours in Madrid article in the New York Times. […]
