Onward to Israel

January 9-10, 2017- Leaving USA for Tel Aviv & Jerusalem

Thanks to early morning transportation provided by Janet Klein, we arrived at the airport in Cleveland three hours before flight time. I know. That's a lot of scooch room. David doesn't like rushing.

But that's not really the beginning of the story. Aside from our last minute frenzy of packing & check-lists, the month leading up to our departure date was "eventful." David was collecting leaves in our driveway using the large city garbage can. Did you know there's a warning on it in tiny print to "close like before moving?" He didn't. The lid caught on the ground, the can flipped, hit him in the forehead, & knocked him to the ground. He checked out at the ER & eye doctor with no injuries save two raccoon like multi-hued eyes. Yes, we know about Arnica.

The Friday before New Year's Eve I was delivering Mobile Meals. I wore boots since it had snowed. I miscalculated the thickness of the boot sole, caught it on the curb, & fell. My hands were full of meals so I landed on my knees & right arm. Then my forehead & cheek bounced off the pavement. I was focused on finishing the deliveries on time since I had a dental appointment at noon to have a tooth pulled. I made the appointment, they gave me an ice pack, & I asked for a discount since I thought I'd loosened the tooth. No dice. The good thing was that the novocaine numbed the injured side of my face & I had to take lots of Advil for the extraction. The bad news was that I woke up looking like a one-eyed raccoon. I didn't go to the ER, but did have my eyes checked. A-OK.

I'm telling you all this in case you notice anything in pictures we may send. David is 99% normal looking & I'm more yellow and green with touches of purple.

Back to the airport. Despite missing the exit from the circular automatic door into the terminal and feeling as if I was in an endless roundabout, we breezed through security with our new TSA pre-check status. Our connection to United in Newark went smoothly including the extra sequestration and security for Israel bound flights. As we waited to board I noticed four scruffy looking men with carry on bags being greeted by the gate attendants then entering the crew door. Bet they're Air Marshals.

There was a delay in take-off due to luggage that was checked in without the person boarding. While the ground crew was looking for it there was time for maintenance to fix one of our seats. It didn't recline. Too long a flight to sit up straight. For some reason I thought it was 13 hours from Newark to Tel Aviv, but it's 9 1/2 hours. Nice surprise. 

We've rented an apartment in Jerusalem for a month. David has wanted to spend time there without being on tour. He wants to wander the streets and "feel" the city. I wasn't that keen to go there or to stay that long, but in a weak moment, after he was diagnosed with lung cancer, I capitulated. 

We slept on and off on the plane & watched the orthodox Jewish men pray in the aisles. The flight crew were quite accommodating and gently moved them as needed. They didn't even try hard to ask them to be seated during mild turbulence. Experience taught them it was futile.

Yossi, our driver, picked us up at the airport. He's a friend of the woman we've been in contact with, Terri. Ironically, Terri was a child in our congregation in Hammond, Indiana. She moved to Israel as a young woman, married, & found David on Facebook. She's been our contact and key in helping us find housing. We look forward to seeing her.

We were met at the apartment by Reva, our agent, who showed us how to use the remotes for heat, window shades, & TV. We promptly forgot, but have a detailed guide book for help. The TV isn't responding & there's no heat in the master bathroom. We're waiting for a repairman. David just went out to get lunch since we were told the handyman will arrive "sometime today."

Toby

Verdict
December 14, 2015

It is with pleasure that I can now tell you the verdict. The man who assaulted us in Arles  on Oct. 8, has been sentenced to two years in prison. Case closed.

 

Toby

The Untold Story

Oct. 18, 2015-The Untold Story

When we are away we ask our children to only tell us about problems that would require us to return home. We afford them the same courtesy. That is why we delayed in telling this. And so, this is an email about how we were mugged on the evening of Oct. 8, in Arles. The difference between this and other emails you may have gotten about overseas muggings is that it's true, we're not asking for any money :), and we're fine.

I really didn't want to go to France. Political issues for me. Now I know why. We were walking to dinner around 7:30 PM. We wanted to go to Le Criquet, a restaurant recommended by our hotel. It was fully booked so we moved on to look at the menus of three others nearby. We'd decided on one and were about to go in when a youngish man approached us holding a jacket. He had a plaintive look in his eyes and held the jacket out to us. We thought he was a beggar. In an instant, he had the jacket over David's head and had pushed him to the ground. David said the man's hand went into his front jeans pocket where David keeps his wallet. It's hard even for David to get it out, but this man wouldn't give up. His hand was on the wallet in the pocket, but it couldn't be extricated. Thank goodness for slim fit jeans. David kicked and punched, but the robber had the upper hand. I began pulling on the man's T-shirt, but it was stretching. I was about to go for his belt and use that leverage to distract him or move him off David.

With that, the thief got up and turned to me. He still had the jacket over his hand and I was afraid he had a knife under it. He did not. He looked me in the eye and head-butted me. I felt like a mongoose being hypnotized by a cobra. My nose began to bleed. David had gotten to his feet, but as I was now distracted, the man turned back to David, tried to kick him in the groin, and knocked him down again. By now the mugger was really furious, but getting nowhere. He hadn't realized I had a purse because I was wearing it under my coat. It's a good practice, but everything else I knew about self-defense went out the window. What happened to the old days of snatch and grab, no harm, no foul? I want a re-match.

David was literally roaring with anger throughout the whole ordeal. I called for help in English, although I know the French. Men came running, and the people in the restaurant called the police. But David wasn't finished yet. He had just seen my bloody nose. He went after the thief who was now restrained by the men, and I had to call him off and strongly tell him to sit down in the restaurant. The restaurant staff and a patron were most solicitous, gave me ice, towels, and gave us water.

The police arrived (about four big ones) and asked if we wanted to make a report. Of course we did. I was visibly injured and David said he was fine. The woman at the restaurant who had the best English said of the police, "Go with them. They are good men." And that began our Kafka-esque evening. After taking my blood pressure and heart rate, we were transported to the police station where our escorts didn't speak English nor did anyone else. My French was getting better by the minute. Alors! A man emerged who looked like a derelict and was an English speaker. He was also a detective going on duty. Undercover, I guess.

We told him our situation and he said that if we wanted to press charges I'd have to be seen by a doctor at the hospital ER. Good citizens that we are we said, "Why not?" I'll tell you why. By now it was after 9 PM and we hadn't eaten. You know ERs. OMG.

We got to ride in a "pompier" (ambulance) where an EMT re-checked my vitals as we all rode unrestrained in the back. Actually, the EMT was standing. When the driver put on the siren and lights, our guy laughed and told him to "cool it." Not really an emergency.

I was triaged at the ER and began to wait. Two hours later, David had paced a gouge in the linoleum and scrounged up one tuna sandwich and two candy bars from temperamental vending machines. We were then called to wait in an examining room. You know how it works. The bed in the room was covered in clean cotton (not disposable) sheeting and we didn't know where to sit. We opted for two folding chairs. It took persuasion for me to get David to settle down. One female nurse who had some English asked if I wanted something for pain. My pain level was a "1" and I had more drugs in my hotel room than they did in the ER, so I declined. On we waited with the false hope offered that the doctor would come soon.

Sexist of me, but true, I approached a man in white and asked if he was a doctor. He was a nurse, but he spoke English better than I spoke French. I explained what had happened and that now David was close to needing a special medication for atrial fibrillation that had to be taken at exact times of day. True. This wonderful, compassionate nurse snapped into action. He found the doctor, a woman, and told her about our dilemma. We told them we understood there were more seriously needy people ahead of us, but had to get to David's meds. They offered to give him what he needed, but we were fearful it wouldn't be exactly the same. We didn't want to risk it.

The doctor called radiation and the nurse speed walked me down the hall for an X-ray. It was a big old-fashioned machine, but it did the job. We exchanged pleasantries about Marie Curie being French and ironically dying of radiation poisoning. Not only was my French improving and my college classes (50+) years ago leaching out of my brain and onto my lips, but I was becoming less self-conscious about speaking.

The nose wasn't broken. I learned that if it had been they would have given me antibiotics. I could be on my way. But it wasn't to be that easy. Taxis were no longer running. It was after midnight. Nurse to the rescue! He found a family who was leaving the ER, knew where our hotel was, and had room in the car...just. It's a good thing David has maintained his weight loss with Weight Watchers. We squeezed into the mini-whatever and to the tunes of Frozen we rode to our hotel. David gave the driver twenty Euros for her help and we crept into bed at 1 AM.

We'd agreed to be at the police station the next morning at nine. They'd have English speaking detectives who would take our statements. It must have been casual Friday because these detectives certainly weren't the coat and tie types. Judging by the night before, it must have been casual Thursday as well.

They split us up as I knew they would. They kept asking us if the perpetrator was Arab. We had no way of telling. They told David the man they arrested was named Farid. They kept bringing it up and it was clear they knew they guy. He was in custody and had been there all night. They got the medical report from the hospital (no HIPPA) and asked if we wanted to see if we could identify the man. We agreed to try. They put us in a storage closet with a one-way window that looked out on the hallway. Then one detective thought it might be better if we identified the man separately. It was a line-up of one. David went first. When it was my turn, the detective told me David had said that was the man. So much for objectivity. France still uses Napoleonic Law. I think they don't have that "presumed innocent until proven guilty" thing. I did agree with David and asked if this was the man who was apprehended last night. They said he was and he was very bad. They'd been after him for a long time. I guess they really were building a case. With that a photographer walked in and took pictures of me. By then my nose was a bit puffy and I had discoloration under one eye. I promise you, my Passport photos are much more flattering, although the swelling diminishes my wrinkles. At the time he didn't realize it, but David's aching tush developed into sciatica problems which will be checked by our doctor at home.

Disturbing and sad, but their truth, was the way the detectives returned to the Arab theme. They explained that they had many coming from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. They went on welfare and turned to crime. I told them that we have many Arabs in the U.S., but I was more familiar with those who were at universities studying to be doctors, professors, and engineers.

David's detective spoke a lot about visiting New York City where there were so many police officers. He said they were very understaffed in France, and police weren't respected. I told him that if we had been mugged in the U.S., the chances were the robber would have a gun and we might be dead.

Two hours later we had the medical and police reports and a copy of the stunning X-Ray of my nose as unique souvenirs. The score was two old geezers intact though skittish and one thug in jail and probably hurting where David thrashed him. The "gonif" didn't get one cent. And, viva la "medecine socialisee"...we paid nothing.

As for the reputation of the French being rude and not liking Americans, I can't abide by that. We were treated by incredibly caring and professional people. The civilians who came to our aid were kind, considerate, and compassionate.

We're glad to be home and waited to tell our kids about this before sending this out.

   Toby 
 

Almost Home-Leaving Milan

Morning Greeting

Mont Blanc and Lake

Oct. 16, 2015- NYC

Almost Home-Leaving Milan

We got a gift from the rain gods this morning. When we opened the curtains in our room and the mountains were covered with new snow. As we took off we skimmed Mont Blanc. Best view ever at 26,000 feet. A bit close for my liking but stunning snow fields and peaks. We could even make out blue-green mountain lakes.

A kind man gave us directions to the car rental return area but took pity and led us there. We must have a way of looking clueless, desperate, and pathetic that convinces people to help. Things went swimmingly at security. The good and bad of it is that those flying to the U.S. and Israel go through special security. A sad commentary, but shorter lines. Kept our shoes on, but had to take the iPad out. David also had to take out his CPAP and all its parts because a worker was being trained. Love being an object lesson.

There was a group of about forty Italian high schoolers in our section of the plane. We flew all the way in daylight so everyone was awake. The teens were in the aisles and visiting, but comported themselves well. Those chaperones will be exhausted.

I watched three movies. Two were kids' films that I'd missed. Inside Out made me cry. Me and Earl and a Dying Girl did too. So well done. Talia kept telling me how she loved the book. Then I watched About Schmidt with Jack Nicholson. I didn't realize I'd seen it until the end when Kathy Bates strips and gets into a hot tub with Nicholson. That was memorable.

We had dinner with friends and will turn in soon. Tomorrow we fly to Akron. Home at last. BTW, the reason we stay over in New York is so we don't have to worry about missed connections. They would have been tight going this way.

Toby

Picture Postcard Day-Lago Maggiore

Isola Madre Selfie

Isola Pesartari

Isola Pescatari

Oct. 14, 2015-Lago Maggiore

Picture Postcard Day-Lago Maggiore

Bright sunshine made our decision of what to do today. The high was to be in the mid-60's and it was time to be on the Lake. The people we dined with last night were at breakfast and were heading to the Alps. We'd had enough of that.

As we waited for our boat we noticed there was snow on the mountain tops in the distance. Because it had rained in Stresa and the general area all night, it took the form of snow on the mountains. I got good pictures before clouds moved in.

We bought a combination trip to three islands. The ride over was glorious. The skies were incredibly blue and we were amazed at the height of the mountain we'd descended just yesterday. David adores being around and on water. With tree-covered, snowcapped, and rock-faced mountains of all sizes and shapes in the mix, it was Eden.

Isola Madre was our first stop. Chateau Borromeo is a 16th century "castle" open to tourists. The furnishings are period and mementos go into the 20th century. Recent photos of the still existing family add to the immediacy of the visit. The chapel was prominent in the lives of the Borremeos as they contributed at least one pope to the church. The gardens are immaculate and there's a breathtaking view from paths that circle the island.

Isola Pescatari has hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. We lunched two feet from the lake's edge then walked the perimeter of the island. A neighboring table at lunch had six Aussies who had lived where we did in the Surfer's Paradise area. Good to reminisce. We finished our walk about of the island and came upon a 9th century church that had been restored and was still in use.

We did stop at Isola Bella but didn't tour the chateau as we had done that years ago. The rest of the island is mainly cafes and gift shops so we didn't stay long. As the boat pulled away heading for Stresa, I got a wonderful shot of the terraced gardens of Isola Bella.

We decided to let you see that we are still shlepping along. The selfie was taken on Isola Madre. The far side of Lago Maggiore is visible in the background.

Dinner was at a pizzeria down the street from our hotel. I had the best gnocchi ever. If gnocchi means "little pillows," these were feather light.

We will be in Milan tomorrow at an airport hotel. We fly out Friday. We won't be seeing di Vinci's The Last Supper. We hadn't planned to and I just checked on line. Tickets are required and they're sold out until Oct. 21.

Toby

Fairy Tale Town-Stresa, Italy

Cashier at Autotrasse Grill

Stresa

Isola Belle 

Oct. 13, 2015-Stresa

Fairy Tale Town-Stresa, Italy

I've always said that travel is better in retrospect. For some of you who can identify, it's like childbirth. Once it's over, you're glad you did it. We tend to attack travel, not luxuriate in it. We get lost, plans go awry, devices don't always work, language is a trial, we can't operate familiar machines like washers, driving patterns and roads are white-knuckle-makers, and on and on. It's stressful. We discussed whether we'd do another independent driving trip. This may be our last. The only places we'd drive are in Europe and we've pretty much done that. It looks like we have Romania and Bulgaria to go and we'll do organized tours there.

Today's drive was uneventful, which is a good thing. The roads were winding along the coast as we headed towards Savona before turning North to Stresa. It was raining, we were driving through clouds or fog (take your choice), and the trucks were so wide they filled an entire lane. There was no way they could take a curve without encroaching on us. But, unlike their reputation, not all Italians are crazy drivers. Not even most.

We found our second choice of hotels first. It's called The Meeting.  They were booked for the two days we wanted but had an apartment down the block in the "villa." It was nominally more and included breakfast at the hotel and had a parking lot. I looked at it as David circled the block. It's larger than the apartment we had in Australia. 

We wanted to stroll the streets between raindrops and needed to get a few items at a pharmacy and grocery. The pharmacist was most helpful and her English was good even though we paid $10 for twenty-four ibuprofin.  The grocery didn't have the quart bags we needed. Both our bags broke. I have other size bags, but no quarts. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the pharmacy to ask where to buy the bags.  The woman gladly gave us two quart bags she wasn't using.

We did get down to the lake and took photos of Isola Bella where we'd been years ago. Stresa is a most charming place. The old part is lovingly cared for and has a fairy tale quality. Flowers are still in bloom and each property has a riot of colors showing off the owner's pride.

There was still time for laundry and a laundromat nearby. We met a man from New Jersey and we chatted while we waited. As he left he told us he and his wife were staying at a lovely apartment at a place called The Meeting. We're neighbors. Small world. Smaller world. They were at the hotel restaurant for dinner and we joined them. Lovely time exchanging travel anecdotes. It's a second marriage, he's Jewish, she's not. They live on a boat in Florida. Who knows? Maybe our paths will cross again.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny here. Maybe we'll cruise Lago Maggiore and take in islands we haven't seem.

Toby

Retracing Our Steps-Sanremo

Sanremo from our Hotel

Sanremo Selfie

Oct. 12, 2015- Sanremo

Retracing Our Steps-Sanremo

I bet you didn't know that Sanremo was one word. We've always thought is was San Remo until we tried to enter it into Our Lady. Man oh man. Nothing's easy. Getting out of Carcassone included. Streets were narrow, buildings were close together, and we lost the satellite. We pulled into a parking lot going the wrong way on a one-way street to get clear air space, and we were off. It was the first wrong way this trip, not too bad.

We had a six to seven hour drive ahead of us. We had the name of two hotels and high hopes. We learned a new term for what the French call a Junction when two roads diverge. It's a bifurcation here.  I must say the French are law-biding drivers. They signal turns, let drivers merge, and most follow the speed limit. The only moment of terror was when David went for the brake and stepped on the clutch by mistake. We thought we had no brakes. Quick recovery and his error was corrected. After examination, the brake and clutch are very close together and the same shape, size, and level.

I'm in charge of having money ready to pay tolls. I usually don't handle foreign currency when we travel and only use plastic. With travel on the toll roads, we need ready change. Every time we pay with paper bills we get coins back. There aren't postings of upcoming tolls nor are tickets marked with the cost of highway use. I have to produce close to the right amount right after the ticket is inserted and the screen shows the cost. Today I was able to quickly find the correct amount and use up most of our small coins so David's pocket isn't so heavy. We don't mind the tolls even though today added up to $45. Without the toll roads we'd be on local mountain roads. It would be more dangerous and take forever. Even Rick Steves suggests toll roads.

We retraced our route back around Nimes, Arles, Aix, and Nice up, through and over the Maritime Alps following the coastline of the Mediterranean. We were on an elevated road with a bird's eye view. Although we were in and out of rain, it was still majestic. We've had good weather until now. Don't mind rain on a driving day.

We're at the Hotel Modus Vivendi. We traveled several switchbacks to get here. It's not in town, but high enough for a magic view of Sanremo and the Mediterranean below. Our room was quoted as $100 including breakfast, but they lowered it to the on line price of $69 with breakfast and free parking. We didn’t even ask. It's a 4-star hotel, the nicest yet. We're not leaving for dinner. No way are we driving those crazy roads in the dark. The nice man at the desk ordered pizza for sretracingeveral guests and for himself. We're in on it. He's very accommodating and his English seemed good, but when David asked for two hand towels he thought we wanted a room with two bathrooms. That resolved, we have a suite with a bunk-bed room, kitchenette in the main room, and balcony.

Other than a false fire alarm, our evening was boring. Our pizza was two hours late, but so was everyone else's. It was perverse, but we watched a cooking show in Italian while waiting. Food is easy to understand in any language. Our pizza arrived before we learned if the raw meat on a stick in the cooking show demo was going into the Bloody Marys or was to be eaten separately.

Just checked our hoped for destination (Cinque Terre) and rain will continue through Wednesday. The whole point of the area is to walk from town to town along the craggy coast. Not foul weather activity. We may head North to Stresa on Lago Maggiore. Looks like the weather might clear for a bit there.

Toby