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Straddling Europe and Asia

28/11/2015

 
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My first beer in Istanbul.
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Look how close the tram is on this narrow street!
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Visitors are allowed inside the Blue Mosque during non-prayer times.
Two weeks ago we were in Morocco, which is in Africa. Subsequently, we were in Spain, which is in Europe. Last week, when we were in Israel, George asked me whether we were in Europe or Asia. While my sense of geography is pretty good, I wasn't sure how to explain where Europe ends and Asia begins.

I began by saying that Israel clearly isn't in Europe. It also isn't in Africa (although that's as close as Egypt). I explained that we were in the Middle East, a region that is part of the Eurasian continent but not considered part of Europe or Asia. Confused yet? Imagine how George felt!

This week we're in Istanbul, a city famed for straddling the continents and civilizations of Europe and Asia. We're staying in the centre of this huge megalopolis (20 million people) on the European side of the Bosphorus Straight (the body of water running north/south through the city). As such, we look out the dining room windows in our little hotel and we see Asia in the distance.

For centuries, this city has stood at the crossroads of east and west. It has been a melting pot of cultures, languages, cuisines, architecture and religions. I guess that's the reason it's such a fascinating place to visit. For children developing an understanding of the world, that means it raises more questions than answers, and it stretches my ability to answer questions to the limit.

Earlier this week, a Turkish pilot shot down a Russian bomber that had apparently strayed over the border from Syria into Turkish airspace. As you can imagine, this has placed a huge strain on relations between these two neighbours. (Imagine what would happen if Mexico shot down an American plane that strayed over the Rio Grande.) Left unresolved, it will have massive economic consequences for Turkey, especially their tourism and agriculture sectors.

Last night we wanted a break from "foreign" food, and we went to a pizza place. We were the only guests in the small restaurant, so we had a long chat with the owner who spoke almost flawless English. He told us that political instability had already caused his business to plummet 50% this year. There are Russian tourists everywhere in Turkey (like Americans in Mexico). Now, this guy is worried things are going to get even worse. It was a great reminder of how geopolitical events have an impact on ordinary people just trying to make a living.

In several ways, Istanbul has helped me to put some things in context. If you're a regular reader, you'll know that a week ago I lamented that our homeschooling wasn't going as well as I had expected. In reply, my friend Peter Taylor (who has 3 exceptionally well-turned-out adult children homeschooled by Peter and his wife Linda) reassured me that we are doing the right thing, and that their family also had challenges with homeschooling over the years.

Yesterday, as we toured the palace of the Ottoman sultans, we saw many priceless artifacts collected over the centuries, including personal possessions and locks of hair and beard from the prophet Mohammed himself. We discussed how the Ottoman Empire controlled this vast region for more than 500 years, and that Turks are Muslims, but not Arabs. We also talked about why we are able to go into mosques here, something we couldn't do in Morocco or Israel. Finally, after hearing five daily 'Calls to Prayer' blared over loudspeakers for 3 weeks in Morocco, Israel and Turkey, we saw an Imam on the small minaret in the palace sing out the Call to Prayer the old-fashioned way, unamplified. It was truly a priceless moment.

The kids miss home so much. Molly misses her best friend Kalyn and synchronized swimming. George misses being silly with his buddies and playing video games together. Ursula misses her friends and family and the normalcy of our life in Ottawa. Some days I feel like I've ripped the three of them out by their roots. As such, I need to remind myself that meaningful things are often not easy, so we must persevere. At other times, as I watch our kids digest all the sensory input they're receiving day after day, I can see they're learning, and I think maybe it's all worthwhile.

On a sunnier note, I'm also aware we're approaching the end of the time in our trip when our primary focus is cultural/historical. In many ways, I feel like Molly, George and I are supersaturated with visiting "important" sites. Ursula seems to be the only one still wanting to see more of these darned places!

You see, when we're in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I want to see the overwhelming decadence of unlimited wealth - not because it's to be admired, but because it's there. (I've never been to the UAE, but I'm expecting the Middle East version of Las Vegas.) I want to see the fancy hotels and shopping centres. Yes, hard as it is to believe, I want to go shopping!  Of course I don't want to buy anything, but I want to see it for myself. Besides, from a cultural/historical perspective, I don't think there's anything in the old parts of these cities that could ever top the experience of wandering the markets of Fes.

When we get to South Africa, I realize that we will inevitably encounter culture and history, but we're going there to see nature and the animals. Molly is also looking forward to the hot weather of summer in the southern hemisphere, and a few days in big swimming pools and on their famous sandy beaches.

By the time we get to Vietnam on December 22, we will be looking forward to Christmas and spending 10 days with the Brandon family. Afterwards, we want to relax and enjoy the month of January in southern Vietnam doing very little - probably on a beach. February will take us to Singapore and Malaysia for a couple of weeks, then we fly north to our new life in Korea. (George and Molly are already talking about what furniture they want in their new bedrooms.)

So, overall things are still good. Glad we're here. The adventure continues... 
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Don't these kids look like they're having fun!

Hiking up (and down) the Snake Trail

24/11/2015

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​Today we rented a car and travelled from Jerusalem to Masada and the Dead Sea, a drive that descends almost 4000 feet (from about 2600 feet above sea level to 1384 below sea level) in half an hour. As we drove, we also watched the thermometer in the car rise from 18 to 26 degrees.

Visitors to Masada (a mountaintop fortress built by King Herod) have two options to get to the top: cablecar or the Snake Trail. When Ursula and I visited Masada a few years ago, I was in marathon shape, and wanted to run up the Snake Trail. Unfortunately, it was very hot that day (almost 40 degrees) and our host strenuously recommended that I not try the climb. I took his advice, but ever since I've know that if I ever returned, I wanted to climb the trail. 

So, today was the day. I'm not in marathon shape any more, but the temperature was a mild 28 degrees when we arrived. Ursula and the kids bought their cablecar tickets and told me they'd meet me at the top. I couldn't run the 2 km, but I did make the 350 metre climb nonstop, and discovered that while it's difficult, it wasn't the monster I had created in my mind. By the time I mounted the last step, my heart was pounding and my legs were wobbly, but I was also satisfied I'd checked another item off my bucket list. Yes!
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You can see the Snake Trail winding its way up Masada. Ursula took this as the cable car was leaving the base.
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Instead of playing "Where's Waldo?", George and Molly scan the ground below looking for Dad.
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Ursula says I'm in the photo. I guess I'll have to take her word
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Molly sat with me while I caught my breath and got my heart rate back down.
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After our tour of this amazing fortress, we decided to walk back to the bottom together. While it was easier than the climb, it was still more taxing than you might expect due to all the loose gravel and irregular steps.
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Security forces in the streets

22/11/2015

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In the past week or so we've all seen many pictures of heavily armed soldiers on the streets of Paris and Brussels. As someone who was "in the room" on October 22 last year, I vividly remember when the Canadian Army was on Parliament Hill and the streets of downtown Ottawa.

Walking around Jerusalem this past week has brought these memories flooding back. The sight of civil and military personnel carrying automatic weapons around this city is not just an 'every day' occurrence, but an 'every few minutes' reality. This visibility is obviously deliberate, and hard to exaggerate. In short, there are lots and lots of young men and women with big guns everywhere.

For example, today I had a couple of hours by myself, so I rode the streetcar to north Jerusalem and back to get a better look at the outskirts. Every single station had armed forces present. (In a macabre moment, I even thought about a Rick Mercer skit based on the notion "guess what happens to people who don't buy a ticket in Jerusalem".) In less than an hour, I must have seen at least a hundred armed soldiers. At one point near the end of the line, there were only 7 or 8 people in the streetcar with me, and 4 were carrying machine guns.

I suspect that most tourists are jarred by the sight of all these security forces casually carrying automatic weapons. However, after the initial shock wears off, the sight of all these guns also offers some reassurance that, if something does go wrong, there are lots of "good guys" around with the training and equipment to do whatever's necessary (whatever that means).

This is not to say I agree with Americans who believe the best antidote to gun violence is for lots of people to be carrying visible and loaded guns all the time (as is the case here). Living in this kind of environment must be terribly stressful for everyone. For Israeli kids, I guess this is their "normal", as they have probably never seen anything different.

Believe me, no parent would ever wish this on their children unless they believe it is absolutely necessary, as most here must. I don't care how gun friendly you are, this is clearly not a desirable state of affairs. Having said that, I trust the Israeli authorities know what they're doing, so I don't question their policy or how they implement it.

In the final analysis, I'm still very glad we're here. If I was making our travel plans again, I would still include Israel. I recognize and accept there's risk here, but it's also a magical and memorable place. So, for those of you with a keen interest in Biblical history, I think Israel should still be on your bucket list. And, for all you heathens out there, I'd suggest somewhere cheaper and less stressful, like Paris or Brussels.
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Let the second half begin

21/11/2015

 
Believe it or not, today marks the beginning of the second half of our trip from Canada to Korea. It is 176 days from August 25 (Paris) until February 17 (Seoul). Yesterday was Day 88. Today is Day 89.

In some ways, time seems to have flown by. Having said that, Paris seems like a very long time ago. We have visited 9 countries together (I'm not counting Norway, Germany, Monaco or Vatican City), with at least 8 more to go (depending on what we do in Southeast Asia).

On our best days, we realize we're in the midst of a 'once in a lifetime' experience. The variety of what we've seen in breathtaking. On the worst days, we feel like we're on an endless treadmill of historic sites and churches. For example, most visitors to Jerusalem revel in the Old City's narrow streets and ancient atmosphere. After you've experienced the medinas of Fes and Marrakech, this place seems pretty tame (except for all the automatic weapons constantly on display).

The food has been very good, but we're all sick of restaurants. To this end, this week we've eaten in many times - pancakes and maple syrup, oatmeal porridge, scrambled eggs, peanut butter sandwiches and Kraft Dinner (well, the Israeli version). We haven't gotten to the point where McDonald's is a cultural haven (only 5 times in 3 months - Paris, Oslo (2x), London, Barcelona airport), but we all salivate at the thoughts of the all-day breakfast at Kozy Korner or Elgin Street Diner, or a burger at McKeck's or The Works.

We've learned that airBnB or VRBO apartments are great value, usually spacious and allow for cooking and laundry, but are isolating from other people. Hotels, on the other hand, often have wonderful breakfast buffets (that lead to overeating) but are usually tight quarters and don't allow for cooking or laundry. The only real hostel we've experienced (Casa Gracia in Barcelona ) was a nice change because it facilitated interaction with other travellers, but it was still mostly a hotel.

On a daily basis, Ursula and I struggle to decide what to do. If you are a tourist for a week in Rome or Paris or Jerusalem, you make the most of your time by hitting the major sites with an action packed agenda ("we'll sleep when we get home"). When you're on the road for 6 months, this is not sustainable. The kids want to do "fun" stuff, while we feel some compulsion to do the "important" stuff. We're trying to find a balance, but as you know, sometimes compromises leave everyone feeling like they're not getting what they want. It's a hit and miss process.

Interestingly enough, staying on budget hasn't been a big deal. While our daily budget of $100 for accommodation and $200 for everything else may seem low to most middle-class Canadians, I've found several 'family travelling around the world for a year' websites where people do what we're doing for half the money. We could do that too, but we'd have to skip many of the expensive sites (like Barcelona's Sagrada Familia) and meals out (like the excellent Iraqi kosher place here).

Home-schooling has been challenging. Over the past few weeks, Ursula and I started to seriously reconsider if we're cut out for this job. The combination of no routine and small rooms/apartments means we would need the self-discipline of triathletes (which we're clearly not) to stay on schedule. The reality is we all just keep slogging along. I'm not sure who dreads this process more most days - us or the kids. Consequently, we've put our faith in the belief that the world in our classroom, and the kids are having a priceless experience. We've also decided that when we get to Korea, we will investigate school options. We'll keep you posted.

To close, we're still very happy we decided to take this trip. On a regular basis, I have the feeling we're building up a storehouse of shared experiences that will make for endless reminiscing when we're old and in the home. Life is good. We have great kids. This truly is an amazing experience.

Photo essay for Friday November 20

20/11/2015

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Some people (including my kids) have suggested my blogs are too wordy - can you imagine! As such, I thought that, as an alternative to "too many words", I'd provide a short photo essay from our relaxing day in Jerusalem.
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This morning we walked through an Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood near our apartment. I felt like I was back in Williamsburg, New York. It also turns out that kosher popcorn is pretty good!
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For Jews in Israel, the weekend is Friday and Saturday. When we went grocery shopping today at the Mahane Yehuda Market we discovered the place is a zoo Friday afternoon as everyone prepares for shabbat.
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For lunch, we went to an Iraqi-style, lunch-only kosher restaurant. The food and service were unbelievably good, the server even took Ursula into the kitchen to check out the options. Maybe the best meal on our entire trip.
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Just before sunset we went to the Western Wall for Shabbat prayers. This is the Middle East reality - there's a mosque built on top of the Jewish holy sight. In some ways, it's a wonder there aren't more conflicts here.
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Walking home along the wall, we stopped to take in the view. (That's the Mount of Olives in the background.) At first I thought George was pointing our a cultural sight to Molly. Turns out he has spotted a puppy on a roof...
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Last, but not least. I wanted to stop at an English pub with a serving window onto the street. It was $11 for a pint. I don't know how people afford to live here.
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Try to identify the Israeli, the Syrians and the Canadian...

19/11/2015

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HInt: we're visiting the Syrian Brown Bear enclosure at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.
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The (very) serious stuff in Israel.

18/11/2015

 
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No visit to Israel is complete with spending part of a day at Yad Vashem - the Jewish Holocaust Museum. The photo above shows Molly, George and me about to walk into a powerful experience. As you can imagine, this is the furthest thing from "having fun" on your vacation, but Ursula and I wanted George and Molly to learn something about this tragic chapter in human history.

(As a sidebar, Ursula and I visited Yad Vashem a few years ago with a parliamentary group, and I remember the heavy impression it made on us. Since then, we have also visited the Auschwitz concentration camps in Poland, so this time I felt we had a broader context to assimilate some of the information being presented here. The impression remained powerful.)

When you arrive at the museum, located in a lovely setting amongst the pine trees on top of a steep hill, the first hint of what's to come is the sign that states 'children under 10 years of age are not allowed to enter'. A few minutes into a visit, it's easy to see why. The images and narratives are stark and haunting. We stayed less than 2 hours - an unusually short visit for this place- and Ursula and I wondered after we left how much George and Molly had absorbed. I hope it was something, but maybe not too much.

​Looking back over the past few days, it seems like every time the kids ask a question, I have to take a deep breath, and go back decades (or centuries) to give some historical context so that my answer (if I have one) will make some sense. (All my former staff are laughing at this point.) As you know, in the Middle East we're talking about a conflict that's been going on for thousands of years.

For example, one thing every first-time visitor to Israel notices is the sight of young soldiers everywhere. To be more specific, it is a jarring sight to see a young women (who could easily be my niece Lauren) dressed in army fatigues with a machine gun slung across her shoulder walking down the street chatting with her friends, who also carry automatic weapons.

Even last night, when we were taking the evening off from serious stuff to catch a movie at the local Cinema City (Spectre for George and me; Love the Coopers for Molly and Ursula), we were confronted with the realities of daily life here. That's because, to get into a mall in Israel, you have to pass through airport-like security, complete with walk-thru metal detectors. This was a stark reminder that for Israelis, security precautions and terrorist threats are a daily reality.

In some ways, it's been interesting to be in Israel in the days following the terrorist attacks in Paris. While people in places like France and Canada react in shock and horror, people here take it in stride. They've seen it and lived through this (and worse) before. Ironically, they probably figure that terrorist attacks in Europe and North American help us to better understand the 'realpolitik' view of the world that Israelis have developed over the past 70 years. That's not an uplifting thought, but I think it's an unavoidable part of reality we all must learn to accept and deal with.

On the ground in Jerusalem

17/11/2015

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Here we are, just outside the Jaffa Gate, about to enter the old walled city of Jerusalem. I asked Ursula to take this shot because I thought it captured the reality of visiting ancient cities in the 21st century. To the left, you see the restored walls of Jerusalem - something that's been in place for more than 2000 years. To the right, you see modern highway infrastructure snaking it's way around the historic sites.

As a recent public official, I couldn't help but think this is a stark reminder that the challenges of building roads in a new city like Toronto pale in comparison with places like Jerusalem, or Rome, or London, or many other millennia-old city. So Canada, let's stop making excuses, and get on with building (or rebuilding) our basic infrastructure!! 

Sorry for the rant: back to our main storyline.

When Ursula and I began planning this trip a year ago, one of the original plans was to spend one month in 6 different places. That way, we'd be able to rent apartments, buy groceries, and pretend we were actually living in the place. At that time, Jerusalem was one of the six. In some ways, I wish we'd done that. It would have meant skipping many other destinations, but it would have allowed a deeper immersion into places that are really important and culturally relevant to us.

As you all know, at the end of the day, we decided to visit more places. We were supposed to spend at least a week in each, but working around flight schedules and other things led us to the plan we now have - one that ended up including too many 2-4 night stops. In hindsight, we probably should have forced ourselves to eliminate a few places in order to keep a liveable pace (but I don't imagine too many of you are feeling sorry for us).

Anyway, we're here for 10 nights. It's not a month, but I hope it's long enough to get a feel for this place. If there's anywhere I've ever been that deserves a more contemplative pace, it's Jerusalem. The layers of Jewish, Christian and Muslim history here are almost incomprehensible. Add to that the mishmash culture of Jewish immigrants from around the world, and you see how complex this place is, even in day-to-day living.

I'm not sure if I could stand the intensity of living here long-term, but I think that lots of people - especially those of deep faith - should come here for a month. For the price of a 10 day bus tour of "the sights", people could rent an apartment for a month, slowly absorb all this place has to offer, and have a far more meaningful and enjoyable experience.
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And now, a much needed 10 day break in the Holy Land

15/11/2015

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Well, we made it to Israel today. As it turns out, we had a bit of a marathon trip from Spain, so we haven't seen much of the important stuff yet - just the spectacular beach in Tel Aviv.

Yesterday we walked for miles in Barcelona. What a fascinating city. About 7 pm, we picked up our backpacks at the hostel and headed to the airport for a leisurely (a.k.a. boring) evening waiting for a midnight flight to Tel Aviv. In some ways, the flight reminded me of the Vancouver to Toronto red-eye: it's only 4-5 hours long, they leave as late as possible and arrive at an unpleasantly early hour. Anyway, the flight was fine - not too full, so we had a little room to spread out and get a couple hours of sleep.

After picking up our one-day rental car just before 6 am (cheaper than 4 airport shuttle bus tickets to Jerusalem), we decided to take advantage of having some wheels, and headed to the beach. It was a beautiful day (the car said 32 degrees this afternoon), so we had a long walk. Nobody really swam. but we enjoyed spending some time in the sand and waves.

We left the beach about 1 pm and arrived here in Jerusalem (about 60 km inland) shortly after 2. Our 40-something host met us and explained the place. He's originally from Montreal, and lives around the corner, so he could give us lots of good advice. One recommendation was to walk a few blocks to a local food market with veggies, fruit, meat, bread, treats, etc. They even left a little grocery cart for us to haul our stuff home. So that's what we did.

Now, Ursula is pulling together some things for a simple dinner before an early night for everyone. You know you've been eating a lot in restaurants when both kids say they'd rather eat at home than go to a restaurant. By the looks of the prices in restaurants, we may be cooking in a lot this week. But that's a story for another day.
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Please work with me folks...

14/11/2015

 
It has become increasingly difficult to get the kids to post on their blogs because they don't get any feedback, and they wonder if anybody is even reading what they write. This week, I've pretty much had to force them to make postings, and offered to do the typing as they dictate what they want to say and which photos to use.

As such, I'd appreciate it if you could post a brief comment on George and Molly's blogs. I know they would really appreciate it. It would also give them an idea of who out there is actually paying attention to what they're saying. Thanx. 
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    Ever since my first trip to Greece in 1978, travel has been my passion and extravagance. My year in the Netherlands as a Rotary Exchange Student in 1979/80 only fueled this obsession. As I've gotten older, I've become less concerned with "seeing the sights" and more interested in observing, experiencing and absorbing the way people live today.

    From my perspective, the primary objective of these Devolin Adventures is to introduce the world to our children, George and Molly.

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