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CobblYwobbles:
​Tales of Travel, LifE, and Anxiety

Photo gallery of tales

Preface

10/18/2020

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I know how to take care o' myself: not the first time I've had a run of the squitters and collywobbles.
Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies
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Felice, Karen, and me ready for our first international journey despite my collywobbles. (1972)
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I am furthest to the left, 22-years old with my 18-year-old students. (1976)
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Pointing to myself on the timeline for Capital Camps at 30th reunion (2009)
I was the ​camp director from 1993-2000. 
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Sharing stories of the Vietnam War with students at a special exhibit on the National Mall (2015).
​Tour Director, tour guide, and course leader from 2010-2017. 
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Chapter One: Flying Foibles

10/17/2020

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The difficulty lay with the mind accommodating itself to the notion of the plane, with all its weight,
defying gravity, staying aloft. She understood the aerodynamics of flight, could comprehend the laws
of physics that made flight possible, but her heart, at the moment, would have none of it.
Her heart knew the plane would fall out of the sky.    
Anita Shreve, The Pilot's Wife

1976: New York to London

Air India before departing from New York's JFK Airport.
​This is the plane that lost one of its engines on the way to London Heathrow in 1976. 
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We made ourselves comfortable for the evening in the TWA Terminal,
​catching a flight to London the next morning. 
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1993: JFK to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv

My first flight to Israel on El Al in 1993: the essential pre-trip ritual photo
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Orthodox Jewish men donning their tefillin and tallit and facing east to  pray on the flight. 
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2010-11: JFK to Casablanca

The snowstorm of December 2010 delayed tour of Morocco with
Friendly Planet with my daughter, Rachel. This is in front of her Brooklyn home. 
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Rachel and me at the New Year's Eve Party in Casablanca welcoming 2011
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Alitalia lost all of our luggage, but most of us got our bags back before we went home.
​
​The photo below is a bit fuzzy, but this was no "perfect delivery"! 
This was how Rachel's brand new suitcase arrived back home after being lost for 3 months. 
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​1997: Dulles to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv

My luggage fell under a conveyor belt at Dulles Airport on my 1997 trip to Israel. 
This meant a shopping spree and some Israeli clothing for me at the Shuk Ha'Carmel
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​​My entire outfit here, at the border between Israel and Lebanon, was purchased in Israel.
I appreciate Osher,  one of my former camp staff, allowing me to use his washing machine!
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​2008: Dulles to Glasgow, Scotland 

Delayed luggage in Glasgow led to a shopping spree at TKMaxx.
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​My luggage was delivered to the hotel by the end of breakfast the next morning. 
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​2019: RDU to JFK to FCO to Sicily and Back!

I don't have photos of the skanky underwear, but the photo of me in the newly opened
TWA Hotel should look very familiar! 
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Chapter Two: Heights and Enclosed Spaces

10/16/2020

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I'm not afraid of heights. I just really respect them. That is why I stay away from the edge! 
James Hauenstein


​1975, 1977, 1980, 1982: Paris, France

It took four visits to Notre Dame Cathedral for me to get up enough courage to climb the South Tower.
​The picture of me and the cat is M.I.A. 
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​1996: The Hasmonean Tunnels in Jerusalem
​and the Judaean Desert 


​We visited the claustrophobic tunnels just months after they opened. 
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Our jeep ride in the Judaean Desert caused a great deal of acrophobia.
Below is a photo of the five of us: our guide Ezra,  Jordan, me, Stephanie, and Dava. 
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​​This is as close as I could bring myself to the edge for a picture of the Dead Sea.
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​2002: Rhodes, Greece


​I thought the guide with the hoodie, a type of bird, at the Palace of the Grand Masters, was quite delicious. 
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​The ramparts at the Palace of the Grand Masters in Rhodes were too high for me!
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2006: Austin, Texas


The Hilton Austin is the only place where I ever got stuck in an elevator.
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2008: The Scottish Highlands
The Land of Sheep, Grass, and Castles


Edinburgh ghost tour was a night of claustrophobic horror.
The tour started at the Tardis, the old police phone booths made famous by Dr. Who. 
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This is ​our ghostly tour guide in the 17th century close under the streets of Edinburgh. 
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​People from all over the world leave dolls for poor wee Annie. 
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2009: IB Conference in St. Louis, Missouri 


A trip to the Gateway Arch did not include a ride to the top on a tram 
​due to claustrophobia, acrophobia, and aging. 
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​​I sat in the model of the old tram car, but we didn't make it up to the top!
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2008: Arenal Bridge in Costa Rica


​I overcame my fear of heights on the hanging bridges at Mistico Park in Arenal
because it ​were as though I was walking on top of the trees
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​It's easy to see from these photos why walking the roof of the rain forest wasn't scary!
You couldn't see all the way down, only beautiful plants and trees. 
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Chapter Three: Falling

10/15/2020

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If there is a fear of falling, the only safety is deliberately jumping.
Carl Jung


​1983: The Big Fall


​I was in bed for six weeks and in a walking cast for another six. Baby Rachel is off to my left. 
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​1993: On Top of Masada


​The cable car up to Masada
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Once we exited the tram car at the top of Masada, we had to make our final ascent on
a metal grated staircase. Don't let the smile fool you; I was full of the collywobbles. 
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​I was quite worried about people falling off the top of the fortress. 
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​2006: Arriving Home from Austin, Texas

Alexandria, VA


My father, who was 77 at the time, and I took the metro from National Airport to  Braddock Road.
That's my building in the background. 
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​My dad went tumbling down this escalator with his luggage right behind him.
Luckily, someone stopped his fall at the bottom.
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​2007: Grand Canyon

West Rim


Neither my father nor I felt very safe along the unguarded side of the Grand Canyon. 
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​The Skywalk on the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Neither of us were brave enough to walk the glass-bottom skywalk. 
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​It wasn't until we were planted on benches for lunch that we both felt safe from falling. 
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​2010 - 2016: Niagara Falls


I traveled to Niagara Falls twice a year for six years as part of my tours. I never failed to warn about falling.
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The falls are enticing, but please do not climb over the railing. 
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2012: LimeRock Inn
​Rockland, Maine


​Susan took quite a spill in the shower, resulting in a concussion and a free room for the night. 
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​When we got back to the LimeRock Inn, PJ and Frank -- that's Frank in the photo -- 
served us blueberry muffins, poached eggs, maple bacon, and grilled potatoes. 
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2012: Peru
Horseback Riding Excursion to the Maras Salt Mines


​I had not been on a horse in decades: I already had the
​collywobbles before we started up the mountain.
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​Susan and I took a ride up a mountain in the Sacred Valley.  
Both of us were scared of falling off the cliff!
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Maras Salt Mines


2015: Plitvice National Park
​Croatia


​A walk along the crystal lakes on a wooden pathway included placing a walking stick
into a space between wooden planks, plunging me into the water. 
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2018: South Africa 


​My ankle gave out on a Sunday afternoon on a quiet street in Cape Town. 
Rachel and I eventually made it back to Kloof Street to catch a taxi. 
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​When I returned home, I scheduled my ankle replacement for March 2018,
​35 years after my fall down the stairs. 
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Chapter Four: Men

10/14/2020

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Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other.
Perhaps they should live next door to each other and just visit now and then.

Katherine Hepburn

1975: High School Trip to Europe

My first international trip with two of my best buddies, Felice and Karen.
That's me and Felice in front and Karen hiding behind us as I get ready to board my first airplane.

​The photo to the right shows Mr. Victor Jaccarino and Mr. Art Siegel in the back row,
​the two teachers on our trip.
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​The only photo I have of Paolo and Francesco is courtesy of Felice, straight from her 1972 photo album!

Below is a picture from Felice's photo album. From the left is me, Francesco, Karen, Felice, and Paolo. 
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​1977: "If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium" Tour



Our Austrian tour director, Norman Sigle, enjoying Swiss fondue in Lucerne
​with me (end on the right), Carolyn (middle) and three students. 
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Carolyn and Norman dancing on a dinner boat ride. 
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The photo is quite out of focus, but it is the only picture I have of our bus driver.  He is on the right.
Norman is on the left. The guy in the center is another tour escort, but, unfortunately, I
don't remember his name because he was not with our school group.



​2000: Savannah, GA
25th Wedding Anniversary


Paul and I celebrated our anniversary in Savannah, GA.
We stayed at the Planter's Inn and enjoyed dinner at the famous Olde Pink House next door.
Lunch, however, that afternoon, was a disaster. 

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Despite our arguments, we both enjoyed our tour of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Bird Girl to the left -- the original statue is in the Telfair Museum -- and Mercer House to the right. 
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Paul and I could hear the noise from the St. Patrick's Day Festival from our hotel room.
We avoided River Street, which would have looked something like this.
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2002: New Orleans


​I traveled with Elliot, whom I met on JDate, despite knowing that I was about to break up with him.
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Breakfast in the garden of the B&B. 
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I look much happier than I was for most of the trip. I was thrilled to go on a carriage ride, something my ex thought was frivolous. 


Susan's Man of the Day 


This is just a small selection of Susan's man of the day, the men she chooses, photographs,
and posts of Facebook. Her friends look forward to her man-of-the-day posts.
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Portugal
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Panama City, Panama

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Portland, Oregon
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Pike Place Fish Market
Seattle, Washington
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Gastown, Vancouver, Canada
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Sorrento, Italy
This is Carlos, one of Susan's men of the day with one degree of separation from us.
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Chapter Five: Penises

9/29/2020

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It sort of had a head on it, like a mushroom, and its color was reddish purple. It looked blunt and stupid, compared, say, to fingers and toes with their intelligent expressiveness, or even an elbow or a knee.
Alice Munro, Lives of Girls and Women

1972: First International Trip in High School


​Michelangelo's David in the Accademia Gallery, Florence, Italy. The first penis I ever saw. 
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1976: If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium


​Carolyn and I were both surprised by the diminutive size of the Mannekin Pis in Brussels.
We came upon him in his birthday suit, despite his large wardrobe.
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2002 and 2015: National Archaeological Museum
​Athens, Greece


Zeus of Artemision
The Greek God of lightning, thunder, and the sky with his appropriately small penis. 
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​Lustful, depraved satyrs brandished
the largest phalluses. 

​Notice the akroposthion, or ancient cock sock,
used to tie up the glans of the penis in a show
​ of modesty. ​
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​Most of the statues were sans penis.
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2010-2017: Student Tours of Washington, D.C.

Eighth grade student boys think it's funny to get a picture of the Washington Monument
​ from a different perspective.  I guess some men get the same thrill. 
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2011: Hanoi, Vietnam
​Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

Tomb houses of the Girai People
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2013: Trip to Italy
​Pompeii


​It was like a scavenger hunt as I went looking for carved penises ​in search of the brothels of Pompeii.
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​​Mosaic of a satyr and a nymph in the House of the Faun. 
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2015: Khajuraho
India


​
Lakshmana Temple at Khajuraho ​with erotic sculptures on its facade
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2017: Taormina, Sicily

The phalluses on the Moorish heads stumped our guide. 
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Fascinus, the god of power
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We didn't know about Bar Turrisi, or the Penis Cafe, when we were in Taormina.
Now it's on my bucket list. 
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2017: Chobe National Park
Zimbabwe



​The prehensile elephant's penis
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Chapter Six: Women

9/15/2020

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Amazing how eye and skin color come in many shades yet many think sexuality is just gay or straight.
DaShane Stokes
​

2004: Jewish Divorce
Getting the Gett


​Already separated for eight years and legally divorced for two,
Paul and I got a gett, a Jewish divorce document, so that he could remarry.
​
We didn't take pictures. This photo from the 1975 movie, Hester Street,
​ is of a Jewish divorce ceremony, with Carole Kane accepting the gett from her husband.
 
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2001: San Francisco


Jo and I took the Napa Valley Wine Train for a romantic day of wining and dining. 
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​The six-course dinner at Tommy Toy's Cuisine Chinois
(since permanently closed)
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Whole Lobster
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Seafood bisque cooked in a coconut and topped with
puff pastry 
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Peking duck


2005: Vermont
​Burlington and Montgomery


​Mindy and I stayed in the Phineas Swann, a gay-friendly B&B.
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​​Visiting the covered bridges of Montgomery, Vermont. 
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​We stopped for a wine tasting, even though Vermont is not particularly known for its wines. 
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​2007: Madrid


​
Just like Morocco, our trip to Madrid starting with a snowstorm in the DC area. 
Mindy barely made it to the airport in time, but we were surprised and happy that we flew at all.
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​​I insisted on finding the statues of Don Quixote and Sancho in the Plaza Espana. 
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​We visited Templo de Dubod, an ancient Egyptian temple, in Madrid.  ​We found the sand art intriguing.
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​We took a day trip to Toledo, and I even let Mindy take a photo of me! 
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Chapter Seven: Lost

8/31/2020

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Your grandma always had a terrible sense of direction. She could get lost on an escalator.
Frederik Backman, And Every Morning the Way Home

1997: Washington, D.C.
Josh's first trip back home from college


The elusive Union Station in Washington, D.C. I got lost driving from our
Virginia home to the train station to pick him up.
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​2006: Scandinavia


​I wanted to visit the Danish Jewish Museum, but I got lost.  I ran into a couple from my tour,
and my Jewdar ​told me that they were most likely heading in the same direction. 
​This is Carol and Bernie. 
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Above: The exterior of the museum,
​designed by Daniel Libeskind

​
Right: The destabilizing interior 
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2010: International Tour Management Institute 


This is a blurry picture of me learning how to navigate using a map, an out-of-date skill. 
GPS apps are a directionally challenged person's safety net. 
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2011: Student Choir Trip to New York


After meeting a large group of students, parents, and chaperones at LaGuardia Airport,
​I led them around four levels of Terminal C in search of our buses. It was not one of my better moments. 
​
The teacher called me "the tour escort from hell."
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2011 - 2016: Navigating the Streets of New York

​
Throughout my student tours of New York, ​​HopStop helped me figure out how to get to a
destination on my walking tours.  Landmarks helped me get from one destination to the next. 
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Leading the choir students
​to St. John's Cathedral for a concert. 
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We had to pass Dunkin' Donuts.
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I knew to walk in the direction of Joe's Pizza to find Trinity Church and St. Paul's Cathedral.

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We arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral with
​just a couple of wrong turns. 


2011: Morocco


​Before we walked into the Medina, Hassan warned us to stay close, and to stay put if we got lost. 
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​I got sidetracked by a butcher and two cats. 
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2014: New Zealand


​I got terribly lost on a circular path through the Kahikatea Swamp along Ship Creek. 
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​I think it's easy to see why I became distracted while my travel buddies
​finished the trail and used the rest rooms.
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2015: Savannah


On a walking tour of Savannah, I decided to take a group to the Gothic Revival Synagogue, ​Mickve Israel. 
I made a wrong turn for half a block, and one angry guest went AWOL. 
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Forsyth Park

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Monterey Square:
I took the wrong turn on Gaston.
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Mickve Israel, one of the few Gothic Revival synagogues in the United States


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Chapter Eight: Pickpockets

8/26/2020

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If you don't take pocket-hankechers and watches some other cove [fellow] will.
Charles Dickens, Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist

1982: Paris, France


One of our students, ​Karen was eating breakfast at our Paris hotel when someone
filched her purse.  She lost her passport, traveler's checks, and some cash. 
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Traveler's checks were the usual form of currency on student trips in the 70s and 80s. Luckily, Karen had written down the numbers of the checks.
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Our parent chaperone agreed to take Karen to the American Embassy for a new passport. 

​
Below is our 1982 group. Mrs. Fillmore is the furthest right. Carolyn is standing high in the back on top of two male students on the right. I am center bottom with the khaki trench coat and Paul is to the left. Karen, the student who got pickpocketed, is behind me to the right, also in a khaki coat. 
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2004: Beijing, China


Pickpocketed in the Silk Market: I lost my camera, with all my photos, as well as my wallet. 
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​Rachel and I were distracted as we looked at tea cups. 
Someone filched my wallet and camera with over 500 photos right out of my bag. 
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​2005: Student Trip to Italy


​
 The trip already got off to a bit of a rocky start when we discovered that one of the students and I were on a different plane to Paris than the rest of the group and had missed our flight. We were able to catch up with everyone else at the Colosseum. Nazzi, on the right, was glad to see her friends again. 
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​​Here we are in Rome, planning our journey to Siena the next day. 
From the left: Kimberley, Eric, and his dad, David. 
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​The next morning on a crowded A train, David was pickpocketed -- 700 euros gone from his pants pocket. 
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We took the A train from Spagna metro station, now closed, on a crowded morning. 
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Our first destination: the Rome Terminal where we would catch a bus to Sienna, less 700 euros. 


​By the time we arrived in Florence, the students were a little tired! 
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2018: Christmas Markets on the Rhine


​I traveled with my neighbors and friends, Scarlett and Larry Wilson.
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​Foolishly, I left my camera on the windowsill of the boat in Strasbourg. When we returned to retrieve it, it was gone, along with my photos from the morning tour. The photos below were taken with my iPhone on our quest to find my lost camera. 
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I strategically placed my purse under the table when Scarlett and I were eating our tasty tarte flambées. When I went to grab my camera the obligatory food photo, I discovered it was missing. Thank goodness for  the iPhone and the Cloud where I had stored all of my photos I had taken up until that morning. 
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2015: Alexandria Ghost Tour
The Case of the Pilfered Phone


​One of the students put her phone down in the shops at Mount Vernon in order to try on sweatshirts.
She forgot it until we had already left the estate. Thus started the case of the pilfered phone. 
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​We kept tracing the phone around Alexandria until we knew the phone was at our next destination:
Alexandria Ghost Tour. Miss Monica, Michelle's friends, and I played detective. 
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​The infamous captain's house that is now Il Porto Restaurant
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Wellington Watts,
​the owner of Alexandria Ghost Tours.
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​
We waited for the group with the phone to return from their ghost tour to retrieve the phone. 
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Chapter Nine: Phantom Killers

8/1/2020

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         "Why do men feel threatened by women?" I asked a friend of mine..."I mean," I said, "men are bigger, most of the time, they can run faster, strangle better, and they have on average a lot more money and power."
          "They're afraid women will laugh at them," he said. "Undercut their world views."
            Then I asked some women...,"Why do women feel threatened by men?"
          "They're afraid of being killed," they said.

                                                                                                                Margaret Atwood, Writing the Male Character

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​2002: Layover in Vienna, Austria


I had fewer than 24 hours in Vienna on my way home from Greece.
I accepted a ride from a taxi driver hawking in the airport.  
Never do that.  ​Going outside to the public taxi line is a better idea. 
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​We had a very long ride on the Austrian Autobahn, causing the
​collywobbles! I was very glad to see the towers of St. Stephen's Cathedral.
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2003: Prague, Czech Republic


​Carolyn and I set out on the tram in Prague for a traditional Czech folk show. 
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Prague tram ticket
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The walk from the tram to the hotel, the site of the show, was easy and free of phantom killers. 
As we left the center city out into the suburbs, the passengers on the train ​started to make me uncomfortable.  We were glad to get to the Pyramida Hotel, but we took a taxi back to our hotel.
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2007: Alvor, Portugal 


​Susan found a traditional Portuguese fishing boat for tours with Captain Toby and his mate. 
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Left: Susan is happy and ready for our boat trip.


​
Below: I, on the other hand, am terrified that we are in the hands of rapists and killers.  

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​​Once we left the Boca Inferno Cave, both of us safe and sound, I started to relax. 
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2011: Casablanca, Morocco


​When Hassan took us across the street from the hotel to purchase
​toiletries, ​he scared us into not going out by ourselves. 
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Our hotel was in the financial district and seemed quiet at night. ​Still, with Hassan's warning
and my collywobbles, I had a full-fledged panic attack after leaving Rachel at the party and
returning to my room. ​I agreed to see a psychiatrist when we got home. 
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Chapter Ten: Calamities

7/29/2020

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The earth is God's pinball machine and each quake, tidal wave, flash flood and volcanic
eruption ​is the result of a TILT that occurs when God, cheating, tries to win free games.

Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. 

1990: Summer Camp
Microburst

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Diagram of a microburst


​​During a microburst at camp during the summer of 1990, I hid with my cast of
 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the back of the theater. 
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​Rachel, who was part of the staff "brats," was inside the arts and crafts shack when the
microburst hit. She was seven years old and developed an extreme fear of storms when
she ​saw a young camper bleeding from the forehead after being hit by a falling tree. 
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The arts and crafts shack was at the top of
"killer hill" on the way up from the pool,
​complete with a bathroom and water.​ 
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Rachel slept with me at night and spent the day with other staff children and two counselors. 
I found this old map in the now defunct camp office. (I think it was a bit eaten by mice.)
​The young girl who was hit on the head by a tree was on her way up to the dining room from the pool.
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2000: Summer Camp
Van Accident, Dining Room Fire, and Tornado Warning


​The summer of 2000 brought a series of calamities, leading to my departure from my job at camp. 
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When the driver of the van swerved out of the way
of a deer on the road, she lost control, throwing Agi
out of the car. She hit her head on the door jamb. 
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Agi, smiling, despite her accident
Below, to the left is the Ulam, or gym, where all of the students waited out the tornado warning.
To the right is the dining room for the middle school camp (since razed) which had a minor electrical fire.
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Some of our adult staff eating lunch in the Reich dining hall -- from the left: Rabbi Saul Grife, Scott Brown Andy Gitelson, me, Fran Leibowitz, Marcia Stepner, Joyce Budman, and Susie Golkow. To the left is the Ulam or main building where our campers waited out the tornado warning.


2004: Japan
An Earthquake and Two Typhoons

As a Fulbright Memorial Scholarship recipient, I spent three weeks in Japan with 200 American educators. After a one-week program in Tokyo, we divided into groups of 20 to explore the educational systems in smaller cities; my group went to Matto. We returned for another week in Tokyo to share what we had learned. The three weeks included three natural calamities: one earthquake and two typhoons. 

                      I experienced my first earthquake on our first night in Tokyo at the New Otani Hotel. 
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​Typhoon Ma-on hit Japan a little later in the week. 
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​Newspaper and sand bags soak up the
​ flood water in the Tokyo subway. 
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​
​Our typhoon party
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​Typhoon Tokage hit is during our last week in Tokyo. 
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2011: Alexandria, Virginia
Earthquake


​After a training tour of Old Town Alexandria, the Washington, D.C. Guild of Professional
Guides had lunch in Gadsby's Tavern. We were just starting our main course when the
earthquake hit. Despite the earth's moving, ​we all finished eating before evacuating. 
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Main dining room in Gadsby's Tavern
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Sally Lunn Bread, their speciality
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​The damage to the building's chimney from the earthquake
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The damage to some of the other important sites in Washington, D.C.
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Washington National Cathedral      ​                                                    Washington Monument


2007: Berkeley Springs to Northern Virginia
Snowstorm and Freezing Rain


Our book club ladies went on a retreat to the County Inn at Berkeley Springs
​for good food and the spas, and to choose our books for year. 

​The Country Inn
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​Massage bed in the Roman Bath House 
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​An earlier book club meeting with author David Tevelin 
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​January 2007 snowstorm
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​We almost made the lobby of the Fairview Park Marriott our home for the evening, but we were able to agree on a price for our rooms. 
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2011: Cambodia and Vietnam
Flooding


Susan and I visited Cambodia and Vietnam during one of the worst floods in over a decade. 

Flooding in Hoi An, Vietnam

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A Cambodian family invited us to their flooded home
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The rains and subsequent flooding in Cu Chi, Vietnam
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The firing range at Cu Chi: We felt as though we were dodging bullets in the rain. 
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A video I post of us walking in the water at the Citadel, causing my father great concern


The rain was falling between the rooms at the Quan Zing Song Temple.
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Susan and I took a cooking class which includes a ride on a bicycle for Susan and a scooter for me.
After our visit to the market, Susan changed to a scooter as well.
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​When we stopped on a remote island for a walk, we were greatly hampered by the flooding. Here, Susan is making her way from the boat with Thuyen's help. We eventually had to give up and head back. Despite the flooding, local families welcomed us to their island. 
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Below is a photo of the exterior of the hotel in Hue taken from the hotel restaurant.
​The tops of the benches are sticking out from the top of the flood water. 
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Chapter Eleven: Crossing the Street

6/1/2020

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But that's the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned ... Suddenly you are five years old again. 
You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, 
you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. 
​Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses
.

Bill Bryson, Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

2011: Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi hires tourist security guards to help tourists like me to cross the street. In the
photo on the right our tour guide, Thuyen, helps one of his guests cross a busy street. 
Picture
Picture


​Susan, Rubia, and I braved the streets of Hanoi for lunch at Lemongrass Vietnamese Cuisine.
Picture


1972 - 2019 British Commonwealth
(former and present, except Canada)


No one drives on the "wrong" side of the street: just on the right or the left.
Picture


​Sometimes signs help us remember which side to drive.
Picture


2015: India

We cautiously followed Dil across the busy street to feed the cows. 
Picture
Cows were not the only obstacles in the street.
Picture


On our first evening we had dinner at a restaurant in Connaught Place, built
by the British. Much of the sidewalk was in disrepair, literally bringing one of
our guests to his knees. He and his wife flew home the next morning. 
Picture
Picture


Driving on the sidewalk wasn't limited to Vietnam. I caught this maneuver from the
​bus window on our first day in New Delhi. I was glad not to be in the pedestrian crossing.
Picture


India has a problem with men urinating on the sidewalk. The government is
attempting to curb the behavior by paining pictures of the gods on the sidewalk walls. 
Picture


2003: Japan

The Shibuya Scramble in Tokyo was fun.  No collywobbles here, but I was distracted
​by the shop on the other side: Condomania.  It has since moved down the street. 
Picture
Picture
Picture


0 Comments

Chapter Twelve: Illness

5/1/2020

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"My psychiatrist diagnosed me as a Hypochondriac. I said, "Okay, can you prescribe me a placebo?"
"Not for Type-2 Hypochondria," he said. "Your type would just fake faking. Then we would have a real problem."

Brian Spellman, If the Mind Fits, Shrink It

1960-1967: Elementary School


​My collywobbles in elementary school led to a great number of absences, ​as evidenced by
my ​report cards. I have no idea what the half day was, but it was a good second quarter!
Picture


1972: First International Trip


​Despite a trip to the emergency room and a return trip to my doctor for what I ​thought was appendicitis, but was actually the collywobbles. I made it to the airport to join my friends, Felice and Karen. 
Picture


2002: London, England


​I was alone in London with a terrible head cold, but I didn't let it stop me. ​I crossed the
​Millennium Bridge for the first time, two years after its opening, ​on my way to the Tate Modern.
Picture
Picture


2002: Athens, Greece

I woke up with vertigo in the middle of my first night in Athens.  It lasted the entire time
I was in Athens and then came back with a vengeance when we returned from a road trip
outside the city.  Still, I managed to see some sites on my own, thanks to medication for
the nausea. Doctor said it was the air conditioner. I say it was Athens. 
Picture
I was staying in the Philippos Hotel, 
conveniently located near the Plaka
​and the Parthenon. 
Picture


​I managed to take a walk along the Plaka, where umbrellas were already advertising the 2004 Olympics​.
Picture


Our Athens city tour later in the week was difficult for me due to the vertigo. Thirteen-year-old
​Zohar, pictured her with a feral cat, held my hand throughout our visit to the Acropolis. 
Picture

Picture


The first time I saw the Presidential Guards in Athens, it was drizzling, and they were in their
​khakis, not their iconic whites. I was excited to see them in their full glory on my return. 
Picture


2008: Scotland



​I had a severe case of the collywobbles on my tour of Scotland for reasons I never knew.  However,
not feeling well just made me more anxious, creating an uncomfortable cycle. I did my best to
​enjoy the land of castles, sheep, and grass. It helped to have some great people on tour with me. 
From the left are Mark; his mother-in-law, Nancy; wife, Jan, and me. We enjoyed excellent whisky at the mill in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. The whisky and new friends alleviated some of my collywobbles.​ ​
Picture

​
Ardoe House Hotel in Aberdeen offered traditional hospitality, food, and a lot of men in kilts.
​I spent a good deal of time on the internet waiting for a response from my doctor. 
Picture
Picture
Picture

​Dr. Christopher Ryan took care of me for over fifteen years, recognizing my anxiety well before I did. However, he couldn't help me from thousands of miles away in Scotland. 

Picture



​I wasn't too sick, however, to try
​the haggis on the last night.It was pretty tasty!



2012: Peru


​Altitude sickness and food poisoning were the culprits on our trip to Peru. Almost
everyone ordered the ceviche in Lima (left). Susan, like most everyone else who ate it,
got sick. I was very glad I ordered the loma saltado (right), avoiding the food poisoning. 
Picture
Picture


Despite a slow ascent along the tour, most of us still got altitude sickness. 
There
were four solutions: Diomax (altitude sickness medication, my doctor wouldn't
prescribe), 
oxygen in a can, oxygen in the hotel, and coca tea. 


Before entering Machu Picchu, we stopped at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (below left) to use
the rest rooms.  The entrance to the archeological site only had one toilet. Between the
altitude and the ceviche, people started falling sick soon after we entered Machu Picchu. 
Picture
Picture


​Me at Machu Picchu
Picture


2015: Washington, D.C.


​I wasn't feeling well during my summer and fall tours, but I stuck with them, ​seeing various
doctors when I was back in the DC area.  Drinking and eating were particularly difficult. 
I had to leave the chicken masala on the table and couldn't enjoy our farewell dinner in D.C.
Picture
Picture


​​Three doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. On December 7, 2015
I was diagnosed with a gangrenous gall bladder and had emergency surgery. 
Picture
Picture
Above: My daughter Rachel came to take care of me at home and cooked Jewish penicillin to help me feel better. 

Left: They allowed me to eat a bagel and cream cheese before leaving the hospital.


2020: Cuba


​I traveled to Cuba on March 10. 2020. On March 11, my birthday, the World Health Organization
declared Covid-19 a pandemic. On March 13th the United States government declared a national emergency. On March 15th they sent us home on a chartered flight.  ​I will travel again. 
Picture
Picture
People were just starting to wear masks. When we left there were only four cases of Covid in Cuba, three of them Italian tourists.
​
​Above is my last mojito in Cuba at the Hotel Nacional. 


​Our shortened stay in Cuba ended at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana. This was 
the view from my window. We didn't get to see much of Havana.  With new U.S. government 
sanctions on Cuba 
restricting Americans from staying in Cuban-government owned hotels 
​-- all of them -- it may be a long time until any of us can return. 
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Chapter Thirteen: Toilets

4/30/2020

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[The bathroom is] the fundamental zone of interaction –- on the most intimate level –-
between humans and architecture.

Rem Koolhas, 2014 Venice Biennnale Exhibition
The following is a photo gallery of all the pictures of toilets I have taken while
globetrotting, including those not mentioned in Collywobbles: Tales of Travel, Life, and Anxiety.

1982: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Picture
The toilet in the WC in the Secret Annex, where the Franks, 
​​with the van Pels and Dr. Pffefer, hid from the Nazis. 

1993: Israel

Picture
"Efo ha-shirutim?  The bathroom sign says "shirutem" in Hebrew.
Picture
The bath house in Masada

1997: Sde Boker, Israel

Picture
Bathroom at the home of Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel

2002: Ephesus, Turkey

Picture
Public toilets in Ephesus

2003: Sofia, Bulgaria

Picture
A sign for the W.C. (water closet) in Bulgarian

2004: Matto, Japan

Picture
Most of the squat toilets we encountered were in the schools. 

2004: Beijing, China

Picture
Public bathrooms with squat toilets in China

2005: Barcelona, Spain

Picture
Gaudi House Museum on Park Guell
Picture
A bathroom in the Palau Güell, a mansion
​designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí

2005: Montgomery Center, Vermont

Picture
The bathroom of the green room at the Phineas Swann B&B

2005: Bangkok, Thailand

Picture
I paid ten times as much since I didn't have the right change, about $1.90.

2007: Las Vegas

Picture
The bathroom at the Venetian Hotel

2008: Glasgow, Scotland

Picture
In a cafe in Scotland

2010: San Simeon, California

Picture
William Randolph Hearst's bathroom in San Simeon

2010: Over-the-Road Motor Coach Tours

Picture
I had to start giving the "bathroom" talk: Yes to number 1, no to number 2. 

2010: Mount Vernon
Alexandria, Virginia

Picture
The interior of one of the necessaries at Mount Vernon

2010: Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Picture

​The bathtub in the bathroom in my room

​at the Lodge at Buckberry Creek
Picture
The outhouse in the woods at The Lodge of Buckberry Creek. Sadly, six of the seven
buildings were destroyed in a fire on
​November 28, 2016. 
​​


2011: Morocco

Picture
This beautiful bathroom was in a rug warehouse.


2011: Cambodia

Picture
It cost twelve cents to use this outhouse.


2011: Vietnam

Picture
A bathroom stop off the road in Vietnam


2012: Rockport, Maine

Picture
The bathroom at the Lime Rock Inn, site of Susan's fall


2012: Peru

Picture
Dinner here caused Montezuma's Revenge for many on our tour. 
Picture
Inca toilet at Machu Picchu
Picture
Men's room in a restaurant in Lima


2013: Capri, Italy

Picture
The toilet and bidet in our B&B in Capri, The Capri Inn


2014: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eastern State Penitentiary

Picture
A toilet in a cell at the Eastern State Penitentiary. I don't think my sister, Renee, is looking to use it. 

2014: Australia

Picture
Alice Springs Train and Trail Station
Picture
Picture

​Signs for the bathrooms in the
​Australian Outback


2014: New Zealand

Picture
Bathroom in White Creek, close to Fox Glacier
Picture
Gender-neutral bathroom in New Zealand
Picture
Toilet in the Bushmans Centre
Picture
A dunny in the backyard of a home in Reefton, New Zealand
Picture
Unique bathroom signs in New Zealand

Picture


2015: Washington, D.C.

Picture
.This is the bathroom in the office of the vice president in the U.S. Capitol.
 At the time, it was Joe Biden's bathroom. I took the photo on an in-depth
tour that the school organized with their congressman. 

2015: India

Picture
Many of the public bathrooms in India had attendants. Our guide paid for us to use the toilets. 
Picture
The toilet in my cabin, number 6, in the OAT camp in India


2016: New Jersey Turnpike

Picture
My dad in the family bathroom at the Grover Cleveland rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike


2017: Durham, North Carolina

Picture
The bathrooms at the Page Road Grill, the first restaurant where I ate in my new home town of Durham 
Picture
See-through bathrooms at the 21c Museum Hotel Durham: be sure to lock the door to make it opaque.
Picture
The beginning of my toilet wall in my master bathroom


2018: Basel, Switzerland

Picture
Public men's room in Basel

2018: Heidelberg, Germany

Picture
The Royal Throne, the bathroom in the student jail at the University of Heidelberg


2019: Key West, Florida

Picture
A woman's room in a Key West, Florida restaurant
Picture
Bathroom in the home of Ernest Hemingway


2019: Sicily

Picture
Bathroom in the Grand Hotel Wagner in Palermo, Sicily


2019: Alaska

Picture
Bathroom on the train from
​Anchorage to Denali National Park
Picture
View of Denali from the bathroom stop
Picture
Dolly's bathroom in her home
​and brothel in Ketchikan
Picture
Dolly made decorative flowers out of
​silk condoms for her shower


2020: Cuba

Picture
Bathroom in the Bar El Camaguey


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Chapter Fourteen: Food

4/1/2020

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I think food, culture, people, and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.
Anthony Bourdain, Interview with CNTraveler

Picture

1972: Lucerne, Switzerland


​My first taste of Swiss cheese fondue in Lucerne
Picture
The photo below is the Swiss Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in Queens, New York.
Swiss fondue was first promoted in the U.S. at the pavilion's Le Chalet Restaurant
Picture


2000: Savannah, Georgia

Picture

​Paul somewhere in Savannah
Picture

Paul eats to live. I live to eat. Our day in Savannah included an argument over nachos
in an outdoor cafe and a marvelous dinner at the iconic Old Pink House
Picture
Picture


2001: Moscow, Russia



​​Joshua and I had lunch at KFC one afternoon in Moscow.  
​Josh ordered a two-piece
​chicken meal but, luckily, got two meals. Meals are a lot smaller in Russia. 
​
Picture
Picture


2003: Postojna, Slovenia



​Tamas and Spela at Gostilna Polar enjyong a drink before our expensive lunch at a tourist restaurant 
Picture

​Left
: Gostilna Polar with the Predjama Castle in the background
Right: Dunajski zrezek, or chicken schnitzel, for lunch
Picture
Picture


2004: Beijing, China



​Our first dinner in Beijing was at Pizza Hut -- not my choice.

It was the most expensive meal we had in China.
Picture
David, Leslie, and I are ready for our tour of the Hutong, the narrow streets of Beijing, 
​including a home-cooked lunch, the best meal I had on our visit to China. 
Picture
Picture
(Above) The table is set for our scrumptious home-cooked meal in a Beijing Hutong.

​(Right) Mrs. Ging's kitchen
Picture
On week three I gave in and enjoyed some KFC, despite my snobbery.
Picture


2010: Los Angeles, California


​I had my first Chick-fil-A meal on a tour with my class at the
International Tour Management Institute. 
I was hooked!
Picture


2011: St. Helena, California


​Our first on-the-road cooking class at the Culinary Institute of America

at Greystone in St. Helena, California. The chef demonstrated how to
​make some Vietnamese dishes.  
​Susan fell asleep in the front row. 
Picture


2011: Marrakesh, Morocco


​A visit to Jemaa el-Fnaa to sample the local foods
Picture
I tagged along with the younger travelers who were much more adventurous than me. 
Picture
I stuck to the chicken.
Picture
Rachel trying the snails
Picture
Rachel said the sheep brains were quite buttery and well-seasoned.


2011: Phnom Penh, Cambodia


Fried crickets for a snack
Picture

James eating some CFC, Cambodian Fried Crickets
Picture


2011: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam


​Selling pigs' feet in the market
Picture
Picture
(Above) From the left: The Filipino-Canadian woman who traveled with us in the rain, one of the chefs, me, and Susan. 

​(Right) Our cooking class in Vietnam, where we made decorative vegetables, spring rolls, catfish, and Bánh xèo, traditional Vietnamese crepes. 
Picture


2012: Peru

We took a cooking class in Lima at Sky Kitchen, a penthouse apartment.
Picture
Chef Yurac teaching us how to make tamales
​ 
Picture
The table was set for a delicious dinner.
Picture
Susan pressing the garlic
Picture
Finishing our tamales
Picture
Picture
Above: Guinea pigs scampered under our feet as we ate dinner. I didn't try one. 

Right:
 One of guests who was brave enough to try the guinea pig, or cuy. 


2013: Sorrento, Italy


​Susan signed up up for a cooking class making several dishes from the Campagna Region of Italy. 
Picture
Chef William Gargiulo
Old Taverna Sorrentina Cooking School
Picture
Chef William gets us started
​with dough for the gnocchi
Picture
Bruschetta with garlic, tomato, olives,
​and mozzarella 
Picture
Picture
Chicken escalope: chicken cutlet topped with tomato, mozzarella, basil, and white wine
Picture
Above: Our tiramisu was delicious and not very difficult to make. 

​Left: Our finished gnocchi on our outdoor table


2014: Nashville, Tennessee


​My trip to Nashville with my two children and their significant others was all about food. 
Picture
Breakfast at the Loveless Cafe
Picture
Loveless Cafe is famous for its biscuits.
Picture
We had a coffee break at Barista Parlor.
Picture
Hot dog lunch at I Dream of Weenie
Picture
Fried chicken at Hattie B's
Picture
Barbecue and ribs at Peg Leg Porker


2014: Adelaide, Australia
​

​The first time I tasted pavlova was on our home visit in Adelaide.
The dessert was named for the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova.
Kiwis and Aussies each argue that the meringue and fruit dessert originated in their countries.
Picture


2014: Auckland, New Zealand


​This was the first time I tasted golden kiwis. After eating one I
kept my eye on the table for a chance to grab a second golden kiwi. 
Picture
Picture







2014: Haast, New Zealand


​We visited Haast for the local delicacy: whitebait. Not one of us liked it, but at least I tried it this time. 
Picture
Haast is a small town on the west coast of
South Island. 
​
Picture
Whitebait is the term for the immature fry of fish.
​They are cooked whole. 
​
Picture
The whitebait is mixed with a
lemon mayonnaise and fried  like pancakes.
​
Picture
South Islanders make a whitebait sandwich
​on white bread. 
​
Picture
One of my fellow travelers felt the same way about eating the whitebait sandwich as I did. 


2015: Dubrovnik, Croatia


​We had homemade walnut grappa on our home visit in Dubrovnik. Grappa is an alcoholic
beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy with a high percentage of alcohol. 
Picture


2015: India


​Making chapatis at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh Temple, for a community meal. 
Picture

We had a scrumptious home-cooked dinner in Jaipur, where our host also gave us some lessons
in how to make rati. Our tour guide, Dil, took us to a local market and also gave us a cooking lesson. 
Picture
Our home-cooked meal in Jaipur
​
Picture
Dil demonstrating dinner at the
​OAT camp in Rajasthan
Picture
Our home host showing us how to make rati
​
Picture
The market in Karnataka in Southwestern India, where we bought the ingredients for our dinner


2017: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe


The biltong on top of the steak is similar to jerky. 
Picture


On our last night in Zimbabwe we had a tourist dinner with music, dancing, and local foods.
Picture
Rachel was one of the few willing to
try a mopani worm. ​She did not like it. 
Picture
Mopani worms are actually a species of
​ the emperor moth.


2017: Cape Town, South Africa


​Rachel and I had dinner at a local seafood restaurant on the waterfront on our first night in Cape Town. 
Picture
Harbour House Restaurant
V&A Waterfront
​
Picture
Kingklip and prawns
Harbour House Restaurant

​That Sunday, when most everything was closed, Rachel found a delightful brunch at Kloof Street House.
Picture
Jazz brunch with delicious drinks
​
Picture
The menu at Kloof Street House
​


2019: Taormina, Sicily


Shopping for our Porto Messina cooking class at a local market
Debi and Nancy are in the back row. Claudia is holding the fish, and Linda is standing next to her.
Picture

​Our five-hour cooking class at Porto Messina
Picture
Our is bread cut and being readied to be
​ served to other restaurant guests.
​
Picture
Cooking Sarde a Beccafico, a traditional Sicilian
dish of sardines stuffed with tomatoes,
​parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs
​
Picture
Luca, our cooking teacher, and me
​
Picture
(Above) Lisa and Nancy made eggplant parmesan that was served at the restaurant.  We devoured the other eggplant ourselves.

(Right) The maccheroni we made was delicious. 
Picture
Lisa making eggplant parmigiana with the chef
​
Picture


2020: Camaguey, Cuba


​Our home-cooked banquet at Rancho Zaragozona
Picture


0 Comments

Chapter Fifteen: A Diagnosis

3/28/2020

0 Comments

 
Nothing is permanent in this wicked world –- not even our troubles.
Charlie Chaplin

2011: Diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Picture
Picture

After the Diagnosis

2011: Vietnam

Picture
Picture
I defeated claustrophobia crawling though the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Picture

​










I made it out of the tunnels unscathed,
but my Vera Bradley bag wasn't so fortunate.


2012: Peru

Picture
Picture
Susan and I pose for pictures before boarding the Cessna 206 for a flight over the Nazca Lines.
​I had no fear of flying!
Picture
I took this photo of the spider geoglyph feeling totally tranquil!
Our Nazca pilot told us that many believe the geoglyphs were offerings to the gods. I wondered if they were giant ritual offerings.  l thought of the symbols of the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Picture
​My friends, Andrea and Mark, are waving the lulav, etrog, and willow branch at our 2020 celebration. ​

2013: Capri

Picture
Picture
It was as though I was flying on the Seggiova Monte Solaro chairlift to the top of Mount Solaro.
Picture
A strange sight below
Picture
The locals call Mount Solaro "Cloud Catcher."  
​As we rose to the top of the mountain, the clouds parted, and we had a beautiful view of Capri. 

2012: In Flight

Picture
I stopped taking the ritual photo of the airplane and started to look outwards. 

2020: Asheboro, North Carolina

Picture
Picture
Zora and I spent two days in the woods of Asheboro, NC
​on a socially-distanced getaway from the pandemic. 

Monty Python's
​Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

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Afterword

3/11/2020

0 Comments

 
These so-called bleak times are necessary to go through in order to get to a 
much, much better place.

David Lynch, Do You Have a Question for David?
0 Comments

The Tour Directors

2/28/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
These are the tour directors who have shown me the world. Amazingly, I have photos of all but one. 

Tim
​1976: England, Belgium, and Germany

Picture
Tim, with me and Carolyn

Norman Sigle
1977: If It's Tuesday It Must Be Belgium

Picture
Norman having lunch with our group in Stratford-on-Avon

Des and Martyn
1980: Paris and the Cote D'Azur

Picture
Des and Martyn in Avignon

Gillian Perry
1981: England

Picture
Gillian and me at Stonehenge

Albert van Amstel​
1982: London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam

I don't have a photo of Mr. Amstel, whose name is obviously a stage name.
​But I did find a 1993 article from the Cumberland Times about his
performance at Allegheny Community College in Maryland in 1993. 
Picture

Chris Hemley
1986: England

Picture
Chris Hemley at Speaker's Corner

Rabbi Jacob Halpern
1993: Israel with the Board of Jewish Education
​On Israel in Israel

Picture
Picture
Above: On our last night in Tel Aviv, he danced in the Mediterranean with some of the ladies

Left: 
Rabbi Halpern, of blessed memory, enjoyed bathing in the mud at Ein Gedi. He was quite a progressive Orthodox rabbi.

. 

Ezra
1996: Etgar Trip to Israel

Picture
Ezra talks to us in Masada.


​Rabbi Jacob Halpern
1997: Israel with Board of Jewish Education
On Israel in Israel Part 2

Picture
Rabbi Halpern leads us in prayers on the first night of Chanukah in the Mashabei Sade kibbutz in the Negev.

Dorina
2002: Greece 
Tour of Delphi, Olympia, and Nafpoli

Picture
Dorina talking to our group in Delphi.

Reiko Konishi
2004: Japan
Fulbright Memorial Scholarship Program

Picture
Reiko on our final evening in Matto before returning to Tokyo.

Nathan
2004: Beijing, China

Picture
Nathan with Rachel in Beijing

Colleen
2006: Northern Capitals

Picture
Colleen and my besties on the trip. Seated in front: Sharon. Standing: Carol (of Carol and Bernie). Valerie and her daughter, Kim, our tour guide Colleen, and Sharon's mom, Pat, of blessed memory.

Manuel
2007: Sunny Portugal

Picture

Richard
2008: Scottish Highlands

Picture

Rolando
2010: Costa Rica

Picture
Rolando at our welcome meeting
Picture
Rolando and our Caravan group on the final night

Brenda Brooks and Driver, Henry Horton
2010: Eastern United States and Canada Training Tour

Picture
Picture

Hassan
2010-2011: Morocco

Picture

​Adam, Mr. Mony, and Thuyen
2011: Cambodia and Vietnam

Picture
Our guide, Adam, in Cambodia. I am sure that is not his real name, but one for us Americans.
Picture
We had a different guide, Mr. Mony, for our day at Angor Wat and Angor Thom.
Picture
Thuyen with us in the market, explaining the exotic fruits.
Picture
Thuyen helping us cross the street
Picture
My favorite photo of Thuyen! That is cow dung.

Ronald
2012: Peru and the Nazca Lines

Picture
Ronald at Machu Picchu

Amy
2014: The Canadian Rockies

Picture
Amy and our bus driver

Sandra Dunn (Australia)
Dianne Winter Sharma (New Zealand)
2014: Australia and New Zealand

Picture
Sandra preparing snacks for sunset at Uluru
Picture
Dianne picking us up at the airport
Picture
Dianne, in the center in the red sweater, and our group on the last day at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum in Wellington
Picture
Dianne, who is half-Maori, introduces us to a Maori friend and educator.

Vasya
2015: Small Boat Cruise from Croatia to Greece

Picture
Vasya with our local guide in Split, Croatia
Picture
Vasya with her friend in Albania.

Dilkiran Lakhanpal (Dil)
​2015: India

Picture
Dil giving us a cooking class at the OAT camp after our shopping in the market.
Picture
Dil counting bags before getting on the train
Picture
Dil buying flowers for us from local children

Carlos
2016: Panama

Picture
Carlos with Susan and me
Picture
Carlos and me on the Panama Canal.

2018: South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana
​
​

We had different tour guides throughout our trip, but our Cape Town guide, who was only with use for 3 days, was the one who greeted us and was actually with is the longest. He had the most fascinating family story. His mother was colored and his father was black. His mother, who worked in a colored school, was marked as white here in the town hall. That meant that their marriage was illegal and that she could no longer teach at the school. She returned to request a change to "colored."  People were marked by the color of their skin, and hers was very light. Our tour guide is colored, the term used in South Africa for people of mixed race. ​
Picture
Our guide making a statement in front of the government office

​
Picture
This was our guide in the Entabeni Safari Reserve. Here we are on a snack break during our long safari. 
​ He was determined to find a lion for us, and, after about five hours, he finally did. 
​

Picture
This was our guide in Zimbabwe. Here we are on the Zambezi River. 

Alacoque (ah la co)
2018: Ireland


Picture

Tim
2018: Christmas Markets Cruise on the Rhine River

Picture
Tim in Kaysersberg, German
Picture
Tim (far right) and the other two tour directors on the cruise on our last night on the Rhine.

Valorio and Rosario
2019: Sicily

Picture
Valorio picked us up at the airport. Lisa (left) and I look very happy to have met our guide.
Picture
Rosario in Taormina
Picture
Valario with Claudia and Debi in Noto, Sicily
Picture
Rosario showing us how to eat brioche and granita, a favorite Sicilian breakfast.

Marissa Schimmel (U.S.) and Elias (Cuba)
2020: Cuba

Picture
On our way back to Havana for an early departure due to the Coronavirus, Marissa bought us some Cuban rum
Picture
Elias walked us through a Sunday market.
Picture
Elias showing off with a vintage car
Picture
Marissa and Elias providing drinks and snacks

Picture
2 Comments
    Picture

    CONTENTS

    Preface
    Chapter 1: Flying Foibles
    Chapter 2: Heights and
    ​     Enclosed Spaces

    Chapter 3: Falling
    Chapter 4: Men
    Chapter 5: Penises
    Chapter 6: Women
    Chapter 7: Lost
    Chapter 8: Pickpockets
    Chapter 9: Phantom
         Killers

    Chapter 10: Calamities
    Chapter 11: Crossing the
         Street

    Chapter 12: Illness
    Chapter 13: Toilets
    Chapter 14: Food
    Chapter 15: A Diagnosis
    Afterword
    ​The Tour Directors
  • Home
  • PHOTOS of the TALES
  • A Chronology of Globetrotting
  • A Wandering Jew
  • SPEAKER
  • Reviews