Trip Around the World 2007 Edition tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-27:/blog/?domain=mkwz 2007-08-27T01:43:36Z svjorber img/travel-blog-feed.png Kyoto (and more Tokyo Baseball) tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-26:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=40&entryid=76922 2007-08-27T01:43:36Z 2007-08-27T01:40:47Z Jordan and I spent Saturday biking through the streets, alleyways and bike paths of Kyoto. We visited and saw a few things including Nijo Castle and its beautiful gardens. On Sunday morning, we visited Kyoto's Golden Temple (made out of real gold!) then took the bullet train back to Tokyo to see the Tokyo Yakult Swallows crush the Baystars 6-2... [im ... Jordan and I spent Saturday biking through the streets, alleyways and bike paths of Kyoto.
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We visited and saw a few things including Nijo Castle and its beautiful gardens.
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On Sunday morning, we visited Kyoto's Golden Temple (made out of real gold!)
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then took the bullet train back to Tokyo to see the Tokyo Yakult Swallows crush the Baystars 6-2...
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The excitement came in the 6th inning when Jordan and Sveta were featured on the scoreboard....
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Tomorrow is our last day....

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Hakone Area tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-24:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=39&entryid=76728 2007-08-24T13:28:05Z 2007-08-24T13:28:05Z Hakone is a major tourist area in the Tokyo region located near Mt. Fuji. We reached Hakone by the express 1 1/2 hour "Romance Train" from Tokyo. The Japanese know how to do trains... We bought a fare card that enabled us to ride all the modes of transport in the area for three days, including buses, trains, funiculars, cable cars and ships!. We reached our hotel by bus, the venerable Fujiya Hotel and rested for the evening. ... Hakone is a major tourist area in the Tokyo region located near Mt. Fuji. We reached Hakone by the express 1 1/2 hour "Romance Train" from Tokyo. The Japanese know how to do trains...
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We bought a fare card that enabled us to ride all the modes of transport in the area for three days, including buses, trains, funiculars, cable cars and ships!. We reached our hotel by bus, the venerable Fujiya Hotel
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and rested for the evening. The next day, we explored the area, starting with the Hakone-Tozan Railroad.
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all the way to Gora where we switched to a funicular...
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and then to a couple of cable cars to reach the top of the mountain at 3000 ft. The mountain is the result of a volcanic eruption and still spews boiling water laden with sulfur and other minerals.
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This water is also used to feed the local hotels for hot baths and a thriving wellness industry. A local custom is to cook eggs in this boiling mess. The eggs turn black and are said to add 7 years to your life if you eat one and 14 if you eat two!
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From the top of the mountain, one can catch glimpses of the elusive Mount Fuji, which appears and disappears throught the clouds in an instant.
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One the other side of the mountain lies lake Ashi, where we cruised the lake on a replica of an old ship.
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In the afternoon of the third day, we also visited the great Hakone open air museum
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and then ended up taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto with top speeds of 160 miles per hour...
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See you in Kyoto...

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Tokyo tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-23:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=38&entryid=76613 2007-08-23T12:23:41Z 2007-08-23T12:23:41Z Before taking off for the short 3 hour hop form Shanghai to Tokyo, Jordan visited the Northwest Airline 747-400 flight deck to ensure that everything was under control. Upon arrival in Tokyo, we sampled all the modern culinary delights so dear to us, including Starbucks, and Jordan's favorite... Subway! The next day, we visited Sensoji Temple and the area surrounding, walked through a couple of other neighborhoods and ended the d ... Before taking off for the short 3 hour hop form Shanghai to Tokyo, Jordan visited the Northwest Airline 747-400 flight deck to ensure that everything was under control.
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Upon arrival in Tokyo, we sampled all the modern culinary delights so dear to us, including Starbucks, and Jordan's favorite... Subway!
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The next day, we visited Sensoji Temple and the area surrounding, walked through a couple of other neighborhoods and ended the day at a Giant versus Dragon baseball game (well planned in advance) at the Tokyo Dome.
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The next day we headed for the countryside.

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Shanghai tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-20:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=37&entryid=76289 2007-08-20T22:41:17Z 2007-08-20T22:39:28Z We concluded our trip to China with a couple of days in Shanghai, a city of 17 million... Our visit included the famous Yuyuan Garden located in the heart of the old city, and the old city which has been mostly rebuilt into commercial developments (here is a view at night) We also visited the waterfront, also known as the Bund (here is the view opposite the Bund) [img=http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/94757/d_Sh ... We concluded our trip to China with a couple of days in Shanghai, a city of 17 million... Our visit included the famous Yuyuan Garden located in the heart of the old city,
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and the old city which has been mostly rebuilt into commercial developments (here is a view at night)
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We also visited the waterfront, also known as the Bund (here is the view opposite the Bund)
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That's it. Japan is next.

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Luoyang & Kaifeng tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-20:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=36&entryid=76231 2007-08-20T11:51:16Z 2007-08-20T11:51:16Z Separated by 2 1/2 hours on the highway, Luoyang and Kaifeng are both former imperial capitals. In Luoyang, we visited the White Horse Temple and then spent some time at the Shaolin Temple, home of the most famous Kung Fu school. We had a chance to visit the temple and the amazing "Pagoda" forest followed by a Kung Fu demonstration Jordan and I even tried some of the monk's training equipment... [img=http://www.trave ... Separated by 2 1/2 hours on the highway, Luoyang and Kaifeng are both former imperial capitals. In Luoyang, we visited the White Horse Temple and then spent some time at the Shaolin Temple, home of the most famous Kung Fu school. We had a chance to visit the temple and the amazing "Pagoda" forest
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followed by a Kung Fu demonstration
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Jordan and I even tried some of the monk's training equipment...
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At the end of the day, we visited the carved Buddhas of the Longmen Caves
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including the largest Buddha which is 25 feet in height
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The following day, we visited Kaifeng, home of the best documented Jewish community in China. We met with a couple pf descendants of the community and learned of efforts to revive the community. We also visited the 700-year old Iron Pagoda
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Xi'an tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-15:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=35&entryid=75797 2007-08-15T22:45:48Z 2007-08-15T22:45:48Z Following Guilin, we flew back north to Xi'an, one of the seven former imperial cities. The city is best known for the tomb of Emperor Qin, which contains the Terra Cotta Warrior Army Each of the 7000 life-size warrior is different and amazingly lifelike. Following the visit, we were treated to a dumpling banquet followed by a show The next two day ... Following Guilin, we flew back north to Xi'an, one of the seven former imperial cities. The city is best known for the tomb of Emperor Qin, which contains the Terra Cotta Warrior Army
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Each of the 7000 life-size warrior is different and amazingly lifelike. Following the visit, we were treated to a dumpling banquet
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followed by a show
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The next two days, we visited some of the attractions in Xi'an, including the Great Wild Goose Pagoda
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the lesser wild goose pagoda
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a bike ride on the 600-year old city walls
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and a visit to the Feng Shui museum
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We left Xi'an by train for the 6 hour ride to Luoyang where Jordan displayed his social skills...
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Guilin tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-15:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=34&entryid=75765 2007-08-15T15:42:55Z 2007-08-15T15:40:07Z We flew from Beijing to Guilin in the Southwest of China to admire some of the most dramatic landscapes of then whole country. At first, we took a 4-hour cruise on the River Li to admire the famous karst formations... On the following picture, Jordan shows the 20 Yuan bill in front of the landscape that inspired its engraving. Following the cruise, we toured the countryside and visited an old farmhouse used by the same f ... We flew from Beijing to Guilin in the Southwest of China to admire some of the most dramatic landscapes of then whole country. At first, we took a 4-hour cruise on the River Li to admire the famous karst formations...
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On the following picture, Jordan shows the 20 Yuan bill in front of the landscape that inspired its engraving.
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Following the cruise, we toured the countryside and visited an old farmhouse used by the same family for many generations. Here Jordan made fried with the owner...
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Beijing tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-11:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=33&entryid=75408 2007-08-11T15:51:03Z 2007-08-11T15:48:00Z We met in Beijing with our friend Jackie for the China leg of our trip. Our visit to Beijing included all the traditional landmarks, including the forbidden city the Temple of Heaven, The summer Palace and the Great Wall of China In addition, we experienced other si ... We met in Beijing with our friend Jackie for the China leg of our trip. Our visit to Beijing included all the traditional landmarks, including the forbidden city
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the Temple of Heaven,
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The summer Palace
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and the Great Wall of China
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In addition, we experienced other sights of Beijing, including he famous Pandas at the Beijing Zoo (like the Moscow zoo, they could use some help)
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We also tasted the deliciously famous Peking Duck
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but stayed away from some of the street food...
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Moscow tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-07:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=32&entryid=74822 2007-08-07T08:13:03Z 2007-08-07T08:13:03Z Hello from Beijing! Now I have a few minutes to tell you about our days in Moscow. The first thing we had to learn was to navigate the Moscow subway. Besides being fast, reliable and showing up every 2 minutes on the dot, the Moscow Metro boasts some very nice stations, thanks to its Soviet legacy... Of course, we visited the main Moscow sites, such as the Red ... Hello from Beijing! Now I have a few minutes to tell you about our days in Moscow. The first thing we had to learn was to navigate the Moscow subway.
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Besides being fast, reliable and showing up every 2 minutes on the dot, the Moscow Metro boasts some very nice stations, thanks to its Soviet legacy...
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Of course, we visited the main Moscow sites, such as the Red Square and the Kremlin,
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Sunday afternoon, we also visited the Moscow Zoo. Quite frankly, many parts of the zoo are in need of serious attention. as the wolves below decry...
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The bear did not care so much...
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Футбол!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-05:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=31&entryid=74618 2007-08-05T19:09:01Z 2007-08-05T19:09:01Z I am running out of internet time but I wanted to post about our evening at the football game here in Moscow where we had a chance to watch Spartak Moscow, the league leader win over Tomb 3-2. The game was played at the former Olympic stadium in Moscow, home of the Spartans. The action was excellen, this is where Tomb scored the first goal... The fans went crazy when Spartak scored back ... I am running out of internet time but I wanted to post about our evening at the football game here in Moscow where we had a chance to watch Spartak Moscow, the league leader win over Tomb 3-2. The game was played at the former Olympic stadium in Moscow, home of the Spartans.
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The action was excellen, this is where Tomb scored the first goal...
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The fans went crazy when Spartak scored back

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Hermitage tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-02:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=30&entryid=74160 2007-08-03T05:26:23Z 2007-08-03T05:26:23Z Our trip to St. Petersburg would not be complete without a visit to the prestigious Hermitage, one of the great World museum, housing two of the twelve known Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the World. Not only is the Hermitage a great museum, but it is also an amazing palace with hundred of opulent and lavish rooms. We spent a few hours admiring the amazing art ranging from roman statues, [img=http://www.travellerspoi ... Our trip to St. Petersburg would not be complete without a visit to the prestigious Hermitage, one of the great World museum, housing two of the twelve known Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the World.
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Not only is the Hermitage a great museum, but it is also an amazing palace with hundred of opulent and lavish rooms.
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We spent a few hours admiring the amazing art ranging from roman statues,
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to rare Michelangelo statues,
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to the Dutch Masters...
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Finally, at 4 PM, we boarded the express train for Moscow :)
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A bit of investigative work... tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-01:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=29&entryid=73972 2007-08-02T04:53:37Z 2007-08-02T04:53:37Z St Petersburg is the town where Sveta is from, and we wanted to go back to the place where she spent the first three years of her life. I was told that Children's House #11 was closed but our guide told me that he went there with other parents last year. So we went. It looked very familiar. When we introduced ourselves, a nurse said she did not remember Sveta. When we talked to the Director, she ... St Petersburg is the town where Sveta is from, and we wanted to go back to the place where she spent the first three years of her life. I was told that Children's House #11 was closed but our guide told me that he went there with other parents last year. So we went.
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It looked very familiar. When we introduced ourselves, a nurse said she did not remember Sveta. When we talked to the Director, she vaguely remembered but we could not find her name in the register. This is when we discovered that we were in The House of Children #11 (Detsky Dom) as opposed to the Children's House #11 (Dom Rebenke) - The Director had no idea where this other place was. Back to ground zero.

We search the internet in Russian and found a list of Children Houses but no Number 11. We called #14 and they said they used to be #11, so we went... Wrong number 11, but there we found a nurse (Valentina) who remembered Sveta and used to work at #11.
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We spoke to the Doctor in charge at #14 and they gave us the phone number of the Doctor who signed Sveta's orders 14 years ago in #11 (she is now director at #2) So we went to visit her at Children's House #2
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It turns out that Children;s house #2 (they are a lot nicer inside now)
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is 200 meters from the original House #11 where Sveta was, which was closed and is now turned into a dental clinic.
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Mystery solved. The next day, we printed pictures of the reunions with the Dr, and Valentina and gave then a framed copy as a souvenir. :)

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Saint Petersburg tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-01:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=28&entryid=73970 2007-08-02T04:36:49Z 2007-08-02T04:36:49Z At our next stop, we had the opportunity to visit St Petersbug, the Venice of the North... Here are a sample of the beautiful palaces and monuments to be seen... The Spilled Blood Cathedral which marks the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Then comes the statue to Peter the Great presented to him by Catherine: followed by the famous Aurora ship, involve in three Soviet wars ... At our next stop, we had the opportunity to visit St Petersbug, the Venice of the North... Here are a sample of the beautiful palaces and monuments to be seen...
The Spilled Blood Cathedral which marks the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.
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Then comes the statue to Peter the Great presented to him by Catherine:
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followed by the famous Aurora ship, involve in three Soviet wars
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Here we are posing across from the Hermitage museum
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On other days, we ventured outside the city to visit the famous PeterHof
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and then Catherine's Palace in Pushkin:
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They know how to do palaces...By the way, all these palaces were nearly destroyed in WW II and the Russians have done an incredible job rebuilding all this.

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Dead Sea tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-27:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=27&entryid=73180 2007-07-27T14:59:24Z 2007-07-27T14:49:06Z Important Facts About The Dead Sea: [list] [*]Dead [*]1200 Feet below sea level [*]Hot as Hell! (45C=113F) [/list] Anyhow, we had a lovely time at the Dead Sea, the Lowest Point on Earth We visited the fortress of Masada, where Jewish rebels fought the Roman army in 66 CE. then some of us took advantage of the nearby En Gedi spa for a delicious mud then sulphur bath... [img=http://www.travellerspoint. ... Important Facts About The Dead Sea:

  • Dead
  • 1200 Feet below sea level
  • Hot as Hell! (45C=113F)

Anyhow, we had a lovely time at the Dead Sea, the Lowest Point on Earth
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We visited the fortress of Masada, where Jewish rebels fought the Roman army in 66 CE.
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then some of us took advantage of the nearby En Gedi spa for a delicious mud then sulphur bath...
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Baseball! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-27:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=26&entryid=73176 2007-07-27T14:43:07Z 2007-07-27T14:40:54Z On the evening of July 25th, we had a chance to attend a game of the brand new Israel Baseball League. The League is a professional league consisting of 6 teams, mostly made up of US and foreign players. The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox won 10-1 over the Ra’anana Express behind a dominating pitching performance from Sacramento, California native Rafael Bergstrom. Bergstrom earned his fifth win with a complete game two-hitter, giving up one run first inning before ... On the evening of July 25th, we had a chance to attend a game of the brand new Israel Baseball League. The League is a professional league consisting of 6 teams, mostly made up of US and foreign players.
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The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox won 10-1 over the Ra’anana Express behind a dominating pitching performance from Sacramento, California native Rafael Bergstrom. Bergstrom earned his fifth win with a complete game two-hitter, giving up one run first inning before cruising the rest of the way to shut down the Express and strike out six batters while walking two.

The Blue Sox offense gave him more than enough support as shortstop Gregg Raymundo put Bet Shemesh up in the first inning with a two-run homer. Designated hitter Johnny Lopez went 3-for-4 with two RBI while rightfielder Jason Rees provided three more RBI as the Blue Sox won for the first time in four games.

As a special treat, my old friend Gadi who I had not seen in at least 15 years joined us around the 7th inning.
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Jerusalem tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-27:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=25&entryid=73173 2007-07-27T14:31:09Z 2007-07-27T14:27:28Z On July 23-24, we spent two days in Jerusalem, exploring respectively the old and new city. Our first visit was to the Western Wall. Jordan placed a traditional good-wish message in the crack between the 3000-year old stones of the Temple's remaining foundation. The next day, we visited the Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum in the morning, [img=http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/94757/yad%5Fvashem ... On July 23-24, we spent two days in Jerusalem, exploring respectively the old and new city. Our first visit was to the Western Wall.
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Jordan placed a traditional good-wish message in the crack between the 3000-year old stones of the Temple's remaining foundation.
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The next day, we visited the Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum in the morning,
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and the Israel Museum in the afternoon, including the home of the famous Qumran bible scrolls.
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Tiberias Area tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-22:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=24&entryid=72564 2007-07-23T06:21:35Z 2007-07-23T06:21:35Z Following our visit to the coastal cities of Haifa and Acre, we ended up the day in Tiberias, along the Sea of Galilee. The next day, we visited the area, including the Gamla bird sanctuary across the lake which hosts the endangered Griffin vulture (Nesher) mentioned in the Bible. To Jordan;s delight, we visited the river named after him...or is it the other way around? [img=http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/94757/jo ... Following our visit to the coastal cities of Haifa and Acre, we ended up the day in Tiberias, along the Sea of Galilee.
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The next day, we visited the area, including the Gamla bird sanctuary across the lake which hosts the endangered Griffin vulture (Nesher) mentioned in the Bible.
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To Jordan;s delight, we visited the river named after him...or is it the other way around?
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and spent the rest of the day trying to cool off at a local water park :)

The next day, we visited the old city of Bet Shean on our way to Jerusalem... Temperatures exceeded 42 degrees celcius...
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Arrival to Israel and Coastal Area tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-22:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=23&entryid=72562 2007-07-23T06:09:59Z 2007-07-23T06:09:59Z After a long trip from Malaga, Spain via Milan on Alitalia, we arrived in Israel at 4 AM on July 19th. After a few hours of rest at our Netanya seaside hotel, we joined my brother and his son Amos and daughter Lara poolside. (Charles, Amos and Lara are joining us in Israel) The next day, we departed Netanya and stopped along the coast in Haifa where we visited the Bahai temple and its gardens, and the coastal town o ... After a long trip from Malaga, Spain via Milan on Alitalia, we arrived in Israel at 4 AM on July 19th. After a few hours of rest at our Netanya seaside hotel, we joined my brother and his son Amos and daughter Lara poolside. (Charles, Amos and Lara are joining us in Israel)
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The next day, we departed Netanya and stopped along the coast in Haifa where we visited the Bahai temple and its gardens,
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and the coastal town of Acre and its ancient citadel as well as the newly excavated Templar tunnel. Acre is a well known crusader fortress in Israel dating to the 12th and 13th century.
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Day at the Beach tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-17:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=22&entryid=71735 2007-07-18T06:53:33Z 2007-07-18T06:51:50Z We rounded off our visit to Spain with a great day at the beach in Toremolinos on the Costa del Sol, just South of Malaga. Tomorrow we travel to Israel via Milan - long day (and a half) ... We rounded off our visit to Spain with a great day at the beach in Toremolinos on the Costa del Sol, just South of Malaga.
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Tomorrow we travel to Israel via Milan - long day (and a half)

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Granada tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-17:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=21&entryid=71733 2007-07-18T06:48:27Z 2007-07-18T06:48:27Z From Seville we traveled to Granada to visit the famous Alhambra. The Alhambra is the site of a fortress and castle of the sultans that dominated the area for over 700 years until the Christian Kings took the areas back in the late 1400's. The Alhambra includes the Nazrid castle, the fort, the gardens and Charles the Fifth's palace. ... From Seville we traveled to Granada to visit the famous Alhambra. The Alhambra is the site of a fortress and castle of the sultans that dominated the area for over 700 years until the Christian Kings took the areas back in the late 1400's.
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The Alhambra includes the Nazrid castle, the fort, the gardens and Charles the Fifth's palace.
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Following the visit, we saw the Granada Cathedral which took 180 years to build.
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Flamenco tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-15:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=20&entryid=71265 2007-07-15T07:06:25Z 2007-07-15T07:06:25Z At night, we went to see a traditional flamenco show in a nearby club. Sveta, Jordan and I really enjoyed it. The dancing was outstanding and very spirited. The dancers were true professionals, incredibly skilled and you could tell they were totally involved into their dancing. ... At night, we went to see a traditional flamenco show in a nearby club. Sveta, Jordan and I really enjoyed it. The dancing was outstanding and very spirited. The dancers were true professionals, incredibly skilled and you could tell they were totally involved into their dancing.

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Seville, Spain tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-14:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=19&entryid=71261 2007-07-15T07:01:52Z 2007-07-15T06:45:10Z On Saturday, We visited the main landmarks in Seville, the Cathedral and the Alcazar. The Cathedral used to be a Mosque when Spain was under Islamic control until the 1200's. Seville was the major point of departure (and return for the Spanish explorers and conquistadors to went over to the Americas. The Cathedral is an amazing amalgam of Gothic architecture and renaissance treasures, including the tomb of Christop ... On Saturday, We visited the main landmarks in Seville, the Cathedral and the Alcazar. The Cathedral used to be a Mosque when Spain was under Islamic control until the 1200's.
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Seville was the major point of departure (and return for the Spanish explorers and conquistadors to went over to the Americas. The Cathedral is an amazing amalgam of Gothic architecture and renaissance treasures, including the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
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The Alcazar is also an amazing palace with a mixture of Arab and Western styles.
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In between our visits, we enjoyed traditional Spannish food, including tapas (small portions) at the "Belmonte" pub. Above our heads was a reminder of what happens to the bulls at the corrida...
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Road to Seville tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-14:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=18&entryid=71258 2007-07-15T06:29:36Z 2007-07-15T06:27:10Z On...heck, we have no idea what day of the week it is, even less what date it is. Well, that day, we woke up and knew it was time to drive to Seville, about 120 miles away. First we came across these eerie windmill farms that populate the very Southern tip of Spain, near the Straights of Gibraltar, where I suppose Don Quixote use to work a while back Between Algeciras and Cadiz, we stopped at Vejer de la ... On...heck, we have no idea what day of the week it is, even less what date it is. Well, that day, we woke up and knew it was time to drive to Seville, about 120 miles away.

First we came across these eerie windmill farms that populate the very Southern tip of Spain, near the Straights of Gibraltar, where I suppose Don Quixote use to work a while back
windmills.jpg

Between Algeciras and Cadiz, we stopped at Vejer de la Frontera, one of the beautiful "white villages" of Andalusia.
vejer.jpg

Our next stop was the city of Jerez de la Frontera, famous for its many many distilleries, including Harveys Bristol Cream, Sandeman Sherry, and many many others. Below is the statue of local hero TIO PEPE adoring a city square: !!
tio_pepe.jpg
No sampling for us though... we are either driving or under age. Maybe next time.

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North to Tangiers tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-14:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=17&entryid=71165 2007-07-14T17:15:31Z 2007-07-14T17:15:31Z Following Fes, we drove North to Tangiers, stopping in the city of Chefchaouen, located high in the Rif mountains. [map=24860 lat=35.4863813229572 lon=-5.69066147859922 zoom=92.52] We admired the dramatic landscapes and the traditional folks selling their wares on the sides of the road (this is onion harvest) We finally made it to the Mediterranean Sea where we were treated to a beautiful sunset [img=http ... Following Fes, we drove North to Tangiers, stopping in the city of Chefchaouen, located high in the Rif mountains.

We admired the dramatic landscapes and the traditional folks selling their wares on the sides of the road (this is onion harvest)
North_of_fes.jpg
tradi_women.jpg
We finally made it to the Mediterranean Sea where we were treated to a beautiful sunset
sunset_on_med.jpg

The next day was devoted primarily to crossing the Straights of Gibraltar from Tangier to Algeciras where we spent the night.
jmm_gibral.jpg
Here is Jordan on the boat with a faint view of Gibraltar in the background. It takes about 2.5 hours on the slow boat (ours) to make the 11 miles + crossing. Then you land in Spain where it is two hours later than in Morocco, so you have pretty much spent the whole day...

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Fes tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-12:/blog/?domain=mkwz&thisblog_entryid=16&entryid=70809 2007-07-12T08:00:13Z 2007-07-12T08:00:13Z We had a full day to explore the ancient city of Fes with the help of our guide Houcine. This included some of the oldest schools and universities still in existence in the Word and the beautiful medina (old city) The guide takes you to all the different crafts, including the tanneries and the weaver shops, (hand woven silk and cotton fabr ... We had a full day to explore the ancient city of Fes with the help of our guide Houcine. This included some of the oldest schools and universities still in existence in the Word
fes_school.jpg
and the beautiful medina (old city)
fes_spices.jpg
The guide takes you to all the different crafts, including the tanneries
fes_tannery.jpg
and the weaver shops, (hand woven silk and cotton fabrics) hoping you will buy souvenirs you don't need.
fes_costumes.jpg
Jordan had a great day looking for cats all over the city...
jmm_fes_cat.jpg

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