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June 21 2011

It’s been just over 3 months since I left on my mid life gap year adventure.

So far I have been to Sicily, then hiked the Amalfi Coast, popped over to Athens to see Delphi and Meteora, and then Rhodes, caught up with my brother in law in Rome for a few days, flew to London and overnighted in Bath, spent a week in Israel and another driving and walking through the Cotswolds, Devon and Cornwall.

I have had some wonderful times –the highlight so far was hiking on the Amalfi Coast and Cornwall and my time in Sicily

Travelling is addictive, the more you travel, the more you want to keep travelling, and yet there are moments that are very challenging. There are times when you don’t even remember what day it is (this can be a good and bad thing) and you can feel quite disconnected from everyone and everything, and other times when you wouldn’t be dead for quids!

It is sometimes also a challenge to stay in the present. Every now and then, I catch myself fast forwarding to next year and what I will do when the year is over, but for the most part I am fully absorbed in the colours, textures, sounds, flavour,  atmosphere and feeling of what I am experiencing.  

The more I reflect on what have learned so far in life, the more contradictions I encounter.

All I know for sure, is that I want to keep travelling, to keep exploring and to keep enjoying this amazing journey called life!

So I’ll bring you up to date with some photos and make you jealous with the next few stops on Mon’s mid life gap year journey.

London for a few days, then Paris, then Havana for Spanish lessons and a 2 week Salsa dancing course, then Mexico and Guatemala before heading to Barcelona from San Francisco to join Sydney friends Viv and Hugh for a cruise to Venice.

Maybe I’ll stop there for now…
Just to let that sink in...

A presto

Mon x

Tel-Aviv

view across Tel-Aviv from Hotel Deborah

Beach at Tel Aviv at dawn, Jaffa old town in the distance

The view from Olive cafe -it just happened to be on the Gay Pride parade route!

It was a family affair

although some of the dancing was X rated!

 Jerusalem

the walled Old City of Jerusalem bears the scars of past  battles (spot the bullet holes)

Within these walls are 4 distinct and interconnected "Quarters"

I happened to be staying in East Jerusalem near the entrance to the Muslim Quarter

a short distance away was the Church of The Holy Sepulchre, a very significant site for the world's Christians

Pilgrims flock to kneel, touch and pray where Jesus died and was resurrected

From the Jewish Quarter you can see the Western (Wailing) Wall, the timber walkway leads to the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock

Golden Menorah

I was here on a Monday, traditionally a time of Barmitzvah's

Beautiful outer wall

of Dome of the Rock

someone saw a marketing opportunity! 

a shop in the Armenian Quarter

A small community of Coptic monks actually lives above the roof of the Holy Sepulchre Church 

The gentleman in white tended to me when I banged my head on the low roof leading into their church

I kept bumping into this odd fellow

who did not miss an opportunity to "preach" to the bemused locals

This house under 24 hour guard (a Jewish family living in the Muslim Quarter) reflects the real tensions that exist in this amazing place

where you can buy exotic spices

and witness locals going about their business in this "living"city

View from the Mount of Olives

behind these high walls is a tranquil garden and coffee shop where you can rest for a while -The Austrian hospice is another great place to unwind and also has a roof top with an amazing view

Masada

This place is really worth a visit

It's surrounded by desert

and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

in these caves

You can walk up or take the cable car

and find the remains of what was a magnificent Palace built by Herod

Sadly a whole lot of people committed suicide rather than become slaves

I would have liked to stay longer ...this place reminds me of Machu picchu in Peru

The Dead Sea

Words that most of us can relate to and appreciate

Seems desolate but just ahead is a waterfall

and not far away is the Dead Sea

Bobbing around in the water is quite disconcerting! If you move too far one way you tip over and bob right back, just like some  yachts do when they capsize. Very strange feeling.

The view is mesmerising!