Most Unique treat in Syria

This treat can honestly be named the most unique treat we had in Syria. It is basically walnuts that have been pierced and strung up on a line and then dipped in a grape juice gelatin until covered. It is kind of like how you would make a tapered candle from scratch. The only difference is you can eat this one! The outside gelatin is the texture of gummy bears but has the flavor of grape juice. Strange and familiar all at the same time…

Aleppo

It was interesting to move from Damascus to Aleppo and have two totally different experiences. The train ride over through the countryside was so eye opening. We passed by fields and fields of piscacios and olive trees. I wanted to jump out and pick some at every turn. But alas, that will have to wait until our next trip. Once we arrived it felt as though we were in Aleppo for a big family reunion with Derar’s family. As soon as we arrived via train, Derar’s brother Yaman, was ready to whisk us to the family home. We were showered with tea, Turkish coffee (Rob’s favorite), wonderful conversation, and a delicious meal. The hospitality we received from Derar’s family was so overwhelmingly sincere and so needed right before the Christmas holidays. Being away from our own families made us miss home and even though we all had just met, they made us feel a part of the family. Hala, Derar’s sister, gave us insight into the woman’s point of view of Syrian society while Yaman and Noor, the newly engaged couple, explained the engagement process in the Middle East. It is so different and interesting from the states. After checking into our quaint hotel in the Old Downtown area, we met up again with everyone to see the Citadel at night. What a sight! The Citadel is a huge fortress sitting on top of a gigantic manmade mound possibly 8 times as large as the St. Augustine fort. The massive building built during the Crusades showcases a moat dug 20 meters deep by 30 meters wide. Pretty darn huge if you ask me. It was a little chilly to walk all the way around it that evening so we compromised and had hot tea and coffee at a café nearby.

The next day we went back to explore the Citadel by day and all I can say is WOW! Just the immense size of it was overwhelming. Once we got inside, it reminded me of the old fort in St. Augustine but then it seemed the rooms never ended. We finally reached the top for an amazing panorama view of Aleppo. I really wish the weather would have cooperated and delivered blue skies but alas, we were just happy it wasn’t pouring.

(pictures taken the next day when of course it was beautiful blue skies)

Afterwards we explored the Souk Al-Madina which was my favorite. Everywhere I turned there was something new and interesting… Case in point, there was a random truck at the beginning of the souk, expecting to see boxes in the back; I was surprised to find huge fresh fish and long slimy eels. They of course had every color pashmina you could imagine but they also had vats of Vaseline if you were in need. Yes, you can buy it by the vat! I, of course, had to take a picture.

They too had the “nut man” ready to scoop out whatever nut you desired and spices ready by the barrel. It seemed everyone knew we were foreigners as they would say “Merry Christmas” or “Welcome Madame” as we passed by. I am sure it was my huge camera ready to take pictures, but sweet none the less. One guy made us laugh as we walked by and he yelled out “I have cheap junk”. If only he knew what he was really saying… Afterwards, we headed back to the family home for a delicious lunch of rice, an okra dish with stewed tomatoes you put over the rice, cooked spinach (which I actually loved…who knew), lentil soup, and pomegranates seeds for dessert. I have to say I am now an okra lover! I had never had pomegranate before but it was so refreshing after such a comforting meal. I have to say the highlight of our time in Aleppo was Derar’s mother’s cooking. Once our food settled, we set off to explore Aleppo by night with Yaman and Noor. They were so sweet to take us to the Christian areas full of Christmas lights and Christmas trees. We walked around enjoying the holiday spirit, exploring the stores, and trying my first Shwarma sandwich. It was right up my alley with warm chicken sliced right off the spit, with a pickle, and tomato rolled up in pita flat bread.

Our last full day was fun as we were able to see a day through a Syrian collegiate’s eyes. We went onto campus and Yaman and Noor toured us around the different facility (department) buildings. We were able to see classrooms and labs, the campus cafeteria stocked full of “college food” (chips, sodas, and cheese sandwiches), college kids milled around with anxiety written all over them waiting to take exams, and big grassy noles with students studying, hanging out, and just being. It was fantastic. Oh, to be young again. The cheese sandwiches were pretty tasty, kind of like a rolled up cheese quesadilla. You know how Rob feels about cheese, so he passed. His loss! The interesting part is the school itself reminded me of what a college would look like back in the 60s in relation to the types of desks and classrooms. The kids though, were dressed like they walked off the cover of a magazine with large hip sunglasses and leather jackets. They could have been at any American university. Afterwards we had the best Middle Eastern pizza ever! Hala’s husband is the owner of a pizza restaurant, so we were able to meet him and indulge ourselves. The toppings were really interesting as they ranged from chicken to turkey to veggie. Remember there is no pepperoni here, so we went with chicken and it was pretty darn good. If only I could be in school again. Later that day Noor’s family had us over for sweets and offered us a jar of olives picked from their family farm. It was so enlightening to learn green and black olives come from the same tree, the difference is just when you pick them. Then depending on which type you picked determined which process you used to make them edible. I have to say, the ones they have us have been addicting! I will be getting more the next time we come back!!

Top to Bottom/Left to Right

Me, Layla, Hala, Noor, Yaman, Rob and Zaid, Mrs. Islim

It was hard to say goodbye as even in our short visit, we left feeling like family. It was such a wonderful feeling as being away from our own families during the holiday season has been hard. Thank you so much Yaman and Noor for showing us your beautiful Aleppo, thank you Hala, Zaid and Layla for sharing your laughter, insight and hugs, thank you Mrs. Islim for opening your home and wonderful kitchen to us, and most of all Derar for putting us in contact with your wonderful family. We miss you all already!!!

Damascus or BUST!

Our trip to Syria started off with taking a service taxi to the border. The station was just right around the corner from our new apartment, it was an easy walk down the hill. As you can imagine, our small school backpacks were jammed back with the essentials to travel abroad for a week. The drive took only two hours after picking up two other passengers along the way. We have finally figured out that any vehicle whether taxi, bus, or service taxi must be filled completely before they will continue. Leaving Jordan was a cinch, we just needed to pay the $5 exit tax and move onto the next border crossing. Once we arrived to the Syrian border it was just a matter of waiting. We were told it could take up to 8 hours from friends who traveled earlier in the year. So we brought books, snacks, and cards…we were ready for the long haul. But thankfully it was only a 3 hour wait. I had my first visit to the “squatty potty” and wasn’t impressed. I am sure you can imagine how it worked and let me say I am VERY thankful for the modern toilet we have today. Now the next task was to get to Damascus, about an hour and a half drive away. With no taxis in sight, we had to get creative. We paired up with two other American girls who were also waiting for a taxi. Thankfully a car came along with a passenger who spoke very good English and offered us a ride. The catch was we all had to jam pack into the backseat for the ride. Yes, all four of us. Poor Rob and his long legs! But then again, it was worth saving $6 per person and we would probably still be waiting there for a ride.


Once we arrived to our hotel in Damascus we called up Luay and Lubna, our fantastic tour guides of the city. Thanks to our good friend Derar who hooked us up with them. Even though it was raining we still walked the streets taking in everything. Both of us couldn’t get over how historical it looked. The old buildings just spoke of their history with stones that have been there for what looked like hundreds of years. Our first stop was the Souk Al Hamidiyeh, only a 5 minute walk from our hotel in the Old City.

It was an amazing market with a ceiling made of arched metal lined with modern and traditional stores selling everything you could think of. Both of us were so amazed as it looked so different from anything we had seen in Jordan.

At the end of the Souk Al Hamidiyeh, it led us to the Umayyad mosque. What a sight at night! Everything was lit up with either green or gold.

Because I wasn’t fully covered, I needed to adorn a monk’s cloak to go inside. I think I rather carried off a cute Star Wars Jedi look, if I do say so myself.

The mosque was originally a Roman temple that was turned into a church and then a mosque. It actually housed the entombed shrine of John the Baptist’s head. Yes, I said head. Strange, I know. 

After turning in my Jedi robe, we meandered around the Old City and found an amazing courtyard restaurant. The neat thing about the Old City is you cannot tear down the buildings but have to renovate them into stores, restaurants, hotels, and the like. The restaurant we ate in was really an old house where courtyard was enclosed and renovated into an amazing indoor oasis. We were famished and ready for some traditional Syria food so we ordered just about everything on the menu, at least it felt like it. Frekeh (Freak-a), was Rob’s most favorite which was a dish made of cooked wheat grain with small veggies and lamb meat.

The next day we traveled the beautiful countryside to visit three Christian sites. The first, the Convent of our Lady of Seidnayya, a church built into the mountain side, at the time of the Crusades it was considered only second to Jerusalem because of the portrait of the Virgin Mary said to be painted by St. Luke.

The second was the most beautiful church on the top of a mountain. Not only did it have amazing views, but there was even snow! Not too much but hey, there was snow!!!

The last was Maaloula where it was said Thecla, a Christian martyr, cornered by Roman soldiers prayed to God at the bottom of the mountain which was then struck by lightning creating a cleft that facilitated her escape. It reminded me of the cleft leading to Petra only on a much smaller scale.

Our last day in Damascus was on our own exploring the Old City and the Handicraft Market. I was amazed by all the inlayed wooden boxes found at every store. After much window shopping, I left the Handicraft Market with an amazing octagon box made of rosewood, mother of pearl, and olive tree wood and a scarf. Our dinner that evening was probably my favorite as the courtyard restaurant was amazing and I even tried a new drink made of tea, mint, and lemon. Strange color, I know, but tasty all the same. Rob even liked it, if you can imagine. 

Then we were off to Aleppo via train.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Middle East!!!  Our tree might be meager but our Christmas spirit is as large as ever.    

Christmas day was full of relaxation, headbands with reindeer ears, listening to Christmas music on I-tunes, baking pumpkin bread, naps, and eating a delish beef tenderloin.  We hope your day was just as great!!

Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!

Arabic Oven

Due to our crazy Christmas Eve oven problems (see blog below), we were forced to use an "Arabic Oven" for our Christmas Eve leg of lamb and Christmas day beef tenderloin.  Here is a picture below of the crazy contraption.  But it actually worked pretty well.  The only catch is it didn't have any temperature gauge.  So it was either high or low, kind of like a gas stove.  Needless to say we went with low for both meals.  We didn't want to chance the Christmas sugar cookies on the high/low setting...so cross your fingers our oven will be fixed sooner rather than later.

The burners are underneath powered by the big green gas tank hooked up on the side.

My lovely roast cooking away.

Christmas Eve

What a roller coaster of a day it has been. Christmas Eve this year started out wonderful, got a little challenging, then frustrating, and finally just perfect. To start at the beginning we got into Amman, Jordan at 9pm only the night before from a 10 hour bus ride from Aleppo, Syria. So to say the least, it was just good to be home and back in our own place. My plan was to take a shower but for some reason the hot water heater switch kept turning itself off. Maybe it was tired? I know I was after such a long bus ride. We called the landlord and he said he would send someone out to look at it later in the day. No problem, we had errands to run. After a lazy start we headed to the post office and then the grocery store. The plan was to roast a leg of lamb for Christmas Eve and beef tenderloin for Christmas day. YUM! Afterwards we headed to another mall for our Christmas tree. Artificial of course (they don’t have live Christmas trees here) but cute none the less. Heading back home to have our roast and a glass of wine, we were all smiles. This is when things got challenging. Hmmm, we didn’t have a wine bottle opener. Must have forgotten that detail… No worries, we will just run down to the store and get one. After Rob looked up the word for corkscrew in Arabic (since of course in a culture of non-drinkers it isn’t a common vocab word in school) he set off to find one. Of course the liquor store down the road didn’t have it, go figure…so he waved down a man to use his new vocab word and came back with one in hand. Now the next task was to prepare the roast. I went to preheat the oven and hmmm, it wasn’t working. Maybe I was doing it wrong??? Alas no dice. So we called the landlord again to get help. At 6:30pm he arrived with an electrician and was able to fix the hot water heater switch, now onto the stove. After about 45 minutes of fiddling and lighting every known crevice (this is a gas oven) it was determined the oven did NOT work. Nice! We are now frustrated if you can’t tell. So now onto plan B… It was either take the roast down to the landlord’s oven or wait until they could bring an “Arabic Oven” from their old apartment about 30 minutes away. It was time for a deep breath. Enter “Arabic Oven”… I didn’t really know what to expect, I mean, how different can it be from a regular oven? Picture the oldest type of bread oven known and connect it to a big gas tank and there you have it. With no temperature gauge, we just guestimated and went with it. With Christmas music planning off of Itunes, we sat down to a lovely roast and a glass of wine at 11:08pm. After all was said and done, it was worth all the hassle.

Syria or BUST!

We leave for the Syrian border early tomorrow morning and it shall be interesting to see how long it will take us to cross. We have heard stories of people waiting up to 8 hours. Yes, you read that correct, 8 hours. Hopefully ours will be a mild 3-4 hours, but one can only hope. My plan is to bring a good book and settle in. Then we will be off to Damascus and Aleppo for a total of 7 days. With so much history to take in, I think exploring Syria will be like walking into a real life museum.

Due to traveling, I will probably not be posting anything until we return for Christmas. So do not be alarmed. Just hope we are having a blast and absorbing everything we can.

Traditional food

We arrived at a local Balad restaurant today with stomachs growling. The idea was to try two traditional Arabic meals including mansef and maqlubeh (pronounced mock-lu-bay). Rob had the maqlubeh which his basically an upside down dish of rice, spices, lamb meat, and eggplant. Yes, he ate eggplant. I was surprised also. Basically, they cook it in one big pot adding food layers to allow for different cooking times and then once it is done dump it upside down onto your plate. Thank goodness the dumping upside down is done in the kitchen, as I could see this as being a little messy.

I, on the other hand, tried the mansef. This was my first mansef experience, so I didn’t really know exactly what to expect. I have been told Jordan is known for its mansef. I wasn’t disappointed. You could get either lamb or chicken, I went with lamb. And boy, was it good! Basically it is slow cooked lamb over rice with pine nuts on top. They give you a side of a creamy yogurt sauce that was just delish too. The idea is to add the sauce on to your taste and dig in. Usually mansef is served on a platter the size of a small coffee table and eaten with your hands. But today’s gathering was a bit smaller and more portion-controlled. Which thank goodness because it was so good, I could have eaten a small coffee table size amount. And yes, I used a fork. Maybe next time I’ll try it with my hands.

I have to say we will be returning for seconds sooner than later.

Pencils and moving boxes

Pencils down and noses removed from books...Rob's finals are finally done! Yippee! I have my hubby back for three weeks! I can't believe this semester is already over but I think we both are ready for a break.

Come next semester we are crossing our fingers classes will start a little later in the day. Although now that we moved to Jebel Al-Webdeh; we will probably be taking a taxi instead of walking to school. With my running mileage schedule growing by leaps and bounds, it will probably be for the best.

Moving via taxi proved to be a challenge but not one that couldn't be overcome. Our strategy was to move in stages...two suitcases here, a box or two there. In the end, it became a game of how many shopping bags we had available and if everything could fit into the miscellaneous box or bag we had available. After all was said and done, we crammed it into our waiting taxi and set off for new digs.

Now it is time to unpack, settle in, and enjoy the quietness of our new apartment. Oh and also thoroughly enjoy our giant space heaters to the fullest. I can say that being contently warm is one of my most favorite things right now. Now ask me that again in about 7 months in the middle of June and I will probably say the exact opposite.

Chinese food in the Middle East?

One rain soaked night, two friends and I decided we wanted something different. Why not Chinese? Who knew there were Chinese restaurants in the Middle East? Not me. But you don’t hear me complaining, that is for sure. First impressions were good, as I was impressed by the Christmas lights and Christmas tree in the lobby. I’m a sucker for Christmas decorations. As we sat down, I looked around. I think we were the only non-Asians in the place…definitely a good second impression. I opened the menu and was excited to see wonton soup. How I love soup on rainy cold days. We decided it was best to order big and then share. The bonus, they sold beer too. Mind you this is very rare and usually only offered in western hotels.

I have to say it was the best Middle Eastern Chinese food I have had.

Window Coverings

When we arrived to Jordan, we noticed something unique about our windows.  There seemed to be storm shutters attached.  The hurricane type, I guess.  Not that there are many hurricanes in Jordan.  Maybe they were dust or sand storm shutters?  And it wasn't just our apartment building, all of the apartment buildings had them.

After figuring out how to open and close via the cord on the side, we began to really enjoy them. 

Not only did they block out any light for late morning sleep ins, but they also kept some of the cold out.  Key word, some. 

Some people even kept them closed all the time.  This is our building below with some with them totally closed, some partically open, and others totally open.  Just so you can get an idea.

Sent from Home

We want to thank all of those thoughtful and very generous friends and family who have made our stay here in Jordan so much more special by sending comforting care packages from home. Opening them has been such a bright spot in our day, make that week or even month! As soon as we get it back to the apartment, I rip them open like Christmas morning, oohing and awhing as we look at everything inside. It is like you are sitting right next to us smiling and giggling as much as I am. I guess with it being so close to the holidays I am getting sentimental but I am just so grateful we have such wonderful people in our lives.


Top 5 items (in no particular order)

• Most Hilarious – A fly swatter (we have an apartment mosquito problem that is slowly getting under control, this shall help tremendously)

• Most yummy – pretzels/breakfast bars (Mel) and Nuts (Rob)

• Most useful for crazy cold winters in the Middle East (who knew they had cold winters?!?) – long johns and Rob’s gloves

• Most Odd but most desired – cupcake liners (who knew I would be so obsessed with making cupcakes)

• Most comforting housewarming gift – our top bed sheet (due to suitcase weight limits we only brought our bottom bed sheet)

Thank you all again for everything! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Petra @ Night

Tilt your screen and you can see the Treasury at the top.

The Petra at night experience was as unique and memorable as could be. We walked in a hushed single file line or by two with married couples holding hands. The path lit by luminaries and moonlight. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to see anything with the stone walls being so high and the path somewhat sheltered but the moonlight cast a glow like no other. The walls were not rose colored as they were earlier in the day but shades of midnight blue, gray, and silver.

Once we arrived into the Treasury area, we were guided to mats on the floor to sit and enjoy the show. The area in front of the treasury was lit with lines of luminaries. We were served hot tea and the show began. They had two performers, the first a singer who played his Ute with a violin bow and the second a flute player. Both were amazing as the sound resonated off every crevasse like a huge amphitheatre.

Petra Hotel

I have to say our hotel felt like the Ritz! I guess I am being overly dramatic since I have been a little deprived here in Jordan of the luxuries of home. But I have to say, they had the best water pressure, softest and fluffiest towels, most comfortable bed (a real bed and not a 2 inch foam mattress like thing), a fluffy duvet comforter, and a huge flat screen TV. Oh and did I mention they had central heating? I was in heaven!!!! We enjoyed every moment, including but not limited to the sunset Happy Hour! How I miss thee already!

Petra

We awoke at 5am to find our waiting taxi at 6:15am and made our way to the bus station. Backpacks weighed down with warm clothing for the Petra at Night show, a picnic lunch, and bottles of water; we were ready to go. The 3 ½ hour drive down to Petra wasn’t bad at all. When we arrived my excitement had reached its peak. Everyone said the site was amazing, but watching Indian Jones and the Last Crusade couldn’t prepare me for the sight I found after the 25 minute walk into the Petra park.


After about a 10 minute walk on a gravel path with huge tourists groups speaking every language you can imagine, we reached the crevasse in the mountain called the Siq that would led us to the Lost City of Petra.

I, of course, stopped at almost every turn to take yet another picture. It was just amazing to see this path chiseled out of such high cliffs. I don’t know if they were man-made or created from Mother Nature, but they were amazing none the less. Later reading in the plethora of Petra literature, I read the canyon was not created by water but actually from tectonic forces. Who knew?!? After another 15 minute walk through the maze of mountains, we could see a sliver of the treasury of Petra.

That is when you knew you arrived. In awe, I just stood there taking it all in. The treasury itself rose to 130 feet chiseled out of the iron-laden rose colored sandstone.

We explored further into the city as Rob wanted to climb to the High Place of Sacrifice. The travel books all said it had amazing views and of course, as you can imagine a lot of climbing involved. I felt like I was on the stairmaster gone mad.

We did stop a quarter of the way up to have our picnic lunch. As we dined on PB&J sandwiches, I watched the tired and weary faces of the tourists that were coming down the stairs…this should have been my first clue. They all of course said it was so worth it and to keep going. I let the hubby lead and soon after we reached the half way point thought this might not have been a good idea. I wasn’t seeing other crazy stair-climbing tourists anymore and we seemed to be following footprints in the sand instead of trail markings.

Rob assured me we were on the right path and we kept climbing. Once we reached the top, we were alone. I could see a bunch of ant-like people on top of a nearby mountain…I guess we climbed the wrong “high place”? Gotta love it. When all was said and done, our mountain, was just as beautiful, scenic, and best of all quiet.

As I headed out of the park, I was tired yet exhilarated. We were coming back in only a few hours to see the Petra at Night show. I couldn’t wait.