JenSaysThis

I stayed in Banff for only four days for a wedding. I am DEFINITELY coming back as soon as I am able. The national park is absolutely huge, with lots of trails of varying degrees of difficulty. It’s impossible not to miss the wildlife – elk, big-horn sheep, mule deer, moose, grizzly bears, just to name a few. Lake Louise is not to be missed, but be sure to hike further towards the glacier plains.

I stayed at The Juniper Hotel, which I highly recommend. The rooms are small, but who cares because you’ll want to be outside anyway!

I’ve travelled a lot in my life, and this place is EASILY one of my favorite places on Earth.

First off, it is quite an architectural feat. The mountain has it’s OWNPLUMBINGSYSTEM! If you walk up the snake path, you’ll notice what appears to be a series of caves. These caves are “mouths” which collect rainwater into a big silo in the mountain’s center. Somehow, the water manages to get pushed up to the top of the mountain. This means that at the height of it’s popularity, around 72 CE, the fortress atop Masada had running water which filled it’s lavish baths. Amazing considering that in plain view is the largest body of undrinkable water.

Then we get into it’s later history involving a group of Jewish rebels who refused to go into Roman slavery. They took refuge at Masada, and managed to live there comfortably for quite some time, thumbing their noses at the Romans who were sent to capture them. But, the Romans were incredibly tenacious, and managed to build a ramp to the gates. When all hope was lost, and it seemed the Romans were to barge through the gates, the group decided to commit suicide. They drew a lottery to determine who would be the last man alive and would take his own life. When you visit and walk through the well-preserved ruins, you can feel their presence. As a Jew, Masada instills a great sense of pride, because these people fought to the end, just to be able to live as Jews. It is truly an inspiring and heartbreaking story which I won’t be able to do justice here, so if you are thinking of visiting, I urge you to read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada

… and to watch the movie Masada starring Peter O’Toole:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0081900/

Hey there! I’ll be visiting Banff for a wedding in late May. Decided to turn the visit into a 4-day outdoor adventure weekend. I’m hoping some of you folks can help me with some recommendations. My sister and I want to go kayaking, our fiancees want to do some hiking. Can anyone recommend a place where we can rent kayaks? Any adventure outfitters come to mind? Moderatelly difficult trails? Also, what is the weather generally like around that time? Thanks!

I suggest staying in Trastevere – you’ll live within the locals, and really get a feel for what daily life is like for Romans.

On my birthday, my boyfriend and I went to a restaurant in Trastevere (sorry, I forgot the name!), and the experience was exactly what I fantasized a romantic Italian dinner to be. A quartet came to our candlelit table and sang to me. I’ll never forget it.

From Trastevere, you can access most of Rome on foot. Bring comfortable trainers! Rome also has an excellent bus system, so there is no need to rent a car.

See my pictures with captions at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JenSaysThis/RomanHoliday02

Ciao!

Not my proverbial cup of tea. To me, Las Vegas represents the zenith of man’s excess. The city’s reputation for being the nation’s seedy outpost for debauchery and bacchanalia is self fulfilling. Meaning: The city thrives financially on it’s reputation for producing crap.

There is nothing sadder than seeing a little old lady in a smoky casino, clutching her social security check with hope in her bloodshot eyes.

In a word: Guns.

So picture this…

You’re hiking down a wadi in the middle of a desert. Deserts have a certain appeal – they are serene and calm – one could find themself in a walking meditaion, if you will. But after about 3 hours in the scorching dry heat, you start yearn for the comforts of a Beduoin tent.

Then, the wadi gets narrower. The walls get steeper and redder. You keep hiking. Now the air is cooler because of the shade and a cool breeze provides a much needed respite. You look up at the wadi walls, which are getting redder and redder, and see a concave niche! A sign of a long extinct Nabatean civilization.

You continue to traverse the wadi, which gets narrower by the yard. It turns left. It turns right. At this point, the wadi is so narrow, that only a few people can walk through at a time. Another right, another left and then you see it…

The first glimpse of Petra is straight out of a movie (Indiana Jones, to be exact). You see the “treasury” walls carved straight out the mountain, and for a minute, you forget to breathe.