Adar

In the regular tour, you will walk in a line on a path through the basilica, and you will see a lot of beautiful things in the dim light. It isn’t a bad tour.

However, if you want to experience the Basilica as a holy place, I recommend going early in the morning, and going in the side door. A man will stop you and tell you (in Italian) that it’s the door for the morning prayers. You can nod, walk on in, and sit quietly in one of the chairs.

Listen to the monks, chanting the morning service. Listen to the people around you: some have come from far away to pray there, others are local. Soak in the spirit of the place.

I found myself meditating on the icon of the Virgin that sits at the front of the side chapel where the morning Mass takes place. It was seized by a Venetian from Constantinople, to establish Venice’s dominance in the Mediterranean, and sure enough, not too long after, Constantinople fell and became Istanbul.

I thought about the vicissitudes of power: the things that make people and nations feel powerful, the way that everything passes and changes.

Enjoy it for what it is. It isn’t Istanbul. It’s a beach town where a lot of shopping happens. Culture is a little trickier to find, but it is there, in the conversations, in the interaction, in the glass of apple tea.

Wear your walking shoes. And if you have mobility issues, come with someone who can help you. It’s a bear, but worth it.

I truly am speechless when I try to write about it. Awesome.

...will be my last, I think. Overpriced, overhyped, a disappointment. There are many beautiful Greek islands, but this one wasn’t for me.

Beautiful, but it made me sad. Rumor is that Oprah’s buying a house here. Nice for her, but housing prices are through the roof.

Scars from the war of the 90’s everywhere amidst the building frenzy.

Still a beautiful stretch of the coast, however, and the walls of the old city are impressive.

a little Torah scholar got restless and wandered down Hwy 49 in her car.

“I don’t feel like going back to school yet,” she said, grumpily, as she drove down the winding road. She noticed that when she stopped at a turnout, she could see the road winding behind and before her, looking for all the world like a California King Snake, the sort with a stripe down the length of its body.

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She saw wildflowers, redbuds and California poppies, clinging to the sides of the bluffs. She smelled the clean air and stopped to sit on a granite boulder for a while.

She saw the sign for Yosemite Park and mistakenly thought it was meant for her, since it seemed to say, “Yo! Semite!” so she drove over there, and behold, it was not only good, it was the most amazing looking place she’d seen in a while. It was obviously a holy place, so she said a blessing and began to feel her soul stir again.

She remembered the sages who would be sad if they didn’t see her in Reseda tomorrow, and got in her car. Back to work.

What a lovely little town—now I want to see more of the Gold Country along Hwy 49!

One bit of advice … the roads have lots of dips and little hills and curves. If you have a passenger who has trouble with carsickness, bring along some peppermint to settle the stomach!

I am looking forward to meeting the Jewish congregation in Angel’s Camp for Rosh HaShanah!

I hear it is a great place for a wedding.

OK, maybe you’ll need to Google it. In the 1980’s a CIA operation was involved in selling arms to Iran in order to raise funds for the “Contras,” a group which some considered unsavory and others considered “freedom fighters.” Congress hadn’t signed off on this deal so it was quite the scandal.

This Fairchild C-123 is one of two airplanes abandoned at San Jose airport in Costa Rica when Iran-Contra was shut down by Congress. Enterprising entrepreneurs hauled it up a mountainside to become the bar for “El Avion” restaurant, between Quepos and Manuel Antonio Park. The food was ok but nothing special, but the plane was definitely cool. Worth doing IF you don’t mind being seen doing something very touristy, and you remember the 1980’s.

For more info, check out this link: http://www.costaverde.com/avion01.htm