Vacation is here

July 3
An early start to the day led me to the airport to catch my flight to Grand Cayman.  Making a stopover in Miami gave me some time to catch up on some “work” that needed to be taken care of before I headed back into paradise.

As part of this journey of letting go I decided to completely forgo my usual CIA level of research before a trip. I’m traveling with minimal information on my locations, no guide book, and trusting that I will find or experience whatever I need. I’ve also decided to explore the non-traditional ways of accommodations. I had such a great time with the hostel experience in Israel that I thought I should expand my horizons. For me, this is a big deal. Knowing where I’m going to sleep and that it’s of decent caliber has always been my thing about traveling. I can easily go camping on the beach and be fine, but I won’t do roach infested hotels (had enough of that experience in Ethiopia).

My point is that for the first time I chose to use Priceline for my accommodations in Turks and Caicos. My sister uses this all of the time but is usually able to figure out the hotel before committing. I took a leap of faith and just clicked on the price I liked and hoped for the best. The accommodations worked out and it led to meeting a new friend.

The next exploration was with airbnb.com. If you’re looking for passive income and have an extra room, guest house, vacation condo, or even RV to advertise you can put it online at  airbnb.com and voila instant bookings. For people looking for different places to stay, you can search in your desired destination during your time frame within your budget and find local places to rent. The owners don’t get paid until the person finishes their stay, but they do charge your card so the money is collected up front. Airbnb takes a percentage and sends the rest to the owner. You can look at reviews and pictures before you commit. They offer accommodations around the world, so give it a shot.

For me, I chose a beach-side apartment that had a room for rent. We had a couple of communications before arrival but I really didn’t know what to expect since there weren’t any reviews and he was new to airbnb. After landing I grabbed a taxi to the location and found a perfect beach side apartment on the second floor. This will do.

Toufic, my host for the next several days greeted me. I walked into a spacious 2 bedroom apartment with an open floor plan, fantastic kitchen, my own bathroom, washer/dryer, and a view of the South Sound of Grand Cayman that can’t be beat.

He took me to the store in his black-on-black with the super-fly wheels jeep wrangler to get some sundries and again I walked into an amazing display of food and treats. Hopping back into his jeep we headed back to the apartment, where he made us his comfort food of wheat bread, zatar, olive oil, fresh tomato, and cheese. So far this airbnb thing was working out.

During the cooking session we familiarized ourselves with each other and found that life had serendipitously brought two very similar people together. We sat out on the balcony discussing a range of topics from the philosophy of life, our mutual endeavors to start new businesses, to him almost getting his SAG card while working in Laguna Beach. Smelling the ocean in the air while we chatted, I noticed there was a draft of weed mixed with the salty spray. I sat there laughing to myself as I indulged in a bottle of wine and enjoyed island life around me. Now I was on vacation.

Finding my rhythm

 July 2

I woke up the first time with the sound of a txt from a friend at 6AM. I was having a fitful sleep thinking that I needed to get up to go to work or do something. My body was fighting this whole rest and relaxation thing. I realized that I’m almost addicted to the constant go, go, go, the connection to email, facebook, linkedin, txting, whatever else dings on my phone. Normally, this isn’t hard for me to disconnect but I realized that I’m usually busy doing activities or seeing sights during a trip that I don’t realize I’m not connected to my other world. This trip is a whole other challenge. Total detachment and spending time with me and the people I meet on my journey. Sounds easy enough, but it’s taking some physical effort to adjust.

Just in case you were lost...

That said I did finally manage to sleep in until 10:30 for a grand total of 12 hours of sleep! Winner, winner! Chicken dinner! So....what was in store for the day...beer and beach time. Realizing the breakfast buffet was about to close I jetted to the lobby to get my morning coffee fix and then slowly got myself ready. I eventually found my way to a local restaurant above the main square (after some fun picture taking) to enjoy the local delicacy of conch.

Every man's dream :)

Tell me more, captain...

 While there I met a couple who had been there for 10 days. I wondered what one does on a tiny island for 10 days so of course I asked. Their response, “a couple of tours and then explored every beach on the island.” They seemed almost excited that someone had taken interest in their serendipitous exploration. They went on to explain that their accommodations were unintentionally remote and thus they had no choice but to get a rental car which meant exploring the island while driving on the other side of the road. That said, over lunch I heard a couple of tales about deserted beaches and harrowing tales of their poor roller skate of a car making it to the end of rough pothole ridden roads to find azure waters and sugar fine sand beaches to enjoy. They proceeded to give me tips on the places to eat and things to do. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I was leaving the next day, they seemed too excited to share their adventures.

Ready to sail?

Happily full of conch fritters, I made my way to the supermarket. This is one of my favorite activities when I get to a new place. It gives you an idea of the local expectations and culinary styles. Let’s just say that this supermarket was nicer than any store I’ve been into in Arizona. It’s clear they cater to the rich here. Aisles of perfectly displayed fruit, alcohol, and assorted sundries displayed in visually stunning arrangements were throughout the store. I made my way to the fridge to find the beer section. Wanting a local beer I asked the attendant if I could buy singles (they were all packaged in 6-packs) and he came over and took them out for me one by one and then helped me to the register. That’s service. Then the cashier and I struck up a conversation, a comparison of mani pedi techniques (what can I say, I am a girl and she had pretty nails). I left feeling happy, well served, and thinking everyone on this island is extremely nice.

Pedi in the sand :)

 Off to the beach I found my spot in the sand and watched the storm off in the distance making lightening strikes in the ocean. I cracked my beer and went to float in the warm bath water and soak up the energy.

L-i-v-i-n!

From there I migrated to my towel where I worked on my fourth book for this trip thus far. Eventually I felt the rain drops and figured it was time to go back to the hotel.

What more can you ask for?

Happiness!

Upon my entry to the lobby I was reminded about the cocktail party happening in an hour so I made a bee line for the hammocks by the pool. A nap seemed like the right thing to do on a...what day is it?....afternoon. So I passed a good hour rocking with the breeze under a coconut palm tree. Occasionally opening my eyes thinking that I hope one of those doesn’t fall on me.

The view from my breakfast table.

I heard the karaoke music at the bar starting up and I took that as my cue for happy hour. Off I went to join the festivities and the rhythm of island life. For now, at least, my body wasn’t resisting this new rhythm. Maybe it just needed some detox time.

Yay for a new rhythm!

Life is a journey, not a destination.

July 1

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

So true, so true. So if the stars had aligned appropriately I would have arrived in Turks and Caicos around 1pm and had a whole day of beach and island time to enjoy, but the heavens were not allowing it yesterday. After a very intense week of finishing up residency, packing up my “precious” belongings in 118 degree AZ heat (I don’t know how I collected so much stuff I swear I kept paring down), carting it in a 17’ uhaul trailer across state lines during the wee hours of the morning, getting 4 hours of sleep and then moving it into storage in San Diego I headed to the airport to begin my journey. 

I started the trip off right with a nice glass of wine and some yummy (no joke) airport food and made my way to Newark for a quick overnight layover. Up at 6AM (I am not a morning person and soon I will be able to choose my own hours), splurged on some waffles (it’s vacay, I’m allowing myself some carbs) and other yummy breakfast before I was chauffeured to the airport. 

Everything was going smoothly. We boarded the plane, almost ready to take off when the first announcement came:

“This is the captain speaking, welcome aboard. Unfortunately, we have a rain storm coming through so we need to wait for that to pass and then we’ll be off.”  

An hour later, “ladies and gentleman they’ve shut down the flights outbound because of weather and we don’t know when they are going to open it back up.” 

Another hour later, “we’re going to let you off the plane to get food.” 

Twenty minutes later, “they just cleared our route out so we can’t let you off the plane”. 

An hour later, “we are number fifty in line, sorry folks.” 

Another hour later, “they’ve told us to shut down our engines to conserve fuel because they are trying to figure out our re-route.”  Awesome...I used the time to catch up on much needed sleep. 

Twenty minutes later, “folks, they’ve just given us our new flight plan and we’re getting ready to take off. Buckle up!” Resounding cheers from the cabin. 

Three hours into the flight, “well folks, we’ve been fighting 100 mph head winds the whole way down and were told we would have a tail wind. We had enough fuel when we left but because of the head winds we won’t make it unless we stop for fuel so we are going to stop in West Palm Beach.” 

This is the point where I start laughing and I realized that my yogini skills of non-attachment are coming into play. The old version of me would have been CRANKY, more like extremely pissed off. Being sleep deprived, hungry, and having to wait in a confined space does not make me a happy Coley. With this perfect trifecta it usually only takes a small thing to set me off. Now, after my months of yogini training ;) who gives a shit? Honestly, is getting angry going to do anything in the moment other than make you and everyone else more unhappy? Nope. So laugh about and enjoy the time to yourself and detach. I found this quote and thought it was apt:

“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” 

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

Finally fueled up and getting ready for take off the captain says, “folks we really appreciate your attitude about everything that has happened today. About everything that could go wrong has...” at which point I thought, dude don’t put that out there, we still have to fly over open water and land on a small island. You’re just about to invoke Murphy’s law with that statement. 

Finally! On approach to TCI...

Anyway, we made it without incident and I could smell the ocean in the muggy air as we walked down the landing steps. God I love the ocean! Whisked off into a van to my hotel I was immediately met with the best thing about traveling alone. Meeting people. One of the poor passengers had missed her connection to a smaller island and had to spend the night here. We started talking and then realized we were staying at the same hotel. 

After checking in we agreed that after a 12 hour journey to get here, a cleansing dip at the beach was a necessary inauguration of our trips. A fast change into bathing suits and grabbing a local beer to go we made the quick walk to the beach. So amazing. It wasn’t crowded. The wind was a perfect temperature. The sun was a warm golden orange with rays of pink and purple reflecting off the water. The water felt like a warm bath. You couldn’t ask for a better welcome to vacation. 

A very happy Coley! :)

As we floated and chatted she commented on how when you travel alone you often rely on signs and your intuition. I became acutely aware of this during my trip to Israel. You tend to go with the flow. Her signs to hang out with me: my story of the last year of my life was eerily similar to hers, I had the same purple suitcase as her, I’m traveling alone, and I had red hair which meant I had to be fun. :) My signs: the fact that we were staying at the same hotel, when she handed me her card with her cell phone on it her job description said brand strategy and identity...something I’ve been looking for over the past week to help me with my business. Perfection. We enjoyed the water, the scenery, and then enjoyed a yummy dinner at a beachside resort of fresh seafood and delicious girly cocktails while we compared travel stories.

Getting close to sunset...

As we walked back to the hotel I thought about how fun traveling alone is when you let go and open yourself up to meeting people and having experiences. It always brings about the most interesting conversations. Even with my move I got asked by the burly movers, “you drove this yourself?”

“Mmhmm”, as I’m sweating my ass off unloading shit.

“Really? You’re moving alone.” Like this was some unfathomable thing to be doing.

“Yes...in the middle of the night, too.” I could see this didn’t sit well with him. So to make him feel better I said, ”I’ve moved a lot. Driving a moving truck could be a second job for me by now.” That seemed to make him feel more comfortable. 

Why are so many people uncomfortable with other people doing stuff alone? I pretty much have the same conversation when I travel. Replace the word ‘move’ with ‘travel’ and you have the conversation I have every time I journey out into the world. By the end of the chat I usually have new friends and they want to hear about my adventures, but my resounding answer is, traveling alone is an amazing experience. Try it!

I know people worry about feeling lonely, but if you let go and are open to saying hello and engage in life around you, you are anything but lonely. Last night in the jacuzzi a girl started telling me that she couldn’t do it because she wasn’t very outgoing. My response, “you don’t have to be....people come to you.” Case in point, she started the conversation with me. Once people know you are traveling alone suddenly you have offers to lunches, dinner, travel experiences that aren’t open to the average tourist. I’ve had personal guided tours of towns from locals followed by home made meals and wonderful celebrations leaving amazing memories and new found friends around the globe. How do you beat that?!  

Just try it once. You don’t have to go out of the country, but just step away from your life and let go. Be open to experiencing something new. I know it’s scary the first time, but it’s good for you to test your comfort zones. Once you do, your comfort zone gets a little larger and you’ll be eager for the next step. :)

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

Grace Bay Sunset

Until tomorrow, my friends...I'm off to the beach! :)

Rest and Reset

It’s time. Time to let go. To take my leap of faith and follow my heart and my dreams. That’s what this trip is about. The last destination helped me discover my heart (feel free to read my blog from Israel to follow that journey) and this one is about allowing me to rest and reset. I just finished almost a decade long path to finally become a Family Medicine physician. A very long journey that had way too many bumps in the road both professionally and personally but in the end I’m stronger, braver, and more beautiful for it.

Throughout it all, the one constant for me was travel. It was my way to bring perspective and, to be honest, to escape when things were becoming too much. Nothing helps calm things down and allow me to really think than a jaunt to new territory. 

Of course, graduation marks a point for me to plan a monumental vacation but oddly I had trouble with this. I had lots of ideas and plans that either didn’t feel right or didn’t work out. Then one night on one of my final ER shifts my attending and I started comparing travel experiences, suddenly Turks and Caicos was on the table. It had been on my bucket list back in med school as I stared at the dreary grey snow on the streets of da’ Bronx, but I had forgotten about it. A few days and many google and trip advisor searches later I had put together my itinerary:

Turks and Caicos (7/1-7/4)
Grand Cayman (7/4-7/7)
Surprise Destination (stay tuned for the details;) , 7/7-7/10)

With that new found bravery and beauty I’ll be charging forward and writing the next chapter of my life as I move back to San Diego, CA. Before I do that though I need a chance to feel closure and to rest. To be completely done which, for me, will only happen if I sit my ass on a beach and do nothing but read, swim, and enjoy local food and people. So join me as I struggle with doing nothing (those of you who know me, know how hard this is for me) as a way to close one door and open another. :)

Todah Israel!

Todah Israel! 12/5

I woke up early and figured I should take advantage of the few hours of sunshine before I headed to the airport. The air was crisp and the city still wet from the rain last night. I took a walk through the Old City again and felt like I had the place to myself.

An art installation in an alleyway...the tree of life.

I got down to the shore and found all of the fishermen with their poles lined up along the wall waiting for a tug on the reels from the fish below.

Morning sea life.

The flag of Israel between two fishing poles.

Joggers and bikers passed by. I watched the Ocean. Decent waves were rolling in which, I could tell, meant another storm was coming even though the sun was shining.

Morning view of Tel Aviv.

A view of Tel Aviv through the faith sculpture.

The morning rays lit up the Old City of Jaffa.

Feeling content from my morning beach scene I went out on the hunt for the wishing bridge in Jaffa. It’s a bridge in the middle of the Old City of Jaffa that has astrological signs on it. According to local legend, if you walk out onto the bridge and touch your astrological sign while making a wish and looking at the sea your wish will come true. Sign me up!

Beautiful tile work.

My goat in tile.

I got there and found barriers up on either ends with a sign saying the bridge was about to collapse. Taking a look at this bridge, it really didn’t look like it was in disrepair. I had been on many other bridges that were more rickety than this one.

Doesn't look like it's going to collapse to me.

How could I resist an opportunity to make my wish come true? That’s right, in the words of Beavis and Butt-head, I was “breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law”. Although, I doubt the local authorities really would have cared, in my usual style I said “go big or go home”. I jumped the fence (way too easy, if they want to keep people out they need to try a little harder), I went out onto the bridge, found my Capricorn goat, looked at the sea, and made my wish! I think it definitely should come true given the extra effort I put into, right? ;)

My sign, the capricorn goat. Deterred by very few things in life! ;)

Proof that I made my wish!

Without a structural collapse and police incident I made it safely off the bridge and resumed my walk back to the hostel. I checked out and went for breakfast at a local restaurant, Puaa, intensely recommended by my host at the hostel. The owner squeezed me in at the bar and served me one last meal of shakshuka and cappuccino which I thoroughly enjoyed while listening to the sights and sounds of a little girls birthday party happening upstairs. I watched the little kids climb up the stairs using all of their might and staring at me with their twinkling eyes. They were upstairs leaning how to make cookies. I’ll admit that I really wanted to join them. Being five, cooking, playing, what’s not to love?!  Alas, it was time to go. I walked out into the rain, got in the car, and headed to the airport simultaneously happy and sad.

Happiness at the ocean.

I got there over three hours early and I am glad that I did. They take their airport security seriously here. I made it through the initial bag screening to be told I need to have an additional security check. I waited 45 minutes until I was called over by a very quiet screener who kept apologizing to me and promised he would help me repack my luggage as he opened the pandora’s box that was my suitcase. Calling his supervisor over about the fig jelly I was bringing home they had a nice 10 minute discussion on whether to open it and check if it was explosive or send it in a box by itself. Another girl came over and opened it. Yes, my free fig jelly was not explosive. Neither of them seemed to care about the large bottle of wine in my suitcase. Using his magic bomb detector wand over and over again through every crevice of my suitcase he inadvertently managed to hook it onto my pink and black lace underwear which went flying out along with a few other unmentionables. Oh vey! That thing is definitely not going to find a bomb in my luggage but it seems to have no problem finding my underwear and jam. Thoroughly embarrassed, he said, “Okay, you are cleared. Ehhhh, you want me to help you pack or you want to do it yourself?”  Seeing his cheeks were red I decided to spare him the embarrassment of repacking my underwear and put my suitcase back together again. He escorted me over to the ticket area. Checked in I went through another security area where again every inch of my carryon was inspected. All in all it took me over two hours to finally get to my gate. I had just enough time to get a beer, some food, and do a quick run through of the airport shops before boarding my plane.

Ummm, what's with selling lingerie at the airport?
Seems more appropriate for Las Vegas. Just sayin!

Ignore my finger pointing to Turkey, it slipped while
I was waiting for the lady to take the picture.

Finally on board and surrounded by Russians heading to Moscow I tuned out their language and stared out the window as we took off. I watched this beautiful country get smaller below the clouds. Inspired by some of Alon’s beautiful pictures out of plane windows I decided to pull out my camera to capture my last view of this amazing country. Just as I did, this is what I saw, a final gift.....

Do you see the rainbow around the shadow
of my plane in the center of the cloud?

At Hopi I learned that they don’t say good bye, something I really loved because I hate good byes. They just feel so final. The Hopi say something like until next time or until I see you again. So my dear Israel, thank you, todah for your gifts and I will see you again soon!

Todah Israel!

Middle East LA

Middle East LA 12/4

I didn’t leave much time for Tel Aviv, especially when taking into account that it was Friday. Even though this city is more secular, things still shut down for Shabbat. I was a little worried that I would regret my decision of only really having a day, but in the end I’m glad. I’ve been fortunate to live in some very beautiful major cities and Tel Aviv and Jaffa reminded me of a fusion of some of those places. This is my nice way of saying it didn’t really leave in impact because it felt like LA or SoHo in NYC. It’s a city on the coast, it’s just on a coast in the Middle East that makes it different.

Local art work displayed on the walls of the artist quarter.

Most of my time was spent in Jaffa and this felt exactly like my walks through SoHo or Santa Monica. It was definitely what I call the “beautiful people scene” where people are dressed in their Boho chic clothes and over sized sunglasses trying very hard to look like they don’t care about appearances but repeatedly checking out their reflection in the window. Glad to see this crowd can be found around the world.

Shoppers strolling in Jaffa.

The neighborhood itself had a great compilation of boutique shops interspersed with little cafes, interior design studios, and flea markets. The flea market was the most entertaining with old shoes and jewelry mixed with some really great home design finds. I fell in love with some coffee and tea canisters that would look great in my kitchen but were not going to fit into my luggage...sigh. You could definitely spend an entire day here sorting through the junk, bartering with the professionals, and completely furnish your apartment in style.

Loved this flea market!

Since it was getting late I decided to meander to the shore via the old town and walk the boardwalk in Tel Aviv. Every time I am near a body of water I need to at least put my feet in it, so as soon as I could I rolled up my jeans and headed for a walk on the beach.

A walk along the beach.

 I love towns that actually embrace the water. I never felt like New York embraced the beach the same way that Southern California does. Anyway, here people were swimming, paddle boarding, fishing, sailing, and kayaking even though it was cold out. Beach cruisers were flying past me on the board walk and other people were playing on the beach, running their afternoon jog or doing yoga. I love the activity that comes with beach life!

Kayaks passing the flag.

A happy Nicole on the beach.

With tired feet and a setting sun I decided it was time for some rest and sustenance. I opted out of more sight seeing. There comes a point in every trip where you are saturated and I was definitely there. This small country is so full of sights to see it’s easy to get to this point. Stopping at the first boardwalk restaurant that caught my eye I enjoyed some local fish, a glass of Israeli wine, and some great people watching. Today was full of Russian tourists and this restaurant was no exception. Maybe I was noticing them more as my next couple of days would land me captive in Moscow.
 

Look really close and you can see the surfers
trying to catch the waves during the setting sun.

 Enjoying the leisurely pace of my day and my meal I reflected on my trip and how thankful I was that my plans to visit my niece in Australia were aborted. I’m sure I would have had an amazing time ringing in the New Year and celebrating my birthday with her (or at least it looked like it from her facebook photos), but my experiences here were simply amazing and I was so appreciative for my time here. My thoughts were interrupted with my post meal cappuccino. When I looked down the waitress had done a beautiful heart in the foam....Oh, Isreal you are a flirt! Laughing to myself that this trip was truly full of love, laughs, and adventures that will forever fill my heart.

Love!

I walked back to my hostel in Jaffa taking in the nighttime views of the shore, Tel Aviv, and the Old City.

Old City Lights.

I was exhausted by the time I got back to the Old Jaffa Hostel. Packing to make sure I was ready for my 40+ hours of travel I could hear the sudden down pour of rain and a huge thunderclap. My heart swelled! Those of you who know me, know how much I love the rain. Maybe it’s from growing up in the California where rain doesn’t happen that often, but it makes me happy and I always want to go out and play in the puddles like I am five. At the same time I could hear the clubs starting to play their music. A mix of Israeli music, Billy Idol, Madonna, and of course, my personal favorite, Shakira. Opening my windows wide so the music could drift in I snuggled down into my bed and drifted off to sleep with the sound of rain, people laughing and dancing, and Shakira...a happy way to enter dreamland.

Jlem Part 2

The perfect scooter for me!

Jlem Part 2 1/3

I thoroughly enjoyed having my own room and shower again. I can do the hostel thing, but having to constantly share bathroom space gets old real fast. Anyway, I had a goal to get to the Dome of the Rock early to finally see this place. I took a quick shower and went down for breakfast...an amazing spread of food to satisfy tourists from any country. I wish I could have them do that in my apartment every morning. My hotel was about a 20 minute walk to the Old City so I went out into the morning sunshine and crisp air and made my way over to the Jaffa Gate, from there cut through the city to the Wall, and then finally to the entrance of the Temple Mount.

By the time I got there the line was MASSIVE!

You've got to be freakin' kidding me?!

It went all of the way to the outside gate. It was also moving at a snails pace. I sat there contemplating as I sat in line. I have a full day in Jerusalem to enjoy the sites or I can sit in line and probably not make it in by the time they close the doors for prayers. Yeah, I left....at this point I had officially given up on seeing the mosque and the Dome on the Rock.

Thank you to Johnathan for this pic. I'll have to live vicariously.

 As I’ve said before, you always need to leave something else to come back for so apparently it was decided that I’ll have to come back to Israel to see this. ;)

Bar Mitzvah Thursday seems to be my day to be here.

My artsy rendition of me and the Dome of the Rock. So close, yet so far!

Two little girls playing on the lions...too cute to resist a pic.

Not caffeinated enough I picked up some coffee and decided to regroup at the hotel and came up with a new game plan: Israel Museum. Another beautiful 30 minute walk in the other direction I was in the Israel Museum. I had been recommended by several people to go see this museum, but when I have limited time in a place I don’t like to spend time indoors in museums. I travel to experience the people, the culture, the feel of the city and it’s hard to get that inside a museum filled with tourists. That said, I was so impressed with this place. The outdoor installations are wonderful and an amazing way to spend time in the sun and fill your soul with some good art appreciation.

I'm sexy and I know it!

A view of me next to a mini version of my new favorite city.

One of my favorites, of course, was the Ahava installation. I was immediately back on the Dead Sea tour, hearing Alon ask us if we knew what the word meant as we passed a building imprinted with Ahava....”it’s a word that describes beauty, joy, life....somebody here knows it.”  Guesses were tossed out, all incorrect. Ahava is love in Hebrew. It is also the name of a very popular Dead Sea cosmetics company (news to me).

I loved the view through the Olive Trees...

This installation was done by the same person who does the Love signs that are in NYC, Scottsdale, and Philadelphia. They are my favorite and I have a picture of one of them on my bedroom wall. I love how you come around a corner in one of these cities and suddenly there is a brightly colored piece of art all about love making passerbys smile and snap pictures. The same artist, Robert Indiana, did a similar style installation with the Hebrew verson of love. Interestingly they said that in its square formation it reads love (Ahava) right to left but from top to bottom the letters also represent Father and God. Set on a hilltop with a great panoramic view, this was really wonderful to take in. I was glad that I had come back to Jerusalem again and was thankful I wasn’t touring the Temple Mount now (or standing in line).

Ahava and Nicole, a match made in heaven :)

The rest of the museum had a great collection! I was thrown back into my Art History days looking at all of the pieces. I spent the entire day and probably could have stayed longer. They had great food and the place itself was just so relaxing. Well worth the trip!

Reminded me of the bean in Chicago.

It was dark, getting cold and I had a trek through the park so I decided it was time to go. I felt full of good food, nature, and appreciation and was now headed to meet up with my friend before leaving for Tel Aviv. I reflected on my revisit to this city while I walked and thought about how much I loved this place. On my drive back here yesterday I wondered if I would love it as much the second time. Kinda’ like when you go on a second date with someone that you are really excited about. You’re nervous it won’t feel the same and don’t want to ruin that first memory and be let down. My second date with Jerusalem just added more to my growing love affair for this place. It was the first time that I ever seriously thought about what would happen if I didn’t come home. In Kauai you often meet people who tell you they came to the island and never left. I always thought these people were a little crazy and wondered how they did that. Now I understood the feeling. I found my heart in Jerusalem and didn’t even realize I was looking for it.

I love that I find hearts everywhere in this town.

Another heart...Mt. Zion love.
Pic from Johnathan Human from unify.org.