United Statesian

Flying machine...a Rolls-Royce, but spam-like food Dear Citizens of the World, We have made it to Tel-Aviv! Tired and stressed from the long list of tasks that come with a making a new country your home. The first flight went well and dinner in Neve Tsedek at Suzana Restaurant was fresh,healthy and with a great ambiance. First view of Tel-Aviv from the air...I can see my hotel from here! The first ride across the city was punctuated by a wonderful sunset along the coast, with views of Jaffa Port. Doing tai-chi at sunset along the coast in Tel-Aviv First sunset in Tel-Aviv See you soon, The United Statesian

My favourite spot in SOL. A vegetable garden planted around the fountain. Will authorities dig it up and put back the "pretty flowers" when all is done? Dear Citizens of the World! Greetings from Madrid, the center of major "anti-status-quo" protests, making headlines on CNN and around the world. Media has compared the protest camp in Puerta del Sol to Tahrir square in Cairo and the Arab Spring movement. The protesters use a play on words to rename Spain's most famous Square "Solution Square" instead of SOL which means sun. The protests that got lots of attention in national and international press are there, but not that big of a deal. There are more turists taking pictures than actual campers and the surrounding shopping streets are actually more packed than the plaza. It is important to note that there is no violence, everyone is working well togther to avoid problems and to not damage anything. Volunteers are handing out sun-cream, water and...

Egyptian Debod Temple in Madrid - Sunset, last light reflections Dear Citizens of the World! I have recently found out that we are moving to the Middle East! My new home will be "Old" and steeped in history. In some ways I will be leaving Madrid, but in other ways it will only be a new adventure and a new place to call home. Recently, while walking around Madrid I went to the Debod temple to see the sunset on a gorgeous Spring evening. The 2,000 year old temple was a "gift" from Egypt to their friends in Spain. I will not be moving to Egypt, but close enough to cycle there. You can expect plenty of pictures like these in the future. Maybe I'll post pics of Spanish food in the Middle East? On an aside: For those who wonder about peace in the Middle East...here is one solution inspired in the Spanish Santiago Trail... http://www.abrahampath.org/visit.php http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc6yi_FtoNo&feature=player_embedded Have a nice day! - The United Statesian

Dear citizens of the world! The tumultuous events of the past month have kept me away from my blog. Most notably, the earthquake in Japan kept me glued to the screens. Seeing the videos and hearing people's accounts of the quake brought back memories of the 7.6 earthquake I experienced in Taiwan; the feeling of fear that comes from "surfing" a strong earthquake that suddenly grows violent, the 30 seconds that turn into weeks and months, the stories of people surviving after eight days.... What most don't realize is that the tremors continue for weeks and months. After three months of motions sickness from 3,000 aftershocks I was happy to "get off of" Taiwan and onto solid ground. Naturally, the Japanese quake lead me to think of my summer vacation in Norway. What? You say. I don't have any close friends in Japan, but I immediately thought of this very nice, retired Japanese man I met in Flom, Norway. He only spoke Japanese, not a word of English and he ...

Suckling pig... crispy, but not dry Dear Citizens of the world! In one of my last posts -- Eating my way through Spain -- I mentioned the fact that Spanish tourism is centred around food. Segovia is no different. The "task" of visiting monuments, sights and museums is purely a way to work up an appetite. Visiting the Disney-like castle...working up an appetite! In Segovia, people most often walk around the centre, check out the aqueduct and tour the castle that locals claim to be the source of inspiration for Disneyland's logo. Then, if you have walked around enough (stopping to sample local delicacies between each monument), you can sit down, unbutton the trousers and dig in. I'm already in the pan and ready to go! Don't worry if you don't speak Spanish...most restaurants decorate their windows with cute versions of your meal... De aproveche! - The United Statesian PS Next week... Fallas I ( Fallas II) in Valencia. A good reason to eat Paella!

DVD empties Dear Citizens of the World! Space is a key word for expats. The more things you have, the harder it is to move from home, to home... to home ( see past post ). Many expats start their lives in new homes with a suitcase or two. As time goes on, "things" accumulate. After living in Madrid for more than three years ,"things" have been accumulating and ruining the Zen feeling at home. Today, I have started to tackle that problem by stripping the many DVDs to store the meter-high contents in a shoebox. Ahhh! That feels much better...next, those boxes of random "junk"... to get closer to Zen. Have a nice week, - The United Statesian

Postcard that made it from Egypt...despite being in the middle of a revolution... Dear Citizens of the World, E-mails, instant messages, mobile phones and free calls on Skype and other services have made the art of communicating much easier and enjoyable for me. However, traditional letters are still relevant. I argue that they are even more relevant now than they have been in a long time. The art of postcard writing has been almost lost, but thanks to a few thoughtful friends it is staying alive! It used to be a treat to get hand-written letters in the mail, but it was not uncommon. Now, I usually only gets bills and junk-mail -- this is even dwindling because many of my bills come to me by email and advertising is becoming more directed (fewer "blanket" campaigns). Those days that I do find a rare postcard from a friend in a distant land... it is such a treat! This last postcard arrived this week in Madrid after a three-week long journey from Egypt. My friends who wrote the...

A weathered door from the Cathedral in Morella Dear Citizens of the World, Tourism in Spain is equivalent to eating. Most destinations are known for their gastronomy as much as their monuments. Morella, a mountain village in the North of Castellon (along the Med between Barcelona and Valencia), is no different. Local "rosemary" honey from Morella During our visit to Morella we did spend some time walking around the area and checking out the monuments; however, the focus of the day was really the lunch and specialty shopping for local foodstuffs. Local sweet wine/spirts... we decided on the Garnatxa The day did not come without it's challenges. We ate so much for lunch that it was tough to complete a proper cheese tasting -- we ended up with three types of cheese... and we normally avoid lactose! Reflection of the sky and street in a large decanter full of red wine Remember, when visiting a Spanish village there are three rules to follow: 1. Get advice on a good restaurant...

Traditional Chimneys from the Aragón region of Northern Spain -- smokeless in July Dear Citizens of the World! The new year has started and the ban on smoking seems to be holding up -- but not without some problems. I am happy to report that we were able to go out for dinner last week and we got home without smelling like smoke! This is no small feat in Spain. On a cold Saturday evening, the sidewalks were packed with smokers... a good sign that the ban is working. Most bars and cafes seem to be following the rules, but the first time I went into a café in January (partly to support the ban by spending more money in cafés and restaurants... and partly because I just wanted a coffee) was a no-go. As soon as I entered the cafe, a women lit up a cigarette and practically blew the smoke at me. Slightly shocked and frustrated, I turned around and left. Like all changes in society, it will take time to take root and for the holdouts to accept the change. Not so far in the past, teachers us...

Dear Citizens of the world! 2011 has started with a breath of fresh air, both indoors and out. As of January 2nd, it is illegal to smoke in any bars or restaurants in Spain! Now I can finally go out for a drink or coffee and not come home smelling like a musty ashtray! We decided to start our newyear by going cross-country skiing and hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees. We were blessed by sunny weather, great snow and fresh mountain air -- the only smoke being the soft, sweet smell of ceder coming for the village chimnees... As of 2011, you can only smoke at home and in the streets Enjoying the sun and snow in Benasque Whispy, smoke-like, clouds over a mountain that apears folded like a duvet Thanks for listening, The United Statesian A parting shot... Sunrise from the hotel in the village of Campo