Bethlehem 2010

Ever since Steve saw Jerusalem and Jericho from the banks of the Dead Sea in 2008 he's wanted to visit these famous cities. Following travel advice from friends in Dubai, we made the trip across the the Jordan River for a fun filled couple of days. We started with a stop outside the walls of the Old City section of Jerusalem by visiting Gethsemane and the Church of Agony on the slopes of the Mount of Olives and traditionally known as the location where Judas betrayed Jesus. Some of the olive tress are over 2000 years old. From there we headed to Bethlehem. Modern Bethlehem is under control of the Palestinian Authority and required going through a check-point and 25 ft tall concrete walls that surround the city. We visited the Church of the Nativity which is built on the birthplace of Jesus. A star marks the actual birthplace; just a few feet away is the location of the manger. Our driver Eyad organized a tour with Needa, who was fantastic and knew his Biblical traditions.

Jordan 2010

We had a terrific time in Jordan in 2008. The Said family made the trip so nice that we wanted to go back. We were a bit concerned that we wouldn't like it as much the second time around, but found the warmth of the people, the scenery, the wealth of historical sites, and relaxation on the banks of the Dead Sea were great the second time too. It was a jam-packed trip, starting with Dead Sea. Despite snow falling in Amman the week before, the weather was warm and the skies were blue. It was nice to breath in the fresh air.

Christmas 2009

We love the holidays. This year we really wanted to get into the spirit, and we successful. We purchased a tree, decorated it, and played Christmas carols continuously through December. We had a pre-Christmas bash with the Trowbridge clan, and went to see Santa at Wafi mall. By mid-December we were primed for a fantastic holiday.

We departed Dubai at 1 a.m. on December 22 and headed to Brussels via Amsterdam. We had a wonderful time at Pamela and Henry's and kept many of the traditions from 2008 alive and well. My expanding waist line is living tribute to the eating, drinking and being merry.

We had plenty of opportunities to get delayed by weather and other events, but we managed to have very few delays. Waiting lines at security for our flight to Minneapolis was a bit longer due to the troubles aboard a NWA flight to Detroit two days earlier.

We celebrated New Years with both sets of grandparents and our neighborhood friends. Anna and Kate stayed-up as long as they could with the grandparents and Steve and Maria joined 8 neighborhood friends for their annual trip to La Belle Vie - fantastic.

Getting Ready for Christmas

The weather is still warm, so we have to force ourselves into Christmas mode. Thankfully, there are malls decked-out for Christmas - Dubai style. Of course Santa has to be seen and Christmas concerts and parties at school are naturally a big deal. And when it's dark outside, if you play Christmas music, it almost feels like the holidays.

Here is our visit to Wafi Center Mall to visit Santa. While Maria waited in line, Steve and the girls completed a 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' scavenger hunt. Wafi is a beautiful mall; note the elegant stained glass ceiling from the section called "The Eye of Horace" - styled after an ancient Egyptian god. We'll let you know if we win the elevator full of Godiva Chocolate!

And Christmas wouldn't be the same without a trip to the Trowbridge house for a festive Christmas dinner and holiday cheer with Bruce, Michelle, Avery (Kates BFF), Jacob and Jillian.

Cool Istanbul

There are so many places we want to see and living in Dubai has brought us much closer to so many places. We decided to head to Istanbul for a long weekend to see one of the world's great cities. We truly enjoyed our stay. Like so many people we've met during our travels, the Turks are wonderfully hospitable people. We felt welcome our entire stay... so welcome that people were falling over themselves to try to sell us carpets and spend our money.

We spent our few days being tourists and seeing as many of the sites as possible. It was an amazing feeling to be in a city that was once called Byzantium and Constantinople, and was once the capital of the eastern Roman and Ottoman empires – an amazing history. We visited the grand mosques including Hagia Sofia, the 4th largest church/mosque in the world. We walked the halls and viewed the treasures of the great Ottoman Sultans at Topkapi Palace and cruised the Bosphorus Strait, watching the ships travel the “Sultan’s Highway”.

Istanbul and its people are as remarkable as the city’s history. We had a terrific time.

Back To School

The school year began on August 30th this year with Anna in 2nd grade and Kate in KG2 (equivalent of kindergarten). They both have some friends in their class from last year and are seem to be settling in well to the usual routines. Kate's teacher is named Ms. April. She is from Canada. Anna's teacher, Ms. Fischer, is from the United States. They are both young and full of energy, like the kids!

Eid in Muscat, Oman

The Vittone Woolley's took off for Oman, our neighboring country to the southeast, to celebrate Eid ul Fitr. Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. We decided to spend the long weekend in Oman's capital of Muscat.

The drive from Dubai is nearly 6 hours, at least two of that is spent at boarder control in long lines filling out paperwork, getting special car insurance, and paying this person and that, and delivering paperwork from office to office. (All this to repeat on return to the UAE.)

However, it is certainly worth the time and small headache. The capital and surrounding area supports a population of 1 million, but certainly doesn't feel like a bustling metropolis. It has a very laid-back feel to it and we enjoyed exploring the old souk (marketplace), the local museum, the many forts, and hanging out on the beach.

Though not many major difference from the UAE besides a noticeable lack of Ferarri's and Hermes handbags, we noticed that the men's headdress sports a more fez-like embroidered hat. The women's clothing broke from the traditional black abaya to very bright colors. The buildings, instead of a beige were white, much like Abu Dhabi. And the tops of their mosques were painted in beautiful vibrant colors and designs. The people of Oman were warm and welcoming

Our trip back included a quick stop in Nizwa, Oman's old capital city and home of the country's largest fort, and a drive back through the rocky mountains of central Oman that we would describe as ruggedly beautiful.