Roadtripping Israel, Part שנים: Tiberias to Caesarea

April 29, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

Part One of the roadtrip can be found here. Day Two of the twin roadtrip started early (maybe too early, after having finished a bottle of wine the night before).  Since we had already mastered our way out of Jerusalem the prior morning, we got onto the highway quickly and uneventfully. We were heading in a more northward direction than our last drive, so we came to a different check point.  This one looked a lot more serious.  The soldier […]

Categories: Driving, Friendship, History, Israel, Middle East, Travel

Roadtripping Israel, Part אחד: The Dead Sea

April 28, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

Israel is roughly the size and shape of New Jersey, according to the Lonely Planet.  This is just about the most relevant comparison that I, a Jersey girl, could have hoped for.  However, considering how many times I’ve gotten lost in my own home state, it didn’t assuage my fears of taking on the challenge of an Israeli road trip sans GPS. My “twin”, Roxanne, and I rented a compact black Suzuki from the friendly local rental car company.  Armed […]

Categories: Friendship, Israel, Middle East, Playtime

In Jerusalem

April 25, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

“In Jerusalem, and I mean within the ancient walls, I walk from one epoch to another without a memory to guide me. The prophets over there are sharing the history of the holy … ascending to heaven and returning less discouraged and melancholy, because love and peace are holy and are coming to town.” In Jerusalem, by Mahmoud Darwish I arrived in the Holy Land after my three day stop in Geneva, passing through Istanbul and forgoing another night’s sleep. […]

Categories: Friendship, Israel, Middle East, Travel

Springtime in Geneva

April 20, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

I arrived in a cold and gray Geneva on Saturday after pulling an all-nighter at London Heathrow.  Fatigue and rusty French do not help one deal with rude men working at the currency exchange counter, which is how I managed not to notice he ripped me off for twenty francs until I had walked away.  Feeling ashamed and angry at my lack of attention, I plodded off to find the number 5 bus without confronting him.  Luckily, public transportation in […]

Categories: Europe, Switzerland, Travel

A Dose of Soulshine

April 16, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

Greetings from Geneva.  Below is a collection of my recent favorite finds in the blogosphere and beyond.  I’m hoping to make this a regular feature on my site.  Now excuse me while I dodge rain drops and eat Toblerone for breakfast. A vibrant, engaging rundown of the “coolest hood” in Cartagena (Getsemani), by Rainbow Nelson, founder of This Is Cartagena.  I highly recommend This Is Cartagena for anything you need to know about visiting this magical city.  This virtual guide […]

Categories: Dose of Soulshine

Dodging balls in Austin, looking ahead to Summer

April 9, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

I spent the last week in Austin, Texas with a special someone.  I’d long heard about how weird this city is by Texan standards, and how inferior UT is to Texas A&M (according to a good friend and Aggie), but other than that I’d never given Austin much thought. I stayed at an average hotel.  I rented an Elantra.  I resorted to eating a lot of Taco Bell because I spent too much money renting an Elantra.  I cursed like […]

Categories: Americana, Playtime