The first stop was Oman... OMAN Only in the last 50-odd years, under the rule of the former, and beloved, Sultan Qaboos, was Oman's After Oman, it was on to Bahrain... In Oman, don’t worry about tipping; it is not customary nor expected. In Oman, you can use Otaxi to get around. Bahrain has Uber.

After an uncharacteristically cold month, the I was ecstatic to ring in 2023 in Muscat, Oman, where the massachusetts #newington #connecticut #newyorkcity #newyork #nashville #tennessee #dublin #ireland #muscat #oman

2022-2023: Muscat, Oman. In Islamic Oman though, all the major hotels put on elaborate black-tie bashes, so the Westerners can india #porto #portugal #sal #capeverde #vilnius #lithuania #sutton #lanzarote #canaryislands #muscat #oman

only there for about 28-hours, on an extended layover, as I made my way back to London from Muscat, Oman To circumvent the dampness, I visited the man-made Reef Island for lunch and then visited Gold City,

Though small, Montenegro has a huge array of natural and man-made wonders that lie within its 5,333 sq Today, the island is home to Montenegro’s most luxurious 5* holiday resort, Aman Sveti Stefan, starting Next, we visited Our Lady of the Rocks, a Roman Catholic church on its own tiny island.

Although my American accent and citizenship are still intact, I now find myself minding gaps, moaning If, god forbid, the high queuing standards are ever breached, the Brits will moan about it, but only

My intent is not to moan about it, but to confess that since my wine is often not served at its optimal

I was pretty out of it, but I do recall hearing a lot of moaning and groaning. It takes a special woman to show this level of kindness to a stranger and I am forever indebted to her On the related note regarding guardian angels, there are two other woman who deserve this designation

After wandering around the Old City, the Jewish Quarter, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and viewing the Dome of the Rock I entered the Western Wall Plaza and took a tour of the tunnels under the wall. It turns out that there are all these hidden layers underground that have been, and are still being, excavated. The tour was remarkable and I highly recommend it. Seeing the wall underground was one thing, but seeing it above ground was incredible. I was in awe. There was so much history all around me and everything was so beautiful. I stood there for quite some time, watching people who were praying and putting notes in between the stones (they do this in the hopes of enhance their chances of their wishes materializing). Many people facing the wall were in tears, which is presumably why some refer to the wall as the "Wailing Wall.” I was snapping photos and taking it all in when I looked to my Right. I noticed a divider with women peering over the top of it (probably looking at me, now that I think back). It took only a second before I realized that I was entirely surrounded by men. It hadn't even crossed my mind that genders would be separated, but there I was, the dumb tourist, on the wrong side of the partition. I promptly turned around, walked over to the Women’s section and pretended like that mishap never occurred. After doing some research, I learned that women are not allowed to mingle nor pray with men under Orthodox Jewish law, especially at the Western Wall (which is considered to be the holiest site in Judaism). I also learned that the section of the Western Wall set aside for prayer is about 60 meters long, only 12 meters of which are reserved for women. This is a bit of controversial topic at the moment and a group of activists are beginning to protest. They call themselves the Women of the Wall. Unfortunately, some women who have attempted to pray wherever they please have encountered violence from Orthodox men or even been arrested. Luckily I made it out of the Western Wall Plaza unscathed, but I gotta tell ya…For a well-traveled women, sometimes I’m a real idiot! Below are some tips for visiting Jerusalem: The bus from Tel Aviv costs 19 Shekels and takes about 50 minutes (each way). Click here for more specifics. Wear comfy shoes with good rubber soles. You’ll be walking a lot and the stones in the Old City are slippery. Definitely take the Kotel Tunnel Tour. It was excellent! Book in advance. Taking an organized walking tour is advisable. Dress appropriately for the Western Wall (women must cover their elbows and legs). Make sure you only approach the wall on your proper gender’s side! #westernwall #israel #jerusalem #kotel #religion #middleeast