Activities in Tripoli

Hello to all,

I haven't written much about Libya lately due to our trip news, so I will attempt to catch you up on some Tripoli happenings. I was invited to a baby shower for the sister of one of our drivers, Sala. Words can't describe the magnitude of one of these all female parties. The party was hosted by the grandmother, who greeted us warmly and seated us. It is a very nice honor to be invited to a Libyan party, since family is so important here. Incense was burning, small, very dressed up, children were running around a large banquet hall, and music was playing, very loudly. Now and then you could hear one of the older women make a loud "lalalalalala" noise, similar to yodeling, very high pitched to express their joy over the occasion. It happened many times throughout the evening, and always caught me off guard when I heard it. A very unusual sound, and the older ladies take great delight in making it.

Much later, the new mom enters the room, like the grand entrance of a queen, and her outfit is so ornate, covered in sequins, amazing gold jewelry, make up beyond words. She walks around the entire room with the infant who was in a beautiful blanket. Everyone exclaims over the baby, and most importantly, slips money under the baby's blanket. Women are not required to cover themselves when men aren't around, and they take advantage of this to show off their beautiful clothes, makeup, and jewelry. Dancing is very important too, and the Libyan women encouraged us to get up and dance with them. Embarrassing, but they appreciated the effort. We tried to leave at 10:30, thinking the party was winding down, but the grandmother walked over and pointed to our chairs, then motioned for us to "eat!" A huge meal came out, at 11:00pm! These late hours are the Libyan way, I have discovered. Anyway, it was an experience I'll never forget.

A week ago, one of our canasta friends took two of us to the pottery town, Gherian. Gherian is in the mountains, about an hour away. The terrain is quite different from that of Tripoli, and I enjoyed the change. Before we arrived at the pottery stands, we stopped to see the Troglodyte house, which is an underground house, over 350 years old. Apparently, this type of home was guite common, and there are still some inhabited ones in the area. The one we looked at had a large living room in the middle, open to the sky, and eight large bedrooms off of the center room. A young man was there to show us around, and said it was his family's home for many years, and that his dad was born in one of the rooms. He offered us hot tea, the sweet Libyan green tea, boiled, and poured to create foam on top, very good. Then we shopped at the pottery stalls, one after the next, along the road. A fun day for me, so interesting and different.

Just wanted to share two of the events I've been a part of here. I'm thankful for the hospitality and friendliness of so many that I have met. This will be forever a life lesson for me, to always open my heart and home and welcome those that God places in my life. Much love to all of you, dear family and friends, Lynn

Rome, Incredible Rome

Hello to all,

I'm reflecting back on our trip to Italy today, thinking about how to describe part three, the city of Rome. Unforgettable, is all I can say. Many here in Libya have been to Rome, and all have liked it. I guess one of the most amazing things to me was seeing ancient sights like the Coliseum right in the middle of a neighborhood. Vatican City had cute little restaurants and shopping all around it, as well as the busy city bustling all around in every direction, buses, taxis, lots of traffic and the pedestrians. Somehow I expected that these famous sights would be set apart somewhere, but not at all. They are only a part of the huge city. Well, the pedestrians rule the roost in Rome, no cars can compare with the crowds crossing the streets. Huge crowds, all going somewhere important. Kind of scary watching people head out in front of the cars, we did it too, you have to be bold and decisive. Anyway, so many impressions of the city, history, excitement, graffiti everywhere, on so many places you wouldn't expect to see it, restaurants, stylish people, and the shopping, and crowds. We were in crowds on the streets, in the piazzas, on the metro, in buses, you get the picture. Crowded !!

Anyway, I'm glad we went to Rome. My favorite part,besides sharing it with Anne and Ryan, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, stunningly beautiful. Now, I know what art really is, a gift from God. Pictures don't do it justice, love to all, Lynn

More Italy- The Island of Elba

Hi,

I'm back with part two of our great trip to Italy, the wonderful little Island of Elba. So, as we were trying to plan our vacation with Anne and Ryan, Rick and I thought it would be fun and different to experience one of the islands off of the western coast of Italy. We started investigating Sardinia, but found it too far, requiring an overnight boat trip, which we didn't want to do. So, we rented an apartment for two nights on a tiny dot of an island, Elba, in the small village of Rio Marino. It required the trains and a ferry to get to, but we finally arrived on Tuesday evening, and waited for the contact person to arrive at the ferry to get us. Finally, here he comes, on foot, speaking very little English, but friendly and welcoming. Our apt. was in a neighborhood near the ferry so we loaded up with our backpacks and off the four of us went, following him, twisting and turning uphill to our very Italian apt. The town apparently shuts down after September 15, which we definitely didn't know, so it was like a ghost town, very quiet, and we stuck out like a sore thumb in this little village where everyone knows everyone. The restaurant was open though, and we had the best pizza, and seafood that night, one of the most delicious meals of our whole trip. Not more than 6 of us in the entire restaurant, so the waitress watched us all throughout the meal. Very funny experience.

The next morning we were all determined to see the island, but couldn't get any information on the bus schedule. However, we left the apartment with a firm plan to see and do whatever we could, just not in Rio Marino !! Ryan saw the bus coming, so all four of us ran to catch it, thank goodness I have been working out. Our bus driver tried to tell us how much to pay in Italian, and after the 4 ladies already on the bus gestured and excitedly tried to explain, so we could continue, Rick got four tickets and we were off. Keep in mind we had no idea how we would get back! No matter, none of us wanted to spend all day in our apt. As it turned out, the 30 minute bus drive to the busiest city on the island was beautiful, and we were now in a town with shopping, beaches, restaurants, and all was well. Anne,Ryan, and Rick actually got to swim in the Mediterranean Sea! We enjoyed our day there, and actually found a bus back, had another great meal, with cute young waitresses who died laughing when they found out we were from Texas !! "Oh, Texas!" they would say, then they would laugh.

So our Elba Experience was truly an interesting change of pace, unexpected; one of those "serendipity" moments, love to all, Lynn

Elba Photo Album

Italy

Hello to everyone,

I missed blogging during my week stay in Italy, no internet in any of our Italian apartments. So, this week I'll try to catch up, and share with you some of the highlights of the trip. Most importantly, we'll post some pictures for you to enjoy!

Cinque Terra Photo Album

For me, the highlight of the trip was sharing all of it with our wonderful daughter Anne, and her husband Ryan, my very favorite son in law !! I think the fact that we were together, and had two more sets of eyes and ears made everything very special. Anne has that incredible enthusiasm and energy that added the element of fun to our experience, and Ryan has the photographer's perspective, which encouraged each of us to stop and look at what he saw, noticing all of those small things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. So, to be in Italy with them was a blessing, and I am so thankful that they were able to come and be with us.

We began in Rome, then very early the next morning, got on a train which took us four hours up the western coast of Italy to Cinque Terre. The train itself is an interesting experience, all of the interesting people who get on and off, and the towns we saw along the way. Italy is beautiful, and green, always so good for my soul, after living here in the desert. So, we arrived in Cinque Terre on Sunday, loaded with our backpacks. Yes, I carried my own backpack, kind of challenging to pack that light!! The apartment in Vernazza overlooked the most beautiful scenic harbor, and village square, busy, noisy and unique. Our balcony gave us a view of the locals drinking coffee in the restaurant right below us, yelling good morning across the square to their friends, and preparing to feed the many people that would visit that day. No cars are allowed in Vernazza, so every morning, very early, trucks are "let in" only to deliver goods, and pick up the trash. Cinque Terre is made up of five villages along the coast, which have now been made into a national park to preserve them. There is a hiking trail, which gives visitors the option of hiking between the five villages. We began our second day, by taking the train to the first town, Riomaggiore, and walked all around that wonderful little village, then began the hike to the next village. And on we went to four of the five villages, with our apartment in Vernazza being our destination. Wisely, we took the train to the last village. What incredible, gorgeous views we enjoyed along the way. Each town was so picturesque, all like storybook villages, colorful tall houses sitting on the sides of hills, boats, flowers, lovely people and food. I recommend Cinque Terre to everyone, a great start to our week in Italy.

More on Italy during the week, and pictures too. I'm sending my love to family and friends. Miss you all! Lynn