tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post1480671670419036500..comments2023-12-02T06:33:50.847-08:00Comments on Notes from a Common-place Book: Travelogue 2: Out and About in the Police StateTerry (John)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07523479530843509695noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post-38446492278638609302008-06-27T11:45:00.000-07:002008-06-27T11:45:00.000-07:00Doug--how wonderful to hear from you. I will be s...Doug--how wonderful to hear from you. I will be slowly posting more travel observations. I am familiar with "The Towers of Trebizond"-- a great read. Some have said that it has the best opening line in English literature: "Take my camel, dear, said my aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass."Terry (John)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07523479530843509695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post-60706207449260717442008-06-27T09:24:00.000-07:002008-06-27T09:24:00.000-07:00I'm always excited to read your reports and reflec...I'm always excited to read your reports and reflections after a trip, John. By the way, I thought of you after picking up a good book recently. It's called "The Towers of Trebizond" and was written in the 1950s, I think, by a British author names Rose Macaulay. It's wonderfully charming, really, about a small group of eccentric Anglican missionaries travelling through Turkey and the Levant. I'm still reading it, but I think you might enjoy it. It was recently republished in the US through New York Review of Books. You can order it online.<BR/><BR/>- Doug (former of the The Scrivener)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post-13020202679296012612008-06-27T06:36:00.000-07:002008-06-27T06:36:00.000-07:00Ian, I have absolutely no Arabic language ability,...Ian, I have absolutely no Arabic language ability, other than being able to say hello. But it was not a problem at all. This is a crutch we Americans rely on far too often, but just about everyone speaks some English. My driver in Syria spoke Arabic of course, some French, and just a smattering of English. I spoke no Arabic, and just a bit of French. So we met, conversationally, in what can only be called "Franglish." As it turned out, he assumed that I knew more French than I actually did--which forced me to exercise my French-speaking skills. If I went into a restaurant, and the waiter knew no English, he would return with a co-worker who did. At the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus in Maalula, a young lady gave short talks to the different groups that came to visit. She had just finished speaking to an Italian group--in Italian, of course. She then switched to English for my nephew and myself. She also was able to recite the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic (still spoken here and in 2 other nearby villages). I'm sure that if a party of French tourists arrived, she would be able to deliver her talk to them in French. We were talking with her about this, and I commented that English had become the universal second language. She disagreed, and said that English had become the universal first language. All of this is to say that in my travels, language barriers are insiginificant. But our lack of fluency in any other language is still shameful, in my book.Terry (John)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07523479530843509695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post-88652464364419345472008-06-26T22:52:00.000-07:002008-06-26T22:52:00.000-07:00Thanks John; much appreciated. I suppose I was mo...Thanks John; much appreciated. I suppose I was more concerned about my lack of Arabic language ability...but then that is part of the fun and experience, and I have been in places before where I could not speak the local language. Thanks again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post-87193152423513109512008-06-26T20:19:00.000-07:002008-06-26T20:19:00.000-07:00Ian, I traveled the first week on my own, and then...Ian, I traveled the first week on my own, and then my nephew joined me for the remaining 2 weeks. So really, I was not traveling alone for much of the trip--but with just the 2 of us, it was still far removed from tour-group travel. But I suppose it is what you are comfortable with. I do so much research before I ever go anywhere, that I don't feel I need the safety and security of a tour group. I generally know what sites I especially want to visit, and usually where I want to stay. In the case of Syria, I decided on a tour agent and contacted him. I informed him of where I wanted to stay, where I wanted to go, and the days that I would need a car and driver. We agreed upon a price for all this (very reasonable, I might add), and all the arrangements were made. It couldn't have been easier. Obviously, I could have used public transportation and made the reservations myself and drastically reduced the cost, but I felt that this arrangement was the best use of my time, and like I say, it was all very reasonable. The key, whether you travel alone or in a group, is to do your research beforehand. I recently took one of my students to task. His parents were giving him a month in Europe as a college graduation gift. I asked him where all he was going. He didn't know--no idea at all. He said some of the friends he was traveling with were keeping up with those details. What a waste!Terry (John)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07523479530843509695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18762198.post-37576371101420919142008-06-26T16:10:00.000-07:002008-06-26T16:10:00.000-07:00Oh my; if I were cashed-up I'd be on the next plan...Oh my; if I were cashed-up I'd be on the next plane. Thank you for the fascinating information on the countries and cities, particularly the state of them for Christians. May the Lord bless and protect all Christians [and all people for that matter] in the Middle East.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I do not want to detract from your fascinating and informative commentary, but may I ask how you found travelling by yourself [I am assuming you did; please correct me if I am wrong]. I have considered it, but wondered if it would be better to join a small tour to see outside the cities, and then look at the cities myself. My thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com