Dubai Dreamin'

Mesopotamia. Baghdad. The Tigris River. The words floated on the green and blue map on my screen. We were flying at 41,000 feet en route to Dubai. Hard to believe that just 10 hours before I was saying goodbye at Dulles, giving goodnight kisses to Stefan and Abby who were nestled into their jammies. Then I was off, laptop and presentations in tow, trying not to think about my little ones but the work that awaited.

Now Dubai. A world of contradictions. Modern yet conservative. Liberal yet traditional. After a walk through the massive, crowded Dubai Mall on the start of the weekend here, I'm filled with images of Jimmy Choo, Burberry and Chanel. Yet what sticks most in my mind is the women covered in head to toe black.

Learning, Learning and More Learning

This "new" social media world has me shakin' my head in wonder. What next? Now I've come across (though it's been around for a while) Fora TV...the YouTube for thinking minds. Forget about watching home videos on YouTube and settle in for some discussions on foreign aid, foreign policy and the economy.

South Africa, You Don't Say

I gasped. Not just once, but several times. I held onto the wheel tightly as I rounded the turn. I just had to do it, though I know it was not safe. I had to take a picture of those gorgeous mountain ranges. I was en route from the Cape Town airport to wine country to visit with my friend, Jo. I hadn't seen him in several years and it was going to be a great visit. I didn't anticipate that I would have my breath taken away by the scenery.
We had lunch at a little joint. A bottle of white wine, of course. Or maybe it was two. Jo fired up the barbie for dinner. Guests. More guests. More wine. Friends of mine arrived late into the evening who were also in South Africa. We laughed. Told stories about our Croatia days. We drove up the mountain for brunch on Sunday. Gasps. Many more gasps for air. Now I'm gasping for air again as I look at what Jo has done. This time he has really outdone himself with the Explorer's Club, an exquisite property in the heart of Franschhoek which is a reflection of his travels around the world -- Burma, Thailand, Croatia, etc.

Dubai On the Fly

I'm headed to Dubai next week for work -- en route to Cairo. I'm hoping I'll have at least an hour or two to stop by the souk. On my last visit to Dubai, I spent an afternoon there wandering the various stalls, marveling at the gold shops, buying up some exotic-smelling herbs and even splurged on a diamond ring. I also spent part of my free day at the big mega mall, complete with indoor ski slope. My daughter still loves the cheap, toy cell phone I bought with a picture of head-covered Barbie which plays a Middle Eastern tune of some sort.

I need to check out Cool Travel's Dubai shopping guide. She does a lot of writing for various travel magazines and lived in Dubai for a while so certainly seems to know the ins and outs. I took these pictures during my last trip....

Layover Malaise No More

This is just what I love about the New York Times travel section -- it offers up some great practical advice alongside the "36 Hours in ?" series, hotel and restaurant reviews and other travel odds and ends. Today's article about what to do outside of the airport (yes, I said, outside of the airport) when flying through Frankfurt (dreadful), London (hate the transfer), Amsterdam (second on my list), or Paris (first on my list, even if the airport shops are overpriced) is worth the read.

* Photo courtesy of NYTimes

Feelin' Groovy

Sunglasses made out of wood? What is this world coming to? I stumbled across these groovy shades, ShWoods, today on Daily Candy. Perhaps something for your travel bag?

Work that Matters

As most of you know, I work for an international development consulting firm. Huh, you ask? No worries...I get that response all the time and it's completely natural and valid.

I'm sure if I said Save the Children most of you would know the sort of work they do around the world. Their name pretty much says it all. However, it's hard to grasp the notion that there are development actors out there also doing much life-saving to reintegrate child soldiers, for instance, or help establish citizen groups to fight for human rights. The NGOs do a much better job of getting their messages out and truly marketing through powerful methods, including celebrity endorsements and ad campaigns. Take the Rewrite the Futures campaign which I stumbled across today on YouTube -- it's so very poignant and real.

Admittedly, outside of the non-profit sphere, we've been much less inclined to put our face out there; while the NGOs need to do it to survive financially. But as more and more assaults are taking place against those of us doing good work around the world (we're the "bad" contractors, mind you), we've got to be much more outspoken.

Paris Shopping

I know...it's about Paris again. I haven't given up on a trip there very soon...probably spring time when I can hop over the pond with Abby. How apropos that the last issue of T and L (my favorite travel mag) has a Stylish Traveler article: Shopping: Paris, 3Ways in which the author, one lucky gal, is taken through the streets, shops and flea markets of Paris by three insiders. Suffice it to say I want her job in my after life. The photo above is from Merci. (merci)

Big Apple Shopping

I love Time Out. When I lived in the Balkans, it was one of my go-to guides for restaurants and shopping. I found some great little places in Budapest using it years ago. So, I am now delving into it for my girls' weekend in NYC (with my almost six-year old) later this month to find the best shopping locales for us gals. Reading it now.

New Season...New Reason

Has it really been since July that I have posted? Breaking all of the old rules about blogs and social media, in general? Breaking my own rules about tapping into my creative self. I owe an apology to those who stop here occasionally.

Anyway, Brad just came back from Uganda. Kampala for a few days to be exact but with stops in Nairobi and Amsterdam enroute. He was able to meet up for breakfast with our good friend, Marcus, who e-mails me for the Netherlands that his new company has provided a "loaner bike" for him to use to get to meetings. Love that.

So, here's a little ode to Brad's trip with a photo or two.

Opatija...again

Do you think it's possible to become a travel writer overnight? I often ask myself this question when I come across an article, which I should have written, about my dear Croatia. This one comes from the Times of London and is written about Opatija, that wonderful seaside getaway near Zagreb dotted with pastel-colored villas, which were once home to Austro-Hungarian royalty and such.

I've been to both Villa Astra and Casa Oraj, which the writer mentions in the article. In fact, we used to spend wonderful Thanksgiving weekends in the stone dining room of Oraj, lounging over numerous bottles of Croatian wine and turkey with an interesting set of international friends, many of whom didn't understand, or need to, the traditions of that American holiday. Villa Astra is likewise a gem, with its views of the Adriatic and hospitable owner, who has restored it and its grounds to pristine condition.

Now, let me get serious about becoming a travel writer.

Back at the Beach

How did it happen? How is it already post July 4th? I don't even feel like I've eased into summer...it is here and I'm not prepared. Soon I'll be embarking full-time for Fire Island....ccol breezes, swimming in the bay, sand between my toes, falling asleep on our window seat...grilled fish...sundown cocktails...

Travel Schmavel

This is what is keeping me grounded these days.

Women and Iran

I love Anne Applebaum's clarity. Her ability to dissect an issue. Her laser-like writing style.

In today's edition of the Washington Post, she writes about Iran's women and their strength not only in the current upheaval against the regime, but behind the scene for decades in opposition to build momentum and organize against repression. Ultimately, she concludes that "...regimes that repress the civil and human rights of half their population are inherently unstable." Exactly.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202387.html

Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Happy Anniversary

Six years? Wow. Yes, it's been six years ago today that we were married at Casa Cornacchi in Tuscany. Just looking at a few photos of that amazing, 16th century villa brings back a flood of memories and a rush of feelings about my husband -- not to mention my friends from Eastern Europe and my family, who joined me there during that magical week in 2003.

Democracy, Iranian Style

As I sit and look at the photos tonight from Reuters and AP, I feel a sense of deja vu from my days in the Balkans and Milosevic's attempts to steal elections, which came to a tragic end with his extradiction and eventual death in a small cell at the Hague.

Women facing off against riot-gear clad police officers. Crowds in the tens of thousands amassing on the main squares. Desperate police officers wielding batons against those frustrated by their attempt to register dissatisfaction with the current illiberal regime. No doubt change will come to Iran, perhaps not as quickly as many had hoped....but this is the beginning of the end. It seems these are the largest public demonstrations since 1979. Fuel was added to the fire earlier today when the country's top cleric called for an investigation into the allegations of vote rigging.

Photo courtesy of New York Times

Ah, Motherhood

Has it really been since April 20th that I've written? I opened my site tonight, after a long absence, and was quite dismayed that it's been soooo long. Back at work....back to the grind so living vicariously through friends right now. Sharon in Prague. Amanda in Kabul. Willeke in Amsterdam. Majada in Paris. Brenda in Rome. Alistair in Juba. Jo in Franschoek.

Anyway, I'll be back soon with some travel tales and adventures. My passport is gathering dust and that's not good.

Slovenia Chic

Yes, I said Slovenia. Oh, how I wish I had become a travel writer a few years back when living in former Yugoslavia and Croatia and traveling throughout the region. I would have plenty of fodder for travel articles about weekends spent in steamy saunas and plunging in cold, mountain-fed pools in Bled, golfing with the Slovenia Alps framing the shots, delicious dinners and scrumptious Movia wines and much, much more. Now, I'm reading all about new upscale tourism in Slovenia in the likes of the NY Times. And doesn't this hotel look like something out of Manhattan, not the backwoods of that lovely country?

the Latest Little Traveler

Happy 12 weeks, Stefan!

Oh Those Brits

Have just discovered this lovely reproduction poster-- created by the British Government's Ministry of Information in 1939. Our neighbors across the pond certainly had a way with words. Maybe Obama could use this now.