tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37276183976443927462024-03-12T23:55:38.850-07:00Nate's Notes...a connected lifeNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-76008020506199408282022-04-15T05:59:00.000-07:002022-04-15T05:59:28.680-07:00How to bake a 100 year old sponge cake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uyIAl_95fSAatQTByGCyAt08JBWJARWpN3DzcjaQkkU3VwiRvA2Ns1vZ_dML-aLf2o8WJOUZCiuJbSfX4XpjMIbnRZgWi4Xc0JFlLWGoPrXAvzW57xHGkWjSJAjiGknTvpWjUR9TTiR2/s1600/sponge+9.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uyIAl_95fSAatQTByGCyAt08JBWJARWpN3DzcjaQkkU3VwiRvA2Ns1vZ_dML-aLf2o8WJOUZCiuJbSfX4XpjMIbnRZgWi4Xc0JFlLWGoPrXAvzW57xHGkWjSJAjiGknTvpWjUR9TTiR2/s320/sponge+9.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726538167323086946" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNv3BPm92aX_Y64DuoecF3kipMMKHhpNkGFC87MEFTidAH-z8E-fwbt7yyMKPJyTy7AFUdPJJ5W8h6cOgUNyTRRVX6OycYQO9dfFwqLduoLL2QFBbfjNHGS5oZneO7BKWZjon9bRrS3YA/s1600/sponge+5.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNv3BPm92aX_Y64DuoecF3kipMMKHhpNkGFC87MEFTidAH-z8E-fwbt7yyMKPJyTy7AFUdPJJ5W8h6cOgUNyTRRVX6OycYQO9dfFwqLduoLL2QFBbfjNHGS5oZneO7BKWZjon9bRrS3YA/s320/sponge+5.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726537735483617074" /></a>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">How to Bake a Klarfeld 100 Year Old Sponge Cake</span>
Rabbi Steve Greenberg writes that you should give your children half of the pain your parents gave you and then give them the strength to deal with the half you DO give them. This recipe is from my mother, Frania Klarfeld who told me it came from her mother-in-law, Chaya Klarfeld (Nate, Mel and Allen’s grandmother) who once told Nate that it wasn’t a good day if she didn’t make one of her children cry…better if it was a daughter-in-law. To my knowledge, she never lifted a finger and made a sandwich while living with us, but my mother swears it’s her recipe. To make Chaya Klarfeld’s memory sweet…(come on, believe in Karma) I make this recipe once a year, now just for Adam and Michelle down in FL and have nice memories at 32 Ladue Meadows of family and friends around the big table… enjoy…
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmgvjXAHkGeqIdpgJ-b-pE5IEwr_pKq614IphFhNLIoUEgcoE-dqxZDZEeWzGfC8MiWiUawKWMMqWEULNKgVCjBf8OcQoE5k4WQ0VPOtqCOcXfqJoq8iEd44x0K_ywNaJ6EaWAECPH94C/s1600/sponge+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmgvjXAHkGeqIdpgJ-b-pE5IEwr_pKq614IphFhNLIoUEgcoE-dqxZDZEeWzGfC8MiWiUawKWMMqWEULNKgVCjBf8OcQoE5k4WQ0VPOtqCOcXfqJoq8iEd44x0K_ywNaJ6EaWAECPH94C/s320/sponge+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726536946005836690" /></a>
• 12 or 13 eggs, separated
• Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon and one medium orange
• 1 ½ cups sugar separated into two ¾ portions
• 3/4 cup Passover cake meal
• 1/4 c Passover potato starch
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HrEurTxo7fv8KXq_IukOELvK-Toulq3H53_fsMrTKGqUF79dRuv7B1w1bhveZWWPLawIlj5H9MYzUy_nOb1ab98OniTKrPJh3ErXG1nUHvucaYxoqOz_ccJg5AePGQ_3Hjq-GLgCpnzN/s1600/sponge+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HrEurTxo7fv8KXq_IukOELvK-Toulq3H53_fsMrTKGqUF79dRuv7B1w1bhveZWWPLawIlj5H9MYzUy_nOb1ab98OniTKrPJh3ErXG1nUHvucaYxoqOz_ccJg5AePGQ_3Hjq-GLgCpnzN/s320/sponge+3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726537258938064434" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJuuIOZLGK910CQBZvi6VH5tYxgJvUUIqB7LoITQbT0UOGqz1l1Io4nb2ND3NXXBF_D-Dm9zdhJ8te74IJLLZDZ1_S_Wc7vh3FOf2NeBj1yv-Bk6BmH8iBfF5o3yyhbBXovOP_7nPk4ZP/s1600/sponge+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJuuIOZLGK910CQBZvi6VH5tYxgJvUUIqB7LoITQbT0UOGqz1l1Io4nb2ND3NXXBF_D-Dm9zdhJ8te74IJLLZDZ1_S_Wc7vh3FOf2NeBj1yv-Bk6BmH8iBfF5o3yyhbBXovOP_7nPk4ZP/s320/sponge+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726537127945610610" /></a>
Sift cake meal and potato starch together with ¾ cup sugar. Set dry ingredients aside.
In a Kitchen Aid Artisan (This is a Klarfeld recipe so we do and can name drop the best) Beat egg whites stiff but not dry. (that means glistening with firm peaks not dry)
Add the other ¾ cup sugar to the stiff egg whites and beat a minute or so on high speed. Move beaten egg whites to a clean Dutch oven (That is a big flat soup/braising pot that is at least a 10 Quart – my mother used an old aluminum banged up one.. but we should at least honor her with All-Clad)
Back to the Kitchen Aid….with same beater and bowl from egg whites, beat the yolks thick and lemony on medium speed. Add the juice and grated rind of one lemon and one orange. Now add the dry ingredients you sifted in first sentence (cake meal, sugar, potato starch) a little at a time (1/4 cup works) to the egg yolk mixture at medium speed till you get a nice yellow batter.
(see I do use an All-Clad)
With a 2 cup measuring cup take some of the beaten egg whites and mix it in with the yellow yolk batter by hand. Then carefully blend the two mixtures, one white, one yellow in the Dutch Oven till blended but don’t over do it.
Pour into 10" ungreased tube pan with removable tube. Cut around with knife. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes - one hour. Invert over bottle until cool. If you go to a flea market see if you can get the real deal, an old glass returnable Pepsi bottle with the swirls.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBW5jvT9xjWd5gNip3JW1DdrsuuGv467zzUKn540F2BzvesNicQbd54PpEcQJ9Lqja3W8GUO8dtlCKB46BN6-rWW85Ba6uYbJB94Xb4OWElHTJNjJcwt_qBVA0y7yckoud0WFY1K9AZNB/s1600/sponge+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBW5jvT9xjWd5gNip3JW1DdrsuuGv467zzUKn540F2BzvesNicQbd54PpEcQJ9Lqja3W8GUO8dtlCKB46BN6-rWW85Ba6uYbJB94Xb4OWElHTJNjJcwt_qBVA0y7yckoud0WFY1K9AZNB/s320/sponge+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726537591581833618" /></a>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-72195315866340683752017-12-19T07:34:00.001-08:002017-12-19T07:34:01.612-08:00End of a long long trip.This post is written on Nonday, decenber 28 almost a week after we started our trek home. I would not have missed it for the world, even though I felt like an imposter in a country. Only the 13 people on our trip and the hotel manager on the Mayfair (he greeted us as "THE BROTHERS" are here.. We did hold hands on the ship and in the 5 star hotels and we did notice the looks and whispers; Homosexual acts are now against the law in Egypt as are gay gatherings. Just before our arrival police broke up a gay pride demonstration just outside our hotel in the main square opposite the Egyptian Museum.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/08/lgbt-people-egypt-targeted-wave-arrests-violence
And being Jewish was like some bad wallpaper in a dingy room. Egypt exiled all the Jews in 1948 after centuries of getting along peacefully. But alliances with the other Arab countries, many more conservative, forced their hand to restrict the rights of Jews to exist in Egypt. I personally do not believe in the Passover Exodus story since no remains of 600,000 followers of Moses were never found in the desert. What were found was a people who assimilated into Judaism and then migrated to the north and across the sea to what now is Israel. The Passover story sounds great, but there is no archeolic evidence to prove this, and there are plenty to disprove it. Makes for a great story with food though.
https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/the-jewish-thinker/were-jews-ever-really-slaves-in-egypt-or-is-passover-a-myth-1.420844
This is from a left center newspaper published in Israel. Already many families have adopted a new Haggadah that speaks of Egyptian assimilation and explained that the pyramids could NOT have been constructed by slaves, but by paid artisans, the Jews.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7cEIgGdFTsPu1RGEQS5xoySK07ttuK2vYb0y3wXQV-1m8rxjmAB7boayvcPBC_JdtukN8mZ5bsy3RVmt_lz36SAZsg108vmRg9WEPJX-3XzooqJVilBGhg7nDc5UTrTmv1A6R2RDwODJ/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7cEIgGdFTsPu1RGEQS5xoySK07ttuK2vYb0y3wXQV-1m8rxjmAB7boayvcPBC_JdtukN8mZ5bsy3RVmt_lz36SAZsg108vmRg9WEPJX-3XzooqJVilBGhg7nDc5UTrTmv1A6R2RDwODJ/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YJK-cWxekGCbUQiFXXmzAZwaQj4wSgEMZF8dNG2bsR5gFDzomaQX2inkqX3_bh52vqkJHAcyYTHhJHtImEJqhdm7DAPiGzSVUbZ1q5AlMhNIPdj6AgNMDeFZMyW2fDduR38Wc-N59f9Q/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YJK-cWxekGCbUQiFXXmzAZwaQj4wSgEMZF8dNG2bsR5gFDzomaQX2inkqX3_bh52vqkJHAcyYTHhJHtImEJqhdm7DAPiGzSVUbZ1q5AlMhNIPdj6AgNMDeFZMyW2fDduR38Wc-N59f9Q/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBIlr8g68fi1ASEsKKNiH6YazNeZ8TrmpO3r7SrWfp2nGy9G6vV3B2g8XeZAkDpM8zJXovm_eriNvsTVFvA1YLS40f2YCJe5PBIsSerOZTWs8EYb8IvFT_PzqH9r_8CmFPJmwGmRs-iUa/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBIlr8g68fi1ASEsKKNiH6YazNeZ8TrmpO3r7SrWfp2nGy9G6vV3B2g8XeZAkDpM8zJXovm_eriNvsTVFvA1YLS40f2YCJe5PBIsSerOZTWs8EYb8IvFT_PzqH9r_8CmFPJmwGmRs-iUa/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZnwUbF0jup0kwThh695ZI0zdFtdoU9jTPI-8gZrnTQVe2R4gwS6ovf2GwjVfTq9tIml6GpJbDc710gMcMnfL9O_SB0T9MZFsq-oeU70qFNYRZGla0a3A6T1GRHlOT1ja8_x1a0fH4LrO/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZnwUbF0jup0kwThh695ZI0zdFtdoU9jTPI-8gZrnTQVe2R4gwS6ovf2GwjVfTq9tIml6GpJbDc710gMcMnfL9O_SB0T9MZFsq-oeU70qFNYRZGla0a3A6T1GRHlOT1ja8_x1a0fH4LrO/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHH16UHv4_wHXfP1AeQ7kU5FwZLu2s0eicAk_ylNws8Vnm9Xb6bNakmbfKWLtdahJGU4Loon9UQsCvxPmEQMimGS9g8m0MR6Y7UPusf47qCB4_zu4dfDkvDxgIZOChLYkcPdpnJJWlxsx/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHH16UHv4_wHXfP1AeQ7kU5FwZLu2s0eicAk_ylNws8Vnm9Xb6bNakmbfKWLtdahJGU4Loon9UQsCvxPmEQMimGS9g8m0MR6Y7UPusf47qCB4_zu4dfDkvDxgIZOChLYkcPdpnJJWlxsx/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kWg2hFjGUgtN51UTIpgH-mDvsutDw75MYyjeEIs0GPJz9FBrjPSdZOjuV0h-X-zwCjiUOGRshklr53aGGEwB2fNpNWXyR7QgIfrycrCkv1oEoMw3TkuItCCAExYFEsg73QLZfzokIGuo/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kWg2hFjGUgtN51UTIpgH-mDvsutDw75MYyjeEIs0GPJz9FBrjPSdZOjuV0h-X-zwCjiUOGRshklr53aGGEwB2fNpNWXyR7QgIfrycrCkv1oEoMw3TkuItCCAExYFEsg73QLZfzokIGuo/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yTaxCR77UwIaz9aCLOOmsQm9A5nuJI147tVZPGwKs6k8uqOesdVtzN53VqOR6kJU3sF6RkqPFc1opVWdqe0hkmE89ZtyP0y2IMqPs6VawHqvXKfOWeeWp4S5EdT9YWrU6LRY-OOoQ5CP/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yTaxCR77UwIaz9aCLOOmsQm9A5nuJI147tVZPGwKs6k8uqOesdVtzN53VqOR6kJU3sF6RkqPFc1opVWdqe0hkmE89ZtyP0y2IMqPs6VawHqvXKfOWeeWp4S5EdT9YWrU6LRY-OOoQ5CP/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
Till our next adventure
Nate and RaphieNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-29454708652109301002017-12-10T02:22:00.001-08:002017-12-10T02:22:11.289-08:00I'm back..after 48 hours in Upper (southern) EgyptBy the time you see this, it will be after our 48 hour no internet or cell service. The south of Egypt near Sudan is called Upper Egypt since it is higher elevation than the North, which is called Lower Egypt. The Aswan Dam - the new High Dam displaced hundreds of thousands of Egyptian Nubians and forced the government to call on Unesco and other countries to save the ancient temples constructed to show the people that upper and lower Egypt were one.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNM8aqBlS1GtQGyRYp-SeSCXEttHuZq1Vorhu6QyNkXcXaaABCW5eTq09Yv1DhLbMq0h15p098WS_1prO2Zp2ccnMZUlriTTkbqT_MIZji7PBQ9GaODXPNuyBbG52U_-r9cDTakF2bPOG/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNM8aqBlS1GtQGyRYp-SeSCXEttHuZq1Vorhu6QyNkXcXaaABCW5eTq09Yv1DhLbMq0h15p098WS_1prO2Zp2ccnMZUlriTTkbqT_MIZji7PBQ9GaODXPNuyBbG52U_-r9cDTakF2bPOG/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhy1JLIYfXeMRbiOFW5Tt5qtqVh0xtdHGxeQOl_64Mmcl2WZIWDIzsVx7_b6JBZS7PATADvBT277uCpwR1vJmKCJq-UK9MgsXwR9Kb0tbY97-8vvJ7-thMECpJwym575YQQV504f1n73vv/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhy1JLIYfXeMRbiOFW5Tt5qtqVh0xtdHGxeQOl_64Mmcl2WZIWDIzsVx7_b6JBZS7PATADvBT277uCpwR1vJmKCJq-UK9MgsXwR9Kb0tbY97-8vvJ7-thMECpJwym575YQQV504f1n73vv/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmpxuwdJgrZIqrVt9mbjleFcc85ehEOawX4jNdni30RyNH99Cs_zlJgcaY3DpueY8NyuI4Mn6vJSgIsrA39HQjtlfagzUxbhpZ8rNmvwev2I4fwX296tUDeRG5EFpkpBmBG2TE5WjO2lT/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmpxuwdJgrZIqrVt9mbjleFcc85ehEOawX4jNdni30RyNH99Cs_zlJgcaY3DpueY8NyuI4Mn6vJSgIsrA39HQjtlfagzUxbhpZ8rNmvwev2I4fwX296tUDeRG5EFpkpBmBG2TE5WjO2lT/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
The temples were carefully dismantled after building moats around them and taken piece by piece to higher ground. (BTW the US and other European countries paid for the removal and reconstruction but absent from the list were the oil rich countries surrounding Egypt...this was the mid to late 60's and these countries were already reaping the rewards of a gas hungry world. My obervation. Not a word of course was said on the tours)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwwIkio8P5Oo62Uzgbz-x6k4n3hQ6tMLkOXtWjQEVx3wpPMsKBK4VhKBXHyuvPRTj67jQ7MDVTeLhdEEIdjSE6zkWY75GbFBALnUONm7wvUpj8dhCLnU6kxzrxo1u_3Szk9cSKdEroiT8/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwwIkio8P5Oo62Uzgbz-x6k4n3hQ6tMLkOXtWjQEVx3wpPMsKBK4VhKBXHyuvPRTj67jQ7MDVTeLhdEEIdjSE6zkWY75GbFBALnUONm7wvUpj8dhCLnU6kxzrxo1u_3Szk9cSKdEroiT8/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NEw2eZu7TW6Bb0dp6SvAx1F00k1lb7UkinxSLSG2qsDx1W4Ps2IKEai0i_BokAfp_XN3auXfWW9NV82m5b1cpl8b_O0ezqboj3I4kZtowQWqZUbbqyZeJox4NunZeVlbFSURF6n3VY1E/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NEw2eZu7TW6Bb0dp6SvAx1F00k1lb7UkinxSLSG2qsDx1W4Ps2IKEai0i_BokAfp_XN3auXfWW9NV82m5b1cpl8b_O0ezqboj3I4kZtowQWqZUbbqyZeJox4NunZeVlbFSURF6n3VY1E/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR4uHFedwM6aBPUGdSX0Jzv56WeEYH7oaNg4UkiZThGtRyODJNE4gyxyO86Sx2ErrJaddW8RnP8JoN44d2rKxoAtKldBQO35gjnXeubZbvw_d3XfmT9NoRgXTdrW0iyNLLGr4BSn_YcYm/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR4uHFedwM6aBPUGdSX0Jzv56WeEYH7oaNg4UkiZThGtRyODJNE4gyxyO86Sx2ErrJaddW8RnP8JoN44d2rKxoAtKldBQO35gjnXeubZbvw_d3XfmT9NoRgXTdrW0iyNLLGr4BSn_YcYm/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
We took one of the two small lifeboats on the ship (remember the Titanic) as tenders to Wadi el Seboua, the valley of the Lions. The two temples are imposing and were used later by the coptic Xtians who painted St. Peter on one of the altars, and the paint is still visible. These temples were moved as the dam was filling 2.5 miles west of their original loacations. I believe there is a YouTube video of moving the Temples that we viewed...amazing engineering and ingenious use of what was available. Have to remember that all of the thousands of workers and equipment had to be brought by barge to the extraction sites. That alone made these artifacts even more impressive.
Plane back to Cairo tomorrow and then one night there and finally Homeward Bound.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUcFyS8Z_ebJhOmIiX_ybAKSmyq-gCScQAtVl7cYks2LVHJLMjPNSVM08Fhe01W9WlL6DGwvVOwrztr5co94qbXE0kO1w0P81o1guw1Quf80cWwScm6I4MXhmNQyNqkrAjvp1xUgMONun/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUcFyS8Z_ebJhOmIiX_ybAKSmyq-gCScQAtVl7cYks2LVHJLMjPNSVM08Fhe01W9WlL6DGwvVOwrztr5co94qbXE0kO1w0P81o1guw1Quf80cWwScm6I4MXhmNQyNqkrAjvp1xUgMONun/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4OroBxNp2nRh9Opbn5E0-r6PGzHqYPU89a5_HD3fSysqz2ZFh4wGFMzuXUD2t2rePNHuRKvnT3ypxfOgbqciviLlgY-07R3HRLNt_6PGxxaV6XjbSt6R0xkEBF8Qh_HNohHmrRVGQoq3/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4OroBxNp2nRh9Opbn5E0-r6PGzHqYPU89a5_HD3fSysqz2ZFh4wGFMzuXUD2t2rePNHuRKvnT3ypxfOgbqciviLlgY-07R3HRLNt_6PGxxaV6XjbSt6R0xkEBF8Qh_HNohHmrRVGQoq3/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
On one of the walls you can find a bumblebee, honey used in embalming and also as an antiseptic. Honey was found in some of the tombs, still fresh since a closed container will NEVER spoil.
Nate and RaphieNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-72496233720584922202017-12-08T08:53:00.001-08:002017-12-08T08:53:48.449-08:00The cost of money and another plane trip and yet another cruise boatJust a few notes on the past day or so.
First of all, we took a plane from Aswan to Abul Simbel Hopping to the other side of the New Aswan Dam. Our second of three trips by plane on Egypt Air. You go through two security checkpoints and a frisking (two separate lines for men and women, so that men do not touch women and vice versa. Shoes off, all electronics out but you do get the feeling that they aren't really looking at anything closely, but rather going through the motions. A little nervous about that since we are further south with more strict religious practices than in Cairo.
We went to the temple at Abu Simbel. This was moved out of the path of the Aswan Dam piece by piece in the 1960s and rebuilt on higher ground.
The temples are amazing; one to Ramses II and the other to his queen Nefertiri.
<a href="http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp363-ss13/2013/02/06/abu-simbel-temples-relocation-due-to-aswan-dam/"></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_5b-63W1nEqv01qofa3gKWR_NWV4vk-7ez5btscgocJ9Zb6nnhu1I2g9VFcRXFLNacUZ0Ki0qpgofK0WbvcRuY9_9J2w9ZonAhsKX51n5dzyJHpAzzhdEzBT81SqVdpb7foRR2G7rBC3/s1600/boyswithpharo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_5b-63W1nEqv01qofa3gKWR_NWV4vk-7ez5btscgocJ9Zb6nnhu1I2g9VFcRXFLNacUZ0Ki0qpgofK0WbvcRuY9_9J2w9ZonAhsKX51n5dzyJHpAzzhdEzBT81SqVdpb7foRR2G7rBC3/s320/boyswithpharo.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div>
Sunsets are gorgeous in Egypt; closer the Equator and very little industry in the desert. The people we have met on the streets and travelling have been so polite and nice to us. We were really worried Wednesday night and Thursday after the Trump announcement, but even though the papers here all extolled the next violence, one of the waiters told us that they too have elected crazy crooked presidents. So I guess they do separate us from our government.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61-x35FMC5OV78zDU1dmVrgsP84C0XzeH2yGq-rfE8yfV9VWO-8V86b6xnSoX2i2A31vHqNoB6lhO7sseUpmjC_a7ZUPog_tHH2jzTIpncNs-OqxfZFSvS2J5ZAB_3mVpj-tnvxhoVxtC/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61-x35FMC5OV78zDU1dmVrgsP84C0XzeH2yGq-rfE8yfV9VWO-8V86b6xnSoX2i2A31vHqNoB6lhO7sseUpmjC_a7ZUPog_tHH2jzTIpncNs-OqxfZFSvS2J5ZAB_3mVpj-tnvxhoVxtC/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1071" /></a></div>
It's only been 5 years since the new government formed after Arab Spring. The economy is a mess and neither of our ships have been full, this one is less than half full but with a full staff. Our tourguide said that a few years ago these boats were totally booked in November, the high season when the weather is best. I asked if there was any coinage here: the exchange rate is 17.6 Egyptian pounds to the US Dollar. So the 5 Pound note you see in this pic is about 25 cents...and we are giving them out to the nice kids on the street. Tips of a dollar get you lifetime obedience from the restaurant and ship staff. There is a lot of poverty on the streets and garbage piling up, giving you a sense of lack of pride or just getting by here. That has been the only negative part of the bus and horse rides through the city.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKGUn9uE9d2iNH6ugKWf-PRSgAZWniWsC-n0jibxZZ_mJYbO1ZQDhuPqLcIs5JybCH2P8AbtY0KK2zkTqPcjYoVyOTSmXvW1cvtZuqjGZ4yi_uyQm6gbWQHav3sTOwsZPZMA2xftdJ13v/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKGUn9uE9d2iNH6ugKWf-PRSgAZWniWsC-n0jibxZZ_mJYbO1ZQDhuPqLcIs5JybCH2P8AbtY0KK2zkTqPcjYoVyOTSmXvW1cvtZuqjGZ4yi_uyQm6gbWQHav3sTOwsZPZMA2xftdJ13v/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
More tomorrow
Thanks for following
Nate and Raphie
Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-67182832323055638532017-12-07T07:41:00.000-08:002017-12-07T07:43:11.116-08:00Crusing the Nile then Sailing the Nile with a few thousand years history in betweenLast night we visited a temple in the evening, beautifully lit up. This one a double with the Goddess Isis and another Horis. This one had medical instruments chiseled into the stone as well as prescriptions that were written by ancient medicine men (women?) signed with the Eye of Horis which looks remarkedly like the Rx sign on script pads your doc gives.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsnpSTq5ZYG3nogdJeR3obYOLmhXOJ2A-j1Oiloh_ZbuhFzrXJcMPgNpj4VWb__uoISF9oDO6GdYyqDBfBOSXMy3f9MbGcYn7oll-vS2gK7eB5zj9_oy12hntN67CTtC-BirxPMOoHm5g/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsnpSTq5ZYG3nogdJeR3obYOLmhXOJ2A-j1Oiloh_ZbuhFzrXJcMPgNpj4VWb__uoISF9oDO6GdYyqDBfBOSXMy3f9MbGcYn7oll-vS2gK7eB5zj9_oy12hntN67CTtC-BirxPMOoHm5g/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThLkvpBCvi-CjQH_vpJ4rkpSKSvnuKUHhrVES-vxJWAv5ZoeC5kFUopiYysKlQDKPKXpXHtAH_mr-K35eZKSyw74UIXOFwrJgoSgWVetoRy5JFQpEJhUqe-EvjggWS5ofQ3iZ60WUb2EE/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThLkvpBCvi-CjQH_vpJ4rkpSKSvnuKUHhrVES-vxJWAv5ZoeC5kFUopiYysKlQDKPKXpXHtAH_mr-K35eZKSyw74UIXOFwrJgoSgWVetoRy5JFQpEJhUqe-EvjggWS5ofQ3iZ60WUb2EE/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
this was in the city of Edfu. Overnight we cruised to the city of Aswan. What I noticed that as we went South, more and more women were covered with hajib and many with face veils. I saw no women or even girls with heads uncovered and many more men in clerical clothing. It seems like the US with more churchgoers in general in the Southeast than North.
We went to the Nubian Museum (we are closer to the Sudan here) and it was amazing.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT5EZEMCSgzanP5jXYmjZCBDz7obr-t1rz7lyGJYh1lgnYc5ScVExz6W0MGWmZYpUBPePL8VPT91V_QbkKlLGUP1XYQpZN6A91FIQtqg9aeW9RPrg0NLTHl1lxXDisrv8Xj5nONl3dR7z/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT5EZEMCSgzanP5jXYmjZCBDz7obr-t1rz7lyGJYh1lgnYc5ScVExz6W0MGWmZYpUBPePL8VPT91V_QbkKlLGUP1XYQpZN6A91FIQtqg9aeW9RPrg0NLTHl1lxXDisrv8Xj5nONl3dR7z/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" width="320" height="277" data-original-width="1194" data-original-height="1032" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8GRvQSwpEQgbkNdmMAx2R-_WFFZKwB-QjTJZ6etQ6LSmwvvWU2Tgw_y7xplgWHgyoMQ5vkdRnMZWk8mu2-QSmdUSypbhnAI0ixg22edZ4PNJ5UH6f231DABTkjUYMGFTnZuH6Xa9Pf3m/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8GRvQSwpEQgbkNdmMAx2R-_WFFZKwB-QjTJZ6etQ6LSmwvvWU2Tgw_y7xplgWHgyoMQ5vkdRnMZWk8mu2-QSmdUSypbhnAI0ixg22edZ4PNJ5UH6f231DABTkjUYMGFTnZuH6Xa9Pf3m/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKoyriwhkrbODpDkvRxUKw4JBkHoU8OjqRDHTC9sP-XyMr2zdQPAnhPq2m5LDHoHixKMW6M9L7y5T2A5AcSbNK_nMaA3iw4kWaH5zsS58Iu9nwPfcuNSFfZ7-_pmcwEEtXGffg0shhHev/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKoyriwhkrbODpDkvRxUKw4JBkHoU8OjqRDHTC9sP-XyMr2zdQPAnhPq2m5LDHoHixKMW6M9L7y5T2A5AcSbNK_nMaA3iw4kWaH5zsS58Iu9nwPfcuNSFfZ7-_pmcwEEtXGffg0shhHev/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOJiUETvNshad5kOEHskTm7gqCsQPLiwo3uSzIPSGArEt0kHcsdtyJiTzvd1YdFsJ72_gYpMKSPDqV7pDlndcPlrQVgyLa9RwWED_wL3S0476HXYKU5TZfj7sRHif_PS1Yl7ADRicrl1S/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOJiUETvNshad5kOEHskTm7gqCsQPLiwo3uSzIPSGArEt0kHcsdtyJiTzvd1YdFsJ72_gYpMKSPDqV7pDlndcPlrQVgyLa9RwWED_wL3S0476HXYKU5TZfj7sRHif_PS1Yl7ADRicrl1S/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
There are also many unfinished buildings, some high rises, that are unfinished with no one working on them. Most of these were started before the 2011 Arab Spring that ousted Mubarek, but the new economy has yet to catch up. The faltering Egyptian Pound hasn't helped much and of course tourism is down since the Mosque massacre of 300 souls lost a few weeks ago.
To end the day we took a sunset cruise on a Folluka, a lovely sailboat with a crew that sang and made us dance as the sun was going down. We sang and tried to do a conga line, but proved once again, many Americans cannot dance.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0J62PbXOiVFRc_F6_fIYJLqUFUxtmahUUlMsy_rtB8k0nKU0LH3I23XQGsPEi5gVsHT9Z9UWg0rEAsa41Qi-BH9tGszPY6pJsLvYL0DqPeUSsqMf2vym3aWGxYmnr_xleZ664g7OcL1R3/s1600/DSC_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0J62PbXOiVFRc_F6_fIYJLqUFUxtmahUUlMsy_rtB8k0nKU0LH3I23XQGsPEi5gVsHT9Z9UWg0rEAsa41Qi-BH9tGszPY6pJsLvYL0DqPeUSsqMf2vym3aWGxYmnr_xleZ664g7OcL1R3/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvPkrwrXhtjBEfzPlW9hgxm4q8dMDn7-cRAlbfkuiBzwWe6J2leBlKJpcU6PLlZkwgrFvaXnT3tgHJAXbjFsT18_cfZAzL7-yoVSgxc4t8SNXaaxn9zdfjrWXvF6tmXrGTnJ-FbgOeWQz/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvPkrwrXhtjBEfzPlW9hgxm4q8dMDn7-cRAlbfkuiBzwWe6J2leBlKJpcU6PLlZkwgrFvaXnT3tgHJAXbjFsT18_cfZAzL7-yoVSgxc4t8SNXaaxn9zdfjrWXvF6tmXrGTnJ-FbgOeWQz/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
Flying tomorrow over the dam and getting on another cruise boat to continue our journey up the Nile
Nate and Raphie
Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-66219041488589038532017-12-06T01:40:00.000-08:002017-12-06T01:40:35.538-08:00Edfu, Egypt and the temple of HorusEdfu is steeped in Egyptian legend. The Falcon God Horus battled his Uncle Seth, who killed his father. built between 237 and 57 BC, but designed as much older temples but has been preserved because it was covered in sand. To get there from the ship we took a horse drawn carriage through the crowded ancient streets. Pics below.
Nate and Raphie
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZAriydq4iPX_Bab7oDZSUbQ_FzJF6onX97Gok4bo6NCcuvevSJW3Up-YLyPnEroid9SNoXhXETjt8ojfz1am7C-s8Xjnssy3bK3Q8Z1JENIXfC1FrEtzQfTRA7Q1WAPQOYow-pSrpNee/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZAriydq4iPX_Bab7oDZSUbQ_FzJF6onX97Gok4bo6NCcuvevSJW3Up-YLyPnEroid9SNoXhXETjt8ojfz1am7C-s8Xjnssy3bK3Q8Z1JENIXfC1FrEtzQfTRA7Q1WAPQOYow-pSrpNee/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjza4rapVa-PWlUTTb0khLddd8VYOVnVnenVkDbUbn9i4LMK3S6HD1sNV60Rls8xmb2u7Fjrt0I5yelbQ8gMcHXjdvM2Z3_-0ghvL0ekrfyDn5m38hF60frQ-5io_Ru-1CRSaDfH_0lmej/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjza4rapVa-PWlUTTb0khLddd8VYOVnVnenVkDbUbn9i4LMK3S6HD1sNV60Rls8xmb2u7Fjrt0I5yelbQ8gMcHXjdvM2Z3_-0ghvL0ekrfyDn5m38hF60frQ-5io_Ru-1CRSaDfH_0lmej/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs8Cas6LHlc1sSSQLYdMXvhLwFsFEe_h06eCjZ74sitZ-HeCe_3F-gecCKP5-NXLh3tX2fIWZlVackOGCYBkQ_4FIabGhgB3jx2nPK_-uBivKlTbLghwpwIwsWm_p9EMjoTwxn44v7z_Y/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs8Cas6LHlc1sSSQLYdMXvhLwFsFEe_h06eCjZ74sitZ-HeCe_3F-gecCKP5-NXLh3tX2fIWZlVackOGCYBkQ_4FIabGhgB3jx2nPK_-uBivKlTbLghwpwIwsWm_p9EMjoTwxn44v7z_Y/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Eew6TqPxneZNeIYJP5nVpD9bpXR4H8ZYAEvKljgYPrG_-fqL7eO2-xHmJUbrA2S_r5uXEZXIItPjw-BH0XldNS5oWdHYQIrlWRFLtEcTeqAFpr3VVHNn-N4dfCnqTzhIURhpb_xToYj8/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Eew6TqPxneZNeIYJP5nVpD9bpXR4H8ZYAEvKljgYPrG_-fqL7eO2-xHmJUbrA2S_r5uXEZXIItPjw-BH0XldNS5oWdHYQIrlWRFLtEcTeqAFpr3VVHNn-N4dfCnqTzhIURhpb_xToYj8/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-7188434685701172012017-12-05T05:29:00.000-08:002017-12-05T05:29:23.453-08:00Valley of the Kings Birds Eye View LiterallyStarted off this morning with a 3 AM wake up call for a pre dawn balloon ride over the Vally of the Kings and Mortuary mountains.
The most beautiful sight I've seen was seeing the sunrise from 600 feet up. The view was breathtaking and all 7 balloons went up at once. Our entire group of 24 fit into one basket...Here is a pic, not of us, but of a neighboring balloon and the first sight we saw this morning.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyLiTmL9xJDWu3oxY61wdOwdGzf0e9HVcQHQs2gUirmnrKWz7ursdkNsxV_UYYt_5jddr6xZaLu4pabg7TOEXFW1XGbqYmnoGj9YaSOXySowpISCsvO8cLt06tSCltFXtVj2Ba9d62gNQ/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyLiTmL9xJDWu3oxY61wdOwdGzf0e9HVcQHQs2gUirmnrKWz7ursdkNsxV_UYYt_5jddr6xZaLu4pabg7TOEXFW1XGbqYmnoGj9YaSOXySowpISCsvO8cLt06tSCltFXtVj2Ba9d62gNQ/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdd32PtKhdG2zyTsJVfb9vL1T4zsK_PEloniOf57X8QYTTT0REBQBPtI1bdmjuFTIgWQHBrHmcDHt1T-UXX3WnGc-WoQ4XVCXQuUzT7DL7ai0gjMbRFMDWt8Qu0CWTui3QZl3phzusZNXk/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdd32PtKhdG2zyTsJVfb9vL1T4zsK_PEloniOf57X8QYTTT0REBQBPtI1bdmjuFTIgWQHBrHmcDHt1T-UXX3WnGc-WoQ4XVCXQuUzT7DL7ai0gjMbRFMDWt8Qu0CWTui3QZl3phzusZNXk/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
Later in the day we did the ground tours of Ramses I through IX and a few others. the colors of the drawings in the tombs have been untouched for over 3000 years and are still as vibrant as today. Amazing how some of the stories of jealousy and betrayal are repeated in both the Jewish and Catholic religions. Our tourguide made the stories come alive by making us act out the parts of the different Egyptian kinds and gods. A good sense of humor is very necessary when you spend an entire day visiting tombs.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOq93W1qGwBZEkO6owzJ1NhH73BAxQH_Sgr2KdDZZHMaRgvrrRVI-5XnPGkgudCAqzRpkMXj7crDy4pTrg-MZXktRhKT5qhLwJqUc4XGRIGTqautIqPYARMSimRoWAqmtOCFRBdZ9u766s/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOq93W1qGwBZEkO6owzJ1NhH73BAxQH_Sgr2KdDZZHMaRgvrrRVI-5XnPGkgudCAqzRpkMXj7crDy4pTrg-MZXktRhKT5qhLwJqUc4XGRIGTqautIqPYARMSimRoWAqmtOCFRBdZ9u766s/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorCf7LEgQNUwXNcPPPQBrQXeN_IXphIfszews2QyBgZgjAm3YmbvBaHHG2W8UGp_CfXMpBdUc_M4Tskn7tFBBLLfBYe6Ns8VKSzinApNK5cjyaTeSxp_EhXXBXFe7KOWKq8GLhRhrKKos/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorCf7LEgQNUwXNcPPPQBrQXeN_IXphIfszews2QyBgZgjAm3YmbvBaHHG2W8UGp_CfXMpBdUc_M4Tskn7tFBBLLfBYe6Ns8VKSzinApNK5cjyaTeSxp_EhXXBXFe7KOWKq8GLhRhrKKos/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ0wRpQ9WtUpdx6I-PI7Y1LiLXstx95eYq_h3QzR30Ojgk9CN3spyLpfPN5eXgbse1mX4CxJ0vQevN0tETOQGn9RV3Ffig8spH7b9-P5gc6qSc2cEWtdpD2mPdmVCJpPHcRdJspO2uFMk/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ0wRpQ9WtUpdx6I-PI7Y1LiLXstx95eYq_h3QzR30Ojgk9CN3spyLpfPN5eXgbse1mX4CxJ0vQevN0tETOQGn9RV3Ffig8spH7b9-P5gc6qSc2cEWtdpD2mPdmVCJpPHcRdJspO2uFMk/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVY_RPprtiYa6RndKw5U_GtMt45S_vFjAWFcFkIpChUQ5QmMBHboREQilxC6MF8_Ipc65VVntkvO5IJbMCA0Ha_SXmcMk97po0ZYyx8vWJvFl8pYtC44ZSAfdhP0J26U-4R6CGJWFo6SWc/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVY_RPprtiYa6RndKw5U_GtMt45S_vFjAWFcFkIpChUQ5QmMBHboREQilxC6MF8_Ipc65VVntkvO5IJbMCA0Ha_SXmcMk97po0ZYyx8vWJvFl8pYtC44ZSAfdhP0J26U-4R6CGJWFo6SWc/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-64188334859702886322017-12-04T05:27:00.001-08:002017-12-04T05:27:36.786-08:00Karnak, Luxor and our home (ship) for a few daysNothing could have prepared me for the treasures of Karnak and Luxor, two huge temples built and rebuilt and added onto for generations. The mere size of the carved columns and painted friezes that have survived outdoors to this day were magnificent. I'm sitting right now in my stateroom on the SS Mayfair looking out at the beautiful temples to a civilization long gone without any real reason. Maybe it was a famine, maybe spent too much on wars, perhaps a goofy religion that relied on live sacrifice..no answers, though I can see a few reasons our civilization might look like this not too far into the future.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqt6YNLy5krK6o1z4Vf16RdxHyK5wb0t-mUbpqc29uSqEFzsp-Dzahr6kKitT-Yy9tudbIg4OyFGYtdGqCz_uaY0iu1GGMaKuF1v02jmAHrX42e1aZwRQB1g3SI_leLeYmLeW1GVKfU1m/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqt6YNLy5krK6o1z4Vf16RdxHyK5wb0t-mUbpqc29uSqEFzsp-Dzahr6kKitT-Yy9tudbIg4OyFGYtdGqCz_uaY0iu1GGMaKuF1v02jmAHrX42e1aZwRQB1g3SI_leLeYmLeW1GVKfU1m/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1dWOUUO4IX1cCltOdlMTAgwEX_Vt2ROeQARQPGsA2iwmysUGpEdiYBORcmCU7hCoz50i6waDhNM74QSDo6lb8emoKU3u_E2p0Z3DhUUWupnkr5kGj_R_zpVBVoE3upTuhoSOJLZUwGRp/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1dWOUUO4IX1cCltOdlMTAgwEX_Vt2ROeQARQPGsA2iwmysUGpEdiYBORcmCU7hCoz50i6waDhNM74QSDo6lb8emoKU3u_E2p0Z3DhUUWupnkr5kGj_R_zpVBVoE3upTuhoSOJLZUwGRp/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkanIVtpeFTTGP-O_SrxqsSvRasVGBTtf9dzx_9fpQu7HjN1LPNxDV9cAGjDoASiwvr-Q0E32K_RGZJzQjb96GOIjZDlbQP3rp80nkwGoIq_LV_OD0wk3PyNH1V3f-VAXNXnFasQUUIhW4/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkanIVtpeFTTGP-O_SrxqsSvRasVGBTtf9dzx_9fpQu7HjN1LPNxDV9cAGjDoASiwvr-Q0E32K_RGZJzQjb96GOIjZDlbQP3rp80nkwGoIq_LV_OD0wk3PyNH1V3f-VAXNXnFasQUUIhW4/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWj790yopSJcvPgzCT6RVuk6tkKwVZML7YQ2TTAJyNgtAyqWCNb1FY5leE-B_Ih9W86PD0Jji0dPQfLPEnxyAmNlCJlzCYQOlOsRelPPeICcUmI40-v54rcmizej_dduGQbDiRDAT9on7/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWj790yopSJcvPgzCT6RVuk6tkKwVZML7YQ2TTAJyNgtAyqWCNb1FY5leE-B_Ih9W86PD0Jji0dPQfLPEnxyAmNlCJlzCYQOlOsRelPPeICcUmI40-v54rcmizej_dduGQbDiRDAT9on7/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL-BTUmw7SQJ5_oA4ovc_Pd-4yY3nTW74Y_mgW83b15fLpNCMFjSdXs81auNOUzzqnf4axB0pfama9m79tqgYjWxYnUVLTinsmNfDOMth-hyltxRtmzHRFB6vnsKgnSyyd0H5RuAszQRD/s1600/DSC_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL-BTUmw7SQJ5_oA4ovc_Pd-4yY3nTW74Y_mgW83b15fLpNCMFjSdXs81auNOUzzqnf4axB0pfama9m79tqgYjWxYnUVLTinsmNfDOMth-hyltxRtmzHRFB6vnsKgnSyyd0H5RuAszQRD/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
Tomorrow we get up at 4AM to go for a sunrise balloon ride over the valley of the Kings. Whether you believe in the "Ancient Aliens" series as Raphie does, or if you just can't fully believe that the math and engineering were that advanced 5,000 years ago. (a bit too American invented EVERYTHING, this is something I have wanted to do since I was a child and read about the Pharoes.
The ship is beautiful, but a bit dated. We've met some great people on the trip and I know we'll see them again on our adventures. The best thing about travelling especially with Viking or Gate 1, is that you really meet some great people, experience the land first hand, and the guides are wonderful.
Tomorrow should be another amazing day
Nate and RaphieNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-42017196106148995802017-12-03T09:30:00.002-08:002017-12-03T09:30:53.298-08:00A very well guarded look at Cairo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pDjtlw8NW5K5ZiWIp2MKpDCGHZ4KiHu4IyglE11x0ZU3FVaAwYhjzFmvOXmItDYvN1G6aB3HRz8CjUs0DIzLRWRmDF4us241nxkFmqIXbgXehpaUtsdfWfqLRG9p-KRbcJCUAvSnk_rQ/s1600/egyptianmuseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pDjtlw8NW5K5ZiWIp2MKpDCGHZ4KiHu4IyglE11x0ZU3FVaAwYhjzFmvOXmItDYvN1G6aB3HRz8CjUs0DIzLRWRmDF4us241nxkFmqIXbgXehpaUtsdfWfqLRG9p-KRbcJCUAvSnk_rQ/s320/egyptianmuseum.jpg" width="320" height="286" data-original-width="855" data-original-height="765" /></a></div>
Like Israel, all of the hotels are guarded by armed men in black suits, white shirts and a slight bulge on their hips. What I didn't expect was the uniformed helmeted troops outside our hotel and all of the other major brand hotels in Cairo, complete with automatic weapons. Also on our bus of only 26 tourists, there was another black suited well hipped guard (glock) who got off first, got on last and stayed outside our destinations keeping a close eye on everything. The photo above is a group of the bus guards at the Egyptian Museum having dropped off their charges to see the treasures inside. And treasures they were many and amazing. The museum is moving into a new home in a few years, financed by the Japanese Govt. with payback of all of the entrance and rental fees going to Japan for 20 years. I can't imagine a country that wealthy doing that unless corruption has siphoned off so much money.
Back to the treasures.
We were able to go into a mosque which is rare for non believers and especially with over 300 casualties a few weeks ago in another part of Egypt between sunni and suffi Muslim sects. Our bus was checked with dogs and mirrors and we were yet again scanned with metal detectors (7 times toatl today, including 3 at the museum and twice at the hotel) You get used to it after a while and it just becomes part of life here in the mideast. Here are some pics of the Mosque of Muhammed Ali (not the boxer)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ_8Xc1D-f9Qf_Oj53Fxj0R2-3nGAGPau_G7Iktipfoaw7v-Zkk6704pnIETOXzrutqZstbdYqQGvsAU9_Av7LW-LcB0CxiTdNvhHVqP1vUjkEzFOOCPeb0L_amUO_kTyGQnZX4Ao5xMi/s1600/File_000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ_8Xc1D-f9Qf_Oj53Fxj0R2-3nGAGPau_G7Iktipfoaw7v-Zkk6704pnIETOXzrutqZstbdYqQGvsAU9_Av7LW-LcB0CxiTdNvhHVqP1vUjkEzFOOCPeb0L_amUO_kTyGQnZX4Ao5xMi/s320/File_000.jpeg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="580" data-original-height="774" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdnFGwfDPAvpK5mo0Dl3YV1TP2DV6KfWkooiYbv4YEhWEPVZZ39jV1WfCuh4GtumF2xWQQ6-sXDJYubbIe9dwcuNZlVfh-_WTef2w88kX9RzzbMBEat1DVs_OubCdU4Q9ESeEjWR-68Oe/s1600/citadel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdnFGwfDPAvpK5mo0Dl3YV1TP2DV6KfWkooiYbv4YEhWEPVZZ39jV1WfCuh4GtumF2xWQQ6-sXDJYubbIe9dwcuNZlVfh-_WTef2w88kX9RzzbMBEat1DVs_OubCdU4Q9ESeEjWR-68Oe/s320/citadel.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudFMG7KP46SHSchuHZPX92GOvKdNxmrKTyiNDaMMOtK22EyiAVKgHowwqHxMeOKIt8McyUwMhOyLOPoTLQOGL9_NfUIL9Q3xZS-LSk_lBaNezZzPw2vKIBZENBJJ9LeL5OuGFBDyFPfxI/s1600/mosqueraphie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudFMG7KP46SHSchuHZPX92GOvKdNxmrKTyiNDaMMOtK22EyiAVKgHowwqHxMeOKIt8McyUwMhOyLOPoTLQOGL9_NfUIL9Q3xZS-LSk_lBaNezZzPw2vKIBZENBJJ9LeL5OuGFBDyFPfxI/s320/mosqueraphie.jpg" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
Tomorrow on to Luxor by plane and then on the boat up the Nile
Nate and RaphieNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-4927601679604739712017-12-02T07:43:00.000-08:002017-12-02T07:43:24.987-08:00The Great Pyramid and Sphinx DayDriving around Cairo is pretty depressing. Besides an aversion to picking up trash (Except in front of western hotels like ours that are guarded by private security forces with automatic weapons) There is trash and starving dogs everywhere. My only comparison is my trips to Israel where the guards are present but a total absence of trash anywhere. I don't know if it is the corrupt government, lack of pride of its citizens who live with garbage on their doorsteps, or a general malaise that nothing can be done about it. I didn't take any pictures of the trash laden streets that are impossible to ignore. I felt that it would be rude to take pictures of people without them knowing it.
So here are the pics of Saqqara and Giza including the Sphinx.
The Step Pyramid is thought to be older than the great Pyramids of Giza. Built sometime in 2700AD it has remained somewhat untouched. It laid buried in the sand until 1851.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqJWPQrNLu0Bo8Zz0HAxRKC1SPq6aYinalqgHeVQgoupmH5-mWGSBRIewWQ3UuVoMeHooy5jjuHk0wXKy0m_P_t-04RFWkeNIoz7c4D2RX0fjrEfHX6oSYVr-dvvTWtAFLxYiT6gElyq0/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqJWPQrNLu0Bo8Zz0HAxRKC1SPq6aYinalqgHeVQgoupmH5-mWGSBRIewWQ3UuVoMeHooy5jjuHk0wXKy0m_P_t-04RFWkeNIoz7c4D2RX0fjrEfHX6oSYVr-dvvTWtAFLxYiT6gElyq0/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
Then on to Giza which is amazingly close to Cairo as far as seeing them from our lunch location, but on arrival you begin to believe in the mystical powers of myth and the underworld. The site is amazing and even crowded with tourists, you can imagine the 100,000 people that worked 20 years to build them The Father, the Son, and the Grandson each have pyramids, each a bit smaller in size but line up perfectly in their apexes as well as Orion's Belt and every few thousand years, three planets line up exactly at the top of each one for one night only.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqvPZMLEVjmpeqZDxE2QmkSe7qOJqAQMV7soPVg5yPT0CajkvRqQCppQcCoMMZ_LJVoKsNzQPp4jWwBz2_vxMl3B4CWLD4KzYe9MasF_4ij_mWODGO6zOuv52wEYynMUtEtnU7QaBlvkf/s1600/DSC_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqvPZMLEVjmpeqZDxE2QmkSe7qOJqAQMV7soPVg5yPT0CajkvRqQCppQcCoMMZ_LJVoKsNzQPp4jWwBz2_vxMl3B4CWLD4KzYe9MasF_4ij_mWODGO6zOuv52wEYynMUtEtnU7QaBlvkf/s320/DSC_0052.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
The country is quiet, noisy, colorful,bland, hot, cold, friendly, obnoxious. But I would not trade any place in the world right now. To see, hear, smell Egypt is a once in a lifetime event for me. More tomorrow.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NYG0_JS7juHQPtiaR6UegAZ-Ja2CY0zbK9e9ezr356wls9G8aP3UUTMz8ibd8qP11OMB14uBSLOdq3nL31xMpP6jeJkzOoTOFTV7y101XP0GFoqDFzBDN2QnLOJzM30m9igE_YmMSe3o/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NYG0_JS7juHQPtiaR6UegAZ-Ja2CY0zbK9e9ezr356wls9G8aP3UUTMz8ibd8qP11OMB14uBSLOdq3nL31xMpP6jeJkzOoTOFTV7y101XP0GFoqDFzBDN2QnLOJzM30m9igE_YmMSe3o/s320/DSC_0042.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqYtPEeyEHZv9UZnGFz4DV9bd2JAmpbzYWAOX2kKwV2NTw-vIa4P5WI4faK-SagLJVJgnc_0uWi7D3a-hyD9xNcc3uO-2cAwEQagdNulqkcGHE-ajbrg4sn9DBvSZ88aTlafvqO_HaEsV/s1600/DSC_0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqYtPEeyEHZv9UZnGFz4DV9bd2JAmpbzYWAOX2kKwV2NTw-vIa4P5WI4faK-SagLJVJgnc_0uWi7D3a-hyD9xNcc3uO-2cAwEQagdNulqkcGHE-ajbrg4sn9DBvSZ88aTlafvqO_HaEsV/s320/DSC_0077.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-48552325328138312712017-12-01T12:11:00.001-08:002017-12-01T12:11:53.793-08:00First night in Cairo (made it through immigration)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqShah20EzsD7mjcWfizcGN7iH7q915gKc-viFqdFyX7xfPLKp9FRYYHNKirx7AZp71S6ZwoRWPh4NfN0zDYOlh6NM2bQeg0FlYGvVVV-uXXotqom7rD9ofIC5JxV8N_Xt2_g41KttbFr1/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqShah20EzsD7mjcWfizcGN7iH7q915gKc-viFqdFyX7xfPLKp9FRYYHNKirx7AZp71S6ZwoRWPh4NfN0zDYOlh6NM2bQeg0FlYGvVVV-uXXotqom7rD9ofIC5JxV8N_Xt2_g41KttbFr1/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1072" /></a></div>
This is our view tonight (We are 7 or 8 hours ahead of US - haven't figured that out yet.) We are at the Nile Ritz Carlton after a 16 hour perfectly long plane ride. Air France so far, is the best international carrier we've taken. Hats off to the French for something. Dinner lasted an hour, 4 courses with wine for 3 of them. The Cairo airport is truly a cacophony of languages, costume, noise, music, and confusing signage. Our tour operator met us right at the gate rather than after immigration and baggage claim, mainly to let us know how to get to immigration and baggage.
We did do the brave thing. I guess with all we've been through,it won't surprise you. When going through immigration we walked up to the officer's station AS A COUPLE as we do here in the states and the EU. Didn't blink. Filled out the forms as travelling together with same last name and all. Guy never looked up from the paperwork! OK OK it's a little thing, but still, the times they are a changin'
Tomorrow a big day, Sphinx and pyramids. We'll probably be up again in a few hours with jet lag. It's Friday night in Cairo and the streets are packed with merry makers and a zillion people on the streets.
More tomorrow with pics
Nate and RaphieNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-55359196081588614052017-11-30T14:48:00.002-08:002017-11-30T14:48:28.943-08:00Made it to Miami International Airport with time to spare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuyo0Hd0nMIufyT3Okv-FQasgIYVuPxhVPLmqHscLO2YlnRUwHsV9WjR6xxYswxU6VBwoBzrN3lgfzOMMYOtrZR9IvgAl_W0OUTDvbXTtmjPcpONv1vcenFXprqvaLNCgPBf73Tp4NWFk/s1600/Nov+30%252C+2017+5%253A35%253A53+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuyo0Hd0nMIufyT3Okv-FQasgIYVuPxhVPLmqHscLO2YlnRUwHsV9WjR6xxYswxU6VBwoBzrN3lgfzOMMYOtrZR9IvgAl_W0OUTDvbXTtmjPcpONv1vcenFXprqvaLNCgPBf73Tp4NWFk/s200/Nov+30%252C+2017+5%253A35%253A53+PM.jpg" width="200" height="150" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="600" /></a></div>
Well the scariest part of the trip is over. We made it by Uber from Ft Lauderdale to Miami. Took about 2 hours to go 45 miles. There were no accidents, no construction, and the driver didn't get lost or have any idea what the English Language was for. I've mastered Spanglish in the past 17 years so we got to Terminal H, not 8 as he decided we should have been dropped off there. We are in the Delta Sky Lounge and the cacaphony of languages makes me smile. America is an amazing melting pot, and for the most part we do get along. On our way to Paris then Cairo.
I was a bit nervous all morning fidgeting and making piles of stuff I needed to pack. I was so hair-brained that Raphie had to repack my suitcase to get it to close and all the while patting my leg telling me everything would be all right.
300 Muslims were slaughtered last week in Egypt because a group of OTHER Muslims thought they were not observant enough. For years, Egrp ypt has been somewhat a light among nations, but this week it seems like the heavy hand of religious extremism is rearing its ugly head. Considering our last trip to Las Vegas to get away from the hurricanes only put us near the massacre at the Mandalay Bay, I hope this trip is a bit calmer
I'm including a pic from a few weeks ago up in Minneapolis making pizza with the grandkids. Last night we had a concert with Al playing Twinkle Twinkly little star on his violin. I played violin for 18 years and if my mother was alive she would have screamed with joy.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqOvpoDDGmw9wbHzK3Pa8CIgiCVW7kGrD4FumR9phyphenhyphen_LJbL1_1EtLjjkrQx3Q_rNcWjnY8eStoKuCgFHcUNobhOowdj7qTdXnK32m2WmCymD1qLLkhhRouHIEnXbr1QjSnb9iv7HJarHG/s1600/make+your+own+pizza+night.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqOvpoDDGmw9wbHzK3Pa8CIgiCVW7kGrD4FumR9phyphenhyphen_LJbL1_1EtLjjkrQx3Q_rNcWjnY8eStoKuCgFHcUNobhOowdj7qTdXnK32m2WmCymD1qLLkhhRouHIEnXbr1QjSnb9iv7HJarHG/s320/make+your+own+pizza+night.JPG" width="320" height="260" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1299" /></a></div>
Until we get to Cairo I remain open to new and exciting times
Nate and RaphieNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-8201619717565340742017-11-29T13:43:00.001-08:002017-11-29T13:43:29.122-08:00Did you hear the one about 2 gay Jews on the Nile?Tomorrow afternoon we leave on a 12 day trip to Egypt, visiting some of the oldest excavations in the world. On most of our trips, we go to pretty safe places. All over the Caribbean, Europe, Israel, Peru, etc. on tours with at least some people we know and make friends with.
Over the past few years my husband, Raphie has been transfixed on the Discovery or History Channel (I get them mixed up) with the show "Ancient Aliens. We did see images of spacemen, rockets and flying saucers carved into the planes of Peru, saw impossible engineering two stories below the Kotel (what is left of the 2nd Temple in Israel). So on our bucket list, before either one of us become feeble or political forces giin the Mideast blow up the relics we are going to Egypt to see the pyramids, the Sphinx, and cruise up the Nile (it runs north/south since it is below the Equator) on two separate cruises and three Egyptian domestic flights over a period of 12 days.
Our first hurdle was applying for travel visas. I asked our tour operator if we should just not say we are married and travel as two 'friends' or 'cousins' since we both now have the same last name. We were told under no circumstances to lie on our visa applications so we put down married, spouses, both male. To our surprise the Egyptian Embassy in DC send our completed visas back glued forever in our passports. I don't know if that was a win or a set up. We'll know on Friday afternoon when we go through immigration in Cairo.
I'll post pictures as I get them but for now this is all the prep we've done so far. Mostly we are both running around making lists, etc. Doing some laundry and buying more underwear and socks. This activity seems to be the most calming now.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE1mw6aibgM9bq3CBHVmauvm6YC4lHt7pOVrPK9pUsA-OkEXrMGvuocuEGBGR28jLyc-POmn26UGxfUZbVCmQMRf8u6kmPNO5k9EaiqCN0XaJ72eIaMKlfVbTaghJVUWXFzUZnw-kxSOQ/s1600/begining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE1mw6aibgM9bq3CBHVmauvm6YC4lHt7pOVrPK9pUsA-OkEXrMGvuocuEGBGR28jLyc-POmn26UGxfUZbVCmQMRf8u6kmPNO5k9EaiqCN0XaJ72eIaMKlfVbTaghJVUWXFzUZnw-kxSOQ/s320/begining.jpg" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>
(misa' il khayr) مساء الخ
Good Night
Nate and Raphie KlarfeldNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-58434412775977314102012-04-01T13:37:00.002-07:002012-04-01T13:39:08.024-07:00Fabulous Brei Recipes<a href="http://forward.com/image/2/290/0/5/assets/images/articles/Harkham_Brie-Brei.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 389px;" src="http://forward.com/image/2/290/0/5/assets/images/articles/Harkham_Brie-Brei.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Brie Brei with Marmalade Sauce and Chopped Pecans<br />3 sheets matzo<br />4 eggs<br />¼ cup milk or half and half<br />1 teaspoon salt or sugar (or more to taste)<br />2 tablespoons butter<br />4 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 6-8 slices<br />½ cup marmalade<br />1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)<br />2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans<br />1) Break up matzo into approx. 2”- 3 “ pieces. Place in colander and rinse with water, until matzo pieces are damp but not wet. In a medium sized bowl beat eggs together with milk and salt or sugar.<br />2) Mix the matzo pieces into the eggs and combine well, so that every piece of matzo is coated in the egg batter.<br />3) Meanwhile melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it sizzles. Add the matzo batter all at once, spreading it out evenly over skillets.<br />4) As the brei frittata begins to cook and set, place the brie slices in any configuration you like across it’s surface.<br />5) Finger crossing time: When the brei pulls away from the sides and is a deep golden brown around the edges use your spatula to help guide the frittata onto a platter. Place skillet face-down over platter, and with one hand holding the skillet handle and the other hand beneath the platter, without hesitation flip them over so that the brei lands in the skillet brie side down. Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.<br />6) While Brie is melting, heat marmalade in small saucepan so that it becomes syrupy, add 1 tbsp. brown sugar if you like it on the sweeter side.<br />7) Cut brei into desired sized wedges. Flip the wedge so that the brie is showing. Pour a tablespoon or two of the marmalade across the top, and then scatter with teaspoon of chopped walnuts. Serve warm. Makes 3 or 4 servings.<br />Sour Cream & Onion Matzo Brei Makes 3 or 4 servings<br />1 bunch of trimmed spring onions, chopped<br />3 tablespoon butter, divided<br />3 whole plain matzo sheets<br />4 eggs<br />1 cup sour cream<br />2 ½ -3 tablespoons dry onion soup mix<br />1) In a large skillet over medium flame heat butter until it melts. Add chopped spring onions and sauté until medium golden brown and crispy around edges. Remove from skillet and set aside.<br />2) Break up the matzo rinse them in a colander with cold water.<br />3) In a large bowl beat eggs until light and foamy. Fold in sour cream and then mix in dry onion soup mix until incorporated. Stir moistened matzo into egg mixture and combine well.<br />4) Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and heat until it sizzles. Pour batter into the skillet. Fry until golden brown on brown and turn over and fry on the other side until done to taste.<br />5) Serve hot and sprinkle sautéed spring onions across the matzo brei.<br /><br /><br />Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/153896/brie-brei-with-marmalade/#ixzz1qp671SI2Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-38124149658638937512011-05-15T05:55:00.000-07:002011-05-15T05:55:37.169-07:00J C Knudson author of Living the Difference May 19 9PM EST 05/19 by StonewallLive | Blog Talk Radio<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive/2011/05/20/j-c-knudson-author-of-living-the-difference-may-19-9pm-est?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4dcfcd42312bed5d%2C0">J C Knudson author of Living the Difference May 19 9PM EST 05/19 by StonewallLive | Blog Talk Radio</a>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-3630757919097063722011-05-07T00:12:00.000-07:002011-05-07T00:12:19.010-07:00Filmmaker Nils Taranger Comes to Stonewall Live May 12 9PM 05/12 by StonewallLive | Blog Talk Radio<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive/2011/05/13/filmmaker-nils-taranger-comes-to-stonewall-live-may-12-9pm?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4dc4f0c970dbdca9%2C0">Filmmaker Nils Taranger Comes to Stonewall Live May 12 9PM 05/12 by StonewallLive | Blog Talk Radio</a>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-37622928778715551252011-05-03T03:39:00.001-07:002011-05-03T03:43:59.666-07:00Rev. John McNeill at The Stonewall National Museum and Archives, Tuesday, May 10th 7PM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a5.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication/35/14/3e/mzi.zkxrhmie.225x225-75.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 225px;" src="http://a5.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication/35/14/3e/mzi.zkxrhmie.225x225-75.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/03/15/nyregion/15carter_CA0/15carter_CA0-articleLarge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 315px;" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/03/15/nyregion/15carter_CA0/15carter_CA0-articleLarge.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Rev. John McNeill to speak at Stonewall National Museum and Archives Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 7PM<br /><br />On Tuesday, May 10, 7PM, Rev. John J. McNeill comes to the Stonewall National Museum and Archives to speak about his recently published book, “Sex as God Intended” and upcoming film documentary, “Taking a Chance on God.”<br /><br />For more than forty years, John J. McNeill, an ordained priest and psychotherapist, has been devoting his life to spreading the good news of God's love for lesbian and gay Christians. <br /><br />He will be speaking about his latest book, “Sex as God Intended,” where he presents a simple and straightforward answer to the question: What did God invent sex for? The answer, derived from an incisive investigation of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, is that God intended sex as a source of pleasure, joy and love. This book represents a concise summary of the wisdom culled over a lifetime. McNeill's ideas have enriched the faith of thousands, including fellow teachers, religious scholars, ministers and lay folk. This volume includes a tribute to John McNeill, celebrating his life and work in a series of essays by students, friends, and activists, honoring him for his lasting contribution and spelling out how he touched their lives and work.<br /><br /><br /><br />One year after the publication of his first book, “The Church and the Homosexual,” McNeill received an order from the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" under Cardinal Ratzinger in the Vatican, now Pope Benedict, ordering him to silence in the public media. He observed the silence for nine years while continuing a private ministry to gays and lesbians which included psychotherapy, workshops, lectures and retreats. In 1988, he received a further order from Cardinal Ratzinger directing him to give up all ministry to gay persons which he refused to do in conscience. As a result, he was expelled by the Vatican from the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) for challenging the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on the issue of homosexuality, and for refusing to give up his ministry and psychotherapy practice to gay men and lesbians. McNeill had been a Jesuit for nearly 40 years.<br /><br />A documentary film about Rev. McNeill’s life, “Taking a Chance on God” is being produced by Brendan Fay and will premier in Rome later this year, not far from the Pope Benedict who publicly forced him to give up his ministry to gay and lesbians over twenty years ago.<br /><br />Please join us on Tuesday, May 10, 7PM at the Stonewall, 1300 East Sunrise Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL for this exciting program. The event is free and open to the public.<br />For further information please contact the Stonewall at 954-763-8565 or visit www.stonewallnationalmuseum.orgNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-67635323097557740482011-03-24T01:53:00.000-07:002011-03-24T01:57:23.574-07:00A different night in Jerusalem 3-20-11 Purim<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8VWqdZB77TBz4FQjzpxNLru_1V_DgZeYCKthXjemyw7s_stP7GrDYZAsWMRRHpH0OU9jmFr42JA-xB6V-dAk0b4G8vkmAmowfUZsjEhyphenhyphenX_Qi0rmIwml1NwKNEFO4MPhoHDL5loakwIzZ/s1600/IMG_0649.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8VWqdZB77TBz4FQjzpxNLru_1V_DgZeYCKthXjemyw7s_stP7GrDYZAsWMRRHpH0OU9jmFr42JA-xB6V-dAk0b4G8vkmAmowfUZsjEhyphenhyphenX_Qi0rmIwml1NwKNEFO4MPhoHDL5loakwIzZ/s320/IMG_0649.jpg' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><br />This was taken Sunday evening, during the Purim holiday in Jerusalem. Grover and I were in Central J'lem most of last week and early part of this week on a fabulous trip of a lifetime. When we heard the news yesterday that there was a bombing at the bus station in Central Jerusalem we were saddened but not surprised. The retaliation for the strife in Gaza fortold this horrible tragedy unfortunately. It was sureal to be hearing about killings centuries ago while dealing with a religious killing today. The pronouns "we and them" are thrown around here like dice...dangerous because we are all one..living on the same planet with one goal of surviving and thriving. Hate kills. <br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jELvFo9jTb-_JXquWGsVbuASSRzrJnh6vcalDTSrz8k?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_tQrE6AxTsVg/TYogcwQotrI/AAAAAAAAQh4/WDMS66SDK1s/s144/DSC_1423.JPG" height="96" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/NateKlarfeld/20110323121656?authkey=Gv1sRgCLX_7b-c2bq3IQ&feat=embedwebsite">20110323-121656</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Be well<br /><br /><br />Nate Klarfeld<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-50474934840615231422011-03-15T09:13:00.000-07:002011-03-15T09:14:08.628-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT46wL19uVZUbuxeq_rcQliL0D6oVXU232SZUoZKP2H4IV-o9MlnadhLjXepZqThYB8d8KDgIsVWybyMve3Hxqau0oOnFudwV_TurJOZnpuhqnUs7LQRC00Zf6Q2UrdKxfqEIt1uKyfvQ/s1600/Eva+in+black100510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT46wL19uVZUbuxeq_rcQliL0D6oVXU232SZUoZKP2H4IV-o9MlnadhLjXepZqThYB8d8KDgIsVWybyMve3Hxqau0oOnFudwV_TurJOZnpuhqnUs7LQRC00Zf6Q2UrdKxfqEIt1uKyfvQ/s320/Eva+in+black100510.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />"I am the girl that no one ever saw. I am the girl that lied to myself for decades. I am the girl that only a few have come to know and appreciate. I am the girl with good friends and family yet who is on a journey alone. I am the girl with love in my heart that sometimes is broken with pain. I am the girl who is loyal, compassionate and commited. I am the girl with so much to give and few to give it to.. I am the girl that is tired of the daily struggles of being true to herself. I am the girl that still remains unseen for all that she is.<br />I have many blessings in a sister I couldn't be closer with. I have a daughter who has become my best friend I am the proudest grandparent of a beautiful 5 year old girl.<br />So after all of this, I am ok."<br /><br /><br /><br />Eva Kraus is a 52 year-old woman with a male past. She spent the first 47 years of her life as the father of three grown daughters, serving 12 years in the U.S. military and climbing the corporate ladder in the finance business to become a senior executive in the automotive lending business. Since her transition, Eva found a second career in the beauty industry as an aesthetician and manicurist. She is in the process of starting up her own cosmetics and day spa business. Eva lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with her partner of 2 years. I found Eva on Facebook where her ‘Notes’ have been attracting attention with laughs and raised eyebrows. Entries such as “Somebody is one pissed off Trans Chick!” that deals with her online conversation with a gay male who doesn’t quite ‘get it’ yet.<a href="http://www.facebook.com/eva.kraus?sk=notes"></a> Tune in and you will hear more about that rant! Besides working on her job making the world even more beautiful, she an active member of SpeakOut Boston, a LGBT speaker’s bureau that goes to schools, businesses, churches to tell our personal stories and answer questions. This will be a frank discussion (Not Safe For Work NSFW) so grab a drink, kick off your shoes and tune in on Thursday, April 7th, 9PM EST when Eva Kraus comes to Stonewall Live!Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-87617839992403971692011-03-04T04:34:00.000-08:002011-03-04T04:36:31.605-08:00Reichen Lehmkuhl, author of "Here's What We'll Say, Growing up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy" Thurs March 10, 9PM EST<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadante.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 683px; height: 1024px;" src="http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadante.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />"Here's What We'll Say" is a book, based on a true <br />story, exposing a culture of hatred, division, <br />humiliation, and death at our United States Service <br />Academies. Read about a group of young men <br />and women who found themselves forced into the <br />reality of living among a secret underground <br />society, by the age of 18. Find out why and how <br />cadets who are attending your United States <br />Service academies are coping with the continued <br />ban on the open and honest military service of gay <br />people.<br /><br />Why did Reichen have "Here's what we'll say" <br />inscribed on the inside of his air force academy <br />class ring? Why did numerous others do the <br />same? <br /><br />Each and every day, your tax dollars fund the <br />operations of the United States Air Force <br />Academy; training young men and women to join <br />the most elite fighting force in the world: your <br />United States Air Force. Those same tax dollars <br />are thrown away on a daily basis with the ruthless <br />hunting and expulsion of young people who have <br />trained and served honorably. Cadets who <br />actually make it through the Air Force Academy <br />succeed through a training program that they may <br />have once thought impossible to complete.<br /><br />Read the gripping, revolutionary, and shocking <br />story of a group of cadets who faced struggles far <br />beyond that of following orders and making it, <br />safely, to graduation day.<br /><br />Join me on Thursday, March 10, 2011 @9PM EST<br />www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewallliveNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-58715099493627150552011-02-27T09:06:00.000-08:002011-02-27T09:08:01.800-08:00Brian Katcher, Winner of Stonewall Book award for Youth for "Almost Perfect" comes to Stonewall Live! March 3, 9PM EST<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA83Xy7MLCm5o8u-DZsbuEhcQ-8hSWuU9CgQ3zfSw0dwJbTQf0wyX52LhsL3B5yPsfT5ydX8wwdg_EDaBCmWCeH3nZfWadOU-rlbJ-KnlrdLR7rxKwr4CLrX4MptOLg3Q-ZfaFfaBrjHHk/s1600/almost.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA83Xy7MLCm5o8u-DZsbuEhcQ-8hSWuU9CgQ3zfSw0dwJbTQf0wyX52LhsL3B5yPsfT5ydX8wwdg_EDaBCmWCeH3nZfWadOU-rlbJ-KnlrdLR7rxKwr4CLrX4MptOLg3Q-ZfaFfaBrjHHk/s320/almost.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578417244609400722" /></a><br />Winner of the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.<br />Almost Perfect was listed by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2010.<br />A Capitol Choice Noteworthy Book for 2010<br />A Lambda Award nominee, 2010<br />A 2011 TAYSHASH (Texas) Reading List Book<br /><br /><br />After a painful breakup with the only girl he ever loved, senior Logan Witherspoon is gun-shy when it comes to romance. New girl Sage, however, makes him reconsider, even though she makes it clear early on that she can’t offer anything more than friendship, and even though her parents keep her under strange and severe strictures. When Logan and Sage find their attraction rising, she tells him her secret: she was born male. Katcher, author of Playing With Matches, manages a delicate balance here: Sage is utterly credible and utterly sympathetic, but so are Logan’s shock and reservations. His narration explores the emotional issues—does this mean he’s gay? Can he face his small Missouri town if people know?—while the story conveys the daunting details of Sage’s everyday realities, such as going to great lengths to avoid showing her driver’s license, which classifies her as male. Though the book is programmatic at times and gives Logan too much responsibility for Sage’s well-being and identity, this is a solid, reality-based exploration of transgender issues and the possibly insurmountable task of facing them as a teenager in a small town. While transgender readers will find support here, the book’s focus on a bystander broadens the book’s credence, and the message of acceptance is thoughtfully conveyed.<br /><br />From School Library Journal, December, 2009 edition<br />A small-town Missouri boy’s world is rocked when he falls for the new girl at school, and she eventually confesses that she is a biological male. Logan’s world is small, as is his mind at first, but throughout the book he grows to accept and love Sage for who-not what-she is. This remarkable book takes a hard look at the difficulties and pain experienced by young male-to-female transsexuals from an easily relatable perspective, as Julie Ann Peters did in Luna. Logan is a conservative 18-year-old Everyman whose generic voice isn’t-and doesn’t need to be-anything special; although readers follow his growth; it is Sage’s story that is truly important. A remarkably “clean” book dealing with sexuality and identity, this is neither preachy nor didactic while directly challenging prejudice and intolerance. With realistic characters and situations, it is a first purchase for all high school collections, and could easily be given to middle school readers who are undaunted by its length.<br /><br />Join me on Thurs, March 3 9PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive as I welcome Brian Katcher for what I know will be a fantastic interview.Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-88381797007890889982011-01-20T18:41:00.000-08:002011-01-20T18:48:13.701-08:00Spencer Lord, author of "The Brain Mechanic" comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, Jan 27th 9PM EST<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k500/Nate_Klarfeld/Spencer_Lord.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 212px;" src="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k500/Nate_Klarfeld/Spencer_Lord.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Join me next week when I interview Spencer Lord, Author of "The Brain Mechanic"<br /><br />Spencer Lord is an amazing author, motivator, and role model for our time. He worked for Mother Teresa in Calcutta after attending the University of Chicago. In 2008 he founded The Hyperagency where he created the cognitive exercises presented in "The Brain Mechanic."<br /><br />Now with "The Brain Mechanic," Spencer Lord delivers a concise, entertaining, and easy-to-use handbook that demystifies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). First, the reader learns "Emotional Algebra," which lies at the heart of the Cognitive Model. The author then presents customizable mental exercises, which allow people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the life-changing benefits of CBT.<br /><br />Here is what people have to say about "The Brain Mechanic"....<br /><br /><br />"A good brain mechanic is hard to find. Usually you wind up in a chop shop. And the replacement parts are inferior. Spencer Lord has changed all that. He offers a one-stop service and you're out and running smooth before lunch. This may sound glib, but you'll feel the same way when you realize how simple it is and how stupid you were not to have realized it before you drove into that wall."<br />—Bruce Vilanch: comedy writer for the Academy Awards, and multiple Emmy winner<br /><br />A 'must-read.' I feel brighter and better having read it!"<br />—Carole Bayer Sager: singer, painter, Oscar & Emmy-winning songwriter<br /><br />Concise, accessible, and indescribably powerful."<br />—David Geffen: cofounder of Dreamworks SKG<br /><br />And personally, after reading this book I can now drive all the way to Miami on I-95 without one blowup!!! amazing stuff. You can read it in 2 hours and it WILL change your life.<br /><br />Join me at 9PM EST on Jan 27,2011 at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewallliveNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-81152811337881642142011-01-15T20:38:00.000-08:002011-01-15T20:41:45.038-08:00Thursday, January 20th.. E. Robert Dunn, Author of "Echelon's End"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoo7SqHHznWbtbdENWJO9mm8k3CXa0uk4obGAv55unVGAqIVnlpdJYNS7BDOIiqDd-Rou_kdrM0P8nKtRm9RbPYNpicx1GOFKcjBmYKTZ3BTaJTqd61fZH8MfrHmp5YFAOZiolBtTTJpz/s1600/Headshot+Grey+Shirt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoo7SqHHznWbtbdENWJO9mm8k3CXa0uk4obGAv55unVGAqIVnlpdJYNS7BDOIiqDd-Rou_kdrM0P8nKtRm9RbPYNpicx1GOFKcjBmYKTZ3BTaJTqd61fZH8MfrHmp5YFAOZiolBtTTJpz/s320/Headshot+Grey+Shirt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562639345738330866" /></a><br /><br /><br />Join me at blogtalk radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive when E. Robert Dunn comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, January 20 9PM<br /><br />E. Robert Dunn began writing at the age of 14 and continued through his higher education in the Southeast where he currently resides. In addition to penning the science fiction series “Echelon’s End”, E. Robert has also written two off-Broadway plays, “LipSync” and “A Dragged Out Haunting”, and penned a local play entitled “VOiCES”. Just last year, E. Robert was a contributing writer to the online STAR TREK: Odyssey’s Season One Finale webisode [featured in STARLOG Magazine, January 2008, “Beyond Hidden Frontiers”, p.89]. Besides being a produced playwright and published author, E. Robert has had articles printed in local newspapers as well as medical newsletters. He has also graced many a stage by his given name: Eston Dunn.Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-23911333595550285492011-01-13T18:57:00.001-08:002011-01-13T19:02:14.567-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1354.snc4/162599_10150358779725043_548375042_16744192_4635308_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 435px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1354.snc4/162599_10150358779725043_548375042_16744192_4635308_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Thank you Brock for being a great first guest on Stonewall Live!<br />Good to know paper books aren't dead (completely) since I have a houseful.<br />Join me next week when I interview Spencer Lord, Author of "The Brain Mechanic"<br /><br /><br />A good brain mechanic is hard to find. Usually you wind up in a chop shop. And the replacement parts are inferior. Spencer Lord has changed all that. He offers a one-stop service and you're out and running smooth before lunch. This may sound glib, but you'll feel the same way when you realize how simple it is and how stupid you were not to have realized it before you drove into that wall."<br />—Bruce Vilanch: comedy writer for the Academy Awards, and multiple Emmy winner<br /><br />A 'must-read.' I feel brighter and better having read it!"<br />—Carole Bayer Sager: singer, painter, Oscar & Emmy-winning songwriter<br /><br />Concise, accessible, and indescribably powerful."<br />—David Geffen: cofounder of Dreamworks SKG<br /><br />And personally, after reading this book I can now drive all the way to Miami on I-95 without one blowup!!! amazing stuff. You can read it in 2 hours and it WILL change your life.<br /><br />Join me at 9PM EST on Jan 20,2011 at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewallliveNate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727618397644392746.post-76785506323393705442011-01-04T01:06:00.000-08:002011-01-04T01:06:54.231-08:00http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive.rss<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive">http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive</a>Nate Klarfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05873637306716730379noreply@blogger.com0