israel and the final leg of my travels in July

Here is the last leg of my 1 month journey around the Mediterranean. This picture is taken in Tel Aviv, Israel. The old town of Jaffa and the Mediterranean is behind us. I am with my friend Naomi whom i have not seen since 1977. This journey was about letting go of expectations, simply going on a trip with no plan, no expectations, no itinerary. For someone like me who is goal oriented and likes to check things off my never ending list, this was an interesting if not liberating place for me and I feel its purpose was more than satisfied.

Traveling alone, maneuvering my way through airports without the comfort of the language or a companion was a great release for me. I traveled from Boston to Paris, Paris to Copenhagen, Copenhagen to Madrid, Madrid to Menorca, Menorca to Madrid (here i was with my son and friends and it was really nice) Madrid to Israel, Israel to Madrid and Madrid to New York finally ending in Boston. The only mishap on my trip was that i left my iphone on the plane from Tel aviv to Madrid and didn't realize it until well after I was at the luggage. By the time i managed to get someone to go look on the plane, it was gone. Strangely enough, i may have mentioned this in a prior blog, i had been vascillating between giving up the phone entirely or just giving up the distraction of texting and emailing through the phone. Be careful what you wish for, voila, the phone was taken the second to the last day of my trip. Fortunately i had a password on it so i wasn't much worried about someone using it. i just think it is so interesting that I left it on the plane and someone took it after I had been contemplating its removal from my life.

My trip was fantastic. I missed my friends, my son of course, my work, my team, my family, yes of course, I loved coming home to the usa and the nice looking guy in customs says to me, WELCOME HOME. there is in fact no place like home. My life this year has been a whirlwind of change. i thrive on this. When things aren't moving for me, i create things to move. Traveling reminds me of the planet, it gets me out of my insular place and allows me to be inspired, to look at the big picture. It stimulates my creativity. It grounds me and elevates me in the same breath.

man selling bras in a great outdoor market in Tel Aviv. I thought this picture was really funny.

Traveling makes me miss my life and appreciate it too, but it also gives me the bug to travel and explore our amazing yet small planet. I realized on my trip that we live here in such a beautiful place. That summer in New England is spectacular, that waking up early to catch a sunrise can be just as fabulous as the light on the mediterranean at dusk, that it is easy to be a tourist in your own home, your own town if you just grab your camera one day and take photos randomly. If you ca't travel outside the country or even outside your town, try to take a look at it as a tourist. You may find that you need not even leave your yard.