We visited Fontaine Cafe and Creperie twice this week, once for lunch and once for dinner. Although the menu did not change, the ambience did. In the evening there’s much more a French feel to the local eatery. The lights are dimmer, but the food is not. We were not disappointed in either visit by the Sultan, the Alexandrian, the Tuscan, the bruschettas or the onion tartlet. The wine prices are reasonable and OMG .the dessert crepes! All I can say is they’re the “sweetest thing”!
I feel slightly cheated that we did not venture in sooner for fear that there would be nothing that my celiac diseased hubby could eat…o nay,nay… All crepes may be ordered made with gluten free buckwheat flour!
Visit soon…or not…I’d like to keep this little secret to myself it is sooooo close to home….
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Great food in Old Town Alexandria
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Great food in Old Town Alexandria
In an area with so many Asian food choices, it is often hard to choose which cuisine you are actually having a hankering for. Vietnamese cuisine is probably the hardest to pin down culturally, since it is a mix of Chinese, French, and a little Cambodian influence. It seems to be my go-to comfort cuisine, which is really something for a Greek-American girl to say. But there…..I’ve said it! I have found a little jewel of a place right in Old Town; Caphe Ban Mi on Cameron Street. What you get here is one of the best, homemade, non-MSG laden, Phos I have ever eaten. A friendly staff makes the food taste even better. I mean it! Visit this small restaurant when you need some comfort….you will instantly feel better, I promise!
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Day eight part two..
After a small breakfast, the entire group traveled to the monastery at the base of Mt. Sinai, where we saw the actual descendant plant of the burning bush, the well where Moses met his wife, Zipporah,and the relics of St. Catherine. We were also treated to a viewing of the museum there which holds religious books, icons and writings over 1000 years old! We were not allowed to photograph these for obvious reasons, but their impression was lasting.
As a footnote to this wonderful experience, I now feel doubly blessed, if that is even possible, that we all made it home safely in light of the events that took place over this past week at the foot of Mt. Sinai, St. Catherine’s. The two American women who were taken as hostages by bedouins while they were most likely on their own religious journey should be viewed as a glaring example of how fortunate we all are to be living in a country that settles its political differences in civilized, democratic ways. We should all pray that Egypt finds its way to such a democracy. -
Chinese New Year in DC
The hubby and I ventured out today to witness the Chinese New Year celebration in DC’s Chinatown. Having been to Chinatown in both San Francisco and New York, I was expecting a similar experience. However, the Chinatown here is a refurbished skeleton of what it once was, with very few of the original businesses still operating. We were able to find a couple of gems here. The first, which smelled of all things wonderful, but had a line snaking out the front door was the tiny but proud, Chinatown Express. Anytime I find a restaurant with Peking duck and a noodle-making chef in the front window, I know I’ve hit nirvana. I only hope that the young people peering in the window and making fun of the noodle man and the “dead rubber ducks” grasp the greatness of their culture before it disappears completely from assimilation.
Sadly, we did not eat here..
We did however have the good fortune of choosing another local gem, the Jackey Cafe. Our meal was quite good and very authentic. These establishments are cultural antiques that should be cherished by the community, not ridiculed for their obsolescence.
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Update on Egypt
Lest we all forget our 2 and 1/2 hour wait at the Egyptian border with Israel this past Friday, several news sites are a flutter with the detention of Sam LaHood, the son of Ray LaHood, US Secretary of Transportation. Mr. LaHood was detained at the Cairo airport on Saturday evening (the same day we left Tel Aviv), for his connections to a NGO working to promote democracy in Egypt. Let’s all pray for his immediate release and to thank God that our travel was not similarly impeded. Although our time in Egypt was short, I found the Egyptian people to be wonderfully kind and welcoming. I hope that these traits will prevail in their transition to a new era of government.
www.reuters.com/egyptwww.nbcnews5chicago.com -
New look!
I hope everyone likes the new format of the blog….it makes it easier to explain more of the pics…Kathy S….is this guy a friend of yours? LOL 😉
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Homeward bound
The Detroit bound passengers in our group are boarding as I write this…Now this is for all of you…thank you for allowing us to be included in your pilgrimage! We will always feel like part of the St. George family….keep in touch by checking my blog…I plan to continue it…Hugs and kisses to my family back home. 🙂
Remember, GOD IS GOOD
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Day nine
We are back in Israel to spend the night in Eilat….we are on the coast of the Red Sea… This afternoon we will board the bus for the Dead Sea…. And then on to Tel Aviv for our flight home!
Some in our group decided to swim in the waters of the Dead Sea. Many tourists come to this area for the restorative properties of the salt And minerals in the water. One cannot stay in the water for more than a few minutes because of the overwhelming mineral content, but is fun to float without even trying! As you can see, the bottom is filled with salt crystals that are jagged like rocks, so one prefers floating to walking! It is thought by many that the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-26) were probably near the Dead Sea because of the story of Lot and his wife in the Bible, but no evidence of either city has ever been found under the huge salt hills that surround parts of the Dead Sea. -
Day eight…Sinai at sunrise
Day eight began wih our drive into Egypt. We traveled through two country’s checkpoints in order to visit this ancient place. Once settled into the hotel, we ate dinner and slept for a couple hours. Half of our group woke at 2:30am to make the trek up Mt. Sinai for the sunrise. It did not disappoint! Traveling in Moses’ footsteps was humbling to say the least… The last 750 “steps” were the most difficult….but all 17 of us made it! Enjoy the pictures and come soon to do it yourself….if this isn’t on your bucket list, it should be!
Update….prayers for the Christian families in Sinai…..http:hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_CHRISTIANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
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Our seventh day
Many of our group decided to take the ancient way in to visit the ruins at Petra…..via beasts of burden!!
Today we visit the ancient city of Petra. The excavations here of the Nabatean peoples date from the 2nd century b.c. to the 4th century a.d. The pictures cannot do this wondrous place justice! What one needs to understand when looking at these pictures is that all of these cut rock formations are burial sites. We traveled over two miles on foot before we reached the most magnificent tomb, which is called the Treasury. That three story carved pink rock facade was most likely a family tomb for royalty. As awesome as it is, excavations are ongoing because they have only just begun to unearth the entirety of it! Furthermore, all the smaller tombs you see in these pictures are spread out over the two mile path we traveled to get to it! Finally, the tombs and carved huts and memorials continue for another two miles before you even get to the area where the Nabatean people actually lived! This society was so very culturally advanced for the time period of their existence that they are thought by many to rival the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. However, so much is still unknown due to a lack of finding any written language to chronicle their history. There are so many ongoing excavations that I’m sure future visitors to Petra will see an ever changing progression of knowledge of the Nabatean people and an ever changing landscape of ruins. br />
Betzabroad...My personal recipe for tasting our big, fat, wonderful world 