Posted on August 3, 2019 by Ella Shaul

This is it. The trip is over. After saying goodbye to Savta, Oved, Israel, and finally France, we were greeted by the majestic flatirons of Colorado, USA. More importantly, though, we were greeted by Trixie. We left Israel with many bags; four backpacks, four duffel bags, two large suitcases, and two small suitcases. Therefore, our friend Ling, who you may remember from Bali, arranged a van and driver for us. While I gazed out of the window, many things dawned on me. I realized that even in all the countries we have been, the mountains in our home are unique and ever so beautiful. I realized, too, that I will have a hard time adjusting. Sitting in the car, I couldn’t remember what side of the road is meant to be driven on or on which side of the sidewalk I should stand. I couldn’t remember the way home, though I recognized certain places, for many buildings and signs were changed.

As we were about to pull up to our house, the driver continued on. We’d been hijacked! Don’t worry, though, it was only to Ling’s house, where we were welcomed with a plate of homemade dumplings before we were sent on our way. It was very kind and sweet, especially because when we pulled up to our gate, there were colorful welcome signs and letters waiting for us.

Quietly leaving our bags (and food) in the yard, we crept to the back door and were met by Trixie, my angel and baby, jumping up against the glass panels. After calling to her, for we couldn’t resist, we cracked open the door and Trixie squeezed through before we could slide it further. She was rapturous. Ordinarily, upon a long-awaited return, Trixie runs in circles around the house and yard, so ecstatic that her whole body quivers. Yesterday, though, she reached a new level of joy.

She looped around us quickly, jumping up on us and licking us, even whimpering; a first. She would not run around the yard; she would not leave us. After rolling with her and hugging and rubbing her, we came inside and played with her. Then, we met Bruno. 

While Trixie has shrunk not only in width but also in overall size, Bruno has gotten larger and fatter. He, in fact, seemed so changed a cat that for a few minutes I was nearly convinced that he was not our Bruno, for even his eyes were yellow instead of green. Asher, in his excitement, scared Bruno under the couch until he went away, at which point Bruno came out and watched us. It took no more than ten minutes before he allowed us to pet, kiss, and hold him, and I could see that his eyes were green. 

Overwhelmed with our pets, I had almost forgotten that I was home, in our house, and so when I finally entered my bedroom and unexpectedly smiled, I was shocked. I was shocked because for the past hours and weeks I had forbidden myself from thinking of home and dreaded it so much that my mind put up a mental block against it. But I smiled, and found I was happy. 

Seeing Trixie the way she was last night made the entire trip worth it. Our joy, together, was something I have never experienced and may never experience again. Trixie, though some of you, my readers, may doubt it, is the second greatest joy of my life (Asher is the first), and how quickly Bruno got used to us will, upon recollection, give me pleasure for the rest of my life. 

We have flown 105,854 miles and visited 23 countries; I’ve written 72 posts; and I don’t think almost anything that can be done in this world can compare. Thank you readers, thank you friends, thank you family, thank you world.

I love you all,

Ella

Books I’ve Read This Trip (86):

  1. The Brothers Grimm: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
  2. Artemis Fowl: Eoin Colfer 
  3. The Secret Garden: Francis Hodgson Burnett
  4. The Giver: Lois Lowry
  5. The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Agatha Christie 
  6. Steelheart: Brandon Sanderson 
  7. Firefight: Brandon Sanderson 
  8. Calamity: Brandon Sanderson 
  9. Mitosis: Brandon Sanderson 
  10. The Pillars of the Earth: Ken Follett
  11. A Column of Fire: Ken Follett 
  12. The Dazzling Heights: Katharine McGee 
  13. The Towering Sky: Katharine McGee 
  14. One of Us is Lying: Karen M. McManus 
  15. They All Fall Down: Roxanne St. Claire 
  16. The Assassin Game: Kirsty McKay 
  17. The Leaving: Tara Altebrando 
  18. The Perfectionists: Sara Shepard 
  19. The Pawn: Skye Warren 
  20. More Than Friends: Monica Murphy 
  21. The Watchmaker’s Daughter: C.J. Archer 
  22. The House of Closed Doors: Jane Steen 
  23. The Mailbox: Mary Jane Forbes 
  24. Off Leash: Daniel Potter 
  25. Stranger Practice: Vivian Shaw 
  26. The Alchemist: Paulo Coelho
  27. Escape From Home: Avi 
  28. The Clan of the Cave Bear: Jean M. Auel 
  29. The Valley of Horses: Jean M. Auel 
  30. The Mammoth Hunters: Jean M. Auel 
  31. The Plains of Passage: Jean M. Auel 
  32. The Shelters of Stone: Jean M. Auel 
  33. The Land of Painted Caves: Jean M. Auel 
  34. Sapiens: Yuval Noah Harari 
  35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: J.K. Rowling
  36. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: J.K. Rowling
  37. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: J.K. Rowling
  38. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: J.K. Rowling
  39. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: J.K. Rowling
  40. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: J.K. Rowling
  41. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: J.K. Rowling
  42. Dawn: V.C. Andrews 
  43. To the Devil a Daughter: Dennis Wheatley 
  44. The Art of Happiness: Howard C. Cutler 
  45. A Little Princess: Frances Hodgson Burnett
  46. Lady Midnight: Cassandra Clare 
  47. Stuff Matters: Mark Miodownik 
  48. Picture This: Molly Bang 
  49. The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side: Agatha Christie 
  50. Mistral’s Daughter: Judith Krantz 
  51. Slaughter-House Five: Kurt Vonnegut 
  52. My Name is Not Angelica: Scott O’Dell 
  53. The Diary of Anne Frank: Anne Frank
  54. The Goats: Brock Cole 
  55. The Slave Dancer: Paula Fox 
  56. The Old Man and the Sea: Ernest Hemingway 
  57. Little Gale Gumbo: Erika Marks 
  58. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail: Cheryl Strayed 
  59. Queen of Scots: John Guy 
  60. Dracula: Bram Stoker 
  61. Alex & Me: Irene M. Pepperberg 
  62. Wicked: Gregory Maguire 
  63. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: L. Frank Baum
  64. Mary Poppins: P. L. Travers 
  65. Mary Poppins Comes Back: P. L. Travers 
  66. Mary Poppins Opens the Door: P. L. Travers 
  67. Mary Poppins in the Park: P. L. Travers 
  68. Red Scarf Girl: Ji-Li Jiang 
  69. Lord of the Flies: William Golding 
  70. Bringing Adam Home: Les Standiford 
  71. 1984: George Orwell 
  72. To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee
  73. A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens 
  74. Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Dana K. White 
  75. The Princess Bride: William Goldman 
  76. Moby Dick: Herman Melville 
  77. The Concrete Blonde: Michael Connelly 
  78. While the Savage Sleeps: Andrew E. Kaufman 
  79. The Professor: Robert Bailey 
  80. Never Cry Wolf: Farley Mowat 
  81. The Living Goddess: Isabella Tree 
  82. A House in the Sky: Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett 
  83. War and Peace: Leo Tolstoy 
  84. Crime and Punishment: Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  85. The Gathering: Anne Enright 
  86. Of Mice and Men: John Steinbeck

Countries I’ve Been To On This Trip (23):

  1. Israel
  2. South Africa
  3. Zimbabwe
  4. Botswana
  5. Tanzania
  6. France
  7. Nepal
  8. Cambodia
  9. Thailand
  10. Vietnam
  11. Indonesia
  12. Japan
  13. Argentina
  14. Brazil
  15. Colombia
  16. Cuba
  17. Ecuador
  18. Peru
  19. Bolivia
  20. Turkey
  21. Russia
  22. Switzerland
  23. Portugal
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Season finale by Asher Shaul

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Asher Shaul

We did almost nothing on our final day of the trip, but it was still very exciting and meaningful. Once we woke up in Israel at 3:00 am, we got dressed and after collecting our bags, we said bye to Savta and she was very sad to see us leave. I hope she will be fine while we’re gone and we had an awesome time with her. Oved drove us to the airport and once we said bye to him, we flew five hours to Paris. I slept on that flight to cover the literal three hour sleep I had last night. Once we landed in Paris, the airport was literally a maze with moving floors and it took us forever to reach the gate. On the nine hour flight to Denver, I watched The Lego Movie 2, which was a mediocre film, and I also read and played games. We overall didn’t do much, but the touchdown in the airport was the last time we were in the air this entire trip. Since there was a big plane that landed before us, we waited in immigration for about one hour before we got to move on and then we got in an Uber and drove to our neighbor, Ling’s, house because she wanted to give us a gift. She gave us delicious dumplings and then we drove home and we saw our two pets for the first time in 14 months. Bruno got bigger while Trixie seemed to shrink, which was weird, but we had tons of fun and this was the best trip ever.

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Ella’s Israel

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Ella Shaul

We landed in Israel at night and were met by Oved, Meital, Matan, Noa, and Moti. Then, at the much-made request given by Aba and Troy, we went out, at almost midnight by then, to eat Sabich and Moti and Ronit’s local sabich stand. First of all, it was delicious. Second of all, Aba and Troy are insane! We went to Savta’s house after that and met Savta, Ronit, and the sausage (Tuco).

As usual, they were all very excited to see us (except for Tuco), but we went to sleep soon after. Savta’s operation was the next day. She had stones in her gallbladder that had been causing her immense pain for a while, leading up to the surgery. The surgery itself was very simple, but the anesthesia was why we were all a bit worried. However, she did better than fine! After staying overnight, she was released from the hospital that morning instead of in the evening as planned.

In fact, that very same day we even ate out at Hendal’e! The same day!

She is still doing terrifically with her recovery. Later, we went to see Toy Story 4 with Noam and his mom, Susan, though she didn’t stay for the movie. Noam had already seen it, but had fun anyway. After lunch, we saw the movie, and I have to say my first impression was good. I liked it a lot while watching, which I think is a big plus, but in retrospect, I think the original three were much better. The scores on Rotten Tomatoes from 1-4 go like this, so not bad!; 100%, 100%, 98%, and 98%.

The next day we saw another much-dreaded/hoped-for movie; the live-action remake of The Lion King.

After the disaster that was Aladdin, our hopes weren’t high, but even they were grieved. I’m not going to go into it, because if I did, this post would become a VEHEMENT RAVE OF ANGER AND OUTCRY AGAINST EVERY ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE. Grrrrrrr. Let that be enough… Okay, no. They shortened Be Prepared and changed the lyrics! I know, I have them memorized!! They ruined it! Not to mention the fact of the lions’ eye colors! They changed in every scene!; blue-green-brown-yellow. They’re supposed to be gold! Gold! How hard can that be??!!!!!! We saw this atrocity with Oved, his kids, their great-aunt Bobby, and Savta. Now, onto a good example of film: Chernobyl. We finished it fairly quickly, so I’m happy to say that I liked it a lot and highly recommend it. Later, we went to Aba’s friends Michal and Uri’s house. There I talked and played with their four kids, Ella, ____, ____, and Omri. Omri was very sweet and showed us the bats in their yard while we petted and talked about their dog, Vanilla. Either he was extremely lovable or I just really needed my dose of ‘little kid’… Speaking of sweet, aside from the bread, ____ made that evening’s dessert; crème brûlée! She’s only 11½, but she obviously feels at home in the kitchen. She, Omri, and I engaged in a tickle war after dinner (which I, of course, won) among other things, but this was when my voice broke. After a day of singing opera with Tamar, squealing with Omri, and allergies, my voice became very deep, gravelly, and sore. Thankfully, it reclaimed its normal pitch in the morning. Speaking of my opera, it had become my routine to stop at the juicing store on the way back to Savta’s house. To the girl who worked there I am now a regular, and she calls me “Chamudah”, or Cutie. Later, we had to do math homework. Why, Aba, why?! It wasn’t just 15 minutes like you said! Hours! I was relieved by Leor and his kind heart. After hearing me talk about my desire to learn to read and write in Hebrew, he’s bought me some books to help me learn. I really am planning on using them, so thank you, Leor! He even gave me a mini run-down lesson! That night, we went to Ronit’s house to celebrate three birthdays; Moti’s, Oved’s, and Oran’s. That’s right, Oran and Ria came!! Yay! Bobby, Shula, and even Arieli’s boyfriend Jonathan came! That was fun because we sort of got to interrogate him while embarrassing Arieli at the same time. Score! Sadly, though, Imri couldn’t come. First Meital, Asher and I and then Meital, Asher, Noa, Ria, and I went downstairs, the old playroom-turned-bedroom, which evoked a heavy flood of reminisces about the room, our old house, Savta’s old house, and Saba. It was really nice…

Our next big get-together was Matan’s going-to-the-army party. It was at Oved and Michele’s house and we ate and played as usual. Michele, though, made us each write Matan a letter with our wishes and/or regards, etc. It was fun. We also finally took Troy up to Meital’s room/One Direction/Harry Shrine, so that was interesting. Throughout the party, Chloe was obsessed with being around me, seemingly because I am the only person who would let her lick their face. Therefore, Chloe loves me! My face was so caked with saliva, though.

Later, we went to an escape room with Oved and the kids. Though we still had a lot of fun, I think it was my least favorite room ever. It was difficult in a not-fun way and there was no relish or relief to winning. You just won. Regardless, though, we still really enjoyed ourselves.

Yesterday, Ronit and I went to a private lesson with Shiri at her store, Made By Hand. I haven’t written about her this year, but I’ve done crafty classes with Shiri quite a few times in the past. Ronit came with me this time, and we had a lot of fun. We each made a backpack, sewing, cutting, pulling, and everything involved, even hammering! In addition to getting a bag that we will probably each use, we had a lot of fun talking and I got to help Ronit learn how to use a sewing machine. After we finished, Aba called us and said we HAD to come to the mall to see an amazing dress. All through the drive there, he was constantly calling and texting us to rave about the dress. When we parked and got inside the mall, I saw a beautiful dress and thought I would tell Aba about it, since we were shopping anyway. After meeting Aba with, coincidentally, Oved and Michele eating a colonoscopy-victory lunch, Ronit said she had to head back. We passed one store and she didn’t. She ended up coming with us on our shopping spree, where we bought many shirts, pants, and Aba’s dress. Whad’ya know?! The dress that had caught my eye ended up being the very same one that had caught his. We got it in blue instead of the pink in the window. Actually, we bought so much that Savta practically demanded a Fashion Show, and I obliged. Today was our last day in Israel and on our trip. In the afternoon, I had my opera lesson with Tamar. We sang Lascia Chio Pianga, Tzipor Shnya, and O Mio Babbino Caro, talked, and laughed. Tamar is truly an amazing teacher, but she is now also my good friend. Before I left, she gave me a miniature copy of a painting of hers that I told her I liked, for she is also an artist <3. Arieli came afterward and we all took Savta to Hendal’e. After eating, Asher and I petted a cat while Ariel looked on, disgusted and horrified!

We got back and went shopping, for Ariel and I had decided to make dessert together! When everyone else came; Oved, Michelle, Matan, Meital, Noa, Ronit, and even Imri (!), we played and talked and had a great time. I was very glad to see Imri, as we had not seen him at all this trip.

Even though we’ll come back in December/January, I’m still sad to leave the family. I had a wonderful time and just want to thank everyone for everything. 

P.S
I forgot to write about a fun breakfast we had alone with Oran,

and the fact that Aba and Troy gave Savta’s balcony/porch an amazing makeover (bravo),

but I’m too tired to edit now and we need to wake up at 3 AM. Goodnight, and sorry!

Ella

3-13-14-22  3-13-6 12-3-17-6  11-3-23-26…

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THE ABSOLUTE FINAL PART OF OUR TRIP: ISRAEL ROUND 4 by Asher Shaul

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Asher Shaul

Hi everyone! I’m back with my FINAL blog post collection on this trip! First, we got packed up our bags in Portugal and then we took a taxi to the airport. We flew to Tel Aviv where we met Oved, Moti, Maytal, Mattan, and Noa and they took us to eat at this very good shawarma place like the one in Istanbul. We had a very good snack there and after we went over to Savta’s house and said hi to her, we unpacked and then went to sleep because it was ten o’clock there. We didn’t do much on some of the other days, but we still did fun stuff on some of them.

Welcome home!


On Wednesday, we met our friend Noam from the last time we were here and then we went to see Toy Story 4, and which was disappointing to me. We also ate this cool restaurant that had excellent noodles.

Us having dinner with Noam and his family.
  • These were at the theater!
This was Savta going into surgery while we were in Israel. She made it out fine!


The next day we went with Oved’s family to see the live-action Lion King, which was also very disappointing. I think most movies these days only care about money rather than actually being good.


On Thursday, we went out to eat dinner at the house of Uri and Michael, other friends of Ofer. We had a fun time in their house and there was this hilarious poster explaining how Tasmania was the greatest place in the world and I forgot to take a picture of it, sorry. We have had a great time here so far even if we haven’t done much.


The next day, we went to my cousin Mattan’s going away to the army party. In Israel, it’s mandatory that you have to serve at least two years in the military and then you do your own thing, so Mattan was about to start his military service. At the party, we each wrote our messages of good luck for him and we finished with a very tasty slice of cake, which was very good actually. A few hours later, we met with his family again and we did our final escape room on this trip, which was woodland themed. It was tricky, but it was fun to do with the decorations and fun ways to retrieve items.

  • Some fun stuff at the party!
After completing the escape room with Oved and his family.


 In the last few days here, we didn’t go out much so we could spend more time with our grandma, who we call Savta. We really want to comfort her on our last days here and she always gets very sad when we leave her. This trip was overall very cool and one of the best events in my life. Nothing can compare yet and there were moments that I’ll never forget. Thank you for putting time into reading our blog, it means a lot to the family.

We got Savta this new swing!
This was the best trip ever

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Lisbon and Lollipop’s Daughter

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Ella Shaul

Ria took us to the airport in the morning (Oran had to go to work) and, after eating breakfast with her there, we said our goodbyes and set off. A funny tidbit is how strict security is there! There was a grouchy security lady that was telling us to take out all the liquids from our bags. Apparently, in Zurich, this even includes toothpaste and sunscreen! In the end, they even took away our Nivea foot cream! A few hours later, on a plane filled with a surprising number of babies and young children, we landed in Lisbon, Portugal. After taking the closest train to our Air B&B, we walked to our apartment; seeing fruit and shops and people along the way. We settled in and walked around our nearby square, browsing through stores and making fun of the abundance of cork products and sardines. In the heat of the day, we rested and I finished War & Peace; an excellent, excellent book even though I disliked the ending of the story (not of the book, just the story). We finally got to see House of Cards again and watched an episode of The Last Czars, a new TV show on Netflix with super cringy actors. Then, we slept. Before going to a flea market in the morning, we accidentally saw a religious/military procession. Groups from the military were carrying icons of Mary holding baby Jesus as well as another man, followed by a large group of devotees clothed in monkish robes. A bit confusing but interesting; even the bathrobed woman standing with her hair in a bag on her balcony agreed so! The flea market was large and interesting, but only Troy bought anything there. Asher just wanted a POP vinyl Mysterio toy… We walked a while longer and I ate a brioche croissant (fine, I had two), then we took an Uber to the mall. There, we checked showing times for the new Spiderman and Toy Story 4 and ate a snack in the food court. There was an odd woman sitting at the next table who had gotten pasta with parsley and pine nuts. However, the odd part was that she fished out the parsley and pine nuts and only ate those!, leaving the pasta on the table as she walked away! We checked, and the market across the hall had bags of parsley and pine nuts. It probably would’ve been easier for her just to buy those… I started reading a new book at home before we went out to dinner at a Fado restaurant. Fado is a type of traditional Portuguese music, and we had the pleasure of hearing three singers in the course of our meal. Aba was miserable. The first woman was famous and someone was actually filming her for national TV (we might be on TV right now!), but I thought the third man actually had the best voice.

A group sitting next to us was from Belgium, and upon hearing that we are from the USA they asked us, quite sincerely, if this was our first trip to Europe! Oh my gosh, I nearly burst out laughing! Our FIRST trip to EUROPE!!!! I can’t stop laughing right now, honestly; oh my gosh. The next day we drove to the town of Sintra. There, we met our guide, Diogo, and our jeep-mates, Jerry and Trina. Jerry is 75 years old and Trina is 70, and they were both very sweet. In fact, when it got very cold and windy at Quinta da Regaleira, our first stop, Jerry made me wear his jacket. The most well-known part of this estate is a deep Freemason Initiation Well. That was interesting for me because in War & Peace (*spoiler alert*) Pierre, for a short time, becomes a freemason and engages in many rituals. There was a place inside Quinta da Regaleira to “walk on water” and many underground tunnels, but I think we all really enjoyed walking down the 120-stair staircase of the well. There were also cool battlements that we were allowed to mount. The main building of Quinta da Regaleira itself was nice, very grand and gothic, and was surrounded by an immense garden filled with a variety of lovely flora and two beautiful cats.

We ate a small snack there, and Troy loved my sandwich so much that he ate it all! After that, we drove, on the rocky-no-seatbelt-jeep-that-had-windows-so-it-was-actually-better-than-the-other-group’s. Phew.

We were taken to a local restaurant where we ate good meat and the adults drank firewater, basically a stronger Portuguese version of Vietnam’s happywater.

On the way out, we petted some cute dogs that Troy thought were ugly. Troy! We went to a nice beach called Praia da Adraga after that, but it was uneventful.

By this time, Diogo had begun to like us so much that, varying from our plan, he took us to the Westernmost point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca. There were fantastic views from the cliff it was perched upon, but it was so windy and cold that, after snapping a few photos, we fled back to the jeep. Poor Jerry even lost his toupée.

Our last stop was the National Palace, where we said goodbye to Diogo, Jerry, and Trina. While everyone else was fascinated by the wall tiles and furniture of the great building,

I was occupied with the ceilings. Consequently, the Swan Room and especially the Galley Room were my favorites.

I absolutely adore the ceiling in the Galley Room.

The next day we took two tours. The first was a walking tour that we took with a large group of people and mostly described some of Lisbon’s and Portugal’s history. For example, one kind of sickly funny story we were told is that when a huge earthquake struck in 1755 on All Saint’s Day, all the Christians were in church praying as it was mandatory and you would be burned otherwise. Therefore, the earthquake killed all the worshippers crushed by debris. The survivors ran for open land near the river so that nothing could fall on them when they noticed that the water had disappeared. As the only reference of miraculously receding water was when Moses parted the sea, these Christians all started trekking across the riverbed; directly in the path of the (basically) tsunami that killed the rest of them. The few stragglers left were picked off by the fires starting from altar candles that had spread with the wind. It is said that the blaze was so bright that you could read a book in the middle of the night 30 miles away with only the light of the fire. The surviving areas of Lisbon were, of course, the old Jewish quarter and the brothels. Our guide told us a lot, but we didn’t really see any sights and he talked to the point of being irritating. One funny point was, though, when he pointed out that the happy clowns handing out balloons in the square were pickpockets. No hugs for me, thank you!

  • (Not a Clown)

After a short rest, Aba, Asher, Troy, and I took a private guide on another tour, this time by tram.

He mostly showed us viewpoints and the city, and I enjoyed it a lot. We went to a sardine store (one of their main products) where they sold sardines in olive oil, sardines with peppers, pilchard in olive oil, baked cod in olive oil, smoked codfish roe with vegetables, horse mackerel in olive oil, mackerel in olive oil, sea bream in olive oil, sea bass in olive oil, smoked sole in olive oil, croaker in olive oil, smoked trout in olive oil, smoked mussels in olive oil, octopus in olive oil, smoked salmon in olive oil, swordfish in olive oil, eels marinated in vinegar, tuna in olive oil, anchovies in olive oil, squid stew, sea snail preserve, shrimp in garlic and whisky sauce, oatmeal balls with vegetables, and grain patties with carrot (Comur, 1942).

He also took us to the Bertrand Bookstore; the oldest bookstore in activity according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It has been open and active for 287 years. We ate a dinner of sea bass and cod later and custard tart desserts. The next day nothing very much happened until our dinner with the Drag Queens. Aba got his mustache cut, “Communist Style”, and we watched Spiderman: Far From Home and I, of course, read.

We went to the home of Pedro and Nikolay, or Teresa al Dente and Irina Ganache. There, we also met Lumière, their professional Drag makeup artist. We were the first to arrive, Fatima and Elena were two other guests who would later come, so Asher was transformed first. He wore a light turquoise short bodysuit with pink platforms (he couldn’t walk on the high heels), orange eyelashes, pearl necklaces, blue hair, and glitter! Having already seen the rest of them, I declare Asher’s, or Sky View’s, look the best and most fabulous.

I went next with light pink hair, a black dress, heavy eye makeup, and the heels Asher couldn’t walk with, and Crème Brûlèe was born!

Troy became Elvira Verde, a chic lady with a glistening, glittery, bald spot and a green color palette that extended to her long slitted dress. I have awarded her with the best name.

Lollipop became Aba’s alter ego, with her red and braided German hair and a sparling red goatee. We cooked flaming chorizos, cod patties, cabbage soup, stone soup, sangria, and those wonderful custard tarts I was telling you about! All the while, Fatima (now Drag King Jackson) and I sang along to their amazing 70’s and 80’s playlist. Over dinner and afterward, we learned about the queens’ lives and stories. I will only relate one funny story; that of Iceborg. Teresa al Dente used to be a Portuguese wrestler and weighed over 240 pounds. I am putting a picture here because the difference is stunning! She is in a red dress in the pictures.

Irina and Lumière both performed downscale (for the children’s sakes; aka me and Asher) drag performances and we ate al Dente’s delicious custard tarts. I just can’t get enough of them! To be honest with you, I had a difficult time imagining the Queens as men. Therefore, when they, at the end of the night, took off their costumes, it was difficult not to look shocked. We really did have a lot of fun, though, and I liked them a lot.

Yesterday was basically our shopping day. We each bought a lot of clothing and accessories which will make their debut pretty soon at school. For dinner, we went back to a restaurant at one of the viewpoints after watching someone play an operatic piece on the double bass. Then, we stayed up ‘til 1 AM watching TV. Yep, we’re living the life. After a breakfast of melon, peaches, and pastries (brioche for me!) we will fly to Israel, our last destination. Lisbon, at least, was our last destination alone. I’m trying not to dwell on that too much, so I’ll just write that I’m excited to see the family. Thank you, Lisbon! 

Ella

26-18-6-14-19-6

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My Perfect time in Portugal by Asher

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Asher Shaul

Hi everyone! Today, after we woke up at Oran’s and Ria’s apartment, we quickly got packed up and we left for the airport. Ria came with us while Oran went to work and then we had to say goodbye to them, which was really sad(we will see them again in Israel, so do not despair). At security, there was this one really annoying lady who kept checking everything and declared cream a liquid. Then, we flew all the way to Lisbon, where we got to our hotel and explored the streets for a little bit. The streets were actually very cool and after we had dinner, we went back home and went to sleep. I’m excited about what we’ll do for the rest of our time here in Lisbon.

Our neighborhood
Inside the house.


The next day was very fun! We walked across the streets and after booking a tour for tomorrow, we saw a sort of parade where the police were lifting a religious statue. I’m not sure what was going on, but it was very LOUD and everyone took it very seriously, so I assume it was serious. Later, we just saw the regular street life in Lisbon and then we stopped to eat a shrimp salad, which tasted great. After we roamed around for a bit, we went back home and then we went out to dinner where we saw a bunch of people sing! It wasn’t very impressive and Aba was bored out of his mind, but it was fun to see the music there and I was excited for the tour tomorrow.

The restaurant with the singers.


Today was very exciting! We started off by eating a yummy cinnamon roll and then going to the tour that we booked yesterday. We met a very nice couple named Jerry and Trina, who were from Hawaii, and they apparently are big time travelers like us! They visited a lot of exotic locations like us and Trina also volunteered at a hospital! Once the tour began, we drove off to see a very cool garden structure that had a fort layout. On the water, there was green moss everywhere and I wanted to step on it! I loved the scenery though and we even saw a Siamese Cat! Afterward, we drove off to eat lunch and I had a delicious meat course! The meat tasted very good and all the adults drank something with a ton of alcohol in it. Troy even turned pink!!! After we left, we drove off to the MOST WESTERN POINT IN ALL OF EUROPE and we took some great photos there. It was too windy there so then we went to a museum, where we concluded our tour. Once we drove back home, we didn’t do much else and we had a nice dinner of garlic omeletes. I can’t wait for tomorrow.

It looks like you can walk on it!
The castle
This inscription. Illuminati confirmed!
Bottom of well!
Most Western Point in Europe!


Today was mostly about the history of Portugal and the city of Lisbon. In a nutshell, they had a very good friendship with England and they were at odds with Spain multiple times. In addition, there was one guy who wrote a tale based off of true events in a style that mimicked the Odyssey, which was written by Homer a long time ago. Anyway, his ship capsized and he had to choose between saving his one manuscript of this work or his girlfriend, and he chose the writings!!!! It was hilarious in my opinion and there was a statue of him right outside where we were staying. We also learned about an earthquake that occurred in November of 1755 that killed 1/3 of Lisbon’s population and the only parts of the town that were spared were the areas where the criminals and thugs hung out and the old Jewish quarter! To top that off, it was during All Saints Day, so it was a big deal and sign of God back then. We also saw different sightings and we even went on another tour and saw the various restaurants and people here. I loved that tour and we had a delicious fish for dinner.

Famous entrance with famous people of Portugese History on it.
Memorial of Jewish Quarter.
This Giant Bear!
The blindfolded statue outside our apartment.


Today was shorter than most days, but it was still incredibly fun. We started off by walking around the streets and we found a barbershop with tons of hilarious beard and mustache options! Aba got the mustache called “The Communist” and after a while, we FINALLY got to see Spider-Man: Far From Home. It was EXCELLENT and after that, we rested for one hour before doing one of the TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD TRIP! We went over to the large apartment of three drag queens and then we dressed up in drag! It was very fun and we all got to choose cool stage names. I was Sky, Ella was Crembole, Aba was lollipop, Troy’s was Alviera Verde, which I have no idea how he came up with. I actually looked good in women’s clothing and we even got to cook in the dresses! I made a cabbage soup and we had an excellent dinner of codfish and cabbage soup, which tasted very good. After a little while, we watched them all perform and they did awesome songs! They were really in sync and we also tried some homemade tarts with cinnamon, which were very good. It was honestly a great night and I will never forget the awesome experience we had that night.

  • The different beard and mustache styles
  • Aba got the mustace called the Communist!
  • Some of the house decor of the queens
The process
  • The drag queens
  • who helped us.
Us in full drag(I’m not this tan, it’s just the light)!!!
One of the queens used to be this wrestler, which I thought was weird and cool.


Our final day in Portugal was very fun but also short. First, we went around for last-minute shopping and we ended up buying a bunch of awesome shirts for ourselves and our friends. We then, after just walking for a while, had dinner at a plaza with an amazing viewpoint. After going back home, we basically just chilled out for the rest of the day and watched some TV. I had a lot of fun here in Portugal even if it felt shorter than some of our other trips.

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Guest Blog: Raya and Her Time with Us in Switzerland

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Ella Shaul

*Since we’ve started this trip, I always wanted those who visited us, or those whom we visited, to write something on the blog. Unfortunately, no one ever wanted too. Now, just a few weeks before our trip is over, I present to you our first (and hopefully not last) Guest Blog! This is Raya’s tale with us in Switzerland in her words; enjoy!* -Ella

I enjoy living in Zurich very much. The atmosphere is relaxing, the neighborhoods are quiet, clean, and beautiful. As much as I love the calm side of the city, though, I enjoyed having the apartment full and loud even more; crowded as it was with six unique people (Asher, Ella, Ofer, and Troy staying with us). We had a great time hearing incredible stories about their around-the-world trip, eating enormous amounts of chocolate (and then a little more), traveling together all around Zurich, and sharing funny moments. It was simply an unbelievable experience. It is always nice to have guests visiting, mainly because you get to see the city in an entirely different way rather than experiencing it in the same way you do during your daily routine; because of a new perspective. Oran and I had the opportunity of spending quality time with Asher and Ella, which was exciting because, firstly, we had the opportunity to do many things we typically wouldn’t – jumping into the lake from a bridge, going on different rides in the carnival, playing UNO, riding on bicycles… The second reason is that thanks to both Asher and Ella and their contagious energy, we felt very young and playful. I must admit that I loved being reminded of the young version of myself, so thank you guys for that small gift :-). Ofer and Troy were extremely generous, treating us with delicious dishes in different restaurants across the city. Even things that we would normally complain about such as lack of sleep were welcomed now. If I have to pick one thing that I enjoyed the most from this visit, it will definitely be us all sitting around the table in the dining room, sharing a laugh while engaging in a deep conversation. The only bad thing that I can say about their visit is that it was too short. Tomorrow morning they will be heading to Portugal, leaving us with all these great memories and a quiet, empty house.

Best story: Troy, the chickens, and the bear.

Funniest moment: realizing an ass massage actually exists.

The awkward moment: Ofer talks about masturbation with his kids over breakfast. 

The scariest moment: riding the tram with no tickets and then seeing the ticket-checkers get on the tram for inspection.

Second scariest moment: sneaking out at night to do laundry in the communal washing machine just to find out: others are doing it, too.

Sweetest moment: seeing Ofer combing Ella’s hair.

Xoxoxo,
Raya 

Tuesday, July 15th, 2019

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Ella’s Sweet Sweet Switzerland

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Ella Shaul

I am so excited to be in Switzerland! Our cousin Oran and his epic girlfriend Raya are some of my favorite people <3. We arrived Thursday evening and they greeted us at the airport. Oran had to go to a business dinner afterward so he was even wearing a suit. How cute!! Raya had even painted a sign with our names on it and some of the German words she is learning.

We were all very excited and happy to see one another. We rode the tram/bus/from-now-on-just-‘transport’ until Oran’s stop, where he sadly got off, and took it back to their apartment. There, we were surprised with chocolate and fruit!!! By the way, sorry about all of the exclamation points; I’m just very glad to be here! For dinner, Raya cooked us steaks, made salads, brought out fruits and cheese, and gave us some excellent mustard. I feel bad for Oran because he wasn’t there and therefore really missed out. Oh well, more for us! Raya, for the record, is a really excellent cook as well as a baker. Oran came back after we ate and we all sat at the table and talked for a long time. The next morning we were worried that it might rain in Zurich (where we were, by the way), so we took a train to a city called Bern. We had tons of fun there. We strolled the city for a bit until we came across a food-market courtyard. There, we ate cherries, vegetables, and some delicious empanadas! Speaking of delicious food, we discovered that Raya, who is Russian, hates Moscow and doesn’t like the food there. Preposterous! We walked along the vivid turquoise water and saw the Swiss Alps in the distance; everything very picturesque.

Then, we noticed a couple of bears nearby! They were just ambling around and didn’t seem to care about the people at all. After returning to Zurich, we ate Swiss sausages with more mustard and pretzels! Yum yum yum! On the way back to the apartment, I gave my seat up for an elderly French woman on the transport and you should’ve seen her smile! She was so happy, so she made me smile, too. I called my friend Una and her cat and talked with Aba, Oran, and Raya, until we went out for dinner. I borrowed one of Raya’s jackets and we had fun criticizing Oran’s fashion sense. We all had very good food at an Italian restaurant and talked a lot.

We all went to sleep very content, dreaming about Swiss chocolate (whose existence and effect I had forgotten to take into account until we arrived). We ate fruit in the morning and then, ditching Aba and Troy, we went out for breakfast. We weren’t that hungry after our morning snack, but Asher had a bagel and Raya and I shared an acai bowl and quinoa.

Next, we went biking. Before we did this, Raya was super afraid of biking and thought she wouldn’t be able to do it, but now we know that she can be quite good! After some initial hesitation and practice in the incredibly hot room that we rented the bikes from, Raya actually rode fairly well! We rode through a park, streets, by a lake, and on the road; Oran and Asher (in order) far in front with Raya and me behind. Aside from seeing the prepossessing scenic views on the way, Raya and I also got to talk a lot together and so did Asher and Oran.

On the way, we stopped for a break at a small pier and ate the delectable healthy snacks that Raya gave us; peanut butter balls with nuts, etc in them for me, and chocolate with stuff balls for Asher!

We had planned to take a boat back to the main part of Zurich, but, having missed it, we had to take the transport. The uphill to the station was treacherous, so once we got inside the empty transport we arranged our bikes in the aisles and in the entrance, the only places to put them. Therefore, as soon as people boarded, we got glared at by the people who had to move around the bicycles to get to their seats or simply stand where they were. On another note, two girls sitting in front of me and Asher were talking about dolphins. One said that “dolphins are whales”, the other saying that “they’re fish”. I, being me interjected and replied that dolphins are actually mammals. Humored by the fact that a total stranger knew more about something they had recently seen than themselves, the girls looked at each other and laughed with me. It was fun! We bought some chocolate for all of us and macarons for Asher before meeting Aba and Troy, who had bought a copper plate at a flea market. Then, we went together to eat lunch at a fun outdoor area that reminded us of the Oranjezicht Farmers’ Market in Cape Town. Though there were chicken and sausages, the best food there by far was their potato salad. Yum yum yum!

Before I even finished my food, Asher ate ALL of OUR chocolate and his macarons. All of it! He left me zilch. Then, Aba and Troy left and then Oran, Asher, and I climbed a nearby store’s tower to see the view of the city. It was astounding, as we could see everything including Raya and our next destination; Urban Surf! It’s hard to explain, but there’s basically a pool filled with high-pressure water that makes a giant wave on which you can learn to surf. After watching for a bit, Asher and I laughing at funny falls (/fails), we got into our swimsuits (I also got a wetsuit) and helmets (16-). Though we only got to try it four times each because of the line, I had a lot of fun and the hour went by fast. I would totally come back to try again! I fell pretty quickly the first time after standing by myself and got to the middle the third and fourth times, but my second try was amazing! I made it all the way to the other side and then halfway back before falling. The audience really cheered me on, as did Oran and Raya!

Both of our guides were really nice and when we thanked them later they were both happy. One chatted with us for a long time, while the other one just said how happy he was that we thanked him.

Asher and I, though, were occupied with the friendly bee that had fallen in love with Asher’s shirt! When we left, we got ice cream and Asher and I spun on a roundabout. On the way back to the apartment, some young girls in the next car kept waving, smiling, and laughing at Asher, and he waved and smiled back! Aah, hormones! We saw Aba and Troy on the balcony

and they surprised Oran and Raya with berry-filled wine as they walked in the door before we were served Troy’s mustard-chicken dinner with a side of Aba’s quinoa and salad.

After that, we went into the living room (also our bedroom) and talked. After failing to convince Oran to give her a foot massage and refusing to let me, I gave Raya a back massage which she reciprocated with one of her own. After leaning in that comfortable position for a while and making fun of Oran, we went to bed. Oran and Raya took us to a buffet breakfast the next morning where I got cheese that I walked with as well as strawberries and cranberries. Then, we went to an amusement park! I tried to research to figure out the name of this place, but unfortunately, I couldn’t. Sorry! Anyway, we had a lot of fun there! These rides looked like they were for kids, but they really weren’t. They were violent and fast and scary enough to make Raya scream and scream and were awesome!! The only sort of lame ones were a chain swing ride

and a haunted house.

Other than that, the tagada ride,

the zero gravity ride, the swing ride,

the train coaster ride, the spinning floor-coaster ride, and the breakdance ride were great!

The tagada and zero gravity rides, especially, freaked Raya out. She was screaming and hollering and her face turned all red! It sounds terrible, but Asher and I laughed our heads off! Not to mention, they had a great 80’s soundtrack that Asher and I kept dancing to every time we got off a cool ride. It. Rocked!

After that, we went back to the apartment and Oran made us cheese omelets.

Right before we went out again, Aba and Troy came back. The rest of us, leaving the two “exiles” who had been to a massage spa, went to a nearby lake and picnicked there with fruit. We played UNO on our year-old deck of cards and Oran even taught us a new game called Shakran or Liar. In between games, everyone (except Raya) jumped off of a bridge into the water where we froze until our bodies went numb and it became warm :-).

I cut myself on a rock in the water and it was very sweet that Oran and Raya showed so much concern over it. It was bleeding quite a bit, but it truly wasn’t that large of a cut. Raya wrapped it in some paper and they both asked about it <3. We relaxed on the grass for a long time and then went back to the apartment and showered. The adults drank beer at a floating restaurant when we went out, then we ate dinner at an Italian steak place.

It was actually quite good!

Oran also taught me how to eat a steak off the bone!

We came back a little while ago and now I am blogging, but we fly out tomorrow morning. I just want to note here how much fun I had. I didn’t express it very much earlier in the post because we’ve just been doing so much that I haven’t wanted to commit the energy to extra writing, but I truly enjoyed my time here. Oran and Raya are so much fun and they’re so kind that I feel like I could stay with them forever and be happy; so I hope they feel the same way. They’re so sweet together, play-fighting and constantly kissing (23 times today, by my count!). Anyway, thank you so much, guys! We hope to visit you again soon! 17-6-4-14-14-22.

Ella

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Switzerland blog post with Oran and Ria! By Asher

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Asher Shaul

Hi everyone! I’m back with my collection of Switzerland blog posts for you! To start off, we woke up early in the morning in Saint Petersburg and we went to check out the donut place with the world famous donuts. Surprisingly, there was no line to get donuts and I got to eat four! After that, we waited for an hour until we took a cab to the airport and we had to go through security about three times. It was a long process, but we eventually got on a flight to Riga in Latvia. It was an ok airport, but everything was moving so slow and we couldn’t get anywhere without being stopped for something. We got to the plane just as they finished boarding and then we took off to Zurich! We met Oran and Ria at the airport and we took the train to their house. Oran left for his job and Ria showed us their apartment, which was very cozy. We unpacked and after a while she served us an amazing dinner with very good meat. Oran came back from his job and as we talked, we finally went to sleep and waited for the excitement tomorrow.

An interesting banner they made for us!


Today was our first day of exploring Zurich! First of all, we started off by having fruit for breakfast and then we walked to the train station. On the way there, we stopped at a chocolate shop and we bought a bunch of very delicious Swiss chocolate! It tasted amazing and once we reached the station we got to the main area. We didn’t see much there, but as we were walking on a bridge we saw TWO BEARS drinking from water and they were so big! I wanted to kiss one and we saw a hammock directly above a rushing lake, which I thought was very unsafe. We then got back on the train and we went back to the apartment. We got sort of lost on the way because Oran and Ria left us to go somewhere, but we reached it just fine and a few hours later we had dinner at a great Italian restaurant. I had an amazing pizza which I wolfed down in five minutes and after that we got ready for the epic day tomorrow.

See the blue hammock in the back?


Hi everyone. For our third day, we woke up in the morning and then we went out to explore the city. Once we got on and off the bus, we split up into to groups so that Aba and Troy were in one group and Oran, Ria, Ella, and I were in another group. We went to a bike rental place and we took bikes all around the city for hours! It was incredibly fun and I stayed in front with Oran while Ella and Ria were behind us. We stopped a couple of times to take photos and then we would continue, but there was this one group of people that got angry at us for not being in the road! After we biked, we met with Aba and Troy and we had chicken together. Then, Oran and Ria took us to this miniature surf station and we kept getting some epic waves! It was a great day and I hope that tomorrow we do something just as awesome!

Us with the bikes!
Fun on bikes!
Me surfing!!!


Today was the most exciting day here yet. We started off by splitting into two groups again and this time, Oran, Ria, Ella, and I went to a small but very entertaining amusement park! This amusement park was geared towards little kids, but it was still very fun! We first tried a ride that picked us up in the air and spun us around very fast while lifting us into the air! It was very cool, but Ria was screaming so loudly it was hilarious! After that, we went to a miniature haunted house that would’ve freaked me out years ago. It was not scary at all and showed how much I have grown in these past few years. We wanted Ria to come with us, but she wouldn’t and after that we went to a circular ride that bounced us up and down. It was incredibly fun and after it was over we went on an anti-gravity ride that totally freaked out Ria. Personally, it was my favorite ride because the mechanic was cool but we did a few other rides that weren’t as cool. We went back home later and after eating a great lunch, we went out to swim in the lake. It was very cold in the water and I eventually jumped off a bridge into the water, which you don’t do every day. We had dinner at an Italian place later and we concluded our final day in Lisbon.

Ella and I on a very fun ride!
Us at the haunted house!
A very cool ride that spun us around very fast
Jumping off the bridge!
This hilarious sign on the train!
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Ella’s Pусский Россия блог

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Ella Shaul

When we arrived in Russia, we exchanged the use of the name ‘Aba’ with not being allowed to hug or kiss Troy because of anti-gay-ism(?). Harumph… We drove to the airport in a taxi in the morning for an hour before realizing that the driver had taken us to the wrong airport, then drove another two hours the other way to our airport. At security, I finally met a reasonable security guard! He found my scissors (the ones the Ethiopian lady missed) but, after realizing they were for a 14-year-old’s crafts and some pleading, let me keep them. How nice! I read on the plane and everything went smoothly until immigration in Moscow. There, Aba, Asher, and I got detained for an hour for who knows why. We seriously sat on the floor in an enclosure until they took pictures of us, we waited some more, and then left. Oh, and I want to mention that we were treated to the best luxury upon arrival; an airplane sleeve! We’ve been on so many flights with buses to the terminal that I can’t even believe it happened! Our cab driver was nice and even bought us ice cream (side note; gas station Russian ice cream is delish. It is dark chocolate flavored and is filled in all the way to the bottom of the cone!) That is, he was nice until we realized at the hotel that he’d scammed us for $70 USD. Merrill arrived in the evening and we went out to a Georgian restaurant with Russian food. There, I ate (heavenly) Borsch! It drizzled a bit on the way back to the hotel. The next day, we did quite a bit! We started off walking the streets of Moscow and seeing the GUM mall and Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the Red Square.

We also passed by Lenin’s Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum, and the Spasskaya Tower there.

After lunch and some more walking, we had a tour inside the Kremlin of the Palace. This was very special and rare, truly exceptional, as very few people are allowed to go inside of the palace (which is still in operation). It was magnificent. There were many ornate rooms, and because we weren’t allowed many photographs I’ve attached some from the web.

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Aba doesn’t think everything was authentic and real (such as the supposed gold-leaf), but I try to imagine how the palace was in the time of the Tzars. While we had waited to enter, we talked with a French lady who was looking for her group. I felt bad because we couldn’t help (and I was the only one who could converse with her), so I hope she found them. Another small note is that the people in our tour group were so annoying! They just irked me… Upon exiting we saw the Ivan the Great Bell Tower with the heaviest bell in the world! We ate dinner at the same place and I had Borsch and Beef Stroganoff. Ням-ням! The next day I had the same thing for dinner (though at a different restaurant) but had a very fun day. It started off with us standing in the surprisingly short line to see the embalmed body of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, or Lenin, in his mausoleum. Normally we might not have done this as all of us except Merrill had seen the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, but there is a huge controversy about whether or not to bury Lenin and we decided to see him before they did; the rumors say they will try to persuade Putin by April 22, Lenin’s birthday. His body did not look as real as Ho Chi Minh’s, actually, but in fact looked quite waxy. We spent the rest of the long morning trying to locate Izmailovsky Market; walking, using the subway, and braving filthy public toilets. After lunch in a local restaurant (see how far away we got from the heart of Moscow?) in the late afternoon, we finally took a cab to the market, the Flea Market! Now, you may know how much I love antiques and thrifting, so I was quite excited. I wish we could’ve stayed there longer, but there was only one booth that really caught my eye. The items for sale actually weren’t vintage, but they were beautiful. They were little carvings of figures made from mammoth ivory (don’t judge!). One that was especially intriguing was a little skull with bright bright blue eyes, but they were all expensive. Aba, Troy, and Merrill all bought stuff at this extensive market and we wanted to go to another Flea Market or the same one the next day. My wish was fulfilled! In the morning, we returned to the Izmailovsky Market and spent a lot of time there. There were a few things that Aba wanted t get, but we only bought photographs for Troy’s collections. Still, I had a lot of fun just browsing. The driver of our cab ride to the next destination was very funny. He asked where we were from and when we said the USA he laughed and shook hands with Aba with a large grin! All the people here have been so sweet. Afterward, we went to Gorky Park! We picnicked on the benches and walked for hours along the river.

Then, we relaxed and Asher and I played a game of Truth or Dare. We went to dinner after that at an amazing restaurant called Mushrooms. It was recommended to Aba and Toy by a Russian they had met here! I liked it so much that after eating my porcini risotto with parmesan mouse I even ordered another one! The number is (+7-495-995-24-77 or +7-495-995-24-78) if anyone visits Moscow. We returned to the Red Square after dinner to see it at night and it retained, and almost amplified, the beauty of its structures. We woke in the morning and went out for breakfast again. I ate three blinis, basically delicious and buttery Russian crepes, which Ria (Oran’s super awesome girlfriend) recommended to us. Merrill went to the airport because Aba accidentally told her the wrong time to buy a ticket while we went to the train station and embarked on a five-hour bullet train. The views were very scenic with vivid wildflowers dispersed along the grass-covered tracks and small villages and towns nearby. Upon arriving for the first time in Saint Petersburg, we settled in the hotel and went out for dinner with Merrill, who we met up with. I had more Borsch and Beef Stroganoff, though the Stroganoff was the first meal I’ve had in Russia that wasn’t sublime. The next morning was started wonderfully, as we ate breakfast at a famous old Pyshka/Ponchik place. They are basically Russian Beignet-donuts and are delicious. No one was in the place and it was pretty bare-boned, so it was a very nice experience.

We took a boat to Peterhof palace where it drizzled and eventually poured so we had to buy cheap umbrellas. Unlike Moscow, Petersburg is swarming with tourists. A bit of a note about that; I usually try not to be racist or generalize about certain peoples, but the Chinese tourists all over the world are just insane! One of my best friends is Chinese, but the ones traveling are loud and obnoxious and pushy and impolite as they travel in packs and hordes. Therefore when some overly dramatic music started playing as the garden fountains were turned on we could hardly see through the mainly Chinese crowd (no offense). The palace and statues surrounding it were surprisingly Greek-looking, as was the fountain structure itself.

After that, we switched around our plans because of the rain and went to The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, or the Church on Spilled Blood, called so because it was in honor of Alexander II’s fatally successful assassination attempt at the spot. The icons inside were all intricate mosaics, so I thought it looked lovely.

After lunch at an Israeli restaurant, we returned to the hotel. On the way there, we paused while Aba went into a store and I noticed a woman drop a 10 ruble coin. I quickly picked it up and offered it to her but she refused to take it (Troy thinks she thought I was trying to trick her while someone else robs her, as apparently, that is a common Russian scam). Obviously, I wasn’t trying to trick her, so I was confused by her reaction. Then, when a grinning man came and held out his hand for the coin, I gave it to him thinking I had mistaken who had dropped it and being a bit flustered. The woman started screaming at him and took it away from him, kindly giving it back to me with a smile. Later, at a toy store and I bought the coolest paper dolls. ___…____,

then we stopped at a candy store that we thought was another toy store with a self-playing piano. I had never seen one before, so I thought it rocked. After (a better) dinner where everyone may have seen a boy get punched by his dad and have a nosebleed while I was in the bathroom, I didn’t feel well so Asher, Troy, and I left early. There was only one other person in the elevator on the way down, but when I threw up by Borsch and salmon in the lobby he very sweetly told us to continue on and that he would take care of it. I didn’t last very long until I threw up again. And again. And again. And again and again and again and again. Etc. The street became very pink… After that was over with, we went back to the hotel and I slept. I’d like to start the next day’s section with a quote from our guide to the Catherine Palace, who said that the Chinese tourists are like a swarm of bees or wasps. It was much like the Kremlin soI won’t go into detail about it, but I thought that the Amber Room was phenomenal. The entire room was decorated with amber, including the walls, and though pictures weren’t allowed, Merrill got some anyway.

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After the tour, we went to St. Isaac’s Cathedral and climbed the roughly 300 stairs for the wonderful panoramic views of the city. We also ate the Russian donuts, but now the place was packed.

That evening, we went to the Hermitage. There are two buildings, the historical one with a Kremlin interior and 0.1% interesting stuff

and the yellow one across from it with Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, etc.

It also had a few Faberge eggs, which I had wanted to see. We tried to go to the fun street for dinner but instead got to the

, then ate dinner at another Israeli restaurant.

Tomorrow, we fly to Zurich, Switzerland. Прощай!

Ella

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14-14-1-17-17-6-12

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