Everyone can find something on their grocery list at the Mahane Yehuda Market and with bargain prices as a kicker, all manner of Jerusalem’s residents converge here. This makes it a fun site to visit – both for people watching and the products on display. The entrances are somewhat narrow and are watched carefully as … Continue reading »
I have spoken before about the absolute collapse in visitors to the Sinai Peninsula following the turmoil of the Arab Spring and the emergence of Islamic militant groups in the area. During the visit of The Velvet Rocket staff to explore this increase in activity on the part of Islamic militants, we were given to … Continue reading »
El Nevado de Toluca is an extinct volcano that created Mexico’s fourth highest peak. It also happens to be the central component of Mexico’s Nevado de Toluca National Park. The park, established in 1936, is well worth a visit and is even doable as a day trip from Mexico City. The drive out to Nevado … Continue reading »
Named for the olive groves that used to cover it, the Mount of Olives can be seen in the distance of this picture taken from the base of the Temple Mount… If you look carefully at the writing on the graves in the foreground, you can see that this is a cemetery for those of … Continue reading »
The road to Susiya… With all of the excitement in North Korea and Syria Boston at the moment, the protests and upheaval in the West Bank over the past few months has gone relatively unnoticed by the broader world. However, enough of you have noticed it that I have gotten several email requests for more … Continue reading »
I still remember our teacher, Joe Gledhill, describing the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls to us in the fourth grade at Dobbins Elementary School. After all, it is a memorable story (and one that he told well) – the Bedouin shepherd boy searching for a stray goat and discovering the scrolls inside earthenware jars … Continue reading »
The skyline of Mexico City from our apartment: Many imagine Mexico City as simply another overcrowded, chaotic and polluted megacity of the sort unique to the developing world. And sure, part of the city does look like those typical scenes of a developing country: But there is more to Mexico City than that. And there … Continue reading »
