Roaming the Mediterranean Coast...and a dash of Deutschland

It’s been an incredibly full year. I never did gush about the trips over the summer and fall, so I’m recapping and throwing in some pictures below.


Undignified touristy picture in Tripoli, Lebanon


Toasting Bavarian brews with my family at Neuschwanstein Castle

In July I’d planned to travel by land from Egypt -> Jordan -> Syria -> Lebanon, but Syria changed its border policies for Americans, so I convinced myself that Lebanon could fill up the week I’d reserved for exploring the Levant. I couchsurfed in Beirut, waking up early to bus out to various towns across Lebanon...usually on the coast...roaming alone through bustling Arab markets, sparkling Mediterranean beaches, golden or cedar-covered country hills, vineyards, and towering Roman ruins. After long days I relaxed my tired toes back in Beirut at Nancy's place - the amazing Lebanese woman who was my couchsurfing hostess and became my personal lifesaver. She was wonderful to me from the start, but when I lost my passport/wallet/Visa cards en route from southern Lebanon back to Beirut the day before my flight to Germany, she took me under her wing and did everything possible – and even the impossible – to get me back on my feet and on a flight to Germany.

After a few days of crushing despair and aggravating visits to the police station, the U.S. embassy, the Air France office, and that nauseating building that administers exit visas, I came out drained of tears (hey, appealing for pity works!) but equipped with a new passport and some cash borrowed from Nancy; I was finally bound for Germany.

My family and I had a joyous reunion at the Frankfurt Airport, then headed straight for our childhood hometown, Rippendorf. In the following two weeks we relived childhood memories and made precious new ones across the south of Germany and in Paris. I’ve included some of the 5 million pictures we took there…





During Ramadan back in Egypt, Mathieu and I also spent some weekends with friends in Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, then for the end-of-Ramadan Eid holiday we went to Petra and the Dead Sea in Jordan. Petra was by far the most impressive place I’ve seen all year; it’s not one column-front cave like I’d anticipated, but a huge area of rose-colored mountains, canyons, tombs and multiple column-faced structures built deep into the rocky cliffs.