Pride and prejudice – national identity and presence abroad

 

Being a foreign visitor exposes one’s sense of nationality, eliciting varying reactions depending on country, circumstances and personality. When people become the ambassadors of their country, locals receive them in a manner ranging from “the savior of our nation” to a persona non grata, generally somewhere in between. In response, foreign visitors exhibit a certain pride or lack thereof in their homeland as expressed in their willingness to identify themselves as citizens of that country, speak their national language and talk with pride about their home. Of course, a country is made of individuals, each with his/her manner of speaking. However, certain national tendencies do dominate as I will show in regards to Americans, French and Israelis.

Americans have for many centuries believed that America is the best country in the world and English is the only language one needs. Thus, many Americans speak as loud abroad as they do at home, which is often in extreme contrast with the local low tones, such as in Hungary or Germany. Despite having formally learned a foreign language in high school and, in many cases, being in frequent contact with Spanish speakers, most Americans assume that everybody speaks English. Moreover, they also think that most people think America is a great country. Thus, they speak with pride of their country, albeit a bit diminished for some with the advent of Trump. Americans stick out in terms of language. Moreover, not only do they not hide their origin but they are proud of it.

The French relationship with France is a bit more complicated. Most French deeply believe that the French language and culture are superior even if they recognize that the world doesn’t quite see it that way. As a result of that pride and a generally awful system of teaching foreign languages, the average French citizen cannot get by in English or chooses not to do, with exceptions, of course. When asked, they are proud of being French and extol Gaulic values, mainly food, art and sophistication. On the other hand, when asked about their appreciation of its government and policies, alas, according to many studies, the French are not very patriotic and even sometimes rather embarrassed by the current situation. The self-identification “L'État, c'est moi” attributed to Louis XIV is not a sentiment shared by most current French people. It is wonderful to be French but not a French citizen, apparently.

The relationship between Israel and the world is quite complex. To begin with, many Israelis carry a hidden or not-so-hidden concern about anti-Semitism based on events during a long diaspora and in recent years. This suspicion affects Israelis abroad. True, after 1967, Israel gained such status that Israelis traveled abroad with great pride with locals admiring them. Alas, those Halcyon days are long gone, having been replaced by pro-Palestinian demonstrations and violence and open antisemitism in some places. In terms of language, most Israelis, especially younger ones, are quite proficient in English by international standards and can function quite well in English. Thus, Israelis have a choice to speak English or Hebrew. In regards to national pride, while the level may have dropped due to political differences of opinion in Israel, Israelis are among the most patriotic peoples in the world.

To illustrate the dilemma of being an Israeli abroad, I will recount two anecdotes. In 2010, due to a hurricane on the East Coast of the United States, my wife and I had to take a return flight to Israel which involved a 7-hour wait at the connecting airport in Istanbul. On the day before, the Israelis had intercepted the Mavi Marmara, which had been on its way to bring aid to Gaza, resulting in ten deaths. The Turkish government was not pleased, to put it mildly. As we waited in that airport, we suspected that the government would react by hassling Israelis, which they later actually did. As a result, we sat in a quiet part of the airport, avoided attention and spoke in English. We decided that discretion was the better part of valor. By contrast, we have just returned from Germany and the Czech Republic. We made the conscious decision to speak Hebrew openly. For me, I refused to take on the role of the cowed Jew. By the way, nothing happened. The worst reaction was the failure, intentional or not, of a Turkish restaurant manager to understand our country of origin. I consciously chose, as do many Israelis, not to let fear control my life and did not regret that choice. That choice is not always easy.

Thus, in the face of a foreign culture, every traveler chooses an attitude. Whether it is hide or flaunt their identity depends on the person and country. To a certain degree, this decision reflects the travelers’ relations with their country, language and history. Visitors abroad must deal with pride and prejudice as Jane Austin would say.

In praise of disorder – the joy of Mediterranean messiness

 

[cluttered desk]

Some 40 years ago, I took the train to Rome after having spent a month in Germany. I vividly remember the feeling of chaos at the Rome train station, the confusion due to the lack of signs and my discomfort with the chaos of the city.  Still, I said to myself that I would love to have the German transportation in Italy and enjoy the best of two worlds. A few months ago, I flew to Nurenberg through Heraklion, Crete. This trip made me realized how much today I prefer the chaos of the Mediterranean to the orderliness of the northern Europe.

To paint a picture, Heraklion is similar to many other urban areas in the eastern Mediterranean in terms of aesthetics and manner of living. The sidewalks are often partial; the parking is improvised; trashcans, not to mention recycling bins, can be few and far between, with the results evident in the gutter sometime. The occasional rain turns some streets into Venetian canals. In terms of sounds, loud car honks and louder conversations are the norm, creating an interesting cacophony, exaggerated for those that do not speak Greek. As for signing, the panels at Knossos (for those that did not buy the video player) left much to the imagination. By the way, the Heraklion airport deserves its awful reputation. On the other hand, the food was rich and tasty, featuring fish, meat and vegetables. The desserts were tasty. The people were friendly and helpful, happy to share their culture even in non-tourist areas. In summary, Heraklion, like Cyprus and Israel, was loud and genuine, for better or worse.

By contrast, Germany, like Holland, was clean and orderly but socially structured. The streets were sterile, with not only trash cans but also recycling bins in all public squares. The signing was complete and without translation errors, not a given in the world. (FYI, translators love discovering amusing translation errors.) The buildings were impressive and well maintained. As for the food, in that part of Germany, it was primarily meat in various forms, with a few vegetables, primarily the potato in French fries (chips). The bread was as heavy, albeit tasty, as the meat. The beer was plentiful and justified its reputation. On the other hand, people spoke quietly and interacted with foreigners and, as it appeared in some restaurants, even among their family, formally, without great emotion. I understood that clear limits of public expression existed. Northern Europe is clearly an calmer place to visit.

As I boarded the plane for Israel on my way home, I remarked that if I could not live in Israel, I could imagine myself living in Crete. To quote Baloo, they have the bare necessities of life down pat, i.e., good food and real social relations. As for the administrative chaos, it can be amusing, even an advantage sometimes. By contrast, I could not see myself fitting in Germany, Holland or any other northern European country as, after 35 years, I do not want to play by strict rules set by others. As Jacques Prévert wrote, je suis comme je suis; je suis fait comme ça – I am what I am; I am made like that. I not only enjoy the food of the Mediterranean but also relish in the dramatics of its human interactions. Some 40 years ago, the disorder was too much for me. Now, at this stage of my life, I prefer my society to be like my desk, a bit messy.

The not-so-straight line – the art of finding convenient flights in the age of the Internet

 

[calcuations of the hypotenuse*]

One of my father’s favorite pastimes was arranging trips. He relished the process of making a few phone calls and then triumphantly telling my mother that that they were going to San Francisco, Las Vegas or even Paris in two weeks. While the means of locating flights have clearly changed (travel agents to online searches), the process can still be quite challenging and ultimately emotionally rewarding. Having had to fly quite often, sometimes on short notice, in the last few years, like my father, I have developed the skill, art if you will, of searching for the best flight, for me at least. This ability has become quite valuable as the current war has turned Ben Gurion Airport into a non-hub, with only a few airlines regularly serving it.  I will share my tips to finding the almost perfect flights in the age of the Internet. I will use my preferences and limitations but obviously these are individual.

Personal preferences:

1. Due to the distance to the airport and the security procedures, which in practice means leaving the house five hours in advance, I take no flight that departs before noon. I need a good night’s sleep before I began a day of travel.

2. I try not to arrive at the destination after midnight. I intend to enjoy the next day.

3. I will not spend more than 4 daylight hours at a connection airport but will insist on at least 2 hours in case (or is that when?) the plane is late.

4. I am willing to spend overnight at a connection location and have learned to enjoy my mini-stop.

Hub to Hub

For discussion purposes, a hub is major international airport, e.g. Frankfurt and Newark, to which there are many flights. By contrast, a non-hub has limited national and international flights.

1. I check the direct routes. They can be more expensive but are easier on the body.

2. I check flights from another hub to the destination with a short wait over seeing if their price justifies the extra flight time. Total flight time is a key statistic here.

3. When flying international, such as to the United States, I try to stay on the international flights as long as possible as the plane is more comfortable. For example, it is more pleasant to fly from Israel to San Francisco and then to Los Angeles as compared to the Israel to Newark and then to LA.

Non-hub to hub

1. Due to limited and expensive direct options, I look for convenient lower-cost flights to other airports that may have better direct flights to the destination.

2. It is vital to check the arrival times in order to allow for late arrival but avoid wasting too many hours in the airport. Duty free is not that interesting regardless of the airport.

3. I reconsider the direct option and make a choice, i.e. time vs. money.

Non-hub to non-hub

1. This is the fun one. Here, I work backwards. I ask Dr. Google “from which city can you fly directly to X” and get a nice map with lines indicating various cities.

2. I crosscheck that list with the cities to which I have a direct connection.

3. I then spend time trying to ascertain which combination of dates, times and price is the most practical, all issues considered.

In this manner, after several hours of intense effort, I found a convenient way of getting from Israel to Portland, Oregon, site of the American Translators Association conference next month where I will make two presentations. If you are wondering, the connecting flights to Portland is to and from Amsterdam, with an overnight stay on the way there and three hours wait at the airport on the way back, all without losing a night’s sleep. When I completed the purchase of the tickets, I experienced the thrill of victory just as my father would do. I suppose if you turn trip planning into a game, it becomes a rather fun challenge. The shortest line takes some calculation.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit - Pixibay

To and around the point – the impact of social directness.

 

[circles in a tree trunk*]

At a recent translator conference in France, I observed the reaction of the audience of several hundred people, to a 45-minute boring lecture by a government official telling us how great he was. Not a single person got up and left nor did I hear a single complaint about that waste of time during the break. This passive accepance would probably not have occurred anywhere in the Mediterranean basin, especially in Israel, where complaining is an art form. The point is not that either form of expression or non-expression is better but instead that the rules of the social game differ from area to area, if not from country to country and ethnic group to ethnic group. Furthermore, this difference affects how visitors, immigrants and business people react to exposure to another world.

People express their feelings non-verbally and verbally. Walking out, becoming animated or making faces all reflect an internal feeling. For example, it is possible to understand whether or not a person agrees with the speaker by observing the facial expression, at least in some cultures. The verbal aspect ranges from silence, i.e., the thought never leaves the mind, to understated, as in “he went a bit too far”, to no-doubt: “the speaker is full of shit”. All roads lead to Rome but the road signs vary in language and scale.

While individual and family tendences clearly impact the manner of expression, the accepted manner of society tends to control the bounds of honesty. Admittedly, all societies impose a layer of veneer of politeness, especially in specific settings, particularly business environments and official occasions, but the thickness of this layers varies from country to country.  Thus, northern Europe, which includes the dominant cultures of most of the United States and Canada, tends to be rather stoic, hiding its dirty laundry and making every effort to maintain a serene atmosphere. In other cultures, notably most of the Mediterranean, people can keep a polite face for a while but it doesn’t take long before someone gets excited in a positive or negative way. Few natives take these incidents to heart as drama is an essential and integral part of life. In practice, normal behavior is what a person expects and can interpret.

When visiting a country with a “foreign” point of view (an Italian in Holland, not an Italian in Spain), difference makes the heart grow fonder. It is strange but somehow charming how polite or impolite the waiters and taxi drivers are or how simple or complicated dealing with bureaucracy becomes. The tone of conversations at a café sounds so exotic because they are unlike the familiar music of our familiar conversations. The body language, whether relatively restrained or unrestrained, display a completely different if not necessarily understood drama, adding to its charm. The foreignness of the communication, whether verbal or not, can be part of the charm, making it exotic.

However, living in such a place is another story. To reside in the country requires functioning in it and understanding both the text and subtext. It may be amusing to see a driver have an angry dispute with police officer but people used to law and order may find that “unbecoming”, bordering on anarchistic, and clearly not beneficial to society, especially when they experience that style of discussion with an inconsiderate neighbor. On the opposite hand, an Israeli expecting open discussions of annoying matters could find it frustrating that nobody speaks their mind, creating even more tension. Asymmetric communication patterns over time either lead to a person going native or leaving the country.

As business has become international, understanding these differences has become vital. “One size fits all” does not apply to business communication. A subtle reference to a Japanese or Norwegian customer may elegantly solve a controversial matter but that same message is lost or viewed as a sign of weakness in the Middle East. To complicate matters, every country, apart from Japan and a few others, is multicultural today, rendering it impossible to be certain of the appropriate tone. Still, when expressing dissatisfaction, it is important to consider the larger target culture in deciding on how direct to be. For example, “there appears to be issue with last month’s payment” is appropriate in some places while in others, “I have yet to receive payment” would be far more effective. When communicating with parties abroad, make an effort to take into account how direct the message should be.

Variety is the spice of life. It would be quite boring if all the world were the same. The fact that people express their thoughts in different styles makes it interesting to travel to foreign countries, comfortable to live in our native country and complicated to communicate with businesses abroad. Thus, both to-the-point and around-the-point are relevant forms of expression.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture from Pixibay

Taking matters on the fly – the trials and tribulations of an incidental traveler

 

[airport hall*]

Due to a personal situation, I had to fly to the United States from Israel on a moment’s notice, not an easy matter during the current war. Small courtesies and inconveniences make a great impression on a traveler especially for those occupied by difficult thoughts. In particular, I saw how differences in flight class, airline sites/applications and airports can affect the whole travel experience.

First, the luxury of business class goes well beyond the actual seats. Of course, it is wonderful to sleep properly on cross-Atlantic flights, allowing the traveler to arrive fresh and alert, just like in those old Pan Am commercials, not to mention to reduce the probablity of getting Covid. However, beyond the immediate comfort is the peace of mind that from arrival at the airport of departure to retrieval of the luggage at the airport of destination, the service staff is friendly and helpful. I do not have figure out those self-check-in machines; I can wait in a lounge that is quiet, has clean bathrooms, serves good coffee and meals and even has quiet rooms and showers in some cases. These relative peace and quiet calms the nerves significantly. Of course, business and first class get on and off the plane first, reducing the stress of crowding. For me, not having to worry about overhead space is an additional relief as I am worrier when I travel. For me, travelling business class on cross Atlantic flights , depending on the price, almost makes flying pleasurable.

However, to get a flight, it is necessary to order a ticket. That process has become quite complex due to the lack of complete information on any given route and the presentation of the existing information. People forget that some airlines have a policy not to list their flights with the certain sites, notably PSA in the United States, meaning that these sites do not show more convenient or less expensive options that may exist. Sometimes, it may be possible to find less expensive rates on another application or the actual airline site. Knowing that no site is totally comprehensive, I know to search widely for travel solutions. However, it is very distressing to discover that many airlines post one-way prices only, creating the impression that the flight is inexpensive. It is only several clicks later that one discovers that the desired route is no less expensive, if not more expensive, than the alternatives. This is annoying at minimum and, in my opinion, deceptive advertising at maximum. As one agent said, if seems too good to be true, it probably is. Booking tickets online can be a confusing and trying experience.

As I flew through three different airports, I could directly compare their user friendliness. I discovered that, regardless of size, the factors that influenced my impression of their design were access, signing, layouts and bathrooms To be specific, certain airports require long hikes to even get to the check-in point (LAX) while others are a hop, skip and jump (Athens). I really don’t want to get tired before I even get through security. I discovered the importance of signing as deplaning in an unknown airport is very confusing. I learned to appreciate omnipresent gate displays and arrows indicating the direction of distant gates. This element is related to the general layout of the airport. I felt at ease in the “market” atmosphere of Athens as compared to the open industrial clamor of Amersterdam. I have to mention that I regretted having a full breakfast when I saw that Greek fluffy pastry by the gate in Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. Still, bathrooms are the one single factor that make airport layovers easier. Plentiful and clean bathrooms are vital for mental health. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is a disaster. Reaching them requires going down stairs, not exactly a pleasure when carrying bags. Upon entering them, there were flooded or dirty. Given the longer and longer time between connecting flights, the airport experience has a great impact on the flying experience.

Alas, it is not always possible to afford business, easily identify the best flight and choose airports. Travel will always remain an adventure for better or worse. I do my best to roll with the situation and cope. Still, not all flights are created equally pleasant, alas.

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

Picture credit

Paris walking – Rediscovery and discovery

 

[Sacre-Coeur - Paris*]

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post expressing my anxieties about revisiting Paris after so many years. Well, having returning from there safe and sound (and feeling younger), I can say that the city is as alive as ever, albeit with changes, both positive and negative. On a personal note, Paris still retains its magic touch of 40 years ago on me even if I have aged a little bit.

To be fair, Paris is not exactly the same city it was some 40 years ago when I lived there. Bicycle lanes now occupy at least 1/3 of the road space, which has significantly helped clean up the air (no more black residue in one’s nose at the end of the day due to diesel emissions). The price has been to render the act of crossing the street even more challenging but it is a good deal overall. The faces have changed, with the city truly becoming rainbow of colors. To be fair, Paris has always been a blend of locals and immigrants with each party loving to complain about the other. Tellingly, I even found a long series of streets mainly with stores specializing in skin and hair care for dark-skinned people. The neighborhoods have evolved too. For example, the street on which my apartment was located, Rue St. Denis, used to be known for its working ladies  is now dominated by clothing stores (next to my location) and restaurants, a few minutes away. I found most of the changes natural but was saddened by the transformation of the Marais, the neighborhood where my mother and her family grew up and which I knew so well. It has become a concentration of high-end brand stores and gay clubs with almost no Jewish identity  remaining aside from a few official signs. That disappointment has more to due to my nostalgia than to its new character. Thus, Paris has changed a lot in terms of specific details.

However, its heart have remained the same. First, Paris is energy, a fountain of youth for those that embrace the city. Regardless of  a person’s age, Paris is about living now and enjoying life in all of its aspects. Maybe New York and a few other cities also have the same aura. As a visitor, life is waiting just outside the door. Despite its relatively small size, each neighborhood has its own unique mix of buildings, stores and people. Ten minutes by foot in any direction take you into another world. It turns detours into voyages of discovery. As for food, Paris is having an endless choice of restaurants almost anywhere you walk, none with the same menu or style.  African or Asian, American or French or anything else you may want, it is available and close by. For example, I found a restaurant 20 meters from apartment that featured food from five different African countries and three Caribbean islands. Above all, Paris is sensatory heaven: architecture and art, open and covered markets, perfume stores, cheese shops and bakeries, jazz, swing and rap music in the street. One evening, I went out for a drink in the Louvre square and ended up dancing a swing, something I hadn’t done in years. La vie est belle á  Paris.

On a personal note, I experienced the trip bachelor-style, i.e., by myself, due to an animal health crisis at home that prevented my wife from joining me as planned. I returned to my youth of 40 years ago when I lived there, walking the streets as I did in my 20’s, some five to eight hours a day, and eating anything I wanted, including lots of bread, pasty, chocolat and café Liegeois, crepes, both sweet and savory, and even a Grand Marnier soufflé, to name a just a few. I saw family that I hadn’t seen in forty years. We even recognized each other as our faces had not changed even if our bodies had, just a bit. My French immediately came back, granted with some interference from Hebrew and too many grammar errors to suit me, especially after a beer, but with a better vocabulary. I discovered that neither my love of the city nor love the life style had changed. I immediately felt at home in Paris.

Admittedly, I had aged somewhat as I admitted when I begrudgingly took the metro back from the Champs d’Elysée back one evening instead of walking (50 minutes) because my legs were simply too tired. On a positive side, I found the 3+ hour lunches quite pleasant unlike in my younger days. Curiously, just as I thought all those years ago, however much I love Paris and it is in my heart, I could not live there. In short, now as it was then, in my opinion, it is impossible to be too sad in Paris if you have money to spend and even if you don’t have very much but I would not like to reside there.

Thus, to those who have nostalgia for the Paris of their youth or those that have never been there before, I strongly recommend visiting the city and exhilarating whatever senses you want with its magic. Paris d'antan est morte; vive la Paris d'aujourd'hui

 

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Travel jitters

 

[Paris roofs*]

Travelling to an unknown location is exciting, at least for some people. The prospect of encountering a new culture, hearing a foreign language, tasting local foods and seeing unique places breaks up the metro, boulot, dodo routine, enriches the mind and even creates a purpose for working so hard on a day-to-day basis. However, this unknown also creates a certain anxiety, differing by person, whether it involves food, language, loss of orientation or any other familiar aspect in life. I personally have experienced these jitters in the past. Moreover, I am experiencing them right now as I am about to travel to a SFT (the French translators association) conference in Angers and then to Paris to see my family. I find myself a bit nervous about what I will encounter when I leave the airport despite the fact that I am quite familiar with France.

I begin by saying that these pre-trip nerves did not stop me from travelling and enjoying my travel experiences. When I and my wife flew to Budapest, I was troubled by the fact that I did not know a single word in Hungarian and could not pronounce it when if I heard it. Hungarian is not a Latin-based language and has a rather peculiar rhythm. In fact, I could not nor did not try to speak any Hungarian but found it quite easy to read the signs and attain essential information. My trip to Poland for a legal language conference created much more emotional ambiguity due to the close geographical connection to the Holocaust. The trip was indeed emotionally challenging but enriching as I learned how complex the connection between past and present is. For more thoughts, see this post. In both cases, I enjoyed the discovery, each in a different way.

My upcoming trip to France has created a different type of worry. To explain, I am half-French (my mother), lived in France for a short time in my 20’s and speak nearly fluent French, one of the languages from which I translate. I even have family there. A minor worry for me is entering a more formal society after more than 30 years of living in a “direct” country. Thus, I am a bit nervous about making some social faux-pas that are not as excusable for a person of my age (as compared to when I was younger). However, my greater fear is the potential disappointment on what I will see in Paris. To explain, I lived in that city some 40 years ago and last visited some 14 years ago. Neither I nor the city are same. You can say that we have evolved or, possibly, devolved. Thus, our upcoming meeting will much more similar a first date than a reunion. I confess that this uncertainty makes me a bit nervous.

Still, as Doris Day sang so wonderfully, che sara, sara. Whatever the case, it will be nice to see my cousins, stroll through a European city, enjoy the food, appreciate the lifestyle and, as I did some 40 years ago, let my American self  laugh at the French while my French side enjoys every bit of the experience. Even if I am not fond of how the city has changed, it is, to paraphrase Shakespeare, better to have seen and been a bit disappointed than never to have travelled at all. I accept travel jitters as an essential part of discovering the world. Of course, I will report how justified or unjustified my fears were when I return. The only thing to fear is fear itself?

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit

Home away from home

Part of the adventure of traveling is the sleeping in a strange room. Despite all the picture and reviews available online, a person never knows what is awaiting behind door number 1, 2 or 3. Unless people stay a hotel chain, which tends to have a series of uniform designs and mattresses worldwide, the surprise can be pleasant or unpleasant. Linguistically, what complicates the choice for an evening’s stay is the sheer number of words describing a stop for a weary traveler.

There are some fairly standard terms.  A hotel is a generally a multistory building with a reception and lobby leading to the elevators that take guests to the room. Based on the star rating of the hotel for that country, it is possible to predict the number of amenities and size of towels.  It is always worth knowing in advance whether parking and WIFI are free.  For some reasons, additional fees for those annoy me somehow. By contrast, motels are generally no more than three floors and spread out. The reception desk is at the entrance to the complex such that a person does not have to actually walk through it to get to the room, an advantage in certain cases.  In fact, “notel motels” date from the time when hotels asked whether the registering couple was married. In cities, there are often inns, which are often made of brick and are located in ideal locations but have small rooms, unless they are country inns. In some tourist places, there are boarding rooms, ideal for the budget conscious traveler that only needs a room for the night. At best, the furniture isn’t fancy, even often a bit old-fashioned with quaint pictures on the wall, but what difference does it make when your eyes are closed? With these types, travelers have some idea what they are getting.

Some travel lodging is more specialized. A motor court is for travelers on the road and generally is characterized by low prices, simple rooms and plenty of parking.  When traveling away from the city, similar family-owned lodgings are called road houses and almost always have a full bar to help wind down from the driving and help you ignore the lack of maneuvering space in the room. In some places, more spacious and luxurious lodges are an option, evoking memories of English or Russian hunting parties.  Generally made out of wood and spread out, they offer a more luxurious night of sleep. By contrast, a youth hostel is for the budget conscious. The actual conditions vary from place to place but weary travelers receive a bed to lay their weary heads on, albeit often not in a private room. On the other hand, it is a nice place to meet fellow travelers of the tourist kind. For a family or couple, a private guest house is often a unique way to experience local architecture and furnishing. Generally, they are clean and less expensive than hotels and clearly not generic. Today’s hit is the bread and breakfast (B&B), even if breakfast is not always included in the price as I just discovered. The variation in conditions is no less than that of the price. Still, you can truly mix with the locals this way but, on the other hand, having sex is less practical. Nothing is perfect.

For those who have the money and desire, luxury options abound. All hotels offer suites of various sizes. For the (much) higher price of a suite, the visitor gets a separate living adjacent to the one or better bedrooms. It feels just like home, except that there is no need to do laundry or clean. For a higher level of privacy as hotel walls can be a bit thin, vacation flats, either as part of a hotel or actual flats themselves, are an ideal alternative as they offer all the comfort of home without the cleaning or maintenance and allow people to prepare meals or eat without going out. Depending on the price and location, their price can be quite competitive as compared to hotels of similar standards. Of course, some people consider the words cooking and vacation oxymorons. Chacun à son gout. For larger families that don’t want to share either the inside or outside space with strangers, vacation villas are available. It is unclear how many square meters turn a house into a villa but, still, there is something to be said for the privilege of making as much noise or wearing as little clothes as you want because, after all, you are on vacation. None of these options are cheap but, nonetheless, if you got it, you might as well as enjoy it.

Each person has a different perspective on travel lodgings. I have stayed at most of the above and reached the conclusion that I only care about three matters. First, the mattress must be comfortable. Unfortunately, I have found no correlation between price and back comfort. Secondly, I don’t sleep well hearing sirens all night, referring to the emergency vehicles, not those tempting women on the rocks. Alas, in some cities, all rooms seem to face a busy street. Finally, the room must be non-claustrophic.  To quote my mother, if you have to leave the room to change your mind, there is a problem. To clarify, sleeping in an oversized room does not improve the quality of the sleep but still there is an acceptable range to the number of steps from the bed to the bathroom. So, whatever a person’s style, budget and location, there is a comfortable home away from home whatever it is called.

Travel jitters

I travel abroad every year, mainly to visit family and, more recently, to attend translation conferences.  A meaningful, often the most pleasurable, part of any trip, for better or worse, is the planning, expectations and gut feeling before departure. These often begin months before and slowly develop until suddenly, for me at least, thinking about the trip creates a certain emotional feeling.

This actual feeling can vary. Given that the reasons for my travel do not give me limited options on where I can go, I have experienced emotions ranging from dread to joy.  Prior to attending a conference in Bialystok, Poland, the birthplace of my grandmother, I felt very tense at the mere thought of going to Poland, probably because its legacy for the Jews.  In practice, the conference was excellent but Poland was indeed a complex experience for me emotionally as I saw bits of Poland of yesterday, today and tomorrow. I do not regret that trip at all but it was challenging in that sense.

I fly to LA twice a year.  My feelings about my city of birth have generally been highly negative but have now reached neutrality, a sort of progress.  I didn’t like the place when I was growing up nor do I do today.  However, I can somehow ignore it for two weeks during my parental visits. As Tom Lehrer said in the song National Brotherhood Week, be grateful that it does not last all year.

Last year, my wife and I attended a conference in Valencia, Spain. Aside from the worry on how I would cope with the Spanish, I expected the venue to be a fun place. I am fond of European cities, at least for short visits, and looked forward to the friendly atmosphere.  I was not disappointed.  Spain is indeed a warm country to visit in both meanings of the word. By the way, I coped with the Spanish with no problem thanks to my Italian.

France is my mother’s homeland and dear to my heart.  I lived there on and off for short period and have family there. Unfortunately, the last time I visited was some 9 years ago for my daughter’s bat mitzvah. The mere thought of visiting it sends me into extasy, then and now. My excitement for France may be more nostalgic than reality based but we are planning a long, trip to it once circumstances allow.

I am now flying to China to visit my wife’s daughter. Unfortunately, circumstances limit the trip to a week. So, I and my wife will get a taste of China, which I believe it will be a treat.  We have been told to be ready for a truly foreign experience in terms of way of life, manners, food, etc., unlike any place we have ever been. Psychologically, this trip will be the first time where I will be, as Heinlein wrote, a stranger in a strange land. This sentiment creates some anxiety but also quite a lot of excitement. I go with no concrete expectations apart from seeing the different.

I know that when I get on the train to go the airport, the reality of my upcoming trip will hit me, as always. These jitters are an essential part of the travel experience that I hope never to lose. They say that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference. I cannot imagine not loving to visit new places.

Irish addition by subtraction?

In continuation of last week’s post on Ireland, I feel obliged to mention what Ireland has few of, for better or worse.   Of course, I could be wrong about any of these points and confused the forest and trees. I am open to any correction.

Ireland has very few cats, pets or wild.  Neither in Dublin nor Galway did we see any cats in the streets or windows.  Apparently, something there, possibly the weather, discourages their procreation.  It certainly is not due to a lack of birds.

For that matter, Ireland lacks pests.  St. Patrick probably did not kick them out, but there are no native Irish snakes.  Furthermore, I didn’t see any cockroaches or mosquitoes either. The largest carnivore is a fox, not exactly a major threat to life. There are badgers but they apparently avoid the city and wreak only their havoc in the countryside. To be fair, midges can be problem at certain times but it is a much localized problem at that.

Curiously, with no connection to the previous paragraph, Ireland has few Israeli visitors. We were there some 12 days and did not meet a single Israeli.  I am not complaining but it was certainly surprising as Israelis are big travelers. I do not know the reason. It may the relatively high price or lack of Jewish roots in the Emerald island, but we could speak Hebrew freely without worry of being understood.

Continuing on the positive note, Irish food portions are respectable but not obscene. With no longer the appetite and capacity to burn calories that I had when I was in my 20’s, I appreciated getting up from Irish meals satisfied but not stuffed.  There was always room for the delicious dessert, which are also tasty but not copious. Less can be better.

While most people think driving on the left (not wrong) size of the road is very frightening, Irish road makers were very Scottish in their craft. The roads are so narrow. To my eye, the country roads are one way. However, somehow they serve two- way traffic, allowing even a bus and car to pass each other without damage.  I often thought of that scene in one of the Harry Potter movies in which the bus changes form in order not to hit a car. Those tight squeezes made me happy not to drive in Ireland. Phrased positively, Irish drivers are amazing.

Regarding subtraction, the politics of Ireland as expressed by the weather reports is quite fascinating. The Irish TV station always mentions the weather in Belfast and northern counties even though they are part of the UK. By the contrast, the BBC, including BBC Northern Ireland, steadfastly ignores the weather in the lower two thirds of the island, somewhat like the missing picture of the embarrassing aunt. By contrast, the Irish I spoke with rarely mentioned the British and their influence on Irish history. They were cryptically (sarcastically?) referred to as our English cousins.  The less said the better.

Finally, Irish (Gaelic) and Hebrew are both resurrected languages, effectively reborn for nationalistic reasons in the last century or so.  While in Israel the vast majority can and do use Hebrew in their daily lives, Irish is not widely spoken, only 16% of the population, mainly in rural areas, despite it being the first official language. My favorite Irish sound was the name of the Irish railroad, Iarnród Éireann. During our trip to and from Galway by train, we heard it at the end of every announcement, to my constant amusement. To an English ear, it sounds like here nor there, which is funny in the context of travel. In any case, I wish the Irish success in creating a true local national language.

To end my two-part Irish post, I heartily recommend a trip there. Come armed with a sense of humor and adventure. Both the country and its people are a bit wild in a positive way.

Irish plenty

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland.  In the first of two posts, I wish to note those elements that distinguished Ireland, in both senses of that verb.

Ireland has plenty of water. Many countries are blessed (or cursed) with plentiful rain, but few as much as Ireland.  In fact, until a few years ago, water was actually free. The government had to start charging for water use as the pipe system needs to be replaced, so we were told.  Many people resent having to pay for water, even the minimal amount.  I suppose that the employees of the Israeli Electric Company feel the same about having to pay for electricity. It just shows how easy it is to get used to the good life.

Ireland has plenty of new Irish.  While in Israel immigrants are referred by their country of origin, i.e. Ethiopians, Russians, and Albanians, to name a few, the Irish have their new Irish residents, many of which take on citizenship.  Compared to its base population, a large amount has arrived on the Emerald Island to work since Ireland joined the EU.  One the one hand, now not all the Irish look “Irish”, which also can be said in most if not all European countries today.  On other hand, Dublin’s pubs and restaurant would close without its recent arrivals. It is almost impossible to find an Irish waiter or waitress in Dublin. By contrast, in the West, in Galway, most of the servers were actually Irish.

Ireland has plenty of cows and sheep. Due to its low population density and copious rain, healthy grass abounds.  The cows and sheep spend all summer outside eating fresh grass and look wonderfully healthy and happy. Their Middle Eastern cousins would die of envy.  The choice of cattle or sheep was a sure way to judge the quality of the land in any specific place.  We were in many places that reminded me of New Zealand - much more sheep than people.

Ireland has many stone fences.  Of course, it has many stones.  Still, these fences tell a rich history.  The skill of their builders is reflected in the fact that they stand for hundreds of years.  Some are constructed with the rocks placed horizontally, with holes to allow the wind to pass by. Others use vertically placed stones for reasons that are unclear to me.  Some randomly go up hills, built by starving Irish during the Great Famine upon instruction by the landowners to “justify” the meager food given to them. Ireland is truly fenced in.

Ireland has many uncomfortable chairs.  They come on all sizes and shapes.  Many are bar stools of varying heights, without or without back or hand rests.  Others are Louis XIV chairs with beautiful colors but collapsed bottoms. Some are wooden with angles designed to promote chiropractors.  A comfortable chair is hard to fine.

Ireland has many free museums. It is amazing to visit a modern museum and not pay anything for its maintenance.  Even if there is an entry fee, as for the castles, it is not significant. Culture is truly important.

Ireland has many bookstores.  This temple of culture, disappearing in many countries, is thriving in Ireland.  I had simply forgotten how fun it is to stroll through book stores, finding endless books that I want to buy.  Unfortunately for me, I did not have any room for such purchases. So, I painfully limited myself to the purchase of one paperback book for the flight back. 

Ireland has plenty of weather. I had the impression that it changes every five minutes. This moment’s rain or sun had nothing to do with the actual weather in fifteen minutes. I watched with the amusement as the weather forecasters spoke for two minutes, showed maps with winds and pressure settings, and then admitted that the weather was uncertain for tomorrow. Ireland, unlike Israel, has both weather and climate.

Ireland has plenty of women in tights, to paraphrase Mel Brooks. In almost complete disregard for the weather, countless women walk around in short skirts and stockings.  Some of them have the legs for this fashion while others don’t.  Regardless, I hadn’t seen such presentation of legs in a long time.

Finally, Ireland has many nice people. As one of my guides said, God gave us plenty of time. The Irish take it and enjoy life.  The pleasantness goes beyond formal politeness. It is genuine and strongly flavored by a sharp of sense of humor. It is probably the plenty that makes Ireland such a pleasant place to visit.

(Part II of this post will appear in a week or so.)