travel product review: olympus omd em10

I took this picture while the Olympus OMD EM10 was on automatic mode
as our plane was about to land at SJD. (Unedited)

I am not a photographer and do not know tech speak. But, I know I love traveling with the Olympus OMD EM10. (By the way, this is NOT a sponsored post.) Why?

I took this picture during sunrise in Bagan, Myanmar (unedited).

travel zen on friday: armaggedon

Tel Megiddo.

One of the more fascinating spots we visited in Israel was Tel Megiddo (aka Armageddon) in Israel. The biblical people thought that this was the spot where the "Final Battle" would take place because, during their time, many battles were fought there. Its position -- at a crossroads -- in the fertile Jezreel Valley meant many kings/leaders ended up meeting and fighting there.

Now an active archaeological dig site, many layers of remnants of various civilization still wait to be discovered. 

day 15: kyoto to narita airport and back to los angeles

Our mini zen garden in daylight.

I couldn't believe it but after an amazing two weeks in Japan, we were finally heading back home to Los Angeles!  Part of me wanted to stay and vacation more; but part of me was also a little homesick.

restaurant review: azura in jerusalem

Our meal at Azura.

One of the more popular spots in the Mahane Yehuda market (Shuk) in Jerusalem is an Iraqi restaurant called, Azura. A new chum invited Mr. Sazy Rock and I for lunch at Azura - a place that has been around for over 25 years - while we explored the Shuk. It just so happened that as we met for lunch, the skies opened. So, it was perfect timing to be sheltered inside the restaurant smelling all sorts of food and eating tasty treats.

The Scene

travel zen on friday: central park in new york

Beautiful nature and birds in the middle of bustling New York City.

day 14 in japan - kyoto: nishiki market, yamazaki whiskey distillery and kaiseki dinner at hiiragiya ryokan

(Kyoto, Japan).  After a quick breakfast of tasty treats from the local convenience store, we checked into the Hiiragiya Ryokan (review here) before heading out to the Yamazaki Whiskey Distillery for a tour.  (Tip - Reservations are required for the free tours.  We had our concierge do it for us since there didn't seem to be a way to book online.  If you don't get a reservation, you can't go on the tour but you are still able to go to the gift shop and the tasting room.)

A tasty donut - how do they keep them so fresh and yummy?

During the walk between the ryokan to the train station, we cut through the Nishiki Market - which is a food lover's haven!  Although we had a train to catch, I still managed to have a yummy fishcake (with sweet potato) snack and I made a mental note of all the places I wanted to try later.  If you love trying different foods and treats, you should definitely spend a few hours at Nishiki Market.

  

restaurant review: machneyuda in jerusalem

Prior to visiting Israel, Mr. Sazy Rock and I have asked friends, who have recently and/or frequently visited Jerusalem, to give recommendations for a "must-try" restaurant in the city. An overwhelming amount of them recommended Machneyuda, a restaurant near the famous Mahane Yehuda market (or simply called, "the Shuk"). Online research also revealed positive reviews of Machneyuda.

Machneyuda's kitchen.

We double checked Machneyuda's provenance because, in addition to trying out one of Israel's famous restaurants, we wanted to take out our new friend, Noga, who had been so kind about giving us excellent recommendations in Jerusalem and elsewhere, introducing us to fascinatingly smart people at the Volcani Institute (a premier agricultural research facility in the country), inviting us to fun parties, and generally just being a wonderful person. The word-of-mouth recommendations and our double work by researching online proved helpful because when we informed Noga that we would like to take her to Machneyuda, she was thrilled.

So, off we went.

travel zen on friday: petra (monastery)

The Monastery.

While Mr. Sazy Rock took this amazing picture of the Monastery in Petra, I was trying hard to break my fever. Lucky for me, I still experienced the magnificence of Petra the day before. 

hotel review: hiiragiya ryokan in kyoto

It looks unassuming from the outside - but wait until you step inside!

(Kyoto, Japan).  Whenever I do an international trip, I like to end with a luxury and/or spa hotel to fully relax before returning to the daily grind.  I knew I wanted to try one of the traditional Japanese inns with hot spring baths and formal kaiseki meals.  After a LOT of research, I chose Hiiragiya Ryokan - which if the rumors are correct, was where John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed, among many other notable and celebrated individuals.  While that seemed cool, what really sold me were the consistent reviews of the delicious kaiseki meals and the amazing service; not to mention their thoughtful and detailed website.  

So how was my stay?

dining in nazareth, israel

Nazareth.

During our trip to Israel, Mr. Sazy Rock and I used Nazareth as a base during the Christmas holiday. We chose Nazareth primarily because we were already in the north and we thought it would be interesting to spend time in an area with Christian sights connected with the historical birth of Jesus -- as the stories go, an angel appeared to Mary in Nazareth announcing her virgin pregnancy. Two churches -- one Orthodox, the other Roman Catholic -- claim to be built on the spot of the Annunciation. While many Christian-based groups flocked to Nazareth for the purpose of seeing and worshiping at the sites where the angel allegedly appeared, Mr. SR and I took the time to discover the city's cuisine.

Sunrise over Nazareth.

Nazareth has the largest Israeli-Arab population in the country. And the population reflects the cuisine. We dined at a few popular spots and tried to check out the cocktail scene.

travel zen on friday: view of the mississippi river

View from our hotel room (Sheraton New Orleans).

day 13 in japan: kyoto municipal museum of art, exploring gion and more kobe beef at teppankappo sou

(Kyoto, Japan).  The day started off well with more Family Mart pancakes for breakfast.  I think the ones at 7-eleven are better but these are still quite tasty.  Why do they not have these magical pre-packaged treats in the U.S.?

Crazy good pancakes.

We didn't have any real plans other than meeting up with Kinji Nakamura-san (the artist) in the afternoon for coffee and dinner reservations at Teppankappo-sou, so we decided to check out a museum.  My husband saw an advertisement in the subway station for a Rene Magritte show at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art so we mapped out directions and headed out.  (FYI - Both the apple and google map apps worked really well in Japan for walking and public transit directions.)

uri buri in acre (akko): a beautiful experience

The port city of Acre (or Akko).

One of the many joys of traveling is meeting someone completely fascinating. Such was the case when Mr. Sazy Rock and I went to the beautiful port town of Acre (or Akko) in the northern part of Israel. There, by way of a Twitter introduction from Noga (a journalist and now a real-life friend), who, in turn, was introduced to us by Mel (another real life friend via Twitter), we met the inimitable Uri Jeremias, the owner of the popular seafood restaurant, Uri Buri.

Uri is one of the most gracious, friendly and hospitable people I've met in a long time. As a self-taught chef, he showed plenty of enthusiasm about his food and their provenance. He introduced us to the front and back of the house staff. He showed us the fresh fish his sous chef was expertly filleting. He fed us (and refused to accept payment because we were his guests) and showed us around his kitchen and his nearby hotel, the Efendi Hotel (a gorgeous hotel, which took him nine years to renovate as a labor of love, with stones dating back to the Templars era and the Byzantine Empire). As we walked around Akko, he knew everyone and everyone knew him. His friendliness just shown through. He also had the fiercest facial hair I've ever seen in person (see picture below).

Uri Jeremias of Uri Buri.

Because we did not pay for our meal, I cannot review Uri Buri. But, it seems a shame to not share our beautiful experience eating the fresh seafood that were perfectly prepared by Uri and his staff. So, below are pictures of some of the dishes Uri kindly shared with us.