#family travel destinations USA

[aryanpages]

December can be an extraordinary time to visit some of the most scenic destinations in the USA. While many travelers seek tropical getaways, winter landscapes hold a special charm that includes snow-capped mountains, peaceful beaches, and vibrant red-rock deserts. Imagine your family bundled up in warm clothing, exploring the snow-covered trails of Yellowstone or hiking among the brilliant red cliffs of Sedona. Read our post to know to get best suggestions for your great USA travel this December.

[ecoharbor]

📍New York, USA 🇺🇸

[familythings]

Witches’ Festivals: Spells, Feasts, and a Whole Lot of Fun - Part 1

Halloween is coming, and all we can think of is how to transform for a day into ugly creatures with our costumes and makeup. My daughter insists on being a witch this year, even though I proposed she be a scary Snow White. She is fantasizing to go to a scary place full of other witches, hopefully real ones. So, I started to check if such places exist. If you’ve ever wondered where all the…

[kshay44]

Humorous travel memoir continues to expand horizons

A humorous travel memoir about the longest two-week United States cross-country road trip in history has continued to expand its horizons, beefing up to 262 pages from 232 a year ago and 160 pages a decade ago. The additions include best value and most expensive popular vacation destinations for 2024, information on attractions in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico, more fairly obscure trivia,…

[giorgio52fan]

VACATION IDEAS

Vacation ideas can vary greatly depending on personal preferences, interests, and budget. Here are some popular vacation ideas to consider: Ideile de vacanță pot varia foarte mult în funcție de preferințele personale, interese și buget. Iată câteva idei populare de vacanță de luat în considerare: BEACH GETAWAY / EVADARE PE PLAJĂ Beach Getaway Relax on sandy shores, soak up the sun, and enjoy…

[trendingtrends]

Winter travel suggestions by blogger Ratul Puri. Which destinations to cover in the month from November to March.

Checklist for 2023 travel vacations. Do plan accordingly!

[forcenewz]

Top 10 Best Must Visit Places in United States 2024

Are you planning to visit a popular destination in the united states? Here forcenewz shares the top 10 tourist destinations in the united states (USA) with its images and the best travel time to go there details. In this beautiful place, you can enjoy your vacation with your family and kids. Check list of best places to go in the united states today!

[fahye]

book recs: oct/nov 2023

I read an obscene number of books during my weeks travelling in the USA, so here are some highlights!

A GENTLEMAN UNDONE by cecilia grant - I actually read all three in this excellent series, but this is the highlight. a tense, engrossing regency romance between a gentleman desperate to make money in gambling halls and the woman who teaches him to count cards, who unfortunately happens to be someone else's mistress. extremely horny and very smart.

SHADOW MAGIC by jaida jones & danielle bennett - after HAVEMERCY I desperately needed the rest of the series, and happily I had dinner with jaida and dani and was given them! this one is classic political fantasy: assassins, ambassadors, a devoted bodyguard and his beautiful prince, and a flamboyant little chaos magician who wonders why nobody else in his delegation is enjoying the beautiful local Fashion Robes. this book has never had a heterosexual thought in its entire life.

AMERICAN QUEEN by sierra simone - okay, this is a rec for the entire series (AMERICAN PRINCE & AMERICAN KING follow), a modern arthur-lancelot-guinevere retelling where they're american politicians and they're all in love and kinky and fucked up about it. mostly smut, lots of angst, occasional plot. maybe the hottest thing I've ever read in my life?? damn, sierra simone knows what she's doing.

THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by robert a. heinlein - what if we were a moon colony and we decided to stage a revolutionary war and we asked a bored AI computer to run the logistics for us? I'm such a sucker for logistics, and heinlein delivers in spades. very funny, great worldbuilding, fun characters. has aged surprisingly well, I think.

10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED by alexis hall - a pure shot of gay grumpy/sunshine delivered via FAKE AMNESIA TROPE and a plot lovingly and lampshadily borrowed from the classic sandra bullock vehicle while you were sleeping. alexis hall's protagonists and glorious supporting casts always grab me, and this was no exception.

THE FALL THAT SAVED US by tamara jerée - do you like the good omens setup of bookshop angel vs. snarky demon, destined to be enemies but oh no we're in love, and you'd like to add some recovery from family trauma + sex scenes + also they're sapphic? yes. good. enjoy.

CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by nana kwame adjei-brenyah - holy shit!! finished this one yesterday and will be thinking about it for a long time. premise: criminals can choose to compete in deadly televised gladiator matches instead of remaining in prison. this is an absolutely brutal examination of the prison industrial complex and the violent commodification of bodies (especially bodies of colour) under our capitalist hellscape. lyrical, wonderful, cutting. very queer and very angry. I flew through it. what a fantastic book.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5573

Jalsa, Mumbai                 May 20,  2023                Sat 10:06 PM

Birthday Ef -  Gopi Sheth .. Sunday, 21 May .. and the wishes of the Ef for your special day .. love ❤️

🪔 .. apologies for the belated birthday wishes to Ef Hassan Ali from Egypt for May 20 .. our affection always and all the good wishes ..

 and Ef Gopi Sheth from USA .. love and greetings from the Ef Family always .. ❤️❤️❤️🌿

“The World does not rest on your shoulders ; you don’t have to constantly correct people ; after all the onus of making everyone perfect is not on you ..”

Writers and publishers have continued to send me their books in complimentary grace .. and in my acknowledged response is a gratitude for the thought and the assurance that in time there shall be desire to read them .. the above quote being one such example .. 

The response is appreciated and further books arrive .. !

On travels beyond our shores, while trundling up to the Gate of departure at Airports, there was keen desire to stop by at the book store en route and rush through the best sellers of the time , acquiring some , and on the flight home, the desired wish of putting my name on the first page, the destination where the book was acquired, time and date , the flight details from and to .. and a quick rummage through the pages ..

Travel restricted .. the book stores in abeyance  .. 

BUT ..

Now, substituted, by them arriving voluntarily at the door step .. or rather on your desk .. 

How wonderful .. 

And the practice of the writing on the first page continues  .. 

Fascinating , is it not ..

Yes and the fascination gets justified when in the library storing Babuji’s books , you quite by chance come across one that has been signed and dedicated to you, with a short message .. 

One such , came across to me by the Wife .. a bit moth eaten but still in some legible condition .. marked to me from Cambridge in 1953 , during his study there for his thesis ..

A habit I never forget and pursue to date .. with the hope that some day the next generation , if it still shows interest in reading books and not internets, shall be chuffed at coming across one such roster , with some glee ..

In BHS, Allahabad - the Boys’ High School - in the year 1953 -54, when I was in the 4th or 5th Std., and Babuji was in England for his studies, I wrote to him that I had entered the Boxing ring in School, to enhance the Cock House points of my House, the Blue House .. and that after one successful bout, had got defeated in the next one .. and that my physical condition against a stronger opponent had given me a black eye and a bleeding nose  .. 

Some several days later - several, because parcels and letters came by boat then  - a book arrived for me ..  on boxing .. and inside on the first page was his signature, the date of purchase and destination and a quote from him :

“ Good hard blows are delights to the mind “ !!! 

On a visit to St Catharine's College, Cambridge during a shooting stint in England around the early 2000′s to see the College Information manual, and seek Babuji’s name , I was, on coming to know I was there, accosted by the Faculty Members of the College  and invited over for a cup of tea and a chat .. and I narrated this incident to them .. 

It was the heartiest laughter I had ever witnessed from a Britisher .. they are a bit reserved , aren’t they .. 

But .. I discovered that tales of a fight, any fight, seem to attract their attention rather more prominently than fish and chips  !!  

I depart .. शुभ रात्रि  ! 

A very early call tomorrow for work, in order that I can finish in time and drive rapidly back for the GOJ !

Amitabh Bachchan

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Xmas24-NY25

I should be writing my Xmas letter and last minute brainstorming yet another creative Xmas/New Year card but instead I ponder the why I am still doing it. This should be card #25 but for the last few years it has lost its appeal. I started this tradition the year our daughter was born and on our first expat posting in Buenos Aires. It was a great way to keep in touch with family and friends pre-daily email, years before social media. We kept moving countries and the list of recipients kept growing, a way of staying connected, at least once a year with updates of our new life and seeing the kids grow. Social media had rendered the yearly updates less necessary but it was still a link that connected us. The spark started to fade even more so last year but I still ended up writing our traditional end of the year letter, attached a photo and sent it. This year I’m writing it but as a family keepsake, because I like reading our past ones and it’s a great summary of our year. I will add it to the box of previous Xmas-NewYear letters and Santa letters the kids have been writing, and which they still do write because the family Christmas motto is “if you don’t believe you don’t receive.”

All this rambling and still no family update.

Hubby is settling since September in his new role as an auditor. The upside of this new job is that I can have “mini expat posting” where the audits take him (so far Nigeria -pass! and not allowed anyway), Metz (it’s not always a winning destination but it was fun visiting this part of Eastern France along with Luxembourg and a little bit for Germany) and Texas (double yeah for visiting family x2 and friends). The downside though is that he has set vacation times so no more long weekends en amoureux.

Dear Daughter is done with her Master and graduated in December, she’s in the process of accepting an offer in a startup in Paris. She’s busy with all her friends and still enjoying her life with her roommates on the left bank of Paris, crossing the Seine River from time to time to see her folks after multiple left on read messages on the different social media platforms on which we try to contact her ;-)

Dear Son is still enjoying life in the Netherlands for the 3rd year of his Bachelor degree and looking into a Master program for next year. Climbing takes much of his spare time and hopefully he will get his driving licence this year (taking his sweet little time… “I don’t need it, so why would I rush!”)

As for me, I keep being amazed by Paris on my daily walks even after two and half years. Moving to a new neighborhood this summer has also forced me to find new favorite routes and places to hang out. I managed to complete a few yearlong photography projects and as always loved all of my travel; Lisboa and Cairo in the spring, the East Coast of the USA in the summer and diverse parts of France in the autumn and like last couple of years multiple trips to London in all the different season. Looking forward to the next destinations in 2025. But the highlight of the year for me was a busy Summer with the Olympics; I managed to go to 4 Olympic events and 10 Paralympic events and enjoyed the amazing vibe that embraced the city —you don’t often get to be living in the host country (well twice for us!).

NB: Late for a traditional American Christmas Letter. Still on time for the French “Voeux de la Nouvelle Année” and even early for Chinese’s New Year Prosperous Wishes. 😉

[shadowedxcat]

☆ Meet Adelaide Addie ☆

Walking through the picturesque streets of Cardinal Hill, you find ( Adelaide "Addie" Sawyer ), the ( 28 ) year old ( journalist ) originally from ( Cardinal Hill, Washington ). Living alongside them in such a small town, you know that they're ( innovative ) and ( impulsive ), but what you might not know is that they are a ( witch ), and that they’re hiding something… ― Margaret Qualley, bisexual, cisfemale, & she/her.

TW: Drugs; Cults

Growing up in the small, sleepy town of Cardinal Hill, Washington, Adelaide "Addie" Sawyer always felt like an outsider. As the middle child in a family of five, she often found herself caught between her siblings―the picture-perfect, successful firstborn and the adored baby who could do no wrong. While her older sibling seemed destined for success and her younger sibling was showered with attention, Addie felt overlooked. She spent much of her childhood at the local dance studio, the only place that made her feel like she wasn't merely some afterthought. Her ballet instructor was the only one to ever show her praise; and instead of photos of her at recitals gracing the walls of her childhood home, they graced the halls of the local dance studio instead.

As she entered her teenage years, the dance studio was still her safe haven. When she wasn't getting high behind the bleachers at school, she could be found at the studio, practicing her fouettés to ensure they were perfect by the time she graced the stage at the winter recital. To her classmates, she was the girl who could pirouette effortlessly down the hall but who could also tell you where to score the best weed. Dance was her refuge; yet its solace couldn’t quell her frustration with the narrow expectations of Cardinal Hill or the weight of her family’s dynamics. The town, with its predictable routines and closed-off ways, felt stifling to her free-spirited nature. Addie longed for a life beyond the hills, one where she wasn’t defined by who she was or where she came from. Every rehearsal, every joint shared under the bleachers, every small rebellion only fueled her desire to escape and explore a world full of freedom, adventure, and the promise of the unknown. By the time she turned eighteen, she knew she had to leave—as there was no question that her future lay beyond Cardinal Hill.

Upon graduating high school in June of 1980, Addie packed up and left Cardinal Hill with a heart full of hope and a longing for adventure. Her first stop was southern California, where she spent several months in the Los Angeles area, soaking up the sun, meeting new people, and diving headfirst into the bohemian lifestyle. It was there she met Teagan, another free-spirited young woman who shared in her wanderlust. Together, they traveled on a whim, experiencing the joys and frustrations of a life without roots; and eventually the pair—deciding it was time for more than the USA could offer—set off for Thailand. In Thailand, the pair immersed themselves in the vibrant culture, from the colorful markets of Bangkok to the peaceful temples nestled in the countryside. Addie began to capture her thoughts through freelance journalism and photography, writing about the places they visited and capturing the sights through her lens. The bustling cities and lush landscapes ignited her creativity; and she felt a deep connection to the rhythm of Southeast Asia. Eventually, though, the call of new horizons took her further south; and Addie decided to continue her journey solo, this time to Australia.

The time in Australia marked the longest stretch she had spent anywhere since leaving Cardinal Hill; and it became a formative chapter in her journey. Landing in Sydney, she was immediately captivated by the laid-back vibe of the city and the friendly, easygoing people. She found work as a writer, contributing to travel magazines and local publications, her articles painting vivid pictures of the Australian landscape from an outsider's perspective, its surf culture, and the growing art scene in places like Melbourne. The endless summer—mixed with spontaneous road trips—felt like a dream; but it wasn’t long before the wildness of Australia’s outback called to the witch. She wandered through the country’s deserts, mountains, and remote beach towns, becoming increasingly immersed in the natural beauty that surrounded her. But with her free-spirited nature came a sense of restlessness; and after almost three years in Australia, Addie felt the pull to move on once more: this time headed for Europe... where she would cross paths with someone who would change the course of her journey entirely.

[redacted]

In late 1990, after narrowly escaping the dangerous predicament she found herself in, Addie made her way back to Cardinal Hill. She was exhausted—physically, mentally, and emotionally—and sought refuge in the place most familiar: home. Her return was both a relief and a burden; she couldn’t shake the feeling of Oïguasu Arandu's reach and the fear that they would come looking for her. But for now, she was safe; and her hometown felt like the only place where she could finally rest. She arrived just before Christmas with nothing but her backpack and a heart full of unresolved questions. Now "the ballerina getting high behind the bleachers" is finally home and ready to shake things up in the place she once couldn’t wait to leave.

[travel3haven]

Top Winter Destinations in the USA

When the temperatures drop and the holiday season draws near, the USA offers a wide range of winter destinations to explore. Whether you're a fan of skiing, shopping, or celebrating iconic events, there's something for everyone. From the bustling streets of New York City to the warm beaches of Florida, here's a look at some of the top destinations and events.

Winter Events in the USA: Celebrate the Season

Super Bowl (February): The Super Bowl, held every February, is an unmissable event for sports fans.

New York Fashion Week (February): Fashion enthusiasts will find themselves in paradise during New York Fashion Week, featuring top designers and celebrities.

Ready to plan your perfect winter getaway? Explore the USA’s top destinations now! ❄️✈️

👉 Book Your Dream Winter Vacation Here!

Florida: Warmth and Fun in the Sunshine State

While many associate winter with snow and chilly weather, Florida offers a warm escape filled with fun and sunshine.

Orlando: Disney World: Disney World is magical year-round, but winter brings festive decorations and shorter lines for popular attractions.

Miami: Beaches and Nightlife: Miami's warm winter climate is ideal for lounging on sandy beaches, soaking up the sun, and enjoying vibrant nightlife.

Ski Resorts: Snowy Escapes in the Mountains

Aspen, Colorado: Aspen is synonymous with luxury and world-class skiing. With stunning mountain scenery and upscale accommodations, it’s perfect for those who want to ski in style.

Lake Tahoe: Located on the border of California and Nevada, Lake Tahoe offers breathtaking lake views, excellent skiing conditions, and a mix of adventure and relaxation.

New York City: Winter Magic and Broadway Shows

New York City transforms into a winter wonderland during the colder months, offering a range of activities and attractions:

Winter Festivals: Celebrate the holiday season with ice sculptures, holiday markets, and more.

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center: Glide across the iconic rink surrounded by twinkling lights and the famous Christmas tree.

Broadway Shows: Experience world-renowned performances and musicals, from classic productions to new hits.

Ready to plan your perfect winter getaway? Explore the USA’s top destinations now! ❄️✈️

👉 Book Your Dream Winter Vacation Here!

Plan Your Winter Adventure in the USA

Winter in the USA is full of diverse experiences, from snow-covered peaks and thrilling ski resorts to bustling city life and sun-drenched beaches. No matter where your interests lie, you can find something that perfectly matches your idea of a winter getaway.

Explore top events like the Super Bowl or New York Fashion Week for an unforgettable cultural experience. Enjoy the warmth of Florida’s beaches or dive into the slopes of the best ski resorts in Aspen and Lake Tahoe. Each destination promises its own set of memories and adventures, perfect for travelers of all tastes.

Get ready to enjoy the magic of winter in the USA. Whether you're looking for a fun family trip, an adventurous winter sports holiday, or a cultural escape, there’s no better time than now to start planning your trip. Book your dream winter vacation today and get set to experience the best the USA has to offer!

Your Dream Winter Vacation Awaits! Start planning your trip now to experience the magic of winter in the USA. From adventure to relaxation, unforgettable moments are waiting for you!

Ready to plan your perfect winter getaway? Explore the USA’s top destinations now! ❄️✈️ 👉 Book Your Dream Winter Vacation Here!

[eretzyisrael]

No Jews attended opening of renovated Ben Ezra synagogue

A  restoration project undertaken in 2022 by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities culminated in a grand opening with Egyptian dignitaries of Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue – site of the Cairo Geniza –   at the end of August 2023. There were no Jews in attendance for the opening: Egypt is more interested in encouraging tourism than in restoring cultural ties with the Egyptian-Jewish diaspora. Meanwhile it bans access to historical records and has aggressively seized a Geniza discovered in 2022. Must-read by Kate Fitz Gibbon in Cultural Property News (with thanks: Boruch)

Interior of the Ben Ezra synagogue: the Cairo Geniza was discovered in the attic

The Ben Ezra Synagogue is located in Fustat, in Old Cairo. Originally founded in the 9th century CE, it is considered the oldest synagogue in Cairo. The current building dates mostly to the 1890s; the synagogue has been partially destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries. The synagogue has been restored more than once and has served as a tourist destination in Cairo for years. Visits are expected to increase after the current rehabilitation of the synagogue.

Since the number of Jews remaining in Egypt can now be counted on one hand, the Sisi government’s focus is exclusively on promoting foreign tourism, not on restoring cultural ties with the Egyptian Jewish diaspora. Cairo’s Jewish population numbered almost 50,000 before the 1956 and 1967 wars. The forced emigration of the vast majority of Egyptian Jews in the mid-20th century left the Ben Ezra synagogue deserted and dilapidated for decades.

For its re-opening as a tourist site, the synagogue has been cleaned, its ceiling repaired and its lighting and wall decoration restored. The synagogue is not intended for worship, but to be seen as a relic of Jewish history in Egypt.

Tourist travel to Egypt underwent a significant drop in popularity after turbulence of the Arab Spring and the violent crackdowns that followed. It has still not recovered, but rather than learning from the travel industry’s dictum that “democracy promotes tourism,” the Egyptian government appears to hope that building museums and promoting new venues will distract the world from its authoritarian rule. Notwithstanding Egypt’s appalling human and civil rights abuses against political dissenters and multi-year prison sentences given to TikTok-ing teenage girls for “violating family values,” Egypt’s government has made conciliating gestures in some areas of culture. One is to encourage cooperation between Egyptian authorities and foreign Jewish heritage organizations dedicated to restoring ancient sites and cemeteries.

Egypt’s on-again off-again support for restoration of Jewish heritage in Cairo demonstrates both its government’s interest in promoting Jewish tourism to Egypt and its marked reluctance to commit to a more significant commitment to allow researchers and scholars access to the Jewish community’s historical records.

In the last decade, a number of Jewish sites have been refurbished and restored – with the approval of the Egyptian government but with much of the funding coming from the USA.  The Egyptian government not only cooperated in the restoration but also provided much of the funding for cleaning and restoring the Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in Alexandria and most recently, the Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo.

The newly restored Ben Ezra is known worldwide as the original holding place of the Cairo Geniza, discovered in an attic in the women’s section, the most private in the synagogue, in 1896. The term Geniza designates a repository of discarded writings. According to medieval Jewish tradition, no writing that contains the name of God should be destroyed by fire or otherwise; it should instead be put aside in a special room for perpetuity or buried in a cemetery. (…)

The refurbishment of two synagogues is a welcome move – but one tinged with bitterness when looking to the decades of past vandalism and deliberate destruction of Jewish cemeteries and places of worship. The importance of the known Geniza records to scholarship in the last 100 years also points to the depth of loss of another potential treasure trove of information when Egyptian authorities seized a newly discovered Geniza from a Jewish cemetery in 2022 – a treasure whose whereabouts remains unknown.

The story of the lost Geniza begins with how decades of neglect of Jewish synagogues and cemeteries in Egypt inspired foreign activists and historians to extraordinary efforts to retrieve and preserve what remains. Prof. Yoram Meital of Ben-Gurion University’s Middle East Studies Department has been active in helping Cairo’s Jewish community to restore cemeteries and places of worship. He has expressed appreciation for the Egyptian government’s support of restoration and cleanup of Jewish sites, saying that the government’s attitude has much improved under the Sisi regime. He told Israel’s Haaretz News Magazine that, “conserving Jewish heritage as part of Egypt’s heritage depends on the wide support of Egypt’s government and society.”

The position of the Jewish heritage workers volunteering in preservation projects in Egypt today is that in principle, Jewish items should remain in Egypt. The Egyptian government has remained rigidly tied to this position, and even Torahs are listed in an Egyptian agreement executed by the U.S. State Department that blocks imports of Torahs taken from Egypt and requires returning them to its government. Jewish and Christian ritual objects, including antique Torah scrolls, tombstones, books, Bibles and religious writings are covered under these agreements.

Meital has also said that the volunteers understand that restored synagogues could be used as public community centers, “on condition that they don’t change anything having to do with artifacts and architecture.” This perspective is controversial among Egyptian Jews in the diaspora, for whom Jewish religious objects should belong to Jewish communities and a synagogue is exclusively a place for worship and study.

Without the efforts of the Jewish volunteers and that of Egyptian supporters who share concerns for preservation, almost all Jewish religious heritage, whether synagogues or cemeteries, would be at risk of destruction through neglect or appropriation. Meital says that he and others working to restore synagogues have recovered over 1000 books from disused buildings, “strewn all over the place.” They also found a metal container in the cellar of a Cairo synagogue filled with records of the entire Ashkenazi community in Egypt. Their most important find was in a Karaite synagogue in Cairo, a manuscript of the Bible written 1,000 years ago. The project hopes to establish a library in Cairo to hold all the materials they have collected and are now documenting, but for now, the finds are being held in a “safe location.”

Meital’s main focus has been to photograph and document in detail the existing conditions, any inscriptions, architectural forms, or remaining ceremonial objects in old Jewish sites in Egypt for a comprehensive database. Meital says that there are 16 known synagogue buildings in Egypt – 13 of these are in Cairo. A number of cemeteries were deemed abandoned by surrounding communities and simply used as garbage dumps. Meital described how the Bassatine cemetery was so covered in trash that 250 truckloads of garbage were removed before tombstones could be cleared and righted, gates to tombs reinstalled, paths cleaned and restored, and graves polished. However, not all has gone smoothly with that renovation.

The renovation project at the Bassatine cemetery was originally inspired by Magda Haroun, one of handful of Egyptian Jews remaining in Cairo today and a staunch supporter of the preservation of Jewish history. The cleaning and restoration of the cemetery was approved by Egyptian authorities and paid for by American Jews and other sponsors. However, the authorities’ attitudes have not been entirely supportive.

In 2022, members of the Jewish community were working to clear the tons of old tires and rubbish from the Bassatine cemetery in Cairo when a Geniza – a buried storehouse of religious, family, and economic records – was discovered buried in the cemetery.

While the Jewish sponsors of the restoration have insisted that all finds from Jewish buildings and cemeteries will remain in Egypt, and only asked to be able to safely preserve them there, Egyptian authorities aggressively took possession of what appear to have been thousands of records in the buried Geniza.

As soon as the news of the Geniza’s discovery spread, the government’s Antiquities Authority broke through a cemetery wall and interrupted their removal by the Jewish community. The Jews present pleaded that at the least, a rabbi should oversee the dismantling of the relics of their community, but they were ignored. Government agents threw the records into 165 plastic sacks, loaded them onto trucks and took them away.

No access has been granted since. All information about when the records in this Geniza were made, their contents and the light they could shed on the historical community remains unknown. Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, has urged the Biden administration to protest the seizure of records that rightly belong to Egypt’s Jewish community. It is not known whether the U.S. State Department has made a serious effort to reclaim these records for Egypt’s tiny remaining Jewish community – or sought greater access for the world’s scholars. The Egyptian government has also remained silent on what has been done with this lost Geniza.

Read article in full

[feraylocke]

MODERN WEEK.

name: feray locke. nationality: turkish. hometown: istanbul, turkey. current home: new york, usa. occupation: psychology student at columbia. relationship: recently started dating wylliam swann. exes: was in a long-term relationship with mathis rowan for a few years after graduation, and their families desperately wanted them to marry and settle down, but they had an amicable break-up. situationship: more than friends with amir manderly but nothing has happened between them, has had crushes on and off on him since school. archetype in school: the bookworm. reputation: great. only criticism she gets is that she is connected to the oil industry via her family's business. known for: daughter of a rich businessman, she is banned from multiple casinos for counting cards.

𝓅𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 / 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉

she grew up in a wealthy family with her father connected to the oil industry, the lockes have several properties in turkey, but she has spent most of her time in istanbul. she has three brothers all involved with the family business.

in school, her fashion style was inspired by dark / light academia. she was a member of the debate club, chess club, and student representative of the library board. however, she was not a recluse and was involved in many social activities as well. it was while away at boarding school, she developed the vice of smoking. she spent years kicking the habit, but she still smokes during exam season as a way to combat the stress.

she considers amir her best friend and goes on trips with him a couple of times a year. their favoured destination is corfu, greece. they often bring other friends with them, but they like to go on solo adventures together while travelling. despite having feelings for amir, she tries not to get hung up on him.

feray is not as devout and traditional in modern verse, but her faith is still very important to her.

she began dating wylliam in kenya while participating in a nature documentary about the similarities between human psychology and animal psychology.

feray struggles with gambling addiction but is actively using her degree to try to combat it. due to academic curiosity some years ago, she accidentally developed a talent for counting cards and quickly calculating probabilities.

currently, she has a chess rating of 1900 and actively participates in online chess tournaments.

[purplbear]

road trip slide show!

It’s not the destination, but the journey” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Road-trip to view the 2024 total Solar Eclipse in Missouri, USA was packed with experiences (only 3 minutes of which was viewing the total eclipse). See/read the slide show under the cut!

Our journey started on Saturday and we expected to spend at least 5-6 hours in the car each day (it is 12 hours drive time to our eclipse viewing location in Missouri). Actual time spent on road each day was around 9 🤣 - so our greatest effort on the math figuring out how long our days would be. Ufda, getting to your Airbnb at 9pm each day is exhausting.

There are three humans and one animal on this trip, myself, husband, friend, and friend’s dog.

First event we experienced: the Mississippi River!

Now this needs some background - I live 3 minute drive away from the Mississippi in Minnesota. Could walk to it if I wanted. I’ve been to the headwaters in Itasca, MN and the delta in Louisiana. I cross this river almost daily for the grocery store or to see family … it’s like a big part of life where I live.

We arrived in Guttenberg, IA to Lock and Dam #10 and I’m like - ooh big river! Hey guys, which River is this?

🤔

Yeah, the big River here in this part of the United States is …. The Mississippi River. 🤦

Laughs all around - we enjoyed a short walk near the lock and dam, enjoyed all the fun street names, found a bathroom, and got back on the road.

By the way - one of our road trip companions was very cute and a very good puppers for the entire trip. Just amazing!

So day two - husbeast (husband) loudly stated a desire for a roadside attraction during today’s driving. The world’s biggest something, or weirdest whatever …. Something cool. Our friend did some kick butt research and found …. American Giants museum in Atlanta, Illinois. A mere 15 minutes off the hwy; and we were incredibly fortunate cause it was the first weekend they were open on Sundays too!

Upon entering the main downtown area we were greeted by: Paul Bunyon (hot dog man)

And our Minnesota hearts were so happy to see this large giant friend who is also a Paul Bunyan - but different name spelling cause of copyright issues 🤣🤣🤣 (or so the sign stated).

The dog was NOT a fan of hot dog Paul Bunyon man, but we were!

And the museum - y’all it was top notch! A single room, but like, FABULOUS write ups for the history of the Big Friends fiberglass works. Just awesome. The volunteers - also top notch. So friendly and happy to chat.

And if you’re anywhere near there, Memorial Day weekend they are getting one of the last remaining 6 Texaco giants!

Back on the road and onto our next stop which was ….St. Louis and the Gateway Arch.

And guess what! We saw a BIG RIVER! Hey guys, which River is this ….. it’s the Mississippi, still. 🤣🤣

Back on the road to Union, MO to rest up for ECLIPSE DAY!

Many many many friends and family informed us that the traffic TO the eclipse would be pretty good … but leaving the eclipse location would double or triple driving time. WORTH IT!

Many people have written about viewing an eclipse, how it’s an amazing experience. The highlights for me?

When the sun is totally eclipsed you are able to see SUNSET colors at the horizon EVERYWHERE - which is just like …. I love clouds and sunsets and that was AWESOME

Again, totally eclipsed you can see STARS (maybe it���s a planet?) - like the brightest starts are visible!

as the sun returns, the sky opposite the sun looks like twilight, while the light illuminating your front is like day. It’s wild.

total drive time on eclipse day:

1.5 hours from Airbnb to eclipse viewing spot

4 hours to travel same distance away from eclipse

Oh, and side note, traveling to our overnight after the eclipse, we crossed the Mississippi again. “Hey guys, what big river is this?” 🤣

The eclipse was a real highlight of the trip. But not the only highlight.

On the final day of travel, our picnic lunch location took us to a small town in Iowa. As we turn off the highway we see “Welcome to Riverside, IA” and immediately husbeast is exclaiming …

“We’re going to the future birthplace of CAPTAIN KIRK!” We’re huge Star Trek fans in this house - and we met the friend traveling with us thru a Star Trek podcast group many years ago. She’s been to Trekfest in Riverside before, and highly recommends attending. It’s a sweet gathering of wonderful Star treky people … and the few locals we spoke to in Riverside were very friendly!

Fabulous trip. on final count, we crossed the Mississippi 4 times, and I asked which River it was only 3 times. Go me.

It wasn’t just about the destination, but the journey along the way.

[fanaticsnail]

ooooh, sounds like a fun day! I'll leave you to it......but off the top of your head:

https://imgflip.com/i/8wizl9

I'll give you one too, promise 😉

-♡♡

I'M DYING AT THIS 💀💀💀

Okay, okay, okay. So my movie taste is a little bit everywhere - so I'm not sure what you like. Let me give you a couple with a brief summary to give you a sense of what I like.

Suck: 2009 (M)

A struggling troup of musicians travel around Canada and USA. It's only when the bassist of the group is turned into a vampire that they finally meet success. Now they have to deal with the consequences of a rise in fame: hunters, groupies, and an insatiable hunger that they need to satisfy to keep up their success. Dark comedy, gore, cameos from musicians, musical.

I don't know why I like this movie, but I do. I think it's the vampires, the miniature models, the muso references, the makeup, and the gore. Could also be Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop.

Calamity Jane: 1955 (PG)

A firecracker gunslinger with a boisterous attitude seeks out actress Adelaide Adams to bring back to her town of Deadwood to win a bet. She finds a friend in the actress, and finds love along the way. Musical, wild west, angst, comedy, romance.

This was my bisexual awakening. This movie has a special place in my heart. I love Doris Day and Allyn Ann McLerie. Howard Keel's voice is also just 🫠. Costumes 👌👌👌. A man in drag singing 🤌.

Overboard: 1987 (PG)

A spoilt heiress decides to snub a single father, widower carpenter she hired after being "dissatisfied" with his services. She cheats him out of his wage, and he is left to fend for himself with little funds to back him up. When that heiress falls overboard and is diagnosed with amnesia, the carpenter decides to get her back and claim to be her husband: working her to the bone as his "wife" to have her earn back the wage she'd lost him. Comedy, romance, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell.

THIS IS MY ULTIMATE COMFORT MOVIE. I will watch this movie on repeat. The chemistry between Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell is absolutely gorgeous - and it's before they ended up getting married in real life. I just AAAAAAAAAAA at this movie. It has all of my favourite tropes, and I love it. Amnesia, enemies to lovers, payback, revenge, and it also is so validating for the often unseen role of being the "at home" parent.

Van Helsing: 2004 (M)

The legendary monster hunter travels to Transylvania to aid in the hunt of the vampire responsible for destroying the town. When the princess of an ancient Romani family becomes the vampire's target, he stops at nothing to end her torment. Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, David Wenham, Richard Roxburgh. Horror themes, action, romance, monsters.

This movie copped a lot of hate when it was released, but it's another one of my comfort films. It's got the Aussie Hugh in it, and a vampire masquerade dance scene that I just AAAAAAAAAA each time. I love it. It's romance, and I am a sucker for monsters.

Kill Bill: 1 & 2 (R+)

A woman betrayed seeks out her revenge on those who attempted to kill her on her wedding day. Blood, gore, angst, dark, violence, a beautiful soundtrack, multilingual, Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, fighting.

Another comfort movie. I love this entire plot so much. Tarantino has a few good ones, but this one, Dusk Till Dawn and Planet Terror are my favourites. I love the switch up to Japanese in there.

I am very much enjoying Day 1 of my holiday. Dreamworld is the destination today. Last time I was here was during the night festivals and I may have gotten a little wild and did 'the nutbush' (Australian dance to Tina Turner) with a bunch of children. Reminded me of the good ol' days of being an entertainer 💀. I should do a rollercoaster or a slide POV for you when I'm there 🖤.

Hoping the movies off the top of my head/heart serve you well, my beautiful ♡♡ Anon. I need some more of your gorgeous recs for when I get back home again in 2 weeks.