"SAVE ALEPPO'S HERITAGE NOW!" MM212's Profile

ALEPPO'S 1000 year old Minaret - now destroyed

THE MINARET OF THE GREAT MOSQUE HAS BEEN DESTROYED!

First, an IMPORTANT note:

All of the pictures I have posted to my travel pages on VT were taken with my own hands and camera, except, of course, those of me. Everything I have written here on VT is also my own work (grammar mistakes and all!), and although I rely heavily on other sources (travel guidebooks, history books, and the internet), I never plagiarise. Unfortunately, I have recently noticed that one of Wikipedia's editors copied large sections of my introduction to Aleppo verbatim to Wikipedia's Aleppo page without my consent. I do not know whether to feel proud or cheated. If you would like to use some of my work, please do not hesitate to ask. It is the right thing to do. Thank you!

New Pages & Updates:
Jordan: Amman; The Dead Sea; Madaba; as-Salt; Iraq el-Amir; Jerash; Kerak
Turkey: The Tur Abdin Region; Midyat; Anıtlı (Hah); Mor Gabriel Monastery
USA: Aspen/Snowmass

Currently working on: ???

And I will be working on the following pages from my recent travels:
Cologne, Dublin, Munich, Copenhagen, and Göteborg

And from older trips:
Firenze; Ostia Antica; Città del Vaticano; Buenos Aires; Jordan (Petra and Wadi Rum, etc.)

...and from even older trips:
Lisbon, Belém, Sintra and Pompei

Je parle français
e parlo italiano
وأتكلم اللغة العربية
y hablo español (con muchos errores!)

And visit again to see the progress. Thank you!

Magic Carpet

...I would travel the world!

If only I had one...

Who am I?

Someone who grew up in multiple cultures, exposed to multiple languages, and has roots in several countries. As a result, I am a cross between a true world citizen, a nomad and a chameleon, not belonging anywhere in particular nor fitting any stereotype.

Where am I?

A new job has just relocated me from to Los Angeles from New York City. The latter had been home for 16 years and I've enjoyed every minute of it. It is a wonderful and exciting city, but while living there, I tried to take every opportunity available to travel and to see the world. Now that I'm in Los Angeles, every destination seems even further away, but fortunately there is enough to explore in its immediate vicinity. Luckily, business travel - although very taxing - takes me back to Europe and the Middle East fairly frequently.

About Travelling...

While I have been travelling since childhood, my earlier travels had been confined to five countries. Since the beginning of the '90s, my goal had been to visit at least one (any) new place each year. I was successful for a good part of the following decade, but quickly realised there were more places I wanted to see than there were years left in my life expectancy! By then, in 2004, I caught the proverbial travel bug and there was no turning back. With a mixture of pure luck (short and long sabbaticals, business travel) and determination (regular holiday travel), I've been travelling more than I had imagined.

Where do I travel?

The Mediterranean region, by far, appeals to me the most, yet I definitely enjoy travelling everywhere. I am most fascinated by architecture, ancient civilisations, history, local cuisine and culture, especially in areas that have been dominated by different empires throughout their history or have existed where civilisations came in contact. These areas tend to have the richest heritage and traditions (e.g., Istanbul, Lebanon, Andalucía and Mexico City). I like to mix with the locals, sample their food, understand their traditions, learn their history and admire their architecture, and if possible at the end of the day, return to an elegant and comfortable hotel. Although I find first-time visits most exciting, I tend to enjoy even more returning to places I've already seen.

Add VT to the mix...

VT has definitely altered the way I travel. Not only has it nurtured my desire to travel (thanks to other members), but it has also enhanced the way I travel, look at things and photograph them. With digital photography, I now take photos of most things I encounter with the hopes of finding something intriguing to share with VT members. I am certain many VT members would understand...

Upcoming Trips

Casa Batllò - Barcelona - Feb 2005

We all seem to agree: there are so many places, but such little time. I find myself always attempting to maximise travel given the negligible amount of holiday time allowed...

June: Israel/Palestine?

Seven incredible years on VT (as of 13th January 2013)! Here's the 2012 summary:

- Set foot in 17 countries, including one new (Denmark)
- visited well over 58 cities/locations, more than 25 of which were first time visits
- 16 full trips that involved air travel
- only one day trip from Los Angeles by car (Palm Springs & Joshua Tree)

Highlights include:
- Constant jet lag pretty much describes my year...
- Skiing in Whistler, Canada
- Lots and lots of business travel
- Visiting Mesopotamia in southeast Turkey, finally!
- Ending the year in Istanbul

Recent Travels

Jaipur - February 2009

Below is a summary of my recent travels with first time visits in italics:

2013:
May: London; Dublin; Paris; Amsterdam; Frankfurt - Bad Homburg; Cologne; Zürich - Pfäffikon, SZ; London (again); NYC - Rhinebeck - Poughkeepsie
Apr: London; Paris; Frankfurt - Bad Homburg; London (again); Paris (again); Genève; Zürich; Milano; Tampa, FL; London (3rd time)
Mar: New York City, Aspen/Snowmass, CO (skiing)
Feb: Riyadh; Bahrain - Dhahran; Abu Dhabi; Jeddah; Park City, Utah (skiing)
Jan: Mammoth Lakes (skiing) - June Lake; Paris

2012:
Dec: New York City; Istanbul; Elazığ - Diyarbakir - Midyat - Hasankeyf - Tur Abdin Region (including Anıtlı (Hah) and Mor Gabriel Monastery) - Mardin - Kızıltepe - Viranşehir - Urfa - Antep - Kilis; Istanbul
Nov: Paris; London; Paris (again); Genève; Dubai; Jeddah; Kuwait; Abu Dhabi; Bahrain - Al-Khobar/Dhahran; Paris (again); London (again)
Oct: San Francisco; Joshua Tree - Palm Springs
Sep: Long Island, NY; Montreux - Morges - Genève; Lugano - Milan; Paris; London; Munich; Helsinki; Copenhagen; Göteborg; London (again); Paris (again)
Aug: Jeddah
Jul: Long Island, NY; Istanbul (for dinner in transit); Jeddah (into Aug...)
Jun: London; Copenhagen - Farum - Holte; Cannes - Antibes; Oslo; Göteborg; Helsinki; London (again); Cannes (again) - Juan-les-Pins; Genève - Genolier; Zürich; Vevey - Lausanne - Nyon - Genolier - Genève
May: NYC (4 hours); Riyadh; Abu Dhabi; Amsterdam - Rijswijk/The Hague - Zeist; London; Paris
Apr: New York City; Paris
Mar: Zürich - Luzern - Baar; Rome; Zürich - Morges - Lausanne - Genève; Paris
Feb: Vancouver - Whistler (skiing)
Jan: Mammoth Lakes, CA (skiing); Mammoth (again)

2011:
Dec: Paris; Chartres
Nov: Dublin; Genolier - Nyon - Montreux; Munich; Cologne - Frankfurt - Bad Homburg; Oslo; Amsterdam - Rijswijk; London; Bahrain - Khobar/Dhahran; Riyadh; Abu Dhabi; Nyon - Genolier
Oct: Paris; Zürich; Laguna Beach
Sep: Long Island, NY; Genève - Luzern - Zürich; Göteborg; Helsinki; Rijswijk; London
July: Long Island, NY
June: Malibu; Cannes; Zürich - Genève - Vevey; London; Cannes ...again
May: Ventura - Santa Barbara - Solvang
April: MOVED FROM NEW YORK CITY TO LOS ANGELES; Malibu
March: Los Angeles/Santa Monica (again)
February: Los Angeles/Santa Monica
January: Wadi Rum - Jerash - Amman; Hijaz region of Arabia (Jeddah; Medina - Khaybar - al-Ula - Hegra (Mada'in Saleh); Mecca - Taif - al-Hada)

Lisboa - March 2003

2010
December: Washington, DC; Amman - Madaba - Iraq al Amir - Salt - Bosra - Suweida - Qanawat - Shahba - Madaba (again) - Dead Sea - Kerak - Wadi Musa/Petra
November: Rowayton, CT (again); Paris - Reims - Saint-Denis
October: Miami; Upstate New York - Beacon; Rowayton, CT
September: Jeddah; Beirut - Sidon - Brummana - Byblos; Jeddah (again)
August: Jeddah (...into Sep...)
July: Cannes - San Remo; Genève - Aigle - Villars-sur-Ollon; Cannes (again) - Juan-les-Pins
June: Cannes (into July)
April: London; Paris; Roma - Bologna - Ravenna - Modena - Napoli; London (again)
March: Vail (skiing in Colorado); London (...into April...)
January: Lebanon (Beirut - Brummana - Beit Meri - Tyre - Sidon); Rome (overnight); Istanbul; Paris

Prior to 2010

For a complete travel history pre-2010, check the travelogues: Pre-2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Some memorable trips below (some pages still incomplete):

Dec 2008:
Buenos Aires; Rio de Janeiro for New Year's Eve

Mar 2008:
Syria (Damascus - Hama - Apamea - Aleppo - Saint Simeon - Mushabbak Church -Hama - Homs - Damascus); Lebanon (Beqaa Valley - Beirut)

Dec 2007:
Egypt (Cairo - Saqqara - Pyramids of Giza; Luxor - Karnak - Necropolis of Thebes; Aswan - Philae - Kalabsha; Abu Simbel; Cairo again); Rome (for New Year's Eve)

Dec 2006:
Marrakech - Vallée d'Ourika

and

Milano; Syria (Damascus - Maaloula - Krak des Chevaliers - Homs - Palmyra/Tadmur - Hama - Apamea - Aleppo - Al Barah/Serjilla - Damascus)

Feb/Mar 2005:
Andalucía (Granada - Córdoba - Málaga - Seville)

Jan 2005:
Pompei

Aug 2004:
Istanbul

Mar 2003:
Lisbon/Belém - Sintra

Intro Updated May 25, 2013
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Personal Pages (12)

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Comments (202)

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sarrahh Apr 25, 2013 at 12:54 AM

Very sad for whats going on in syria :(
syrians deserve to live, eat, study and grow in a better conditions
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rudysmom626 Mar 22, 2013 at 10:43 AM

Hey Momo! Just wanted to let you know that we featured one of your photos on Facebook again! This time, it was to go along with our request for Cover Photos for the Facebook page! You can check out the photo here (it's from your page about the George Hotel): https://www.facebook.com/VirtualTourist

Keep up the great tips and photos!
Blake aka Rudysmom626
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  MM212 Mar 22, 2013 at 9:17 PM
  
  Wonderful, thank you. Ah that photo makes me want to rush back!
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rudysmom626 Feb 28, 2013 at 4:31 PM

Hey MoMo! Just wanted to let you know that you won Member Photo of the Week for your awesome photos from Abu Dhabi! You can see it featured on the VirtualTourist Facebook page here - I'll be messaging you shortly so we can mail you some VT flipflops! Congrats and nice work!

Blake aka Rudysmom626
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  MM212 Mar 1, 2013 at 1:48 AM
  
  What an honour! Thanks for letting me know!!
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call_me_rhia Feb 7, 2013 at 2:27 AM

HEY... stop being where i want to be, please... which means: stop working, go skiing!!! Ciao from sunny lugano...
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Tijavi Dec 30, 2012 at 12:34 PM

Wow,looks like you're in the midst of a grand tour of Anatolia. These are places I still want to visit despite having visited Turkey twice already. Looking forward to your new Turkey pages. All the best for 2013 from sunny Maryland.
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  MM212 Jan 2, 2013 at 9:26 PM
  
  No it's from the Georges Hotel rooftop restaurant. Btw was at 360 last night for drinks.
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  Tijavi Jan 3, 2013 at 11:22 AM
  
  Oh it's still there? I wont be surprised, they have a very strategic location. I miss Istanbul!
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Odiseya Dec 24, 2012 at 3:41 PM

Marry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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  MM212 Dec 24, 2012 at 6:04 PM
  
  Thanks. You too!
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rosata Dec 23, 2012 at 3:09 PM

Merry Christmas and Super 2013!
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  MM212 Dec 24, 2012 at 6:16 AM
  
  Same to you!
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Odiseya Dec 20, 2012 at 11:52 AM

Thank you for accepting my VT friendship!
I wish you belated Birthday!
Also, I wish you safe following day and happy following holidays!
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  MM212 Dec 20, 2012 at 11:54 AM
  
  Same to you!
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Redang Dec 19, 2012 at 10:17 PM

Merry Christmas and happy 2013!
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  MM212 Dec 20, 2012 at 7:32 AM
  
  Same to you!
Reply
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Parisforless Dec 19, 2012 at 3:56 PM

Thank you for accepting my friendship!