Israel Pilgrimage and the Footprints of God

The excitement of landing in Israel is surreal. Over the next days we will travel to the Holy Sites, as the song says “Where Jesus walked.” The 3 boys know it is something special as they have learned to feel the energy of their mom and dad in certain situations like the walk across the Charles Bridge in Prague, standing at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium gate or the ride in the Metro to Red Square, Moscow. We are diligent in our efforts to help the kids understand the magnitude of these 10 days. We can only hope that as they attend Mass, and read the Old and New Testament in their futures, they will have a different and yet enlightened understanding of the people, places and things of Israel.

The airport scene is not unlike most we’ve experienced. The lads pull themselves together, exit the plane and we see Welcome to Ben Gurion Airport splashed across the lintel of the entrance door to passport control. As we pass thru customs, I look at the many different citizens of this country and the throngs of visitors and wonder 2 things; first “For how many people is this their lifelong dream?” Second, I think, in 2+ week’s Team Glavin will have visited the amazing Holy Sites of Israel and been to one of the largest Muslim cities in the world, Istanbul, Turkey. It brings new meaning to our home school theme for the year “The world is our classroom.”

Day 1 is all we hoped it would be. An early start to the day, the way dad likes it, but not so much for mom or Eamon. A quick breakfast and we board the sleek modern tour bus. We are travelling with 50 from the USA on this pilgrimage. We are Legatus (sounds like the battle cry at home in Pa, “We are PENN STATE”). It is a fantastic group of people and a true pleasure to share this experience with the catholic business group. We have been too many Legatus events over the years and know a couple things, there will be great food and more importantly, excellent content and “take away value”

We rise to the top of Mt. Tabor and see an incredible Church that was built in celebration of the Transfiguration. It is a magnificent start to our journey. Our guide Amir (sp?) is a local Nazarean and provides amazing information from a “local perspective.” Our guides Stephen and Janet Ray are accomplished “tour guides” and passionate about their vocation. It is hard to describe the feeling of being in the Holy place and knowing that this is the spot where old testament Moses and Elijah meet the New Testament’s Jesus, Peter, James and John. I look down the stone cold granite seat at my son’s Pearse, Irish translation for Peter, and Seamus, Irish for James, and share with them the logic for the choice of their names at birth. As it is said in scripture Peter, James and John they are the “beloved.”

We reload into the bus and head to Cana of Galilee. Just writing those words sparks so many feelings. The sight of the first and most famous of miracles, “Turning water in wine” is the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. We have a special ceremony with our Chaplain and all of the married couples renew their wedding vows in the Church built to commemorate this amazing history. Ann and I renew our vowels in front of the boys and I am proud to show them the commitment we made to each other 18 years ago. It is another wonderful moment for all of us.

We reload again and head to the Church dedicated to the Annunciation, “Where the word became flesh.” As we walk through the streets of Nazareth the boys and I laugh and joke reminding ourselves that Jesus walked here and played here. We can’t help but sing the song “Oh happy day” from the movie “Sister Act.” You could almost hear Mary yell “Don’t do that you’ll get hurt.” We visited the cave that was the home of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. WOW

As the bus made its way back to the hotel, the Sea of Galilee seemed like a magnet pulling us to its shores as if to say “welcome home.”

“The Call to Prayer” or In Our Case Shopping

Two Days in a row “The Call to Prayer” echoed 5x per day in Istanbul, Turkey. The piercing sounds of the ancient Arabic language emanating from the speakers of the mosque’s minuets give us pause as we recounted the lessons of yesterday’s tours of the famous Blue Mosque and Santa Sophia. The pace is harried in the city streets and the buzz of commerce is everywhere from morning until late late night. Our hotel windows face one of the busiest streets in Istanbul and the melody of the staccato car horns mixed with the screaming voices of the street merchant’s, soundslike the crescendo of a Turkish Opera. You weigh the difficult choice each night of noisy city street versus quiet but suffocating hot room. The boys opt for quiet and the dad opts for cool but noisy. We are a long way from Edgmont, PA that is for sure. Kebab anyone?

The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul is today’s activity. The stores, if you can call them that, number 4000 and it is a labyrinth like maze of porcelain shops juxtaposed to leather shops. You can buy underwear right next to Turkish carpets and order a shot of steaming hot tea while perusing your favorite PRADA pocketbook knockoff. As we approach the ancient stoned archway you half expect the genie to jump out of the lamp and utter his famous “Your wish is my command.”

The boys notice that there is a spring in their mothers step and that something is just a bit out of kilter as we can see the entrance to the Grand Bazaar but a few hundred meters away. I chuckle and tell them to watch and learn. Seamus looks a bit befuddled as he’s never really seen his mom’s “shopping game face.” None of the boys have been privy to the Incredible Hulk like transformation of “Bargain Seeking Mom”. With each step she morphs into a negotiating machine with a glance here and a wave of the “don’t bug me” hand there. The Turkish salesmen think “easy mark from America” but look like guys left home on Prom Night as she utters those hurtful words “You’re price, not even close!” Eamon looks and says “Who are you and what have you done with our mother?” We’re pretty sure her eyes are turning green, “everyone watch out and whatever you do don’t make her angry by not negotiating or you will be sorry.” The kids get a kick out of their mom looking a guy right in the eye and saying “you want 60 lirasi I’ll give you 20 and that’s final.” Too bad she can’t negotiate tuition for school; now that would be great!

The boys split off on their own because Seamus and Eamon are each eyeing a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. They ask “Hey can we go see if we can bargain?” Sure, “remember they have to give you the price first”, yeah we know said Eamon. Ann, Pearse and I headed off to watch mom torture some more Turks. Eamon and Seamus meet us on the way to the arched entrance. As they come into view they are grinning ear to ear. Mom asks “So how did you make out?” Seamus and Eamon “He wanted 45 lirasi for each and we said 55 for both or we’re walking.” They open the bag and Seamus’ neon orange low cut Converse shoes jump out of the bag by themselves and Eamon’s high top Chuck Taylor’s are barking “take me home my American friend.” A cool look of satisfaction from their mother and Pearse’s nod of approval says it all, “Life Lesson Learned - Price tags are simply suggestions.”

Is that Lady Dancing on the Table?

It didn't take long to "experience" Istanbul in all its metropolitan glory. The ride from the airport is 16 kilometers, 10 miles give or take, and it took us 1+ hours. We weaved in and out of traffic and dodged young boys hustling through the streets with cellophane wrapped boxes piled higher than Shaquille O'Neal. The streets are narrow and filled with cars, trucks, people and textiles spilling from the sidewalks. There are the sounds of middle eastern music mixed with the occasional MTV rap soundtrack wafting through the windows of the van. We are on a main drag in old town, a slow ride by car but the trip is filled with the action of the boys head spinning as if there necks are mounted on ball bearings. Linda Blair would be proud. It is 10 miles of "look at that" no "look at this". Pearse asks "Who is that guy on all the banners?". "That's Ataturk my son" but that lesson will have to wait as I am not sure who is driving the van and where he stands politically. Come to think of it, how do you really know if the guy is actually taking you to your hotel???? A question oft asked I bet. As we pull up to the hotel, I find it ironic that we are staying in the Best Western of the eastern Istanbul,Turkey.

"Check in" at the hotel is quick and painless. The bathrooms are clean, the beds are adequate, the internet is working and the kids are happy. That's what we call a travel day HOME RUN. The troops are hungry so it is off we go to see if we can find "turkey in Turkey", hey I can't make this stuff up.

10 meters from the hotel is the alley that leads to "FISH street." A quick left and we are bombarded by the smell of fish and the sounds of commerce. Restaurant after restaurant is set up "cafe style" with chairs and tables outside tightly packed in a "get to know your neighbor" configuration. Each restaurant has a "bird dog" salesman who works you fast and hard to get you to sit at "their" table. We run the gauntlet, literally. The kids decide it will be a fun game to "count the solicitations" and so we bob and weave our way back up the street with the word, fish, "kumkapi", lit up in rainbow-like neon colors.

We left the hotel thinking "pizza" and now we are just hoping to survive the smell of fish and the onslaught of "Turkish commerce." We are the perfect "mark" for the salesman and you can see them lining up to talk to us like we are celebrities. While we'd like to think it is our stunning good looks that has the multi-lingual sales pool in a frenzy, I suspect that it is the Anglo-Saxon, travel dressed family of 5 that has them excited. So this is what it's like to be a trout that a fisherman can see as he looks to pick the perfect fly as bait to land the big one.

As we near the last few restaurants the kids are at 8 sales pitches and so far so good, we're almost out of the gauntlet. Just 2 more to go and we'll be back on the streets of Istanbul. Then it happens, "we have Pizza for the little one" and he knows instantly that he has a bite and when he shows us the picture I could almost feel the fish hook "set" in my wallet.

Our host busied himself getting us organized. They sit us front and center so that folks can see the "Americans" as they progress down the road. We've become the salesman's new tool "look we have many families that eat here." Seamus comes up with an idea when he sees what's going on with the Turkish sales pitch. He calls our new friend over and Seamus says "Hey if I can get 4 other tables sold for you, do we eat for free?" Man I like how he thinks!! The salesman laughs grabs Pearse's cheeks and says "you bring me great great luck tonight".

It is a night of revelry, stomach twisting laughter and experience building observations. There is a couple from the USA next to us and across the way a couple from Russia and another from Canada. It is fair to say that we provided them with hours of entertainment. Of course there was plenty of material for laughs, for instance when you picked your fish they brought it out, "head and tail" still intact, in a wagon with a bed of ice so you could see it before it went to the chef. Eamon looked at the fish and said "poor guy, now that's a rough day." At a table next to us they poured a liquid gel on a mound of salt and lit it on fire. There's nothing quite like "fire" to get the attention of 3 boys. It burned fluorescent orange and then hot red to almost blue. Once the flame died out the waiter cracked the salt pile and inside a steaming white fish. As the kids stared, eyes wide open, I hear the feint sounds of castanets in the distance. I know what that means and by the time the fish is served to the table behind us the boys turn back and see their first "belly dancer." "Is she on the table?" asks Pearse "I hope she doesn't get in trouble!" Eamon and Seamus not quite so sympathetic as they chuckle to each other as if their mother can't hear the teenage banter. As we leave kumkapi alley Seamus leans over and says "Dad, I could hang here all night."

A great first few hours in Istanbul!

New Roomate-New Experience for the Life Bag

Ching-Ching the doorbell for the apartment rings. It is one of the many weird European sounds like the ambulance or the police siren. Eamon pops up hoping it is the rather attractive girls from upstairs looking for salt again. He reappears, slightly disappointed, and says, shoulders shrugging,"It's John the landlord." I steal a quick look at my indiglo Timex watch and it says 21:15. Is it possible that John is interrupting our family time as we watch the TV series 24 (you remember it came in our care package)? Besides CNN Europe, our dvd, is the only English that comes out of the loudspeakers on our TV.

John apologizes for the interruption, his hair is tossled and he looks like a guy that lost his best friend. He says "I have problem" and I think to myself "So does Jack Bauer on 24!" History tells me that John's problem could be everything from he doesn't want me to leave the windows open when we leave the apartment to the kids leaving the scooters on his new hardwood floors. It's late so I am hoping that it's something simple since my tea is getting cold and Seamus is eyeballing the last Danish Butter Cookie in the tin, the one with the sugar on top. I say "John, what's the problem?" He says "I double book the apartment upstairs on the 3rd Floor." Hmmm, this is not unusual because Team Glavin is on its way to Istanbul,Turkey on Tuesday since John booked OUR apartment because he got his "rent" days mixed up. The pain on John's face reminds me of the look when you get into a car accident with your dad's car. I ask John "How can I help you?" He says "Can the guy from the 3rd floor stay in your apartment Friday night, he leaves on Saturday?" Now lets see if I got this right, you'd like to have a stranger stay with Ann, the 3 kids and me. John says, in his best salesman's pitch, "He's American and a language professor." I look at John and say "Maybe a priest too?" He doesn't get my joke.

Well, if you asked me 4 months ago to give an answer to this question "Can a total stranger stay with you and your family in your apartment in Vienna?" I would have said "Are you out of your freakin mind?" but tonight I simply said "yes." I am growing as a person over here in Europe!! John's relief is just like the feeling you get when your health insurance cost stays the same this year vs last year. He takes me up to the 3rd floor apt. It is the same apartment where I swiped the toaster last time I visited it with John. Who knows maybe I'll get a roommate and a WOK this time around.

I meet Mike Corley, our new cohabitant for Apt 1-4 Shubertgasse. He is not quite 80 years old. He comes down to meet all of us and see his room. We will kick Eamon out of his bedroom so the octogenarian is close to the bathroom. In a mere 20 minutes we learn that Mike's son is the lead tenor in the San Francisco Symphony and outperforms the orchestra, his wife who is 53 years old had surgery for a brain tumor and to correct 2 eyeballs that weren't lined up right after brain surgery, he taught at a community college in Northern California and loves to fly fish. Imagine what we'll learn over 12 hours.

I escort Mike back to his 3rd floor apartment and make arrangements for him to join us the next morning. As I re-enter the 1st floor apartment I can't help but hear the giggles and the loud uproar coming from the living room. I ask "What's so funny?". Seamus almost in tears and Eamon barely able to contain himself yelps "He sounds just like pop-pop Glavin." Did you hear him? "His son is the best in the orchestra, like our Jake in football or me on stage or Pearse in baseball'!!" "He's awesome."

Youtube

This is an update on our video logs. The videos I have made are over the limit for Blogger, therefore we have decided to upload them to Youtube. I have made links for all three of the videos in the Videos section of our website. My Youtube account is ExtremeSnowPandemic, and you have to click the heading "Youtube" to go to my channel.

The PACKAGE

You see it all the time in the movies, guys huddled around an olive drab army jeep, bombs exploding in the distance as they hope to hear their name called making them one of the lucky few to get that cherished "letter from home." The movies tapped into the simplest human emotion, the desire to be connected. Well Team Glavin received its first "care package from the USA." The UPS brown truck, universal in color and efficiency, dropped a box. Actually he didn't have a key so he called the landlord on the cell phone and delivered it to John the landlord's house. John rang the bell to our apt, yelled "halo" and naturally I thought he wanted to collect the rent a week early. I was thinking"he'll just have to come back later because we didn't get to the bank yet."

You could barely see him as the large brown corrugated box was hiding most of John's body and head. He is a slight man, you know the kind, one who eats fish and salads his whole life. Did I mention he is a Dr.? He is excited to announce "Peekage for you." I suspect that he wants to hang around and see what emerges from the cellophane wrapped, Christmas in September box, but this is a family moment and John kindly excuses himself. He'll be back soon, the rent is due.

The label reads Sender: Total Scope, Inc. and the To: Maurice and Ann Glavin and Family, Wien Austria, Reference: stuff. There is a buzz in the room, anticipation is high. The kids are participating in the centuries old tradition "What could it be?" There's so much cellophane tape that we use the leatherman's "saw blade" because the knife "won't cut it", literally. Sensing an opportunity to prolong things, every dad's prerogative, I slowly open the box ever so slightly and peer in as if to protect the kids from any unknown harm that might be contained inside Pandora's box. The boys are coming unglued "C'mon dad open it already." I pull out the first thing and award a prize to mom "Dan Brown's new book The Symbol" She is elated and the kids have that look "are you kidding me, a book?" 6000 miles of travel and the first thing that emerges from the box from the United States is a book. Mom is elated and the kids, not so excited, Eamon says "If this is this all school stuff, I'm going to kill someone!" Like a magician sensing a crowd change I need to act fast, I throw Eamon multiple bags of Herr's Barbecue potato chips, there are so many he can't catch them all and yellow foil bags drop to the floor. He yelps with glee and I wonder to myself "Would chips work for Christmas?" The fun continues: 2 seasons of the TV series 24. Jack Bauer will be the nightly entertainment until at least November when we depart for Spain. Pearse is elated to get American M&M's because as he says"The European M&M's just aren't the same." Seamus looks longingly hoping for something, anything and his prayers are answered as the word TASTYKAKE jumps off the familiar blue and white cellophane wrapper as if in 3D and he's the only one wearing those special glasses. He's whooping and hollering and runs to turn on the kettle. Dad gets 2 boxes of Lipton decaffeinated tea bags. It is perfect timing because I just started to reuse my tea bags as the concept of "decaffeinated" hasn't hit the European continent yet. The silence is deafening as each boy chows down on his American treats.

UPS package to Austria Cost: $37.00, Total Scope wages to box and ship the package: $180.00,
3 elated kids and a happy wife PRICELESS

Last Sunday Morning in September-Vienna

It is hard to believe that we say goodbye to September in a few short days. We are going to start week 12 of the "trip of a life time". The weather in Vienna is cool and crisp, "sweatshirt weather" and not all that different from Pennsylvania. Our return from Russia was fairly easy with the exception of the highly scrutinized passports in Moscow airport and equally investigated upon entry into Austria. The border patrol officer shot us a quizzical look and said "Moscow?" He was having some trouble reconciling the bright gold eagle on the front of the USA Passport and the return to Vienna from Russia. Frankly, you can see his point. That's not exactly a "normal" tourist path but then again "normal" and Glavin aren't usually words found in the same sentence. Thwap thwap, thwap, thwap, thwap went the stamp onto 5 passports and "Welcome back to Austria" said the border patrol agent. And so we close the trip to "Russia" with pictures, memories, a snow globe and a Russian Cossack hat as a memento.

We head to Istanbul formerly known as Constantinople. I don't have the heart to tell Pearse they have a few churches in Istanbul too! Hey at least he knows what a mosaic is now!

til later