Some blogs

I've been adding to my list of Libyan and Libya related blogs. Have a look if you can pull yourself away from the World Cup!

• White African - a Manchester / Tripoli blogger
• Reflections - a Libyan blogger from Oklahoma
• Libyan Violet - a Libyan multicultural and multiracial single mum. Striving to bridge the East and West.
• Maiuna - lives in Tripoli but she's from Darnah
• Mhmoud Essalah - Into the mind of Mhmoud who's in Canada
  
  I've added them to my sidebar for future reference.
  

What Color Green Are You?

I'm Teal Green!

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

I took this quiz out of curiosity - the 'green' in me is teal.

How did they know that was my favourite color?

Says I'm offbeat and quirky. . . . what do you think about that?

Another visit to the castle

OK . . . everyone's been nagging me, both on and offline, about what has been keeping me busy these days. Well, one of the things that I've been up to is having another look into the castle - the Saray el Hamra - that is located in Tripoli's medina next to the Green Square. Part of it has been turned into a museum which is open to the public, but the other parts of the castle are closed to the general public. These parts contain offices of the Archiological Society and and currently many parts of the castle are being restored.



It was a hot morning but the atmosphere inside the castle was cool and calm. The hustle and bustle of downtown Tripoli was not heard. It was so peaceful to walk through the castle. You could almost feel the spirits of the past lingering in every corner.



There are old water wells scattered throughout the castle. Here you can see a well. I wonder how many buckets of water did it take to create the grooves made by the rope?



There are various types of fountains and tiles throughout the castle.



Arches . . . doorways . . . and steps . . . the place is like a maze!



The castle was continually being added to throughout it's history. There are many styles of columns used in the castle. Some were brought in from Leptis Magna and Sabratha and recycled in the Turkish period.



The Turks often used the crecent symbol in their designs.



Lot's of restoration is needed. Here's a sample of new tiles.



This is a view from one of the offices located inside the castle.



An amazing amount of archives are stored inside. Maps, designs, pictures. Some very old and some new.



I was really impressed with the amount of information. . . rooms and rooms of it all.



This was guarding a doorway in a courtyard.

Another fountain. This area has been restored.



Some courtyards are shady and cool.



Other courtyards are bright and sunny.



In the back part of this picture you can see the top floors of the adjacent museum. Part of this was built when the museum was added.



A window . . .



Another kind of window.



There is an extensive library containing books written in a multitude of languages. Also some of the tables and chairs in the library are antique. The table and chair in this picture dates back to the Turkish period.



Room after room of cataloged books and resource material. For someone like me who loves books, this was pretty close to being heaven!



There are roads inside the castle too.



A door with intricately carved designs.



A doorway and fountain.



Shade and light.



There are various kinds of lights hanging from archways. Now they have electricity in them, but in the days before electriciy they must have had gas, oil or candles in them.



Another light. The sunlight shining through the coloured glass makes the lights glow in the daytime too.



I'll be uploading my pictures to flickr . . . I've reached my limit for this month but check them from time to time to see if I've added more.

Summertime Again

The following is a special, on the spot report from the 'Condo by the Sea' - Yes! A report from Georgina!

It's that time of year again . . . when all the oversea family members migrate back to Libya for the summer. Yes, no matter which wonderful country they reside in for the other 10 months of the year, they all come home for the summer. For those two magical months of the year, Libya is the most wonderful, most religious, the safest, most family orientated country in the entire world. The Motherland sings her serene song to lure even the most hardened heart to melt with longing for home.

It is always a felicitous occasion, the first visit from the 'Prodigal' returnee. The first words out of their mouths are not 'How great it is to see you!' or even 'I have missed you so!', no, it is more likely to be 'Oh Mash Allah, you have gotten so fat, or old!', said with a smile upon their face. Then the visit proceeds with all the grand things they have in their homes in the other country. How much they own, earned, what special clothing they are wearing. This is closely followed by information of who in the Libyan community where they reside are worthy enough to be their special friends. This is dependent on the size of that person's bank account. All this is said with the ever pleasant smile in place, so you will understand that they are not being rude.

The remaining portion of the visit is spent in telling you ALL the horribly wrong things in Libya. How families have degenerated into wild heathens. The youth of the country are so spoiled, but as they say this they are asking where your computer is. . . . Because poor little Mohamed is soooo bored here with no Water World, amusement parks, his personal cable TV that is in his room back home, or his game boy, play station, x-box to keep him entertained here, all he has here is the internet. And by the way. . . . What do you do here for fun anyway?

Oh, how can you stand the food here, or the water? Then what follows is a recounting of every restaurant in town where you can get ptomaine poisoning. How only the swimming pool at such and such's house is good enough to swim in because they have their own pure water supply. . . with chlorine added to it to purify it, of course. Isn't it too sad that there aren't any McDonald's, Wimpy's, or K.F.C. places here? That their children won't eat anything BUT. . . . and they are so afraid that they will waste away to nothingness because there isn't a thing their children will eat. Nothing that is healthy enough for them.

These topics of conversations quickly peter out so they then start on the family members that live in Libya full time, not just for those magical two months of summer. Did you notice. . . . how Your (and it is always yours, not theirs, when something is wrong?) mother's uncle's wife's children has just let the family farm go? What about aunt so and so. . . . Did you hear that she did. . . .?? I heard that brother flan-flan's sons were going into business with that 'man' that everyone is talking about. What do you know about that? Sister blah-blah's daughter is getting engaged to you know who's son, my don't they have all that money? She is getting all that gold. Isn't she so lucky to be marrying such a rich man? Yes, well that ex-wife might be a problem for the girl but mylesh, she will be rich. That's all that matters! Ad nauseum.

So, by the time the visit is over, the last glass of tea drunk, the fresh fruit cleared away from the welcome home meal you had so lovingly prepared with the finest, freshest ingredients, in anticipation of a happy reunion with the out of country relative, you are so worn out from having to defend all and sundry of Home; it is with a glad heart that you bide them farewell. Ah, the good ole summertime. Can't wait for next year!

Busy

I've been off having some adventures, but I'm too busy to post about it now. I hope to catch up soon. There's lots of pictures too.

a lazy Friday afternoon

Yesterday was a lazy day, we went to the farm in the afternoon. The fields have turned brown and are full of stickers and thistles that stick to your clothes when you walk along. The sheep don't seem to mind. [click on the pictures for a larger size]


In the barn was a calf that had been born the day before. He looks like his mother. The kids were argueing over what to name him. I don't think they ever made a decision.


Plums . . .


. . . and peaches! There were also some early figs but my brother-in-law got to them before I did.


Ibrahim spent lots of time chasing grasshoppers while I was marking exam papers. He brought me this itty bitty one.


The kids found a dove's nest and had a look at the babies.


We filled up our drinking water containers - a weekly chore in the winter and bi-weekly, sometimes tri-weekly in the summer.


The neighbour's field was full of bales of hay.


Sara cut the remaining roses.


And finally, the drive home . . . Ain Zarah traffic at sunset.