Al Nakheel Hotel Palmyra

As Palmyra is THE no. 1 site to visit in Syria, we could not but go there to convince ourselves of its real beauty.<br><br>Palmyra is an old Roman city. Basically its ruins are left there. We both are sure it is a very stunning and breathtaking place to visit; provided one has not been to 12 other ruins before!<br><br>Its size and location make it a very special sight, however, more than a daytrip was definitely overstating our appreciation.<br ...

... was 2 hours later), the kid was shouting at the people in the bus dictating on who should seat where. I got a single seat and because I dared not put my bag in the luggage holding below, I had to put it on my lap as the bus was full. Even the plastic chairs were all taken up, they lined up the aisle right up to the front and those who are unfortnate enough had to squeeze at the front and find any place to sit on. Worse was to come still, they even managed to squeeze in ...

... hot and all the women have to cover up pretty well. i bought a headscarf in case, but haven't used it yet. many of the women are in the full black covering thing. it's pretty different.<br><br>currently we are in Palmyra visiting some ruins. we are going to see some camel races tomorrow at this camel festival thing and then tomorrow night we will head to Damascus. <br><br><br>

... and fixed scheduling, which basically means all the tourists pack in at the exact same time for 15 minutes each. The 3 brothers might have issues with frescoes deteriorating if constantly exposed to cycling and moist air, but I think for the other one they're just being lazy.<br><br>A thorough perusal of the Palmyra could occupy several days, but after the drive back to town and a quick tour of the admittedly magnificent but easy to take in Temple of ...

... of the Selma to Montgomery march. And the disparate conditions that were prevalent then are still alive and well today. So much has changed, but in the end, still so much hasn't.<br><br>Second - the National Voting Rights Institute in Selma. If you haven't been, you must go. They've been open since 1993. Among their collections are the Alabama State Troopers surveillance photos of the marches, as well as cast footprints and stories of those the museum curator ...

Believe it or not, there are 54 Championship Holes at the Capitol Hill Golf Course in Prattville, AL that are part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Jerry took the opportunity to get in a round of golf and was amazed at the beauty and pristinely maintained course.<br><br>While Jerry was hitting a small ball around Prattville, Alex &amp; I spent some time in the pool to cool off. Bella used to jump into the pool to me when she was a puppy, but I couldn't ...

We left the Gulf Coast today and headed into Alabama to visit with Aunt Kathy and Uncle D. I used to live with Aunt Kathy and Uncle D in Florida. But I haven't been to visit then in Alabama for the last 5 years. What a great reunion.<br><br>My cousin Jackie cooked up some homemade lasagna and these ...

... us big guy--we were still on the road....We drove on bad roads untill we started to hit Nashville--then things started to get better. Although the vacations was fantastic...We were happy to make it home. The rest of the drive was smooth and we made it home safely. Thelma, I will travel with you again anytime!!!! Hey, Louise, Great Driving! Thanks for such a wonderful time! Love, Thelma

... rain, high winds, hail, tornado warnings, and watches. We drove in some scary thunderstorms and torrential rains today. As we looked up warnings closer to home, we were getting concerned about the weather we will face tomorrow. Pray for our safe trip home. If the weather is bad we will stay an extra night in Priceville. We will update this final blog with road signs, food, and more later.

... out for the 3.5 hour journey. The road was barren, just sand and rock. After around 2 hours into the trip I saw a bunch of small dots in the foreground... figured they couldn't be people because I hadn't seen one soul in the desert thus far. As we neared, the dots turned into Syrian soldiers- there were hundreds of them walking through the desert, who knows if they have a military base or training camp out in the middle of nowhere ...