Ethan Gelber cartoon

Meet Ethan Gelber

Ethan, BikeAbout's founder and president, is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (with a Masters in International Education and Cross-cultural Communication). He learned about education, technology, and bicycle travel during his six years helping to establish, manage, and guide for Blue Marble Travel, a European bicycle tourism company. A native of New York City, Ethan has taught Humanities at an inner-city alternative high school that he helped open and design the curriculum for. He has also worked for UNESCO, the American Council of Learned Societies, and different educational and regional research institutes associated with Columbia University. Ethan has toured extensively, often by bicycle, in Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. He speaks fluent French, functional Italian and Spanish, and sloppy German. Since the BikeAbout–the Mediterranean journey, in addition to his work for BikeAbout, he has moonlighted as a writer, editor, project manager, and translator, most recently for GORP.com, Lonely Planet Publications, the French Government Tourist Office in New York (as publications manager and editor of its FranceGuide magazine in 2004 and 2005), and now the Starlight Children's Foundation in Australia, for whom he coordinated the Tour de Kids. After a year living in Sri Lanka (September 2004 to September 2005), where he worked as an alternative tourism consultant and wrote for, among others, Lonely Planet (again) and Travel Sri Lanka magazine, he has moved to Sydney, Australia. Click here if you would like to read about his travels in 2002 and 2003.

Ethan picture

bulletSend Ethan mail

bulletEthan's Packing List

Ethan's Project

bulletMoroccan Clothing

Ethan's BikeAbout Dispatches

bulletSeptember 25, 1997
Topics: thoughts about the upcoming trip
bulletSeptember 26-27, 1997, Tangier, Morocco
Topics: tajine (food), mint tea, clothing, Phoenicians, money
bulletOctober 4, 1997, Al Hoceima, Morocco
Topics: Pigier Schools, education, economy, Internet access
bulletOctober 10, 1997, Saidïa, Morocco
Topics: pastilla (food), Internet access, cultural exchange, Mediterranean Sea, daily life, taxis, wildlife
bulletOctober 19-20, 1997, Tunis, Tunisia
Topics: brik (food), environment, Bizerte, wildlife, Utique (Utica), mosaics, Punic tombs
bulletOctober 21-22, 1997. Tunis, Tunisia
Topics: medina, harissa (food), computer technology
bulletOctober 27, 1997, Sousse, Tunisia
Topics: Salade méchouia (food), ribat, mosque, rules of the road, medina, catacombs, daily life
bulletNovember 3, 1997, Matmata, Tunisia
Topics: agriculture, Hollywood films, cinema, "STAR WARS," "troglodyte" (cave) homes
bulletNovember 14-15, 1997, Valletta, Malta
Topics: fenek (food), Valletta, Knights of the Order of Saint John, Crusades, HISTORY, architecture, megalithic temples, Phoenicians, daily life
bulletNovember 18-19, 1997, Cairo, Egypt
Topics: bargaining, numbers, antiquities, Egyptian Museum, King Tut, terrorism, rules of the road
bulletNovember 28, 1997, Alexandria, Egypt
Topics: bicycle safety, water, Nile River, Nile Delta, rules of the road, water pumps, agriculture, Persian wheel
bulletDecember 5-6, 1997, Al-Arish, Egypt
Topics: Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal, HISTORY, environment, "bonking" (bike term)
bulletDecember 9, 1997, Gaza City, Palestine
Topics: maftoul (food), Khan Younis, Intifada, HISTORY, PLO, cultural events, women in society, environment, family life
bulletDecember 17, 1997-January 11, 1998
Topics: thoughts during mid-trip break
bulletJanuary 13, 1998, Jerusalem
Topics: humus (food), Temple Mount, Mount Moriah, Dome of the Rock, Herod, Jerusalem, HISTORY, Crusades, Hadrian, Alexander the Great, Ottoman Empire, Diaspora
bulletJanuary 18, 1998, Tel Aviv, Israel
Topics: bagel (food), military history, military service, bicycle advocacy, Diaspora
bulletJanuary 21-22, 1998, Haifa, Israel
Topics: kebabs (food), 'Akko (Acre), Ptolomy, Crusades, History, "making Aliya", Mt. Carmel, Baha'ism
bulletJanuary 29-30, 1998, Beirut, Lebanon
Topics: Leila Mouammar (Person of the Day), Beirut (reconstruction, Hamra), Civil War, war, HISTORY, Eid el-Futr party
bulletFebruary 4, 1998, Byblos, Lebanon
Topics: Phoenicians, papyrus, Alexander the Great, Byzantines, Crusaders, alphabets, bike safety
bulletFebruary 7, 1998, Beirut, Lebanon
Topics: border crossing, nutrition, Hafez al-Assad, Middle East wars, history
bulletFebruary 8-10, 1998, Beirut, Lebanon
Topics: agriculture, daily life
bulletFebruary 13, 1998, Adana, Turkey
Topics: Adana kebab (food), Antioch, Saint Peter
bulletFebruary 19-20, 1998, Antalya, Turkey
Topics: Iskender kebab (food), Coast of Golden Sand, tourist over-development, the Greek gods, international artifact theft, Side, Antalya, HISTORY
bulletFebruary 24-26, 1998, Istanbul, Turkey
Topics: geography, Constantine the Great, HISTORY, Constantinople/Istanbul
bulletMarch 5-6, 1998, Thessaloniki, Greece
Topics: media, antiquities, King Philip II of Macedon, history, alphabet
bulletMarch 13-14, 1998, Athens, Greece
Topics: tzatziki (food), Greek restaurants, Katerina (Person of the Day), Acropolis/Parthenon, HISTORY, "No Limits World," a quick tour of Athens, Greek-Turkish relations
bulletMarch 20, 1998, Olympia, Greece
Topics: souvlaki (food), Olympic Games, Wonders of the Ancient World, the Greek gods
bulletMarch 27, 1998, Konitsa, Greece
Topics: grilled meat (food), the Town Hall and Mayor of Konitsa, earthquakes, school presentations
bulletMarch 31, 1998, Tirana, Albania
Topics: bus ride through Albania, border crossing, "pillbox" bunkers, first impressions of Albania, History (modern)
bulletApril 4, 1998, Tirana, Albania
Topics: burek (food), Albanian greetings, Albanian Education Development Project, Open Internet Center, travel arrangements, biking with the Albanian Cycling Union, Petrela Castle/Fortress, saying goodbye
bulletApril 15, 1998, Sarajevo, Bosnia
Topics: pida (food), Sarajevo, Balkan war, living with war, HISTORY, acronyms
bulletApril 20, 1998, Split, Croatia
Topics: school visit, UNESCO and World Heritage education activities, Split, history
bulletApril 26-27, 1998, Lubljana, Slovenia
Topics: Skocjan Caves, Koper, Karst region, Lipizzaner stallions, Lipic(z)a, history
bulletMay 5, 1998, Ferrara, Italy
Topics: cappelacci di zucca (food), FIAB, Cities for Cyclists, history, Este family, bike advocacy, bikes and boats
bulletMay 11-12, 1998, Sorrento, Italy
Topics: delicioso limone (food), Amalfi Coast, compass, Roman gods, Mount Vesuvius
bulletMay 18-19, 1998, Roma, Italy
Topics: pasta (food), Roma, hills of Roma, HISTORY, Order of the Knights of Malta
bulletMay 29-30, 1998, San Remo, Italy
Topics: Christopher Columbus, French and Italian Riviera, Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes
bulletJune 5, 1998, Marseille, France
Topics: cassoulet (food), langue d'oc versus langue d'oïl, Association DIA, Marseille, history
bulletJune 10-11, 1998, Figueres, Spain
Topics: handicapped bicyclists, hospitality, Perpignan, Padraic's departure, Côte Vermeille/Costa Brava, "tra montana" winds, Catalonia, history, Iberian Peninsula

Anthony Corinne andrEa Ethan Padraic
Anthony Corinne andrEa Ethan Padraic

BikeAbout Itinerary & Journal Discussion Groups Resource Library eDscape Projects BikeAbout Scrapbook
Itinerary/
Journal
Discussions Resource
Library
eDscape
Projects
Scrapbook

About BikeAbout Mediterranean Journey BikeAbout Partners


Daedalus Design Group Computer Curriculum Corporation La Fondation pour le Progres d l'Homme

Copyright 1997-2006 BikeAbout. All rights reserved.
* Rider Cartoons by J.R. Lara. Used by permission.