Israel
Things I will not see at home
There were a few things that I came across on this trip that I know I won’t see at home. Here are a few of them. Blue sky, green grass – perfection. Except you see that little yellow thingie? That’s a mine field warning. After the war of 1967, the Jordanians never provided the map of the mine fields so the mines are all still there. This is valuable land that could be used, but it’s not. Not really. The only use it has now is for grazing and every once in a while, a cow does get blown up. But Israeli lives aren’t being lost in an attempt to clear the mines. That’s right. You are not imagining it. It’s a camel crossing...
Read MoreHome – Day ???
I don’t really know how to count this travel day. See, the “day” started on Friday (day 14 of the trip) and I didn’t sleep until I got home on Saturday afternoon. I decided to check our luggage on the return flight because I had purchased some jars of stuff that were larger than 3 ounces. (I think the 3 oz. rule is ridiculously stupid, but whatever.) Because of these jars (of date honey) my luggage was checked twice in Tel-Aviv and more in US (I could tell since they didn’t close the suitcase all the way. It’s such a hassle to check luggage on an international flight. We had to collect it in Newark (our layover spot) and re-screen...
Read MoreTel-Aviv – Day 15
Today is the last day of our trip in Israel. Before I left, I wanted to visit my great-grandmother’s grave. The last time I saw her I was 11 years old and full of confidence that I’ll see her again soon. That was nearly 20 years ago. My uncle and I went this time (grandma and her sister went earlier in our trip) and we cleaned the grave a little and put fresh flowers and lit a candle. I don’t know what the custom is for taking a picture of a loved one’s grave, but I didn’t. It seems a little tacky (though I did take pictures at the cemetery on Mt. Hertzl) to take pictures of the grave of a loved one. After the solemn start to the day,...
Read MoreTel-Aviv – Day 14
Everything is closed today. I was getting really nervous since I hadn’t gotten much in terms of souvenirs and had only 1 day left. My uncle was off work and we could do something since he has a car, but it’s a holiday (Pesach or Passover) so everything is closed. Therefore we decided to go to Jaffa since we didn’t really see it as part of the tour. We only got to get off the bus for 5 minutes and take pictures – that was our only view of Jaffa.But today, my uncle, his wife, his youngest child, and I went to Jaffa. The day was perfect – a very slight and pleasant breeze accompanied the warm sun. Because it was a holiday, there were hardly...
Read MoreEilat, Tel-Aviv – Day 13
This morning the weather looked absolutely gorgeous and my uncle asked if I wanted to go tanning. Having lost my voice completely by morning, I declined (the Silent post was written on Eilat – Day 12). So we set out back to Tel-Aviv right after breakfast, ahead of schedule. Too bad this gorgeous weather wasn’t there for us yesterday. But oh well. I guess I’ll have to come back. On the way back, we passed the same raw natural beauty, road signs I won’t see at home, and the same Kosher McDonald’s. Somehow I managed to nap most of the way back. This was also the first day of Passover.We don’t celebrate with all the customs and...
Read MoreEilat – Day 12
Breakfast was good, except there was no bread. Anywhere. It’s Pesach, so I had to put butter and jam on matza. Hmm…… It was edible. Other things were good too, but I can’t remember now. The plan today was to go swimming and tanning. But the weather was less than cooperative. It drizzled again. So we went to the aquarium. It was really nice and I even saw some folks from the tour (there was an Eilat extension and some people bought it). The aquarium had all sorts of cute fish and there were quite a few visitors, but we came early in the morning so we got to see quite a bit before much of the crowd.By the time we were finished here, it...
Read MoreEilat – Day 11
Today (Monday) we’re on our way to Eilat. The drive is about 4 hours, but closer to 5 or 6 if you make stops. I didn’t think there’s anywhere you can drive in this postage stamp country for 4 hours, but I was wrong. Here too, there’s lots of road construction. On the way, we passed Bedouin “settlements”. I can’t really call them houses because they looked like corrugated metal that’s been attached with wire. I doubt the floor is anything more than the dirt on which this “structure” stands. We also saw a bit of a dust storm, shepherds tending their flock of sheep and goats, camels, and a few cows. In one of our...
Read MoreTel-Aviv – Day 10
This morning I had breakfast at the hotel and then my uncle (technically, he’s my second cousin, but dad calls him “brother”, so I call him “uncle”) picked me up. It turned out to be not a short drive to Tel-Aviv from Jerusalem, but we didn’t really hit any traffic until we got to the general Tel-Aviv area. Today was the day I rested. Sort of. Mainly played with the little cousins (2nd cousins once removed) who are 8 and 3. I don’t remember what we ate, but it was good. Everything is quite delicious and the veggies are very yummy. We also went to the “downtown” area and walked around trying to find souvenirs. No...
Read MoreSilent – Well, almost
You know how I always say I can’t really whisper? That’s all I seem to be able to do since last night. Yup, I totally lost my voice. I think it has to do with my throat being severely irritated by the smoke fumes (everyone smokes everywhere here), the general allergies, the wind which forced me to shout a little.Ugh. I’m not a big fan of this whispering thing. And it hurts to talk. Ok, I’m off to eat either something cold or hot. Later. Share this:
Read MoreJerusalem – Day 9
Today is our last day of the trip, except for those who are going to Eilat. We had the morning activities and then we were on our own until dinner. The morning tour consisted of a walk to the Jaffa Gate (I think) and tour of David’s Tower. The view from here was spectacular. Just fantastic. We also walked (rather quickly) through the museum that was in the tower. Nothing very interesting in the museum. By around 10 o’clock in the morning, we were on our own, until about 6 PM when we were supposed to board the bus for dinner. So, I spent the day with the same CA couple with whom I went to dinner the other night. A very lovely couple. We decided to ask for a...
Read MoreIsrael: Pictures
You’ll notice that I don’t have any pictures for the last few days of the trip. There’s a really good explanation for it and it’s that I just didn’t have the time to comb through hundreds of pics for those days. I do plan on adding some pics later on, but not today, and probably not tomorrow. For now, I hope the narrative gives you an idea of what’s going on. There is still one more day of Jerusalem that I need to write about, but that too will not be today. And most likely not tomorrow, since the plan is to go to Eilat with my cousin (whom I refer to as uncle) and his daughter. So, that’s it for now. Hope to have internet...
Read MoreJerusalem – Day 8
Breakfast was the same and we still had live music. What a wonderful treat. This is also the first hotel that understands “hot” water for tea. In other hotels the water you get for tea is something my dad would refer to as “pisherts” (luke-warm). The morning was cooler than yesterday, but I was comfortable with the synthetic long-sleeved shirt I brought just for the purpose. The weather fluctuates greatly during the day here; the mornings and evenings are much cooler than the day. But at this time of the year, it’s quite pleasant and not hot. I can’t imagine walking for 5 hours in the heat of July in Jerusalem. Our first stop was Shrine of the Book where the...
Read MoreJerusalem – Day 7
Breakfast today was the same as the day before. We drove to the Mount of Olives to see the views of the city below. When we got off the bus, the street vendors were practically assaulting us they were so pushy and so in our faces. I had to shoo away by hand the kid who was getting in my face. Little snot. Another woman from our trip also yelled at him (and threatened to call the police, though I think they would not have done anything; they have more important things to worry about). But I don’t want 4 bags that say Jerusalem on them, no matter how cheap, and no, I don’t want to ride a camel or buy postcards. I just want people out of my face! We in America have the...
Read MoreDead Sea, Massada, Jerusalem – Day 6
The breakfast was so-so at best, but I managed to find something. I saw people from our group out and about and asked if the water was nice. They said it was cold. So I decided to take my camera and just stick my toes in, at the very least. Which is exactly what I did. When I did this, I realized that the water is nice and I should go put on my swim suit and go for a swim. Which is what I did. It was amazing. My hands stung a bit, but stopped in a few minutes. the water felt silky. The floor of the sea is very rocky as is the beach, but when you get into the water a few feet, it’s all salt crystals. They’re all very sharp and one person from our trip hurt her...
Read MoreLong time no post
So I haven’t posted in a while. It’s been rather expensive to purchase internet service even for an hour. But now I’m back in Tel-Aviv and will post the other few days of the trip. But basically, it was great and we did a lot of walking and I was TIRED! I so need a massage when I get back! Share this:
Read MoreGalilee, Capernaum, Dead Sea – Day 5
After breakfast, we took a boat ride on Lake Galilee to Ginosar. It was really nice and people danced. First, they played the US National Anthem, then the Canadian one, and then the Israeli one (Hatikva). After the anthems, they played Hava Nagila and other songs so people danced. Even our tour guide got into it with one of the members of the group. As we drive on our way to Church of Multiplication, we see lots of bananas being grown. The interesting thing to note is that most of the actual bananas are inside blue plastic bags. This is to protect them from birds as well as to make sure they all ripen at the same time. The church had some incredible mosaics. ...
Read MoreTiberias, Tsefat (Safed), Golan Heights, Kibbutz – Day 4 (Continued)
*Ok, I’m back from dinner. The nourishment has enabled me to continue with this post. I’ll have more on the actual dinner later. So where was I? Oh, right, on my way to a Kibbutz. I think it was called Kfar Giladi. The actual geographical area is absolutely gorgeous. Lots of things are in bloom; acacia, wild irises, poppies, and a variety of other flowers. The grass is green and the trees are full of lively leaves. A Kibbutz guide took us on a tour (we were driven through it on the bus) and she’d point out a few things. One of the things she pointed to were trenches. Another was bomb shelters and the border with Syria. I also noticed the miles...
Read MoreTiberias, Tsefat (Safed), Golan Heights, Kibbutz – Day 4
Today was a completely exhausting day. Partially, this was a result of not enough sleep but mainly the result of walking all day.Breakfast at this restaurant was just as lovely as at the Sheraton in Tel-Aviv; just as many choices except for the omelets, but they had scrambled eggs instead. Their tea baggies were nearly intolerable, but I suppose I expected loose leaf tea in a middle-eastern country. Our first stop this morning was Safed (Tzefat). It has an artist colony but is known as the home of Kaballah. This town reminded me of a town in Portugal that I visited a few years ago (but I can’t remember the name of the town, just that it’s a UNESCO World...
Read MoreTel-Aviv, Caesaria, Haifa, Nazareth – Day 3
Today, there were hot things for breakfast. So I decided to try the omelets (I had one with mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese) and some of the same things as the day before. And nobody sneezed on my food, so I find that breakfast was great overall.After breakfast we headed to Carmel Market near our hotel. It was still very early so most of the shop stalls were still closed, but there were some that were open. The spices were so fragrant, the strawberries superb, the bread amazingly fresh-baked, and the flowers glowed. I was glad that it wasn’t busy so I could take pictures, though I do wish we had gotten the full sense of the market. There were also plenty of...
Read MoreTel-Aviv – Day 2
This was the first morning at the hotel. It was a lovely breakfast, even though nothing was hot. No omelet station and no toaster for bread. The reason for that is Shabbat. There is even a “Shabbat” elevator, but more on that later. I tried a little of almost everything, but I was staying away from unknown dairy products (is it yogurt? milk? cottage cheese? I just didn’t want to waste it). But a few pieces of bread with apricot jam and hot tea, some smoked salmon, fruits comprised my breakfast.As I was getting a plate of fruit and coming back to my table, a kid from the table next to mine sneezed all over my table and the food already on it. ...
