December 8, 2013
Today I went to Akko. I went there with Paige and Leetal. We left early in the morning because we had to catch the train and Akko is way up in the north, almost on the border of Israel and Lebanon. The three of us got on the train and were on it for two hours or so. Since it was an early morning train, it was filled with soldiers going back to the army or back to base or coming home from base. Once we made it Akko we got off the train and were lucky enough to muss the rain. It was raining the whole time we were on the train. We found a cab and got a ride to the old city and old part of Akko.
Akko (Acre in Hebrew) is an old city. It used to be the "new" Jerusalem after the first temple was burnt down in Jerusalem. It was run by the crusaders in the 1100's. The old city looked very European and Roman -- lots of old stone ruins. Today, Akko is an Arab city and modernized. We decided that the best way to see the old city was to do a walking tour through the old city. We bought our tickets and got started! The first area we walked through was the underground village, which was created by the crusaders in the 1100's. It was very old and fun to walk around and learn the history of it. After that we walked through the Turkish Bathhouse. Once we were in the Turkish Bathhouse we were forced to watch a really creepy video about the history of it. There were creepy Arab men that were basically making fun of the Jews. I did not really understand it. Once we were done with the Turksih Bathhouse, we walked through the Arab shuk and got REALLY REALLY lost. We kept following signs to get to the Templars Tunnel and the Port, which were supposed to be the main attractions, but could not find either one. We followed every sign and somehow could not find these two places. We asked many people how to get there and still got lost and couldn't find them. At this point we were starting to get hungry, so we ended up finding the hummus restaurant that Leetal's uncle told her about. It was delicious. We ordered the typical Israeli/ Middle Eastern meal -- hummus, falafal, pita, tahina, and french fries (very unhealthy but delicious). Once we were done with lunch we decided to try finding the Templars Tunnel and the Port again. Yet again we got super lost and confused and ended up walking back and forth through the Arab shuk again. The people working at the stands and restaurants must have just been laughing at us because we were so obviously three American girls who had no idea where they were or where they were going. We finally asked a police officer were these sites were and he told us exactly how to get there! We followed his directions and YAH we found it! We first walked through the Templars Tunnel which was not even that cool, it was a tunnel underground with the ocean water running under the boards. At this point we were too tired to read the history about it, so I still have no idea what it actually was. Once we got out of the tunnel, we were at the port. It was so pretty to walk around there and see the water and sunset. There were two mules chained up to a bench outside and we got pictures with them and Paige and Leetal rode them. They also got taken advantage of because the guy who said they could go on them made it seem like the mules were not even his and then at the end he wanted Paige and Leetal to pay him forty shekels each. It was such a rip off. Anyway, they had fun riding on the mules and I got some really cool pictures of them!
Then the strangest thing of my whole life (I think) happened to us. The three of us were walking on the port and taking pictures of us and of the water and sunset. There were tons of tourists also on the port. They were all Nigerians. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, all of these Nigerians started "attacking" us and trying to take pictures. The were literally standing in lines to take pictures of us, like we were famous or royalty. The Nigerians were hugging us and kissing us and holding our hands. They told us that this was the first time they had seen white people, and it was such a big deal. It was SO WEIRD! Paige, Leetal, and I had to pull each other away from them and force ourselves out of the Nigerian herd. Once we finally got out, we were very ready to leave. We had a long day of walking and getting lost and being attacked. It was a great but strange and culturally different day; like nothing I have every done by myself. Today was for sure a day of culture shock!
Friday, December 13, 2013
December 6, 2013
Today was yet again another great day. I went to Sachne with Paige, Nate, Nate's friend Max, and Nate's cousin Daniel (who lives in Jerusalem). We left early in the morning and Daniel drove us up the coast and to Sachne. Sachne is a natural hot springs on the border of the West Bank, up north. We drove for about two hours or so and got there around 1pm, and the park/ hot springs closed at 3pm.
On our way up to Sachne, the five of us were squished into Daniel's little car. The car had two seats in the front (of course) and only two seats in the back, but we fit three of us. Nate sat in the middle seat, on top of a pillow! Other than the ride being a little tight, we made great timing and had a lot of fun. There was no traffic, so we got there fast. The views were pretty when we were driving along the coast. Once we got further inland, we were driving on the border of the West Bank. It was interesting to see the Israeli Arab villages and settlements compared to the Arab West Bank villages. The Israeli side's houses were much nicer and larger and the land was more taken care of. The West Bank's side looked much more run-down and gross and dirty. We all stepped for lunch at Cafe-Cafe in an Arab village on the Israel side. This was a definite experience! We were the only ones in the restaurant and didn't know any Arabic. The three guys were basically all fluent in Hebrew but Paige and I barely know any. The waiter at the Cafe-Cafe definitely did not know any English and only knew a little Hebrew. It was hard to order, but it ended up working out! As we were in the restaurant, the Arab waiters just kept staring at all of us and it was a little uncomfortable. We were in culture shock. We left the restaurant and headed towards Sachne. Once we got there, we realized that it closed an hour and a half after we got there. At first we thought we would be rushed but after a little while in the water, we were ready to leave. The hot springs were so nice. The water was so clear and fresh and warm. Although the air was FREEZING outside, in the water we were pretty warm. There was a hot springs pool/ pond that we swam around in and took pictures in for a while and then there was also an all natural, fresh, clean waterfall. This was for sure my, and I think everyones favorite part of the day. It was a harsh waterfall but we all sat under it anyway. It felt INCREDIBLE! The warm water was flowing down the rocks and pelting our backs, massaging us. We sat there for a while and took pictures with Paige's underwater camera of us playing in the water and posing and making funny faces. It was so much fun and so relaxing. After a little bit, probably like half an hour, of sitting under the waterfall, we started to get really really cold, so we got out of the water and dried off and changed. The park was closing and it was time for us to head back to Tel Aviv. There was no traffic on the way back and it was a nice and relaxing car ride. The three boys are all from Atlanta, Georgia, so there was a lot of country music, MY FAVORITE!!! I had a great day and it is so sad that we are leaving so soon and we don't have too much time left.
Today was yet again another great day. I went to Sachne with Paige, Nate, Nate's friend Max, and Nate's cousin Daniel (who lives in Jerusalem). We left early in the morning and Daniel drove us up the coast and to Sachne. Sachne is a natural hot springs on the border of the West Bank, up north. We drove for about two hours or so and got there around 1pm, and the park/ hot springs closed at 3pm.
On our way up to Sachne, the five of us were squished into Daniel's little car. The car had two seats in the front (of course) and only two seats in the back, but we fit three of us. Nate sat in the middle seat, on top of a pillow! Other than the ride being a little tight, we made great timing and had a lot of fun. There was no traffic, so we got there fast. The views were pretty when we were driving along the coast. Once we got further inland, we were driving on the border of the West Bank. It was interesting to see the Israeli Arab villages and settlements compared to the Arab West Bank villages. The Israeli side's houses were much nicer and larger and the land was more taken care of. The West Bank's side looked much more run-down and gross and dirty. We all stepped for lunch at Cafe-Cafe in an Arab village on the Israel side. This was a definite experience! We were the only ones in the restaurant and didn't know any Arabic. The three guys were basically all fluent in Hebrew but Paige and I barely know any. The waiter at the Cafe-Cafe definitely did not know any English and only knew a little Hebrew. It was hard to order, but it ended up working out! As we were in the restaurant, the Arab waiters just kept staring at all of us and it was a little uncomfortable. We were in culture shock. We left the restaurant and headed towards Sachne. Once we got there, we realized that it closed an hour and a half after we got there. At first we thought we would be rushed but after a little while in the water, we were ready to leave. The hot springs were so nice. The water was so clear and fresh and warm. Although the air was FREEZING outside, in the water we were pretty warm. There was a hot springs pool/ pond that we swam around in and took pictures in for a while and then there was also an all natural, fresh, clean waterfall. This was for sure my, and I think everyones favorite part of the day. It was a harsh waterfall but we all sat under it anyway. It felt INCREDIBLE! The warm water was flowing down the rocks and pelting our backs, massaging us. We sat there for a while and took pictures with Paige's underwater camera of us playing in the water and posing and making funny faces. It was so much fun and so relaxing. After a little bit, probably like half an hour, of sitting under the waterfall, we started to get really really cold, so we got out of the water and dried off and changed. The park was closing and it was time for us to head back to Tel Aviv. There was no traffic on the way back and it was a nice and relaxing car ride. The three boys are all from Atlanta, Georgia, so there was a lot of country music, MY FAVORITE!!! I had a great day and it is so sad that we are leaving so soon and we don't have too much time left.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
December 1, 2013
WOW! I cannot believe that it is already December first. My time here has gone by so fast which means that I am going home so soon ;( Anyways, today was a fun day. Paige, Leetal, Gabrielle, and I had planned on going to Haifa today to see the Bahai gardens. We have been planning and trying to go here multiple times but something keeps happening or getting in the way. Most of us woke up early and were really excited to go but them Gabrielle wasnt feeling well and Leetal slept through her alarm. By the time she woke up, we had missed the train we were planning on taking. Gabrielle decided she did not want to go to Haifa anymore, so Leetal ended up going by herself to visit her family. At this point, Paige and I were bored so we were trying to figure out what to do and where to go. We decided to go to Jerusalem for the day! Paige and I got ready and headed to the bus station to take a bus to Jerusalem.
The bus ride only took about an hour, so we got there by 1pm. Once we arrived in Jerusalem we got a little lost. We were trying to get to the shuk, by walking, and ended up walking right past it. Eventually we got there and walked around and got lunch and snacks and goodies. Paige and I realized that we had not tried shawarma yet in Israel, so we found a shawarma shack and tried it! Lets ust say taht i Paige and I both agreed that that was our first and last time trying shawarma. It was really fatty and oily and HUGE. Paige and I were not the biggest fans! After lunch we walked around teh shuk a little bit and i found some really good tea that I bought to bring back home. We also bought some banana chips and nuts for the bus ride home. As we were walking through the shuk, some places were handing out free samples of food. Paige and I both tried coffee flavored havla and it was delicious! We also tried flavored tahina and watched the machine make it. It was sooo myummy and really cool to watch. After about an hour or an hour and a half or so, we were tired of the shuk and were ready to go to the Kotel. WE bought train tickets to get there and got on the train. Once we arrived at the Damascus gate, the train stop of the old Holy city, we got out and that is when everything happened! We found a nice couple and asked them how to get to the Kotel. They said that it was really easy, you just walk down these steps and keep walking straight and you will get there. We followed their instructions and ended up walking through the Arab shuk. This was one of the scariest moments of my life. There were tons of creepy Arab men staring and looking at us and muttering to themselves about us. I have heard before that this Arab shuk is not a safe place to be, and of course the two of us girls wind up walking through it. We were really scared and lost and could not find the way out. Paige and I kept asking the soldiers guarding the area how to get to the Western wall and they said to just keep walking straight. We did not believe them at first and then finally made it out, ALIVE and wound up at the Kotel. We got there just in time for the Menorah lighting for Hanukkah. This was the main reason why we wanted to come to Jerusalem today. Paige and I walked around teh Western wall and went up to it and then once the sun started to set at about 4:30, a rabbi came onto the stage with the menorah and sang the prayers and blessings and Hanukkah songs and then lit the Menorah. There was a small menorah right at the Western Wall and there were also torches above the wall, to make a menorah. It was really cool and special to be at the Kotel, the most holy site for the Jewish people, on Hanukkah. I was really glad that we decided to do this. Once the menorah was lit, there were Hanukkah songs blasting through the speakers. At this point, we were tired and decided to head back to Tel Aviv. Once we left the Kotel, we got really lost trying to find our way back to the tram station, to take the train back to the central bus station. As we were walking out, we walked through the residential section of the old city. There were rabbis outside lighting menorahs on the street and you could see into houses and apartment and see their menorahs. It was a great and cultural day! I had a lot of fun!
WOW! I cannot believe that it is already December first. My time here has gone by so fast which means that I am going home so soon ;( Anyways, today was a fun day. Paige, Leetal, Gabrielle, and I had planned on going to Haifa today to see the Bahai gardens. We have been planning and trying to go here multiple times but something keeps happening or getting in the way. Most of us woke up early and were really excited to go but them Gabrielle wasnt feeling well and Leetal slept through her alarm. By the time she woke up, we had missed the train we were planning on taking. Gabrielle decided she did not want to go to Haifa anymore, so Leetal ended up going by herself to visit her family. At this point, Paige and I were bored so we were trying to figure out what to do and where to go. We decided to go to Jerusalem for the day! Paige and I got ready and headed to the bus station to take a bus to Jerusalem.
The bus ride only took about an hour, so we got there by 1pm. Once we arrived in Jerusalem we got a little lost. We were trying to get to the shuk, by walking, and ended up walking right past it. Eventually we got there and walked around and got lunch and snacks and goodies. Paige and I realized that we had not tried shawarma yet in Israel, so we found a shawarma shack and tried it! Lets ust say taht i Paige and I both agreed that that was our first and last time trying shawarma. It was really fatty and oily and HUGE. Paige and I were not the biggest fans! After lunch we walked around teh shuk a little bit and i found some really good tea that I bought to bring back home. We also bought some banana chips and nuts for the bus ride home. As we were walking through the shuk, some places were handing out free samples of food. Paige and I both tried coffee flavored havla and it was delicious! We also tried flavored tahina and watched the machine make it. It was sooo myummy and really cool to watch. After about an hour or an hour and a half or so, we were tired of the shuk and were ready to go to the Kotel. WE bought train tickets to get there and got on the train. Once we arrived at the Damascus gate, the train stop of the old Holy city, we got out and that is when everything happened! We found a nice couple and asked them how to get to the Kotel. They said that it was really easy, you just walk down these steps and keep walking straight and you will get there. We followed their instructions and ended up walking through the Arab shuk. This was one of the scariest moments of my life. There were tons of creepy Arab men staring and looking at us and muttering to themselves about us. I have heard before that this Arab shuk is not a safe place to be, and of course the two of us girls wind up walking through it. We were really scared and lost and could not find the way out. Paige and I kept asking the soldiers guarding the area how to get to the Western wall and they said to just keep walking straight. We did not believe them at first and then finally made it out, ALIVE and wound up at the Kotel. We got there just in time for the Menorah lighting for Hanukkah. This was the main reason why we wanted to come to Jerusalem today. Paige and I walked around teh Western wall and went up to it and then once the sun started to set at about 4:30, a rabbi came onto the stage with the menorah and sang the prayers and blessings and Hanukkah songs and then lit the Menorah. There was a small menorah right at the Western Wall and there were also torches above the wall, to make a menorah. It was really cool and special to be at the Kotel, the most holy site for the Jewish people, on Hanukkah. I was really glad that we decided to do this. Once the menorah was lit, there were Hanukkah songs blasting through the speakers. At this point, we were tired and decided to head back to Tel Aviv. Once we left the Kotel, we got really lost trying to find our way back to the tram station, to take the train back to the central bus station. As we were walking out, we walked through the residential section of the old city. There were rabbis outside lighting menorahs on the street and you could see into houses and apartment and see their menorahs. It was a great and cultural day! I had a lot of fun!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
November 28, 2013
Today was the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. It was Thanksgivukah! I had a normal day of classes and then hanging out with friends a little bit. At about 5pm, I left the dorms and got a cab to my cousin, Manoli's army base. It was about twenty five minutes away, in Ramat Gan. I had to meet him there because he was driving me back to his and his family's house in Jerusalem. I was going to my cousin Amiel and his family's house for Thanksgiving. The car ride from Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem was about an hour and a half. The whole car ride, I was talking to Manoli about the army and different positions and units and rankings and uniforms. It was really interesting to finally learn about the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Once we got to their house in Jerusalem, the party started! It was an interesting mix of people, both friends, mutual and further friends, and family, both close and far. I met a lot of new people and had a lot of fun with them. The Thanksgiving dinner was delicious! There were latkes and Asian green beans and sweet potatoes and turkey and cornbread and corn on the cob and cranberry sauce with apples in it, stuffing, cole slaw, a salad, and much more. It was a huge and yummy dinner. The desserts were incredible too; apple pie, apple-pumpkin pie, a crisp, and dreidle cookies. My cousin, Elyana (Amiels's daughter and Manoli's sister), wants to be a pastry chef when she grows up so she made all of the breads and desserts. She made them deliciously and beautifully! Once we were all too full to function, all of the "kids" moved down to one side of the long table and we all played Cards Against Humanity and kept making pitchers of sangria. We were awake and playing the game and laughing histarically until 1am. Originally I was not planning on spending the night but because we played the game until so late, I ended up sleeping at their house.
I did not get a lot of sleep because I was sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor and it was not very comfy at all. Also we went to bed very late and woke up early. Oh well! Int he morning, we cleaned the house and cleaned up after everything from the night before. Once the house was spotless, we had some tea and coffee and then headed outside for a walk around Jerusalem and the shuk. Manoli and Amiel bought a bunch of groceries for Shabbat at the shuk. Elyana and I got yummy smoothies for breakfast and walked around. It was fun to see the Jerusalem shuk compared to the Tel Aviv shuk. After the shuk we headed back to their house and hung out there for a little bit. Then I had to leave because I had to make sure I got on the bus back to Tel Aviv before Shabbat started and the buses stopped working. I made it and had a nice and relaxing bus ride back to Tel Avi. I had an amazing Thanksgivikah this year and it was so nice to be with family, even though I didn't really know them that well, while I was on the other side of the world from my intermediate family. I am really glad that I decided to go to Amiel's house for Thanksgivikah dinner, I had a great time!
Today was the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. It was Thanksgivukah! I had a normal day of classes and then hanging out with friends a little bit. At about 5pm, I left the dorms and got a cab to my cousin, Manoli's army base. It was about twenty five minutes away, in Ramat Gan. I had to meet him there because he was driving me back to his and his family's house in Jerusalem. I was going to my cousin Amiel and his family's house for Thanksgiving. The car ride from Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem was about an hour and a half. The whole car ride, I was talking to Manoli about the army and different positions and units and rankings and uniforms. It was really interesting to finally learn about the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Once we got to their house in Jerusalem, the party started! It was an interesting mix of people, both friends, mutual and further friends, and family, both close and far. I met a lot of new people and had a lot of fun with them. The Thanksgiving dinner was delicious! There were latkes and Asian green beans and sweet potatoes and turkey and cornbread and corn on the cob and cranberry sauce with apples in it, stuffing, cole slaw, a salad, and much more. It was a huge and yummy dinner. The desserts were incredible too; apple pie, apple-pumpkin pie, a crisp, and dreidle cookies. My cousin, Elyana (Amiels's daughter and Manoli's sister), wants to be a pastry chef when she grows up so she made all of the breads and desserts. She made them deliciously and beautifully! Once we were all too full to function, all of the "kids" moved down to one side of the long table and we all played Cards Against Humanity and kept making pitchers of sangria. We were awake and playing the game and laughing histarically until 1am. Originally I was not planning on spending the night but because we played the game until so late, I ended up sleeping at their house.
I did not get a lot of sleep because I was sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor and it was not very comfy at all. Also we went to bed very late and woke up early. Oh well! Int he morning, we cleaned the house and cleaned up after everything from the night before. Once the house was spotless, we had some tea and coffee and then headed outside for a walk around Jerusalem and the shuk. Manoli and Amiel bought a bunch of groceries for Shabbat at the shuk. Elyana and I got yummy smoothies for breakfast and walked around. It was fun to see the Jerusalem shuk compared to the Tel Aviv shuk. After the shuk we headed back to their house and hung out there for a little bit. Then I had to leave because I had to make sure I got on the bus back to Tel Aviv before Shabbat started and the buses stopped working. I made it and had a nice and relaxing bus ride back to Tel Avi. I had an amazing Thanksgivikah this year and it was so nice to be with family, even though I didn't really know them that well, while I was on the other side of the world from my intermediate family. I am really glad that I decided to go to Amiel's house for Thanksgivikah dinner, I had a great time!
November 24, 2013
Today was a great day. I had an early start; going to sleep at 5am last night and waking up this morning at 8am. Today we were finally going to Rosh Hanikra, the underwater, all natural caves on the border of Lebanon and Israel. It was really hard waking up, but I did and dragged myself to get ready and make it outside to the train station. Paige, Gabrielle, Gabrielle's boyfriend Cody, Nate, and I made it to the train station and onto the train. It was so crowded at first and we were all standing for a while in between the two cars. Once we were on the train for a while, a bunch of seats opened up and we were all able to sit down. After being on the train for about an hour and a half or so, we finally got to the furthest north train stop in Israel. From there, we took a twenty minute cab to Rosh Hanikra. Once we got to Rosh Hanikra, we got our tickets and took the cable car down to the water and to the caves. We all walked through the grottos, the underwater caves. THey were so pretty and it was fun to stand at the lookout points in the caves and see the water splashing into the caves and water rushing in and out of them. The colors and erosion of the caves were beautiful too. The caves were all different shapes and colors (red, green, yellow, orange, brown, blue, pearly), and all different heights. Once we walked through all of the grottos, we walked around the outside of the caves, right on the Mediterranean Sea. The salt and the water from the sea made the rocks white. They were also beautiful. Although there was not that much to see at Rosh Hanikra, we had a great time walking around, taking pictures, and sitting on the rocks, watching the huge waves splash up and almost hit us!
After Rosh Hanikra, we got a little lost. We thought we were exiting the area the right way, through the old train tracks there, but we were very wrong. We ended up walking through the train tracks into another beach and all the way down the coastline. We were not able to find a way out of the Rosh Hanikra area, so we just kept walking and walking and walking and walking. We stopped a few times at different beaches and walked a little in the sand and in the water. Cody was leading the way and got us stuck in the middle of nowhere, LITERALLY. We were on an endless road, on the coast, on the border of Lebanon. Finally, after two or three miles, we hit the main road and were able to get a cab back to the main city. Today was a great day but long. It was beautiful and a lot of fun and we got our exercise. We all made it back to Tel Aviv safely and just passed out!
Today was a great day. I had an early start; going to sleep at 5am last night and waking up this morning at 8am. Today we were finally going to Rosh Hanikra, the underwater, all natural caves on the border of Lebanon and Israel. It was really hard waking up, but I did and dragged myself to get ready and make it outside to the train station. Paige, Gabrielle, Gabrielle's boyfriend Cody, Nate, and I made it to the train station and onto the train. It was so crowded at first and we were all standing for a while in between the two cars. Once we were on the train for a while, a bunch of seats opened up and we were all able to sit down. After being on the train for about an hour and a half or so, we finally got to the furthest north train stop in Israel. From there, we took a twenty minute cab to Rosh Hanikra. Once we got to Rosh Hanikra, we got our tickets and took the cable car down to the water and to the caves. We all walked through the grottos, the underwater caves. THey were so pretty and it was fun to stand at the lookout points in the caves and see the water splashing into the caves and water rushing in and out of them. The colors and erosion of the caves were beautiful too. The caves were all different shapes and colors (red, green, yellow, orange, brown, blue, pearly), and all different heights. Once we walked through all of the grottos, we walked around the outside of the caves, right on the Mediterranean Sea. The salt and the water from the sea made the rocks white. They were also beautiful. Although there was not that much to see at Rosh Hanikra, we had a great time walking around, taking pictures, and sitting on the rocks, watching the huge waves splash up and almost hit us!
After Rosh Hanikra, we got a little lost. We thought we were exiting the area the right way, through the old train tracks there, but we were very wrong. We ended up walking through the train tracks into another beach and all the way down the coastline. We were not able to find a way out of the Rosh Hanikra area, so we just kept walking and walking and walking and walking. We stopped a few times at different beaches and walked a little in the sand and in the water. Cody was leading the way and got us stuck in the middle of nowhere, LITERALLY. We were on an endless road, on the coast, on the border of Lebanon. Finally, after two or three miles, we hit the main road and were able to get a cab back to the main city. Today was a great day but long. It was beautiful and a lot of fun and we got our exercise. We all made it back to Tel Aviv safely and just passed out!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
December 17, 2013
Today was our last and final day in Eilat. We all woke up early again, packed up all of our things, and headed to the main lobby for our delicious (NOT) breakfast. We had to check out of the hotel today because we were leaving tonight to go back to Tel Aviv. After breakfast we headed into the buses and then drove for a few minutes, basically to the border of Egypt and Israel. This is where our hike was at. We hiked the mountains above Camel ranch, which was right on the border. The hike was not that hard and challenging but the views on top were SO work it and beautiful! Once we made it to the top of the mountain, you could see all of the Eilat, the Red Sea gulf, Jordan across the water, Saudi Arabia a few miles past Jordan, further down the gulf, the border of Israel and Jordan (the Jordan Valley), and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. These views were absolutely incredible. We stayed on the peak for an hour or so, just taking advantage of the views and having some snacks. OUr tour guide, Gili, made brewed hot tea and coffee for us on top. It was so nice to sit on top of the mountain, looking at all these countries and borders, relaxing and drinking homemade fresh hot tea. There is nothing like that! It took a while to get back down to the ground and sea level because the mountain was very steep, so we had to climb down it VERY slowly.
Once we got down the mountain, we headed over to the dolphin reef beach. We had lunch there and sat out on the beach. Paige and I brought our snorkels with us to the beach, attempting to snorkle. We went into the water and it was FREEZING. Eilat's tourist season is basically over. Because the water is so cold, there are not a lot of the pretty fish swimming around in the shallow water, the coral is not as pretty and colorful, and the water is not as clear and clean. Due to these things, our snorkeling was not great and we were not able to see a lot or stay in the water for a long enough time. A bunch of us ended up just sitting in a big circle in chairs, tanning and talking on the beach. It was so much fun. My favorit part about this day was seeing the dolphins. We all went over to the dolphin reef area and stood along the edge of the dock, looking for the dolphins to come up to the surface. After the dolphin trainer blew his whistle to alert the dolphins, they came swimming up to us. At some points we got about a foot away from them and some people even got to touch them or the dolphins would swim up along the feet. I personally have never seen and been soup close to dolphins. I have been to dolphin shows at the aquarium and Shamu at Sea World, but this was a whole new experience. It was so cool to be so close to them and see them playing int he water and doing jumps and flips without a trainer making them do it. They were living in their own natural habitat. We had to leave the dolphin reef around four in the afternoon because we had to drive back to Tel Aviv. We said bye to the dolphins (!!!!) and got on the road, driving four hours back to Tel Aviv. The bus ride actually was not that bad because everyone basically just listened to music and slept the whole way back. Eilat, and specifically today were amazing. I had a great trip and tons of fun!
Today was our last and final day in Eilat. We all woke up early again, packed up all of our things, and headed to the main lobby for our delicious (NOT) breakfast. We had to check out of the hotel today because we were leaving tonight to go back to Tel Aviv. After breakfast we headed into the buses and then drove for a few minutes, basically to the border of Egypt and Israel. This is where our hike was at. We hiked the mountains above Camel ranch, which was right on the border. The hike was not that hard and challenging but the views on top were SO work it and beautiful! Once we made it to the top of the mountain, you could see all of the Eilat, the Red Sea gulf, Jordan across the water, Saudi Arabia a few miles past Jordan, further down the gulf, the border of Israel and Jordan (the Jordan Valley), and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. These views were absolutely incredible. We stayed on the peak for an hour or so, just taking advantage of the views and having some snacks. OUr tour guide, Gili, made brewed hot tea and coffee for us on top. It was so nice to sit on top of the mountain, looking at all these countries and borders, relaxing and drinking homemade fresh hot tea. There is nothing like that! It took a while to get back down to the ground and sea level because the mountain was very steep, so we had to climb down it VERY slowly.
Once we got down the mountain, we headed over to the dolphin reef beach. We had lunch there and sat out on the beach. Paige and I brought our snorkels with us to the beach, attempting to snorkle. We went into the water and it was FREEZING. Eilat's tourist season is basically over. Because the water is so cold, there are not a lot of the pretty fish swimming around in the shallow water, the coral is not as pretty and colorful, and the water is not as clear and clean. Due to these things, our snorkeling was not great and we were not able to see a lot or stay in the water for a long enough time. A bunch of us ended up just sitting in a big circle in chairs, tanning and talking on the beach. It was so much fun. My favorit part about this day was seeing the dolphins. We all went over to the dolphin reef area and stood along the edge of the dock, looking for the dolphins to come up to the surface. After the dolphin trainer blew his whistle to alert the dolphins, they came swimming up to us. At some points we got about a foot away from them and some people even got to touch them or the dolphins would swim up along the feet. I personally have never seen and been soup close to dolphins. I have been to dolphin shows at the aquarium and Shamu at Sea World, but this was a whole new experience. It was so cool to be so close to them and see them playing int he water and doing jumps and flips without a trainer making them do it. They were living in their own natural habitat. We had to leave the dolphin reef around four in the afternoon because we had to drive back to Tel Aviv. We said bye to the dolphins (!!!!) and got on the road, driving four hours back to Tel Aviv. The bus ride actually was not that bad because everyone basically just listened to music and slept the whole way back. Eilat, and specifically today were amazing. I had a great trip and tons of fun!
November 16, 2013
Today was the second day in Eilat. We woke up early today and had breakfast at the hotel, which was not very good at all. EW! We had to get an early start because had a long day ahead of us of hiking. We drove about twenty minutes out of Eilat and wound up at the Amir mountains. The hike was absolutely beautiful; we saw the columns in the middle of the desert mountains and amazing rock formations. The hike was actually really interesting because we learned about the history of the mountains and settlers coming into Israel and living in the desert for forty years. We also played a lot of silly games along the hike, to keep all of us entertained. The hike was actually very hard. You did not have to be physically strong to do the hike, but there was a lot of physicality. We were hiking alond cliffs, down slopes, walking on unstable rocks, and walking up and down sleep inclines. There were tons of times that I thought I was not going to make it! HAHA. It was very scary walking in these areas. Although we had a long and hard hike, and I didn't exactly love the actual hiking, I felt amazing at the end. Looking back at the pictures I took, it was really rewarding to be able to say and feel that I accomplished and finished the hike ALIVE!
After finishing the hike, we headed back to the hotel to relax and hang out a little bit before yet another GROSS dinner. Once we finished dinner, we walked over to the boardwalk and had free time until midnight. This was really nice and relaxing and fun. The whole time I was hanging out with paige and a new friend, Nate. We walked around the boardwalk and along the water and past the hotel area. It was so pretty and relaxing to hear the waves crashing into the shore and feeling the breeze on our bodies! We then found a cute little ice cream shop and got some dessert. Nate and Paige got ice cream and I got delicious frozen yogurt. Who would have known that Israel has such god frozen yogurt! Once we got our treats, the three of us went and sat on some rocks along the water, dangling our feet above the waves, eating our ice cream. We were sitting there for two hours or so, just talking. These few fours reinforced the love I have for Israel and how sad I am to be going home kinda soon.
Today was the second day in Eilat. We woke up early today and had breakfast at the hotel, which was not very good at all. EW! We had to get an early start because had a long day ahead of us of hiking. We drove about twenty minutes out of Eilat and wound up at the Amir mountains. The hike was absolutely beautiful; we saw the columns in the middle of the desert mountains and amazing rock formations. The hike was actually really interesting because we learned about the history of the mountains and settlers coming into Israel and living in the desert for forty years. We also played a lot of silly games along the hike, to keep all of us entertained. The hike was actually very hard. You did not have to be physically strong to do the hike, but there was a lot of physicality. We were hiking alond cliffs, down slopes, walking on unstable rocks, and walking up and down sleep inclines. There were tons of times that I thought I was not going to make it! HAHA. It was very scary walking in these areas. Although we had a long and hard hike, and I didn't exactly love the actual hiking, I felt amazing at the end. Looking back at the pictures I took, it was really rewarding to be able to say and feel that I accomplished and finished the hike ALIVE!
After finishing the hike, we headed back to the hotel to relax and hang out a little bit before yet another GROSS dinner. Once we finished dinner, we walked over to the boardwalk and had free time until midnight. This was really nice and relaxing and fun. The whole time I was hanging out with paige and a new friend, Nate. We walked around the boardwalk and along the water and past the hotel area. It was so pretty and relaxing to hear the waves crashing into the shore and feeling the breeze on our bodies! We then found a cute little ice cream shop and got some dessert. Nate and Paige got ice cream and I got delicious frozen yogurt. Who would have known that Israel has such god frozen yogurt! Once we got our treats, the three of us went and sat on some rocks along the water, dangling our feet above the waves, eating our ice cream. We were sitting there for two hours or so, just talking. These few fours reinforced the love I have for Israel and how sad I am to be going home kinda soon.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
November 15, 2013
Today was the first day of our school trip weekend in Eilat! It was five or six hour drive to get down there. We left the dorms at school at 7am and didn't get there until 3:30 or so. We did have a few stops along the way though. It was really cool to drive through the Negev desert. I literally felt like I was right in the desert because we were basically on a dirt road winding through the red and orange and white and black desert mountains.
The first place we stopped was the Hebrew Israelites community in Demona. It was about halfway between Tel Aviv and Eilat. This kibbutz village was probably the weirdest thing I have ever seen or heard of in my life. The people that live there are all African Americans that came to Israel, following the beliefs and rules of the Torah. They do not consider themselves to be religious at all or have any religious affiliation. Their customs and beliefs are very strange. For example, they are all vegans and fast one day a week and are not allowed to eat after sunset everyday and once a year they have to eat only raw food for a week. THey are also forced to exercise everyday and work in the mountains. They do these things and follow these rules because this was what they interpreted the Torah and Bible telling them to do. The Hebrew Israelites also do not believe in higher education. They think that everyone should be equal and make the same amount of money, so nobody needs to go on to higher education. They also think that because of higher education, bad things have happened. The weirdest custom, to me, out of everything they believed in and thought and did, was their practice of polygamy (the men are allowed to have multiple wives). The guy that was showing us around this kibbutz and telling us all about it claimed that he has five wives and at the time twenty one children. This idea and concept just freaked me out. Apparently this kibbutz only has about 500 people living in it, and if all of the men have four or five or more wives, there must be a lot of incest. I thought that this was disgusting and I still do not believe that all of the women are happy and ok with their husbands marrying their all of their friends. EEWWW! I was ready and happy to get out of this weird kibbutz. After leaving this kibbutz in Demona, we drove past the israeli nuclear power plant. The next stop we made on our way to Eilat was at Yotveta; we stopped here for lunch. This was the chocolate milk factory and Israel's biggest dairy farm. At this point we were about thirty minutes away form Eilat.
We finally made it to Eilat and I was so happy to be there. I was in Eilat at the beginning of October and it was so much fun so I was excited to be back! Once we got to our hostel and checked in and got our rooms, we had a few hours to relax and kinda explore before dinner. I called my dad and told him about the day and then took a nice nap. Then it was dinner time, but the food was terrible. I have to admit, I think it was worse than the food that was served at DU's dining halls (which were gross). Anyway, I made it through dinner and it was time to go over to the marina and start our night off! We had a party boat waiting for us in the marina. it was a big sailboat and we were on the boat for a few hours. It was fun to go into the Red Sea and cruise around, listening to fun music and having a great time. There was a fat belly dancer on the boat which was very interesting. HAHA! She was big and not wearing a lot of clothes and belly dancing. She was also trying to get everyone involved and dancing with her, which did not really work out too well. Other than the weird belly dancer, the party boat was a lot of fun. Paige and Alona and I net some new friends and were hanging out with them all night. Every though we started the day with a long bus ride and touring a weird kibbutz, the end of the night ended really well!
Today was the first day of our school trip weekend in Eilat! It was five or six hour drive to get down there. We left the dorms at school at 7am and didn't get there until 3:30 or so. We did have a few stops along the way though. It was really cool to drive through the Negev desert. I literally felt like I was right in the desert because we were basically on a dirt road winding through the red and orange and white and black desert mountains.
The first place we stopped was the Hebrew Israelites community in Demona. It was about halfway between Tel Aviv and Eilat. This kibbutz village was probably the weirdest thing I have ever seen or heard of in my life. The people that live there are all African Americans that came to Israel, following the beliefs and rules of the Torah. They do not consider themselves to be religious at all or have any religious affiliation. Their customs and beliefs are very strange. For example, they are all vegans and fast one day a week and are not allowed to eat after sunset everyday and once a year they have to eat only raw food for a week. THey are also forced to exercise everyday and work in the mountains. They do these things and follow these rules because this was what they interpreted the Torah and Bible telling them to do. The Hebrew Israelites also do not believe in higher education. They think that everyone should be equal and make the same amount of money, so nobody needs to go on to higher education. They also think that because of higher education, bad things have happened. The weirdest custom, to me, out of everything they believed in and thought and did, was their practice of polygamy (the men are allowed to have multiple wives). The guy that was showing us around this kibbutz and telling us all about it claimed that he has five wives and at the time twenty one children. This idea and concept just freaked me out. Apparently this kibbutz only has about 500 people living in it, and if all of the men have four or five or more wives, there must be a lot of incest. I thought that this was disgusting and I still do not believe that all of the women are happy and ok with their husbands marrying their all of their friends. EEWWW! I was ready and happy to get out of this weird kibbutz. After leaving this kibbutz in Demona, we drove past the israeli nuclear power plant. The next stop we made on our way to Eilat was at Yotveta; we stopped here for lunch. This was the chocolate milk factory and Israel's biggest dairy farm. At this point we were about thirty minutes away form Eilat.
We finally made it to Eilat and I was so happy to be there. I was in Eilat at the beginning of October and it was so much fun so I was excited to be back! Once we got to our hostel and checked in and got our rooms, we had a few hours to relax and kinda explore before dinner. I called my dad and told him about the day and then took a nice nap. Then it was dinner time, but the food was terrible. I have to admit, I think it was worse than the food that was served at DU's dining halls (which were gross). Anyway, I made it through dinner and it was time to go over to the marina and start our night off! We had a party boat waiting for us in the marina. it was a big sailboat and we were on the boat for a few hours. It was fun to go into the Red Sea and cruise around, listening to fun music and having a great time. There was a fat belly dancer on the boat which was very interesting. HAHA! She was big and not wearing a lot of clothes and belly dancing. She was also trying to get everyone involved and dancing with her, which did not really work out too well. Other than the weird belly dancer, the party boat was a lot of fun. Paige and Alona and I net some new friends and were hanging out with them all night. Every though we started the day with a long bus ride and touring a weird kibbutz, the end of the night ended really well!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
November 15, 2013
The other day Paige and I realized that our semester abroad
is coming to a quick end. This realization made us very sad so we decided we
wanted to start doing and seeing a lot more. Last night we made a LONG list of
things that we want to see and places we want to go. One of the things on the
list was to walk around the Neve Tzedik area of Tel Aviv.
After class today, around 2pm, Paige and Alona and I decided
to go to the Neve Tzedik area and walk around and have lunch there. We took a
long cab ride to the southern part of Tel Aviv and ended up in the Neve Tzedik
area. It was so nice and pretty and cute! Walking through this area, I felt
like I was in old Europe and definitely not the Middle East. The streets were
very narrow and there were shops in alleyways. There was also a ton of artwork
and mosaics lining the streets and buildings. Alona, Paige, and I walked around
and found a cute restaurant for lunch. It was called Suzana, and was a typical
Iraqi café. It was fun to sit outside the café and watch people walking through
the streets and animals running around. Strangely enough, we either saw a
rooster or a chicken walking around the street and making noises. This was definitely
not something you see everyday. After our delicious lunch, the three of us
walked around the area and went into some cute boutiques and shops. The Neve
Tzedik is known for its art galleries and vintage stores. It was a really cute
area with a lot of nice stores and galleries. I want to come back soon, before
I leave Israel.
Once we left the Neve Tzedik, we got stuck in a lot of
traffic, on our way home. Although the Neve Tzedik is not that far away from
the University of Tel Aviv, it took about forty five minutes to get home.
Luckily, before we got in the cab we made the decision to set a price of sixty
five shekels instead of using the meter. If we were to have used the meter, we
would have had to pay probably pay a few hundred shekels L. Once we finally got
back to school, I relaxed for a bit and then started to pack and get ready for
this weekend. Tomorrow morning, well in five hours, at 7am, I am leaving for
Eilat. It is a school trip and we are going down there for the weekend. I am so
excited! I better go to bed so I can actually wake up in just a few hours. The
next blog post you read will be me from Eilat!!!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
November 8, 2013
Have I ever mentioned that I love Tel Aviv? Just in case, I do LOVE it here! Today was a nice, relaxing day and was the definition of Israeli life and living in Israel. I woke up this morning, early and had to take my midterm :(. It wasn't that bad thought and I was expecting the test to be much worse. After sitting in the classroom for two and a half hours, taking the test, I came back to my room and got ready for the gym. Paige and I went to the pool to sit outside and relax for a bit and then we went to teh gym. I had a great workout and felt amazing afterward. Once I left the gym, I came back to the dorms and got ready for dinner. One of my friends, Gabrielle, invited me and another friends and her roommate to her family friend's Shabbat dinner. The family is from the US and they made Aliyah four years ago, so everyone at dinner was luckily speaking in English! This family lived in the Neged Tzedek, which is a really nice and fancy area of the city. It was apparently the oldest and first neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Their house was so nice, when we walked in, there was a courtyard and then inside was all new and modern and clean and nice. There was a lot of fancy artwork on the walls and the house was three floors. It was so nice to be "adopted" into someones house, when you are so far away from home and family. Also, the food was so good and homemade; we had curry cauliflower, a salad, teriyaki glazed salmon, and veggie lasagna, and great red wine. I normally do not like red wine but this was delicious! It was a traditional Shabbat dinner, we read from the torah and sand a few songs and had to wash our hands the special way (I did not know this and did it wrong), and say a blessing over the wine and Challah. It was a really nice Shabbat dinner. We were all so full after dinner, so we decided to go for a nice walk. Once we figured out where we were, we realized that we were really close to the beach. We then spent the next hour or so walking in the sand and the Mediterranean Sea. It was so relaxing and nice and the weather was incredible! It was about seventy five degrees or so at night, with a warm breeze blowing in our faces. During the whole walk, I just kept thinking about how lucky I was to be studying abroad in Tel Aviv. I know for sure I chose the PERFECT place to study abroad; I could not have been happier anywhere else!
Have I ever mentioned that I love Tel Aviv? Just in case, I do LOVE it here! Today was a nice, relaxing day and was the definition of Israeli life and living in Israel. I woke up this morning, early and had to take my midterm :(. It wasn't that bad thought and I was expecting the test to be much worse. After sitting in the classroom for two and a half hours, taking the test, I came back to my room and got ready for the gym. Paige and I went to the pool to sit outside and relax for a bit and then we went to teh gym. I had a great workout and felt amazing afterward. Once I left the gym, I came back to the dorms and got ready for dinner. One of my friends, Gabrielle, invited me and another friends and her roommate to her family friend's Shabbat dinner. The family is from the US and they made Aliyah four years ago, so everyone at dinner was luckily speaking in English! This family lived in the Neged Tzedek, which is a really nice and fancy area of the city. It was apparently the oldest and first neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Their house was so nice, when we walked in, there was a courtyard and then inside was all new and modern and clean and nice. There was a lot of fancy artwork on the walls and the house was three floors. It was so nice to be "adopted" into someones house, when you are so far away from home and family. Also, the food was so good and homemade; we had curry cauliflower, a salad, teriyaki glazed salmon, and veggie lasagna, and great red wine. I normally do not like red wine but this was delicious! It was a traditional Shabbat dinner, we read from the torah and sand a few songs and had to wash our hands the special way (I did not know this and did it wrong), and say a blessing over the wine and Challah. It was a really nice Shabbat dinner. We were all so full after dinner, so we decided to go for a nice walk. Once we figured out where we were, we realized that we were really close to the beach. We then spent the next hour or so walking in the sand and the Mediterranean Sea. It was so relaxing and nice and the weather was incredible! It was about seventy five degrees or so at night, with a warm breeze blowing in our faces. During the whole walk, I just kept thinking about how lucky I was to be studying abroad in Tel Aviv. I know for sure I chose the PERFECT place to study abroad; I could not have been happier anywhere else!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
October 24, 2013
Today was an interesting and very Israeli day. I had class from 10-2 and them came back to the dorms and relaxed a bit. After that, Alona and Paige and I went to an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces -- the Israeli army) panel on an army base. It was my first time being on an army base, so it was really cool and interesting to see what it looked like. I was actually really surprised, I expected more people to be walking around and I thought that it was going to be more like an American army base and all muddy and have obstacle courses set up everywhere. I later realized that the reason why it was so empty was because it was a day base, which meant that all of the soldiers left at night and went home. At the base, we went into a room for every section of the Israeli army -- paratroopers, the navy, the intelligence unit, the air force unit, and the medical unit with the doctors and paramedics. A group of about ten or fifteen of us from the oversees program at the University of Tel Aviv (the program I am in) went to this army base. For each unit, a soldier would tell us about it, tell us a story form them working in it, and show us pictures or a video or things used in each unit. All of the soldier were real soldiers and actually in these units that they were telling us about. It felt really real and official to be on the base, talking to soldiers, and learning about their positions. After hearing about all of the army units, we walked around the base and saw a real iron dome, an old navy boat, some army trucks, and a real tanker. The group of us all climbed onto the tanker and got a picture. Some of the Israeli soldiers got in the picture with us too. It was a really cool way to spend the afternoon! After seeing all of the units and hearing about what they do, I think that if i had to choose one to be in, I would want to be apart of the navy. It seems really cool and "fun"and not as dangerous because the girls are not actually fighting on the boats.
Today was an interesting and very Israeli day. I had class from 10-2 and them came back to the dorms and relaxed a bit. After that, Alona and Paige and I went to an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces -- the Israeli army) panel on an army base. It was my first time being on an army base, so it was really cool and interesting to see what it looked like. I was actually really surprised, I expected more people to be walking around and I thought that it was going to be more like an American army base and all muddy and have obstacle courses set up everywhere. I later realized that the reason why it was so empty was because it was a day base, which meant that all of the soldiers left at night and went home. At the base, we went into a room for every section of the Israeli army -- paratroopers, the navy, the intelligence unit, the air force unit, and the medical unit with the doctors and paramedics. A group of about ten or fifteen of us from the oversees program at the University of Tel Aviv (the program I am in) went to this army base. For each unit, a soldier would tell us about it, tell us a story form them working in it, and show us pictures or a video or things used in each unit. All of the soldier were real soldiers and actually in these units that they were telling us about. It felt really real and official to be on the base, talking to soldiers, and learning about their positions. After hearing about all of the army units, we walked around the base and saw a real iron dome, an old navy boat, some army trucks, and a real tanker. The group of us all climbed onto the tanker and got a picture. Some of the Israeli soldiers got in the picture with us too. It was a really cool way to spend the afternoon! After seeing all of the units and hearing about what they do, I think that if i had to choose one to be in, I would want to be apart of the navy. It seems really cool and "fun"and not as dangerous because the girls are not actually fighting on the boats.
October 20, 2013
Today was my last day of touring Israel with my dad and Debbie. The three of us were really tired and ready tog et back to Tel Aviv, after a long weekend of seeing the country and touring. On our way back to Tel Aviv, we just stopped in the old city of Safet. It is the highest city in Israel. It used to be one of the oldest and holiest cities in Israel now. Now, it has become a tourist area. Amongst the old synagogues and old Arab "shacks," there are tons of art galleries and jewelry stores and art dealers. It was fun to walk around and look at the art and jewelry. Ika, our tour guide, took us to the roof of one of the art galeries. From up there, you could see beautiful views of the Sea of Galilee (just a little bit) and the mountains and Golan Heights in Israel. It was a very interesting and old and beautiful city. We only stayed there for an hour or two and then headed back to Tel Aviv. Again, on the drive back to Tel Aviv, we drove past army bases, Palestinian areas and you could see the border fences, Arab villages, and Jewish settlements. Once we got back to Tel Aviv, it was time to relax! After saying bye and thanking Ika for the amazing weekend and touring, my dad, Debbie, and I checked into the Hilton hotel, got ready for the beach and headed down!
This weekend with my dad and Debbie was amazing. I had a great time, seeing the WHOLE country, doing great things, and having a lot of nice family time. I am so lucky to be able to go on a trip like this and see the country basically in full. I also feel so lucky to be able to study abroad here in Israel. I am so happy with my decision!
Today was my last day of touring Israel with my dad and Debbie. The three of us were really tired and ready tog et back to Tel Aviv, after a long weekend of seeing the country and touring. On our way back to Tel Aviv, we just stopped in the old city of Safet. It is the highest city in Israel. It used to be one of the oldest and holiest cities in Israel now. Now, it has become a tourist area. Amongst the old synagogues and old Arab "shacks," there are tons of art galleries and jewelry stores and art dealers. It was fun to walk around and look at the art and jewelry. Ika, our tour guide, took us to the roof of one of the art galeries. From up there, you could see beautiful views of the Sea of Galilee (just a little bit) and the mountains and Golan Heights in Israel. It was a very interesting and old and beautiful city. We only stayed there for an hour or two and then headed back to Tel Aviv. Again, on the drive back to Tel Aviv, we drove past army bases, Palestinian areas and you could see the border fences, Arab villages, and Jewish settlements. Once we got back to Tel Aviv, it was time to relax! After saying bye and thanking Ika for the amazing weekend and touring, my dad, Debbie, and I checked into the Hilton hotel, got ready for the beach and headed down!
This weekend with my dad and Debbie was amazing. I had a great time, seeing the WHOLE country, doing great things, and having a lot of nice family time. I am so lucky to be able to go on a trip like this and see the country basically in full. I also feel so lucky to be able to study abroad here in Israel. I am so happy with my decision!
October 19, 2013
Yet again, another awsome day of touring Israel with my dad and Debbie! The three of us got picked up early in the morning, to start of day. As soon as we finished breakfast at 9:30am, Ika (the tour guide0 was sitting in the lobby, waiting for us. We went upstairs, got our bags, and checked out of the hotel. Although today was a long say, there was a lot of driving. We drove out of Jerusalem and towards the north. We passed Arab villages, Israel and Jewish and Arab settlements, and Palestinian villages. Basically during the whole drive, we were following the Jordan river and driving on the actual border of Jordan and Israel.
Our first stop of the day was an old fortress called Balfour. From up there, you could see a beautiful view of the Jordan valley and Jordan and a little bit of the sea of Galilee and a little bit of Lebanon, over in the mountains. This fortress was an old castle that was built on top of a mountain. After this, we made our way up to the Golan Heights. The geography of the Golan Heights was actually really interesting. Once you get up to the Golan Heights, which is either right at sea level or a little below, the landscape is completely flat; you feel like you are on the flat ground. Anyway, from the Golan Heights, you can see beautiful views of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan river snaking through the valleys, Jordan across the way, parts of Syria, and parts of Lebanon off in the distance. It was really pretty. One of the places that we stopped at in the Golan Heights was Gamal. It was a lookout of the canyon, on the border of Jordan and Israel and Syria. You could also see the tip of the Sea of Galilee from there. Right in the canyon, there was an old Syrian village that was built on the side of a small mountain. This little village was called Gamal. At this viewing point, there was a vulture lookout. Apparently the most amount of vultures in Israel live in this canyon. Although they are scavengers and eat dead bodies and animals, they are very pretty birds and glide through the sky.
By the time we left the Gamal, it was about 5pm and we were all exhausted. We made our way to our new hotel, right next to the En Gev kibbutz, right across the lake from Tiberias, and right above the Sea of Galilee. On our way there, we had to drive down the mountains and we stopped at another beautiful lookout of the the Syria and Israel border, right near mount Heron. It was amazing how cold and windy it was outside, being up in the mountains, at sunset. Once we checked into our hotel, we went to our cabin and relaxed a bit, before dinner on a kibbutz. Today was another great say in the Holyland!
Yet again, another awsome day of touring Israel with my dad and Debbie! The three of us got picked up early in the morning, to start of day. As soon as we finished breakfast at 9:30am, Ika (the tour guide0 was sitting in the lobby, waiting for us. We went upstairs, got our bags, and checked out of the hotel. Although today was a long say, there was a lot of driving. We drove out of Jerusalem and towards the north. We passed Arab villages, Israel and Jewish and Arab settlements, and Palestinian villages. Basically during the whole drive, we were following the Jordan river and driving on the actual border of Jordan and Israel.
Our first stop of the day was an old fortress called Balfour. From up there, you could see a beautiful view of the Jordan valley and Jordan and a little bit of the sea of Galilee and a little bit of Lebanon, over in the mountains. This fortress was an old castle that was built on top of a mountain. After this, we made our way up to the Golan Heights. The geography of the Golan Heights was actually really interesting. Once you get up to the Golan Heights, which is either right at sea level or a little below, the landscape is completely flat; you feel like you are on the flat ground. Anyway, from the Golan Heights, you can see beautiful views of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan river snaking through the valleys, Jordan across the way, parts of Syria, and parts of Lebanon off in the distance. It was really pretty. One of the places that we stopped at in the Golan Heights was Gamal. It was a lookout of the canyon, on the border of Jordan and Israel and Syria. You could also see the tip of the Sea of Galilee from there. Right in the canyon, there was an old Syrian village that was built on the side of a small mountain. This little village was called Gamal. At this viewing point, there was a vulture lookout. Apparently the most amount of vultures in Israel live in this canyon. Although they are scavengers and eat dead bodies and animals, they are very pretty birds and glide through the sky.
By the time we left the Gamal, it was about 5pm and we were all exhausted. We made our way to our new hotel, right next to the En Gev kibbutz, right across the lake from Tiberias, and right above the Sea of Galilee. On our way there, we had to drive down the mountains and we stopped at another beautiful lookout of the the Syria and Israel border, right near mount Heron. It was amazing how cold and windy it was outside, being up in the mountains, at sunset. Once we checked into our hotel, we went to our cabin and relaxed a bit, before dinner on a kibbutz. Today was another great say in the Holyland!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
October 18, 2013
Today was another fun day traveling around Israel. My dad, Debbie, our tour guide Ika, and I went to the South. We saw En Gedi, Masada, and swam and bathed in the Dead Sea. THe whole drive from Jerusalem to the south was beautiful; we saw really pretty views of Jordan and the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea and the desert. It was really interesting because along the drive, we basically drove on the border of Israel and Jordan. At some points, we were right next to Palestinian territories and Arab villages.
The first stop we made was at En Gedi. It is a famous waterfall. Before we got to it, I was expecting to see a big, beautiful waterfall. I was surprised because it was actually really small and pretty but not beautiful. Ika, our tour guide, told us that En Gedi was so famous because it is a completely fresh water natural waterfall in the middle of the desert and right above the salty dead sea. This made it more interesting! To get up to the waterfalls, we had to hike a little bit up a path. Once we got to the top, there was a beautiful view of the Dead Sea and the desert and the mountains of Jordan. Thinking about it now, it was amazing for there to be a fresh water waterfall in the middle of the desert. The next place we went to for the day was Masada. We all agreed that it was too hot to hike up the mountain, in the middle of the day, with the sun blaring on us, so we took the cable car up. From the top of the mountain, not that high at all, actually below sea level, we could see all the desert, the Dead Sea, and Jordan. It was such a beautiful view! The story and what is left of Masada was very interesting. I learned that there were two groups that lived up on the mountain; King Herod and the Romans. King Herod built his fortress on top of the mountain and it was cool to see the remains of it today. It was actually built very well with high technology. King Herod was a smart man I guess!
After En Gedi and Masada, the three of us went over to the Dead Sea, with Ika too. I think this was my favorite part of the day! As soon as we got there, we bought our tickets which included lunch, a towel, entry into the Dead Sea, and a free gift at the end! We had our quick lunch, put on our bathing suites, and headed out to the Dead Sea. When I got there, I was a little nervous to step into the water and float. I did not really believe that you would just float. So we all walked into the water and sure enough, we floated on top of the water. Without any effort, it was like being in no gravity, we were pulled up to the surface and basically forced to float on top of the water. It was really fun, just lying there and relaxing and laughing. Because it was sooo salty, after a few minutes, our bodies starting to sting and we had to get out (after getting pictures of course!!!!). We were told that after bathing in the water, we had to do the mud bath afterwards. Sure enough, we got ourselves covered and lathered up in the mud and got great pictures too! It was actually really cool being in the mud; it felt really good and apparently was really good for our skin! As soon as the mud started to harden, we had to rinse it off of our bodies, to get the full effect! At this point, I was so excited and ready to go back to the hotel and take a shower! Today was incredible and an amazing experience!
Today was another fun day traveling around Israel. My dad, Debbie, our tour guide Ika, and I went to the South. We saw En Gedi, Masada, and swam and bathed in the Dead Sea. THe whole drive from Jerusalem to the south was beautiful; we saw really pretty views of Jordan and the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea and the desert. It was really interesting because along the drive, we basically drove on the border of Israel and Jordan. At some points, we were right next to Palestinian territories and Arab villages.
The first stop we made was at En Gedi. It is a famous waterfall. Before we got to it, I was expecting to see a big, beautiful waterfall. I was surprised because it was actually really small and pretty but not beautiful. Ika, our tour guide, told us that En Gedi was so famous because it is a completely fresh water natural waterfall in the middle of the desert and right above the salty dead sea. This made it more interesting! To get up to the waterfalls, we had to hike a little bit up a path. Once we got to the top, there was a beautiful view of the Dead Sea and the desert and the mountains of Jordan. Thinking about it now, it was amazing for there to be a fresh water waterfall in the middle of the desert. The next place we went to for the day was Masada. We all agreed that it was too hot to hike up the mountain, in the middle of the day, with the sun blaring on us, so we took the cable car up. From the top of the mountain, not that high at all, actually below sea level, we could see all the desert, the Dead Sea, and Jordan. It was such a beautiful view! The story and what is left of Masada was very interesting. I learned that there were two groups that lived up on the mountain; King Herod and the Romans. King Herod built his fortress on top of the mountain and it was cool to see the remains of it today. It was actually built very well with high technology. King Herod was a smart man I guess!
After En Gedi and Masada, the three of us went over to the Dead Sea, with Ika too. I think this was my favorite part of the day! As soon as we got there, we bought our tickets which included lunch, a towel, entry into the Dead Sea, and a free gift at the end! We had our quick lunch, put on our bathing suites, and headed out to the Dead Sea. When I got there, I was a little nervous to step into the water and float. I did not really believe that you would just float. So we all walked into the water and sure enough, we floated on top of the water. Without any effort, it was like being in no gravity, we were pulled up to the surface and basically forced to float on top of the water. It was really fun, just lying there and relaxing and laughing. Because it was sooo salty, after a few minutes, our bodies starting to sting and we had to get out (after getting pictures of course!!!!). We were told that after bathing in the water, we had to do the mud bath afterwards. Sure enough, we got ourselves covered and lathered up in the mud and got great pictures too! It was actually really cool being in the mud; it felt really good and apparently was really good for our skin! As soon as the mud started to harden, we had to rinse it off of our bodies, to get the full effect! At this point, I was so excited and ready to go back to the hotel and take a shower! Today was incredible and an amazing experience!
Monday, October 21, 2013
October 12, 2013
Today was another awesome and fun filled day in Eilat. We
woke up early again and went to get breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we
talked to the concierge and figured out our plan for the day. Paige and I
really wanted to do some water sports here, so we decided to go banana boating
and tubing. We got to the beach, settled down in our chairs, and then hit the
water! Sarah was not feeling well this morning, so she stayed in the room, so
it was just Alona, Paige, and I at the beach. Paige and I got our life jackets
on and got into the boat. The driver allowed Alona to sit on the boat and take
pictures of us tubing. As soon as we got out of the harbor, and a little into
the Red Sea, Paige and I jumped off the boat and got onto the tube. There were
two little boys with us on the tube at the same time. We were all laying down,
holding on, and the boat started to pull us. It picked up speed and we were all
flying in the water, through the air, on the tube. It was so much fun. There
were a few times when the tube completely flipped over and we went flying
(literally flying, in the air) into the water. It was for sure the roughest
tubing experience I have ever been on. While we were tubing, Alona was sitting
on the boat with the driver and she made friends with him and he said that we
would take us back on the boat later over to the Jordan border.
After the tubing, the three of us went back to our chairs on
the beach and relaxed for a little bit, before Paige and I went banana boating.
A little later, Paige and I went on the banana boat. It literally looks like a
hot dog and fits about ten or so people on it. It too is being pulled behind a
speedboat. Paige and I were the only girls on the banana boat and were the
youngest. As soon as we were settled on the banana boat, the speedboat starting
going and we were being dragged on the banana boat. It was also a lot of fun,
but nothing compared to the tube. There were a few moments on the banana boat
that reminded me exactly of the tubing from earlier. Whenever the speedboat
driver would turn the boat, the banana boat would tilt and we would basically
be submerged into the water, being pulled on the banana boat. There was one
time that I actually fell off it and couldn’t really get back on!!!! HAHA J All of the men on the
banana boat had to help me up by pulling my arms. Although the banana boating
was a ton of fun, I think I am done with water sports for a while!
I was very happy to just go lay on the beach for a little
bit and tan and relax. Soon though, the speedboat driver for the tubing came
and found us and said that he would take us over to the Jordan border. It was
so cool to see, because we were so close to Jordan, about fifteen feet or so
from the water border. We could see directly into the country and onto the
land. The boat driver and our “tour guide” pointed out the Jordanian kings
castle and the Jordanian coast guard hub and the city of Aquaba. On our way
back over to Eilat, our “tour guide” showed us the Israeli navy seals station
and told us that the flag on the building is the biggest Israeli flag in the
whole country. Today was a great day and I am hoping tonight will be just as
fun! We are hoping to get a late dinner somewhere on the water and either go
out to a club or a bar around there!
October 17, 2013
Today was a great day and great start to an incredible weekend. I had class until 2pm and then came back to my room and got ready and packed up for the weekend. My dad and Debbie were here for the weekend and we were going touring and sightseeing for the weekend. The first stop is a family reunion and get together in Jerusalem tonight.
After class, I came back to the dorms, got ready, packed up a bag for the weekend, and left. I had to take a cab to Abra's house to meet her there, and from there, we took a cab together to the Tel Aviv central bus station. From the bus station, we were able to get a sherut to Jerusalem. I was very surprised because the sherut only cost me twenty-five shekels and only took about an hour and fifteen minutes. It really was not hard at all to get to Jerusalem! Once Abra and I got there, it took us a few minutes to find the restaurant. Finally, we knew we had found it when we were greeted outside by two people that said they remembered me from when I was just a baby. At this moment, I knew we were there. The dinner was very interesting; there were about twenty-five of us, at one long table, and everybody was from two sets of parents. All of the family members there, some I have met and some I have not, were very religious. One of the sets of parents, Roz and Paul, have eight children (seven boys and one girl) and thirty grandchildren. All of the "children" are older now though, the ages range from twenty two (he came in his army uniform with a gun in hand) to forty. Everybody at the table was very interesting because to me, they represented a true Jewish family. There were very religious people, not-so religious children, the three of us who are not religious really at all, people who are in the army currently, people who are still in the intelligence units late into their forties, Americans, Israelis, and everybody had different interest. It was fun to see everybody get together and get along! The dinner started out with all of us sitting down at the table and then one-by-one, we went around the table and introduced ourselves. The rest of the night went really well, everybody was getting along and talking and having a great time! I got a few invites from some of the families for me to come to their houses for Shabbat some weekends. It was a great feeling to be in Israel and meet up with people from all different backgrounds, that are all in the same family! After dinner, we were back to the King David hotel and off to bed, we have an early morning of touring tomorrow.
Today was a great day and great start to an incredible weekend. I had class until 2pm and then came back to my room and got ready and packed up for the weekend. My dad and Debbie were here for the weekend and we were going touring and sightseeing for the weekend. The first stop is a family reunion and get together in Jerusalem tonight.
After class, I came back to the dorms, got ready, packed up a bag for the weekend, and left. I had to take a cab to Abra's house to meet her there, and from there, we took a cab together to the Tel Aviv central bus station. From the bus station, we were able to get a sherut to Jerusalem. I was very surprised because the sherut only cost me twenty-five shekels and only took about an hour and fifteen minutes. It really was not hard at all to get to Jerusalem! Once Abra and I got there, it took us a few minutes to find the restaurant. Finally, we knew we had found it when we were greeted outside by two people that said they remembered me from when I was just a baby. At this moment, I knew we were there. The dinner was very interesting; there were about twenty-five of us, at one long table, and everybody was from two sets of parents. All of the family members there, some I have met and some I have not, were very religious. One of the sets of parents, Roz and Paul, have eight children (seven boys and one girl) and thirty grandchildren. All of the "children" are older now though, the ages range from twenty two (he came in his army uniform with a gun in hand) to forty. Everybody at the table was very interesting because to me, they represented a true Jewish family. There were very religious people, not-so religious children, the three of us who are not religious really at all, people who are in the army currently, people who are still in the intelligence units late into their forties, Americans, Israelis, and everybody had different interest. It was fun to see everybody get together and get along! The dinner started out with all of us sitting down at the table and then one-by-one, we went around the table and introduced ourselves. The rest of the night went really well, everybody was getting along and talking and having a great time! I got a few invites from some of the families for me to come to their houses for Shabbat some weekends. It was a great feeling to be in Israel and meet up with people from all different backgrounds, that are all in the same family! After dinner, we were back to the King David hotel and off to bed, we have an early morning of touring tomorrow.
October 12, 2013
Today was another awesome and fun filled day in Eilat. We
woke up early again and went to get breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we
talked to the concierge and figured out our plan for the day. Paige and I
really wanted to do some water sports here, so we decided to go banana boating
and tubing. We got to the beach, settled down in our chairs, and then hit the
water! Sarah was not feeling well this morning, so she stayed in the room, so
it was just Alona, Paige, and I at the beach. Paige and I got our life jackets
on and got into the boat. The driver allowed Alona to sit on the boat and take
pictures of us tubing. As soon as we got out of the harbor, and a little into
the Red Sea, Paige and I jumped off the boat and got onto the tube. There were
two little boys with us on the tube at the same time. We were all laying down,
holding on, and the boat started to pull us. It picked up speed and we were all
flying in the water, through the air, on the tube. It was so much fun. There
were a few times when the tube completely flipped over and we went flying
(literally flying, in the air) into the water. It was for sure the roughest
tubing experience I have ever been on. While we were tubing, Alona was sitting
on the boat with the driver and she made friends with him and he said that we
would take us back on the boat later over to the Jordan border.
After the tubing, the three of us went back to our chairs on
the beach and relaxed for a little bit, before Paige and I went banana boating.
A little later, Paige and I went on the banana boat. It literally looks like a
hot dog and fits about ten or so people on it. It too is being pulled behind a
speedboat. Paige and I were the only girls on the banana boat and were the
youngest. As soon as we were settled on the banana boat, the speedboat starting
going and we were being dragged on the banana boat. It was also a lot of fun,
but nothing compared to the tube. There were a few moments on the banana boat
that reminded me exactly of the tubing from earlier. Whenever the speedboat
driver would turn the boat, the banana boat would tilt and we would basically
be submerged into the water, being pulled on the banana boat. There was one
time that I actually fell off it and couldn’t really get back on!!!! HAHA J All of the men on the
banana boat had to help me up by pulling my arms. Although the banana boating
was a ton of fun, I think I am done with water sports for a while!
I was very happy to just go lay on the beach for a little
bit and tan and relax. Soon though, the speedboat driver for the tubing came
and found us and said that he would take us over to the Jordan border. It was
so cool to see, because we were so close to Jordan, about fifteen feet or so
from the water border. We could see directly into the country and onto the
land. The boat driver and our “tour guide” pointed out the Jordanian kings
castle and the Jordanian coast guard hub and the city of Aquaba. On our way
back over to Eilat, our “tour guide” showed us the Israeli navy seals station
and told us that the flag on the building is the biggest Israeli flag in the
whole country. Today was a great day and I am hoping tonight will be just as
fun! We are hoping to get a late dinner somewhere on the water and either go
out to a club or a bar around there!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
October 12, 2013
Today was another awesome and fun filled day in Eilat. We
woke up early again and went to get breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we
talked to the concierge and figured out our plan for the day. Paige and I
really wanted to do some water sports here, so we decided to go banana boating
and tubing. We got to the beach, settled down in our chairs, and then hit the
water! Sarah was not feeling well this morning, so she stayed in the room, so
it was just Alona, Paige, and I at the beach. Paige and I got our life jackets
on and got into the boat. The driver allowed Alona to sit on the boat and take
pictures of us tubing. As soon as we got out of the harbor, and a little into
the Red Sea, Paige and I jumped off the boat and got onto the tube. There were
two little boys with us on the tube at the same time. We were all laying down,
holding on, and the boat started to pull us. It picked up speed and we were all
flying in the water, through the air, on the tube. It was so much fun. There
were a few times when the tube completely flipped over and we went flying
(literally flying, in the air) into the water. It was for sure the roughest
tubing experience I have ever been on. While we were tubing, Alona was sitting
on the boat with the driver and she made friends with him and he said that we
would take us back on the boat later over to the Jordan border.
After the tubing, the three of us went back to our chairs on
the beach and relaxed for a little bit, before Paige and I went banana boating.
A little later, Paige and I went on the banana boat. It literally looks like a
hot dog and fits about ten or so people on it. It too is being pulled behind a
speedboat. Paige and I were the only girls on the banana boat and were the
youngest. As soon as we were settled on the banana boat, the speedboat starting
going and we were being dragged on the banana boat. It was also a lot of fun,
but nothing compared to the tube. There were a few moments on the banana boat
that reminded me exactly of the tubing from earlier. Whenever the speedboat
driver would turn the boat, the banana boat would tilt and we would basically
be submerged into the water, being pulled on the banana boat. There was one
time that I actually fell off it and couldn’t really get back on!!!! HAHA J All of the men on the
banana boat had to help me up by pulling my arms. Although the banana boating
was a ton of fun, I think I am done with water sports for a while!
I was very happy to just go lay on the beach for a little
bit and tan and relax. Soon though, the speedboat driver for the tubing came
and found us and said that he would take us over to the Jordan border. It was
so cool to see, because we were so close to Jordan, about fifteen feet or so
from the water border. We could see directly into the country and onto the
land. The boat driver and our “tour guide” pointed out the Jordanian kings
castle and the Jordanian coast guard hub and the city of Aquaba. On our way
back over to Eilat, our “tour guide” showed us the Israeli navy seals station
and told us that the flag on the building is the biggest Israeli flag in the
whole country. Today was a great day and I am hoping tonight will be just as
fun! We are hoping to get a late dinner somewhere on the water and either go
out to a club or a bar around there!
October 11, 2013
Today was probably my favorite day so far in Israel! My
friends and I arrived to Eilat, in Southern Israel, last night. Eilat is so
cool and pretty. From our hotel, we coulc see the Red Sea and directly on the
other side of it (about a mile away) was the Saudi Arabia border and the Jordan
border. We woke up early this morning, had breakfast at our hotel, and headed
to the beach. As soon as we got to the beach, we bought snorkels. We found some
nice chairs on the beach, right by the water, and relaxed there all morning.
Paige, Alona, and I went snorkeling a few times. It was absolutely beautiful;
crystal clear, blue water, white sand beaches, tons of coral, and awesome fish.
We saw rainbow fish, blow fish,
spiky fish, schools of fish, zebra fish, and tons more. It was amazing how
clear the water was; swimming on the surface of the water, we could see
perfectly 30 feet down! The beach was so relaxing and the water was so clear
and blue and clean. We got a quick lunch on the beach and headed back to the
hotel, to get ready for our camel riding.
In the afternoon, we all went camel riding at Camel Ranch. I
have never really seen a camel, let alone been on one or been so close to one!
We get into our taxi and he drives us to the ranch. The entrance is basically on
the beach, but then there is a dirt road running through the desert for about a
mile, before the actual entrance to the camel ranch. As soon as we get there,
our instructor tells us and shows us how to get onto and sit on the camels.
There were 6 camels in a row, all tied up to each other (four camels for us and
two camels for another couple). Once we were all on the camels, we started the
“voyage” into the desert on our camels. They walked for about an hour, through
the desert. It was so cool because it felt so real and Middle Eastern! At one
point during our walk, our tour guide told us that we were only three
kilometers (less than a mile) from the Israel/ Egypt border. After an hour of
camel riding, which is really uncomfortable, we went back to the camel ranch
and had a homemade snack in the Bedouin tent. Our tour guide made fruity tea,
similar to what the Bedouins’ used to and still do drink. He also made us Laffa
(which is just flour, salt, and water mixed together, cooked on the top of a
pan, over a fire) with a yogurty cheese sauce, and fresh olives. It was all
really good and was a great experience!
Later at night, we went to a Brazilian steakhouse for dinner
which was really good. After dinner, we came back to our hotel to watch their
show. There were African acrobatics and they were incredible! We saw these five
or six guys doing flips and jumps and balances and juggling and tons of other
cool stunts. There was also really cool African music playing and a huge crowd
watching and clapping and participating in the show. After this show, my
friends and I went downtown and walked around the Tayelet (boardwalk). It was
fun because there were a bunch of shops and jewelers and food stands and
activities and bars. There were tons of people there and walking around, so it
was fun to see tons of people our age, hanging out, both Israelis and
non-Israeli tourists. After an amazing day in Eilat, I am exhausted and about
to fall asleep now. I am going to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow for another
great day in paradise in Eilat!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
October 7, 13
Today was the first day of school. It was so weird being
back at school and having classes and homework and having a schedule. I have
been out of “real” school since the beginning of June, so sitting in classes
all day today was a little different! The classes that I am taking do seem
really interesting though. Today I went to two classes about the history of
Israel in/and the Middle East. They seem like they are going to be intense but
really interesting. The other class that I went to today was called “After
Auschwitz.” This class also seemed interesting and I think I am going to like
it a lot! It seems really similar to the class that I took last quarter at the
University of Denver. I can tell, though, that this class is going to be
intense too and sad. The last class I had for the day, one of the history of
the Middle East classes, ended at 6pm and all of my friends were in it. We were
starving after class, so we went to go get sushi downtown. We celebrated our
first day of class! The sushi restaurant we went to was soooooooo cool! It was
called Moon sushi and it was one of those sushi restaurants with a conveyor
belt running around the restaurant. The sushi chef was in the middle of the
restaurant and once he made a sushi roll, he would put it on the belt and we
could take whatever we wanted off of it! I think it was some of the best sushi
I have had here. Surprisingly Tel Aviv has GREAT sushi and tons of it! After
dinner, my friends and I went for a nice walk on Dizengoff street. Overall,
today was a great day and I am excited to have my last two classes tomorrow, I
hope they are as good and as interesting as the classes I had today!
October 6, 2013
I know that I have not written in a while, so here you go! I
have not been back in Tel Aviv for about a week and a half and am so happy to
be back! Being in and traveling around Europe has made me really realize that I
made the right decision to study abroad in Israel. I am so happy that I am
here, instead of somewhere in Europe! The weather is so nice here, I get to
explore the Middle East and Europe, and it is not as touristy as Europe.
So over the past week, I have been relaxing a lot and going
to the beach and pool. It is starting to get cooler here and kinda chilly at
night. I want to take advantage of as much beach weather and tanning as I can,
before it gets too cold to go to the beach and pool. Other than tanning and
going to the beach and pool a lot, I have been going out to some cool places!
Last Friday night, I went with Alona and her friend Mor, from growing up in
Israel, and Mor’s friends, to a pub on a kibbutz. It was such a cool place
because it was an Israeli and Irish pub. They were mostly playing American
party and rock songs, and everyone was singing to them. They were also playing
Irish songs and a lot of the drunk Israeli guys in the pub were Irish step
dancing to the music. It was really funny and a new experience to see! The
funniest part about this pub, in my opinion, was that it was called “Goose Pub”
in Hebrew and it was in an old silo. The next night, Alona and I and our friend
Nate, all went to a bar in Herzliya. Nate used to go to camp in Israel, so he
has a lot of Israeli friends. We met up with them there and all sat outside at
a bar/ restaurant and hung out. It was nice because a few of his friends are on
the same program that I am on at the University of Tel Aviv. After leaving the
bar, we walked around the town and went down to the beach. It was so pretty and
nice to walk along the sand at night and hear the waves slash against the
shore. On our walk to the beach, we walked past so many nice areas of houses;
they looked beautiful and reminded me of home!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
September 25, 2013
Today was my first dull day in Rome! I am here visiting and staying with Caroline DeWeirdt. So far, I have had an incredible time! I have toured the city, lived like a local, had amazing food and gelato, walked all over the city, and even got lost by myself!
Last night, I was supposed to get into Rome around 6pm, but my flight was delayed, so I got in around 9pm. Caroline and all of her roommates, five really nice girls, and I went for a late dinner at 11:30pm. We found an amazing Italian restaurant with probably the best pizza I have ever had in my life! It was so nice and relaxing to sit out at a pizzeria late at night, eating pizza and drinking wine! After dinner, Caroline and all of her roommates and I went out to a club/bar. It was really fun and interesting to see the difference between an Israeli club and European club!
Today was a ton of fun! Caroline and I met up with my roommate from Tel Aviv, Sarah. The three of us went to the Vatican and walked around. Caroline wanted to stay in the museum longer, so Sarah and I went and got lunch and relaxed a bit, while Caroline stayed in the Vatican museum. Once Caroline finished exploring the Vatican, she had to run off to class, so Sarah and I continued to explore the city. We went to the Colosseum and walked around it and the ancient Roman ruins. It was so cool to see and think about the history of the ancient Romans hundreds of years ago. The weather was so hot today, so Sarah and I just sat on a bench outside for a while and relaxed and caught up! As we were walking out of the Colosseum area, Sarah and I ran into our suite mate from the University of Tel Aviv, Lauren. After the Colosseum, Sarah and I went to the famous Spanish steps and walked around that part of downtown, and did a little shopping! I found a really cute Italian leather (I am not sure if it is real or fake) across the shoulder bag. I have been looking for a bag like this one for a long time, so I was really happy to finally find one! Sarah and I split up then and she went back to go hang out with her friend and I met up with Caroline in one of the city squares. We went for a walk around and window shopped. So far, I love Rome; it is beauutiful and fun and old and there is tons of great shopping!
Today was my first dull day in Rome! I am here visiting and staying with Caroline DeWeirdt. So far, I have had an incredible time! I have toured the city, lived like a local, had amazing food and gelato, walked all over the city, and even got lost by myself!
Last night, I was supposed to get into Rome around 6pm, but my flight was delayed, so I got in around 9pm. Caroline and all of her roommates, five really nice girls, and I went for a late dinner at 11:30pm. We found an amazing Italian restaurant with probably the best pizza I have ever had in my life! It was so nice and relaxing to sit out at a pizzeria late at night, eating pizza and drinking wine! After dinner, Caroline and all of her roommates and I went out to a club/bar. It was really fun and interesting to see the difference between an Israeli club and European club!
Today was a ton of fun! Caroline and I met up with my roommate from Tel Aviv, Sarah. The three of us went to the Vatican and walked around. Caroline wanted to stay in the museum longer, so Sarah and I went and got lunch and relaxed a bit, while Caroline stayed in the Vatican museum. Once Caroline finished exploring the Vatican, she had to run off to class, so Sarah and I continued to explore the city. We went to the Colosseum and walked around it and the ancient Roman ruins. It was so cool to see and think about the history of the ancient Romans hundreds of years ago. The weather was so hot today, so Sarah and I just sat on a bench outside for a while and relaxed and caught up! As we were walking out of the Colosseum area, Sarah and I ran into our suite mate from the University of Tel Aviv, Lauren. After the Colosseum, Sarah and I went to the famous Spanish steps and walked around that part of downtown, and did a little shopping! I found a really cute Italian leather (I am not sure if it is real or fake) across the shoulder bag. I have been looking for a bag like this one for a long time, so I was really happy to finally find one! Sarah and I split up then and she went back to go hang out with her friend and I met up with Caroline in one of the city squares. We went for a walk around and window shopped. So far, I love Rome; it is beauutiful and fun and old and there is tons of great shopping!
September 24, 2013
I am writing this post on the airplane now, from London to Rome. I had a great time in London visiting Abbie Brown. We went to the museums the first day, the Tate Britain and the British Museum. We saw a lot of British art and artifacts from all over the world, at the British museum. Although I am not a huge museum fan, I did enjoy the artifacts at the British Museum a lot! Other than the museums, Abbie and I went to a pub almost every night. It was fun because I got to meet all or almost all of her friends from home and her university. It got a little overwhelming at times because there were so many new people! Being the legal age to drink makes things much easier and more fun! Abbie and I also did a little shopping and a lot of walking around! Over the past week, I have spent so much time on the tube and trains, living the London way!
The last day of my trip in London was great! Abbie and I woke up early, got ready, and went downtown. We spent the whole day walking around downtown and a market and Brick Lane. Brick Lane was cool to walk down because it has a ton of thrift shops and vintage shops on it. There are a lot of Hipster people that live in this area, so I saw some very interesting people HAHA. The market was fun to walk around though. I bought a really cute little skirt and a pretty handmade turquoise ring, that I have been wearing every day since. For lunch, Abbie and I met up with one of Abbie's best friends from her university, Jess. She was really nice and fun to talk to. That night, Abbie and I went downtown for dinner to meet up with my friend from DU and freshman roommate, Rachael Kaplan. She is studying abroad in London and just arrived there that day. I wanted Abbie to meet Rachael, because they will both be in London and it would be nice to Rachael to know a familiar face in London! The three of us went to a really good tapas restuarant and overall we had a great night! Well I am off to Rome now for two days and my next post will be from Italy!
I am writing this post on the airplane now, from London to Rome. I had a great time in London visiting Abbie Brown. We went to the museums the first day, the Tate Britain and the British Museum. We saw a lot of British art and artifacts from all over the world, at the British museum. Although I am not a huge museum fan, I did enjoy the artifacts at the British Museum a lot! Other than the museums, Abbie and I went to a pub almost every night. It was fun because I got to meet all or almost all of her friends from home and her university. It got a little overwhelming at times because there were so many new people! Being the legal age to drink makes things much easier and more fun! Abbie and I also did a little shopping and a lot of walking around! Over the past week, I have spent so much time on the tube and trains, living the London way!
The last day of my trip in London was great! Abbie and I woke up early, got ready, and went downtown. We spent the whole day walking around downtown and a market and Brick Lane. Brick Lane was cool to walk down because it has a ton of thrift shops and vintage shops on it. There are a lot of Hipster people that live in this area, so I saw some very interesting people HAHA. The market was fun to walk around though. I bought a really cute little skirt and a pretty handmade turquoise ring, that I have been wearing every day since. For lunch, Abbie and I met up with one of Abbie's best friends from her university, Jess. She was really nice and fun to talk to. That night, Abbie and I went downtown for dinner to meet up with my friend from DU and freshman roommate, Rachael Kaplan. She is studying abroad in London and just arrived there that day. I wanted Abbie to meet Rachael, because they will both be in London and it would be nice to Rachael to know a familiar face in London! The three of us went to a really good tapas restuarant and overall we had a great night! Well I am off to Rome now for two days and my next post will be from Italy!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
September 16, 2013
After another great day of touring yesterday, I forgot to
post about my day! Yesterday was an amazing last day in Prague. My dad and I
took a tour of the old city and the Jewish Quarter. We started out in the old
city and learned that all of the buildings and the houses and structures and
architecture were extremely old. Basically the whole city is from the eleventh
and twelfth centuries. The “modern” and new building and churches were still
from the eighteenth century. All of the architecture is beautiful and either
Barak or Medieval or Renaissance architecture. Our tour guide showed us old
churches and the current senate building, with used to be another palace. We
also saw the famous clock in the Old Town Square. It was built in the thirteen
hundreds (I think) and it very intricate and complicated. It tells the time,
minute, hour, and second, and when the moon rises and sun sets and sun rises.
It also showed where the moon was in position to the sun and the earth. In my opinion,
the coolest thing about this clock was that there were four sculptures on the
side of the clock and at the beginning of every new hour, they move. Also,
there are two doors and a gold rooster at the top of the clock. At the
beginning of every new hour, the doors open and the twelve apostles are shown
dancing in front of the doors, and the gold rooster makes a noise and dances.
It is amazing that this clock and whole structure was created so many years
ago.
After touring around the Old City, we went into the Jewish
Quarter. This was also very interesting because it was all in tact and very old
and beautiful. Apparently the Jewish people that lived in Prague were the first
people to live there, until they were kicked out with WWII and the Holocaust. Even
after the Holocaust, all of the temples and housing and the whole Jewish
Quarter was not torn apart or damaged. Our tour guide told us that this was
because Hitler wanted to keep everything the way it was and to one day show the
world what the Jewish race was like and that he got rid of it. Luckily he did
not succeed! (haha) There were four synagogues and only one of them is still in
use, the New Old synagogue, the one that my dad and I went to on Yom Kippur.
The rest of the synagogues became museums about the Jewish race and the history
of the Holocaust. It was very interesting to learn more about the Jewish people
and the Holocaust and the Jews in communist Eastern Europe. Another great site
that we saw was the old Jewish cemetery. It used to have twelve layers of
graves and people buried in it. This is because the Jews were only given a
small area of land for their cemetery and it was believed that all the Jews had
to be buried there. The tombstones were just slabs of rock with Hebrew
inscriptions on them and a symbol which referred to their job or self (EX:
grapes were for knowledge and there was a symbol for a doctor…) Since this
cemetery is know a tourist site and part of the museum, most of the tombstones
have been brought up to the surface and are laying all over. Apparently there
are about 12,000 tombstones and some people think about 100,00 or more Jews are
buried there. It was very interesting to see! Overall, I loved Prague and I
think it is so interesting! Yesterday was our last day though and I am headed
to London now to visit Abbie! My next blog post will be from London J
Saturday, September 14, 2013
September 14, 2013
Today was another spectacular day in Prague! My dad and I woke up, had our hotel breakfast, and then relaxed a bit before having a wonderful tour of the castle and the royal city up on the hill. We had a tour guide that showed us all around the royal city and the royal churches and the palace. She also told us all about the history of Prague and the history of the Czech Republic and about when it used to be Czechoslovakia. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about the city and the capitalist government that powered the city and country. From the top of the BIG hill, where the palace was, there were amazing views of the whole city and the river and the bridges. It was so cool to be above the city and look over it.
After the tour of the Royal city and the area, my dad and I came back to the hotel to relax and figure out our plan for tomorrow. We decided that tomorrow we are going to get a tour of the Old City, on the other side of the bridge, and also take a tour of the old Jewish quarter. We could not go around the Jewish quarter today because basically everything was closed for the Yom Kippur holiday. Before dinner tonight, my dad and I were able to sit in on a little bit of the Yom Kippur services at the New Old Synagogue. It was an Orthodox synagogue, so the men and women prayed in different rooms. While the men were in the main temple room, with the arc and the bimah, the women were on the other side of the wall. The women were allowed to look through holes in the wall, and watch and listen to the men's (the only) service. It was very interesting and different to see a synagogue set up like this. It was like nothing I have ever seen before, especially coming from a Reformed temple. Overall, today was a great day and I am excited for another day of touring tomorrow!
Today was another spectacular day in Prague! My dad and I woke up, had our hotel breakfast, and then relaxed a bit before having a wonderful tour of the castle and the royal city up on the hill. We had a tour guide that showed us all around the royal city and the royal churches and the palace. She also told us all about the history of Prague and the history of the Czech Republic and about when it used to be Czechoslovakia. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about the city and the capitalist government that powered the city and country. From the top of the BIG hill, where the palace was, there were amazing views of the whole city and the river and the bridges. It was so cool to be above the city and look over it.
After the tour of the Royal city and the area, my dad and I came back to the hotel to relax and figure out our plan for tomorrow. We decided that tomorrow we are going to get a tour of the Old City, on the other side of the bridge, and also take a tour of the old Jewish quarter. We could not go around the Jewish quarter today because basically everything was closed for the Yom Kippur holiday. Before dinner tonight, my dad and I were able to sit in on a little bit of the Yom Kippur services at the New Old Synagogue. It was an Orthodox synagogue, so the men and women prayed in different rooms. While the men were in the main temple room, with the arc and the bimah, the women were on the other side of the wall. The women were allowed to look through holes in the wall, and watch and listen to the men's (the only) service. It was very interesting and different to see a synagogue set up like this. It was like nothing I have ever seen before, especially coming from a Reformed temple. Overall, today was a great day and I am excited for another day of touring tomorrow!
Friday, September 13, 2013
September 13, 2013
WOW! I had another incredible day today! My dad and I
arrived in Prague, Czech Republic yesterday late afternoon. We took the four
and a half four train ride from Vienna to Prague. Upon arriving in Prague, my
dad and I relaxed a bit and then walked all around the different squares in the
city, trying to get our bearings of where everything is and trying to see and
be apart of the famous old city of Prague. Prague is incredible! It is one of
the only cities that did not get damaged and was and still basically is
untouched from WWII. This means that all of the buildings and architecture are
from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The city is spectacular and so
old and beautiful.
Today was amazing! My dad and I woke up early, had breakfast,
and walked over to the old Jewish quarter of Prague. This is where our tour
met. We were going to Trezinstadt, the (at the time Czechoslovakian) Czech
Republic concentration camp. Our tour guide was a ninety-two year old Auschwitz
and Trezinstadt concentration camp survivor. He was in amazing shape, his brain
was very sharp, he spoke great English, and had amazing stories to tell us.
Although the tour through the prisoner camp was extremely depressing,
especially after hearing his stories and learning about the real life there, it
was so interesting and meaningful. One of the old buildings in the camp was
converted to a museum which had all of the history of the camp and the people
who survived there and the ones who didn’t survive. While we were walking
through the museum, our tour guide told us his experiences from being in the
concentration camps and how he was able to escape and survive. He said that he
was a teacher for the young children in Auschwitz, and the children were valued
more than the adults because they had more time to live, so the Nazi’s kept the
teachers. He also told us that he met his fiancé at the time and later wife in
the Trezinstadt camp, and their “honeymoon” was being transferred to Auschwitz.
I cannot even image what life would have been like with all the TERRIBLE
conditions of living and being in the concentration camps. After we walked
through the whole museum, the tour continued to a secret (at the time) Danish
synagogue that the Jews used to pray in. The sayings and prayers on the walls,
in Hebrew, said things like “I will always remember you God, so don’t forget
about me,” and other prayers of being liberated and keeping a positive outlook
on the Jews lives. After seeing and being in this little synagogue, we went
over to the Jewish cemetery, where the people who died in the camps went. It
was so sad to see because there
were many tombstones that did not have a name on them; these people were
unknown. Their only identity was that they were Jewish. The next stop on the
tour was to see and get a visual of what the barracks looked like. There was a
model of the women’s barrack set up. It was a small room, meant to normally
sleep four or five people, but instead had fifty to sixty people living in it,
with only one bathroom. Each “bed” was about two feet wide and there three
levels of each bunk bed. The living quarters were almost the worst part about
this concentration camp because so many people were crammed into such a small
place and it was very overcrowded. Also, the heigene was not good and people
were getting really sick and diseases were spreading and the people that died
would just lay on the floors, they would not be moved because there was nowhere
to put them eventually. The last stop on the tour of the Trezinstadt concentration
camp was to an exhibit, in another museum, about all of the writers, musicians,
artists, and live performers that were in the camp and their experiences. This
was very interesting to see because the musicians wrote songs and operas about
Hitler eventually stopping the war and losing his power and the Jews being
freed. The artists drew pictures and paintings of their experiences in the camp
and the daily life and realizations of how terrible the concentration camps
were. These drawings were hidden and discovered later because the Germans and
Nazis guarding the camp, did not want any outsiders to know what it was really
like inside these concentration camps. The writers all wrote about their
experiences in the Holocaust and labor camps. They also wrote poems and short
stories about Hitler losing his power and all the Jews being liberated from the
prison camps. Overall, the general theme of all of these literary and art works
is about liberation.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
September 10, 2013
Today was another great day in Vienna! This morning, my dad and I went to the outskirts of the city, about a 15 minute drive from the old part of the city. This is where the Schonbrunn palace is; the summer home for many years of Ferdinand and Eleanor Gonzaga and their family. We did a forty-five minute walking tour through the upstairs royal apartment. The palace has 1200 rooms in it and during the time that the royal family lived there, there were 1000 other people (mostly servants and family) living there too. The Schonbrunn palace is from the fifteen hundreds but a lot of it was destroyed in WWII, so the renovations and restoration was finally finished in the 60's. Although the palace was damaged and restored, it still looks like it is in perfect condition and still untouched from the fifteen hundreds. The summer "small" palace is known for its beautiful grounds and gardens. These gardens go on for miles and everything is kept perfectly as if it were a little backyard garden. There were fountains and hills and flowers and trees and everything was perfectly symmetrical.
In the afternoon, my dad and I went on a walking tour of the old neighborhood of Vienna. It is called the first district. The tour was about an hour and a half and the tour guide gave the tour in English (for us) and German (for the five others on the tour). We saw the old city walls, the famous old city Vienna church for the Royal family, the Ferdinand family regular, city palace, the parliament building, and the riding stables for the famous Spanish Lipizon horses. The tour was great and it the city is absolutely beautiful. After the walking tour, my dad and I went to get a late, light lunch at the famous and oldest coffee house in Vienna. My dad got the spicy sausage, which they were known for, and it was interesting! When his plate came, there were two long, skinny sausages laying in front of him, wrapped around the plate, with a pile of mustard and horseradish in the middle. EEEWWW! Anyways, we decided to spend the rest of the day walking around the city and getting lost. We figured that we probably walked about eight or nine miles all together throughout the day. Another long and awesome day in Vienna!
Today was another great day in Vienna! This morning, my dad and I went to the outskirts of the city, about a 15 minute drive from the old part of the city. This is where the Schonbrunn palace is; the summer home for many years of Ferdinand and Eleanor Gonzaga and their family. We did a forty-five minute walking tour through the upstairs royal apartment. The palace has 1200 rooms in it and during the time that the royal family lived there, there were 1000 other people (mostly servants and family) living there too. The Schonbrunn palace is from the fifteen hundreds but a lot of it was destroyed in WWII, so the renovations and restoration was finally finished in the 60's. Although the palace was damaged and restored, it still looks like it is in perfect condition and still untouched from the fifteen hundreds. The summer "small" palace is known for its beautiful grounds and gardens. These gardens go on for miles and everything is kept perfectly as if it were a little backyard garden. There were fountains and hills and flowers and trees and everything was perfectly symmetrical.
In the afternoon, my dad and I went on a walking tour of the old neighborhood of Vienna. It is called the first district. The tour was about an hour and a half and the tour guide gave the tour in English (for us) and German (for the five others on the tour). We saw the old city walls, the famous old city Vienna church for the Royal family, the Ferdinand family regular, city palace, the parliament building, and the riding stables for the famous Spanish Lipizon horses. The tour was great and it the city is absolutely beautiful. After the walking tour, my dad and I went to get a late, light lunch at the famous and oldest coffee house in Vienna. My dad got the spicy sausage, which they were known for, and it was interesting! When his plate came, there were two long, skinny sausages laying in front of him, wrapped around the plate, with a pile of mustard and horseradish in the middle. EEEWWW! Anyways, we decided to spend the rest of the day walking around the city and getting lost. We figured that we probably walked about eight or nine miles all together throughout the day. Another long and awesome day in Vienna!
September 9, 2013
After a week at home of relaxing and spending time with family and feeling less worried about Israel, I just arrived in Vienna, Austria. Today was great, my dad and I walked around the city, got lunch at the hotel and relaxed after a long day of flying. The city is beautiful; all of the building date back from the 18th and 17th century. Vienna is a really cool city because all the architecture, old wealth, and the way it looks is very old and breathtaking, but it is a very modern city with tons of restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, modern stores, international stores, bars, clubs, casinos, and international nice hotels. I had a great time just walking down the streets of the shopping district, the Ringstrass, and getting the feel of Vienna. After coming back to the hotel and relaxing a little bit (we were exhausted from traveling all day), my dad and I found a great typical Viennese restaurant. He got calfs liver and I ordered goulash. Both of the dishes were really good. Typical Viennese food is very similar to German food; lots of Veal, Schnitzel, beer, beef, sausages, and potatoes. Although the food was good, I do not think I want or need any more Austrian food! There is a very famous opera house in Vienna, that Mozart grew up playing at and it has hosted many famous musicians and opera singers. As my dad and I were walking around after dinner, we passed this opera house and the show that was going on inside, was playing on a HUGE projector screen outside on the plaza. There was a large crowd of people picnicking and sitting and standing watching the opera. I really enjoyed this informal experience of seeing the opera and being outside and hearing the beautiful voices echo in the streets! I am exhausted now so I am going to sleep, hopefully tomorrow will be as much fun as today!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
August 31, 2013
So I am sure you have heard all the news about the USA and
Syria and Israel and the potential bomb threats and chemical weapons being
used. It has been kinda scary in Tel Aviv because for the past few days, we
have all been waiting to hear what decision Obama was going to make about
“invading” Syria and sending missiles into Damascus. Over the past few days, I
have never watched and read so much of the news. Due to everything that may be
happening in the next few days or weeks in Tel Aviv specifically, my dad and I
thought it would be the best option for me to come home for the next 10 days.
This way I can be home, with family, get to see some friends before they leave
for abroad or college, and be safe for sure! If something does end up happening
in Tel Aviv and it is unsafe for me to go back to school, I will be able to go
back to DU (the University of Denver). If ultimately nothing ends up happening
in Tel Aviv or Israel, I will only be home in Chicago for about 10 days and
will still leave on September 9th to go on my Europe trip and then
back to Tel Aviv for the start of school in October. So currently I am writing
this blog post sitting on the plane, somewhere over the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean, with four hours left until landing in New Jersey!
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