I am writing the last page of this blog from my house, and although it is great to be back, I am a little sad to have left this fantastic tour, amazing country, and all of my new friends from far and near!
Our last day morning was a rainy morning in Tel Aviv. After a fairly late start, four of us decided to take a cab to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. It has some wonderful exhibits but we viewed mostly the contemporary and modern art, as well as some really odd photography and some Israeli art.
Moti, our new friend and taxi driver picked us up after about 2 hours and drove us to Jaffa to walk around. It was still raining on and off, and he was nice enough to stop the cab (literally in the middle of the street) so that I could run out to an ATM for some cash (because that is what the Israeli people are all about). He then drove us to his favorite spot for shawarma and falafel in Jaffa, and it was not disappointing.
We walked around Jaffa and got semi caught in another monsoon type downpour but we were lucky enough to be near a covered spot on the side walk. After a while it stopped raining, so we walked around and then back to our hotel along the beach.
Packed and showered, and waited for our 6PM farewell meeting to start at the hotel before dinner. The meeting was a great way to wrap up our trip, with Margaret (from Ireland) handing out beautiful bookmarks and a little prayer to carry in our wallets, and Emily reciting a humorous poem she had written about the trip. We had dinner at 7, a little time to freshen up, and then to the airport for our flight home.
Checking in for a flight out of Ben Gourion Airport is an experience, but we weathered customs, security and baggage check (probably not in that order, but I am sleepy) and boarded our Delta flight back to JFK. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and before I knew it, we were preparing for our decent into New York. A not so quick jaunt through passport control, baggage claim and recheck, and a bazaar trek looking for our gate, and we were on our way to Atlanta, where Kirk picked us up promptly and deposited us home!!
This was absolutely a trip of a life time and one I will never forget!!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Day 13
Awoke this morning to a beautiful rainbow outside my window over the Mediterranean Sea! What a great start to the day. I had to think fast to get my camera, because in seconds it was gone, but I got the image!!
The group had the option of a short bus tour through Tel Aviv, highlighting the important parts of the city, so I took it!! I think I have had enough shopping, and the rest of the group were talking about going to the Carmel Shuk (market) which we had already done when we came to Israel 2 weeks ago (wow!!), so I passed on that. The bus tour ended in Jaffa, where we walked through the newer section up to the older section past beautiful art galleries and shops.
I met Emily in the lobby when the bus dropped us off back at the hotel, and we decided to walk to try to find an Artist Fair called Nachalat Benyamin that was allegedly next to the Carmel Market, and low and behold, we found it!! What a treat, wacky artists plying their wares. The artist themselves were a work of art, I have never seen hairstyles quite like this. The market spilled into the same square as the Carmel market, so we decided to walk down Allenby towards the water and find some place for lunch.
The beach was very crowded, and the ocean waves were high, giving great conditions to surfers (yes! surfers) and this new phenomenon called kite surfing, which was on a board similar to a snow board, with a huge kite pulling you along.....it sounds easy but let me tell you, it was fantastic to watch some of the more expert surfers who were literally flying across the waves.
We ate lunch at a beach bar. Of course, we ordered way too much food, but it was great just sitting on the beach, closing our eyes, people watching and eating!! We walked back to the hotel where I promptly went back to my room and crashed!! All that fresh air took a toll and a nap was mandatory!
We were to meet in the lobby for a dinner that Wendy arranged at a restaurant "right next door" to the hotel. The hotel staff gave us directions and off we go. Suffice it to say, we never got to the restaurant! I have never seen rain torrentially pouring down, winds gusting and blowing out umbrellas, we were literally 'wandering Jews caught in the storm'. We cut our losses, went back to the hotel to dry off, ordered salads in the lobby of the hotel (some of which never came) and ate snacks that we had been carrying around for a week!
We were then poured into taxis to take us to Jaffa and the show Mayumana that Wendy had pre-arranged back in Atlanta. The show was fantastic, drums, dancing, lights, singing...it was great. Unfortunately, some of us were so tired, and the show didn't start until after 10PM, so we were nodding off. Fortunately, it was dark so no one seemed to notice!
Poured back into taxis to go back to the hotel, and good night!!
The group had the option of a short bus tour through Tel Aviv, highlighting the important parts of the city, so I took it!! I think I have had enough shopping, and the rest of the group were talking about going to the Carmel Shuk (market) which we had already done when we came to Israel 2 weeks ago (wow!!), so I passed on that. The bus tour ended in Jaffa, where we walked through the newer section up to the older section past beautiful art galleries and shops.
I met Emily in the lobby when the bus dropped us off back at the hotel, and we decided to walk to try to find an Artist Fair called Nachalat Benyamin that was allegedly next to the Carmel Market, and low and behold, we found it!! What a treat, wacky artists plying their wares. The artist themselves were a work of art, I have never seen hairstyles quite like this. The market spilled into the same square as the Carmel market, so we decided to walk down Allenby towards the water and find some place for lunch.
The beach was very crowded, and the ocean waves were high, giving great conditions to surfers (yes! surfers) and this new phenomenon called kite surfing, which was on a board similar to a snow board, with a huge kite pulling you along.....it sounds easy but let me tell you, it was fantastic to watch some of the more expert surfers who were literally flying across the waves.
We ate lunch at a beach bar. Of course, we ordered way too much food, but it was great just sitting on the beach, closing our eyes, people watching and eating!! We walked back to the hotel where I promptly went back to my room and crashed!! All that fresh air took a toll and a nap was mandatory!
We were to meet in the lobby for a dinner that Wendy arranged at a restaurant "right next door" to the hotel. The hotel staff gave us directions and off we go. Suffice it to say, we never got to the restaurant! I have never seen rain torrentially pouring down, winds gusting and blowing out umbrellas, we were literally 'wandering Jews caught in the storm'. We cut our losses, went back to the hotel to dry off, ordered salads in the lobby of the hotel (some of which never came) and ate snacks that we had been carrying around for a week!
We were then poured into taxis to take us to Jaffa and the show Mayumana that Wendy had pre-arranged back in Atlanta. The show was fantastic, drums, dancing, lights, singing...it was great. Unfortunately, some of us were so tired, and the show didn't start until after 10PM, so we were nodding off. Fortunately, it was dark so no one seemed to notice!
Poured back into taxis to go back to the hotel, and good night!!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Day 12 :(
Another early wake up and we reluctantly leave the beautiful Dan Carmel in Haifa. It was nice to live in paradise for one night, I have a feeling it will be back to reality in Tel Aviv!
We stopped shortly to see the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, a beautiful garden that goes from sea level up to near the top of Mount Carmel and best viewed from atop. I have been there before but it is a wonder to see. It is also a vast panoramic view of the city below, with it's German Colony of red roofed homes all in a row.
Our next stop was Ein Hod, which is an artist village also in the mountains and on the way to Tel Aviv. We visited a music box museum, which at first did not seem very exciting, but the collector of the music boxes was there to give us a lecture, well, more like a stand up comedy show. He is an approximately 80 year old man who did alyiah to Israel 20 years ago. He was a documentary film maker, and his passion is music boxes. He found a house for his collection and has been here happily since. It was magical, and this man reminded me so much of my late father in law, it was as if I was watching him!
We stopped for browsing and coffee in Ein Hod proper, a colony of artist who ply and live and sell their wares. Very pretty.
Our next stop was the Druze village called Sfia (sp). We were met by a Druze guide (secular, he looked like you and I) who took us for a short walk, passing by schools full of playing children, to a Druze home. We sat in the living room of the house and listened to our guide tell us about the history of the Druze both world wide and in Israel, the culture, the religion, and the modern Druze. All the while, the woman who's house this is we are sitting here, is quietly preparing our lunch! And finally, 5 trays of unbelievable salads, kabobs, Druze pitas, and rice come out!! What a treat. It was one of the best meals I had here, everything fresh and spiced perfectly. Topped off with coffee, tea, and a cookie with a date in the middle, we thanked her and left for our walk back to the bus.
Now that our bellies were full, and we were very sleepy, we were off the the Carmel Winery in Zichron Ya'acov founded by the Rothschild family 120 years ago. Our Scottish/Irish? hostess gave us a tour and explained the wine making process, and we sampled a dessert wine, two red wines, and an ice wine, much more than I had anticipated, happily, I was not driving, so I didn't do the spit thing!
We drove to Cesaeria for the sunset on the beach by the aquaducts, and then past Netanya to our destination for the day, Tel Aviv. Our hotel, the Dan Panorama, is well situated, but not nearly as nice as the one in Haifa. Oh well, its a roof with a view of the sea! How bad could it be?!
Emily had her friend come by the hotel with some jewelry to sell, and as I got off the elevator I almost literally ran into Gadi!!! who was the tour guide we had 5 years ago when my family came on a tour with Kol Emeth!! It was fantastic to see him, he had absolutely no recollection of who I was, but was sweet none the less!
Dinner last night with some members of the group at a restaurant by the pier. The food was wonderful but the planes flew by very low, so it kept startling us!! Back to the hotel to prepare for our last full day in this beautiful country.
We stopped shortly to see the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, a beautiful garden that goes from sea level up to near the top of Mount Carmel and best viewed from atop. I have been there before but it is a wonder to see. It is also a vast panoramic view of the city below, with it's German Colony of red roofed homes all in a row.
Our next stop was Ein Hod, which is an artist village also in the mountains and on the way to Tel Aviv. We visited a music box museum, which at first did not seem very exciting, but the collector of the music boxes was there to give us a lecture, well, more like a stand up comedy show. He is an approximately 80 year old man who did alyiah to Israel 20 years ago. He was a documentary film maker, and his passion is music boxes. He found a house for his collection and has been here happily since. It was magical, and this man reminded me so much of my late father in law, it was as if I was watching him!
We stopped for browsing and coffee in Ein Hod proper, a colony of artist who ply and live and sell their wares. Very pretty.
Our next stop was the Druze village called Sfia (sp). We were met by a Druze guide (secular, he looked like you and I) who took us for a short walk, passing by schools full of playing children, to a Druze home. We sat in the living room of the house and listened to our guide tell us about the history of the Druze both world wide and in Israel, the culture, the religion, and the modern Druze. All the while, the woman who's house this is we are sitting here, is quietly preparing our lunch! And finally, 5 trays of unbelievable salads, kabobs, Druze pitas, and rice come out!! What a treat. It was one of the best meals I had here, everything fresh and spiced perfectly. Topped off with coffee, tea, and a cookie with a date in the middle, we thanked her and left for our walk back to the bus.
Now that our bellies were full, and we were very sleepy, we were off the the Carmel Winery in Zichron Ya'acov founded by the Rothschild family 120 years ago. Our Scottish/Irish? hostess gave us a tour and explained the wine making process, and we sampled a dessert wine, two red wines, and an ice wine, much more than I had anticipated, happily, I was not driving, so I didn't do the spit thing!
We drove to Cesaeria for the sunset on the beach by the aquaducts, and then past Netanya to our destination for the day, Tel Aviv. Our hotel, the Dan Panorama, is well situated, but not nearly as nice as the one in Haifa. Oh well, its a roof with a view of the sea! How bad could it be?!
Emily had her friend come by the hotel with some jewelry to sell, and as I got off the elevator I almost literally ran into Gadi!!! who was the tour guide we had 5 years ago when my family came on a tour with Kol Emeth!! It was fantastic to see him, he had absolutely no recollection of who I was, but was sweet none the less!
Dinner last night with some members of the group at a restaurant by the pier. The food was wonderful but the planes flew by very low, so it kept startling us!! Back to the hotel to prepare for our last full day in this beautiful country.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Wednesday....Is this Day 10 or 11??
We got a late start today (on purpose) and our wake up call
was not until 8am!! Of course, all of us were really up early to see who won
the US election! Very moving to watch Obama’s acceptance speech in a hotel room
in the Sea of Galilee with fellow like-minded members of our trip!
We left the Ramot Resort in the hill of the Sea of Galilee
toward the Spice Farm in the fields of Beit Lehem Haglilit this morning to see
this great little business that was started by one family. It is now a huge
tourist attraction, where an adorable
young Israeli girl told us about the spices grown on the farm (in Hebrew
translated first by Wendy, then more humorously by Harrison!). A good amount of
time to shop, then back to the bus to head toward the north west corner of
Israel.
On the way, stopped to eat at a mall type establishment.
We then drove up the coast, past Haifa, to Rosh Hanikra.
There we took a cable car down to the sea level, and walked through grottos
that have been made by nature for hundreds of thousands of years. It is very beautiful. We watched a movie about the history of this
site. After, we took pictures at the border crossing between Israel and
Lebanon. One of the soldiers guarding behind the fence came out to take
pictures with us. It was a great treat!! He was adorable.
Took the cable car back up to the bus, and an hour plus ride
to Haifa, to our beautiful hotel The Dan Carmel. On the way, saw the lights of
the Bahia Garden. I couldn’t capture it
on film, hopefully someone with a good camera got the image.
So it is my turn to sleep alone (yippee) and I walk into
Room 918 and it is a suite!! A bonus
surprise!! It is a magnificent room. Wish I could stay here longer than one
night!! Of course, had to rub it into Jodi and Emily!! They are not amused?
Went out to dinner with 11 of the girls and I to this
fantastic restaurant called 24 Tanamal (probably not correct) and it was a
great meal! We all shared wine, appetizers and main course and all for 200
shekels with tip!! They sat us in the
middle of the restaurant at a huge table we were all able to sit around, and we
had an amazing time. Man these girls are awesome!!
Now we are back at the hotel, and I am relaxing in my
incredible room watching CNN. Phoned Ilana P to catch up. On to Tel Aviv
tomorrow!!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Day NINE and Day TEN: Israel North and Golan Heights
Sorry, have to cut and paste because we don’t have Wi-Fi in
the rooms of this hotel! I guess we were spoiled in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Today was another early day, on the bus fed and packed by
730! We drove through the desert east
toward the Dead Sea and then through the West Bank, which is Palestine territory for our drive to
The Galilee (north).
Our first stop was up a winding mountain road to a monastery
built right into the wall of the desert mountain. The monastery is Greek run,
Saint George Monastery. It is a wonder to see, and the surrounding desert is
stunning! There were “sales people” there who wanted to sell us all forms of
junk, from jewelry to head wraps. I chose jewelry (kind of, a rope bracelet).
Back on the bus through the West Bank, stopped outside of
Jericho for a bathroom break and had some wonderful pomegranate juice and
carried on to Beit Shein. When we crossed over from the West Bank to Israel
proper, we had to go through a check point, where two female and one male
soldier with Uzis and bullet proof vests came on the bus to inspect. We were
told to not take pictures.
I have been to Beit
Shein before, but it is a very interesting archaeological sight. Columns, baths,
amphitheaters, and public toilets (for the men only, Wendy demonstrated). Everything remarkably preserved! After our
tour around the site, we had a lunch of either Chicken Schnitzel or Falafel.
We took a train to where the bus was after lunch, and
boarded the bus to our next stop, also on the top of a mountain. Our stop was
another ruin dig, but also a beautiful view of the desert, and a lovely
sculpture garden. It is called Kokhav Hayarden, where we took many pictures.
Still heading north, we drove along the Jordan border and
decided as a bus that we would like to go to the area of the river where people
get baptized. That was also fascinating, so many Christians getting dunked. It
was a nice touch because of the fact that some of our group members are not
Jewish, and some of them actually got into the river. It was lovely!
We ended up across from Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee to
board a wooden boat cruise. The staff hoisted an American, French and Irish
flag with the corresponding anthems. We cruised across the sea to Tiberius,
taking photos, admiring the scenery, and dancing the hora….magical night.
We arrived at our new hotel, The Ramot Resort Hotel, a beautiful hotel on a mountain
(of course). We were welcomed by wine and cookies, sat on the outside terrace
and just chilled. Didn’t even shower before dinner, even though we really
needed to! Emily and I are roommates now, Jodi is getting her own room for a
couple of nights!
Day 10:
Jodi's birthday, Election Day, and another great day in Israel. On the bus early (for a change) and first stop, a Jeep Tour of the Golan Heights. We drove through the area of Syria that was taken over in 1967. Believe or not, there are still signs in Hebrew, English and Arabic warning people to beware of the mines leftover from when the land was Syria. Thankfully for us (and partly because of some stupid cows) there were no mines on our route. At the top of the mount was an abandoned bunker, a spectacular view of the valley, a history lesson and finally some brewed tea that was really tasty.
Our next stop was for coffee at the Mount Bental Bunker, a sight where you can see a wonderful view of Lebenon, Syria and the Golan Heights. Also the home of some really unique sculptures by an Israeli sculptor. The coffee was pretty good too!!
We pile back on the bus for a scenic ride to Banyas National Park and the Cesaeria Philipe. We were given a quick explanation of the area, took a few pictures, and then loitered around the gift shop waiting for the bus to come back. Some of the group (most of the group) were anxious to stimulate the Israeli economy at Sfad! So that we did!!
Sfad is a Kabbalic mystical community, and the shops are fabulous, as it is also an artist colony. I was one of the few who took precious moments in the shopping schedule to visit the synagogue there. Then I took precious time to EAT, and had this delicious (recommended) Israeli pizza with eggplant, mushroom, zucchini and red pepper with these amazing Israeli spices and a little cheese on a flat sesame pizza made in a wood burning oven (oh my!!). Sorry I spent so many words on this one food item, but it was THAT GOOD!
Every one came back on the bus with all their wares, I had Shabbat candles made in the candle factory and 6 bracelets. Note: the candle factory was very interesting. First, it smelled like a candle. Second, there were candle sculptures that were under glass and were amazing in their detail etc. Third, there were thousands of hand made candles from tapirs, to shabbat, to chanukkah and beyond. Great store.
We came back to the hotel and the sunset over the Sea of Galilee took one's breath away. The rest of the day is devoted to relaxation, wine, dinner, shower, packing and bed, necessarily in that order!! Tomorrow, the road to Haifa!!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Day 9, and I am tired so this will be quick!!
Great day, but I am exhausted and might defer to tomorrow night :) Sorry fans!!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Day Eight: Farewell Jerusalem!!
Our final day in Jerusalem, we are so sad to be leaving this hotel, mostly because we have to pack!!
Day eight began fairly early, with a 7am departure to the Old City. In order to see the Dome of the Rock, you have to wait in line for security, and the later you arrive, the longer you wait. Not sure why the security to enter this site is so much more intense than others, but it is. Finally after 45 minutes in line, we walked into the Dome of the Rock complex in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City which sits on the Temple Mount. The mosque itself is beautiful, and it was fascinating to see the people that congregate here. Women were in little study groups of Koran, men in their own private study sessions. And children, lots of children. Spent a while there talking and then proceeded to walk through the Arab section to the Wailing Wall. Everything is so close together, you wouldn't know how much animosity there is in this country (except there are soldiers and security everywhere).
After the wall visit, we went on the Western Wall Heritage Tour, which is a tour of the west wall tunnel underneath the Arab Quarter, the rest of the wall that has been buried underground and excavated and restored. There are actually places that women pray (men too, but we had to go in the women's entrance) that is nearer to the holiest of holy places, the site where Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is also where the Muslim faith believes is their holiest of spots, hence the Dome of the Rock.
We ate lunch in the Armenian section (I think, we covered a lot) but it was definitely Arab-esque, in an outdoor cafe where our lunch choices were A. Chicken Shwarma B. Falafel or C. Pizza. I had the Falafel, some delicious fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, and a Cappuccino! It was good!!! The restaurant is actually in a church courtyard, and is stop 3 and 4 of Jesus' trek to his final resting place (you KNOW that is not what it's called!) We saw religious groups follow the route, one group was actually bearing a cross!!
The underground tour actually spits out in the Armenian/Coptic/Greek Orthodox/Ethiopian, too many to mention section. We walked through 2 Ethiopian churches to get the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where some kind of sword split some kind of rock, then downstairs to where the body of Jesus was washed and prepared for burial. At this spot, believers were piling little items to be blessed (we suppose). It was fascinating to watch, they had rags that they were symbolically cleaning the blood off of this platform. The actual spot where Jesus is purported to be buried was a little too crowded for my liking, so I ducked out of the church and sat in the courtyard until everyone was ready for the next stop!
We walked some more and ended up in the Arab market (for Jodi and I, we were back in the Arab market, and oddly enough, the merchandise hadn't changed!).
We then walked to the Jewish quarter, and the difference is palatable......it is cleaner, feels newer and just more taken care of than the rest of the Old City. We were given a little history, and then set free to shop in the Cardo (the Jewish market where no haggling occurs!)
It was a long day in the Old City, and Wendy said she had a surprise for us.
We hadn't been on the bus for the whole day, but we piled on happy but tired. We were told that Wendy has wanted to take a group to this "special place", that Kfir (our driver who I call Phil because I am certain that is what he told me on our first day) had confirmed that we can go. It was totally worth it.
We drive up this very scary road outside the city, to a monument erected for the 911 fallen, and we were informed that it is the ONLY monument erected outside of the US. It is a beautiful structure, resembling and American flag, with a piece of the debris from Ground Zero displayed in the base, and on a wall surrounding the structure is plaques with ALL the names of those who perished on 911! Very moving. A JNF group came in behind, and they came to say Kadish, so we all said Kadish together. It was an amazing experience. (on an aside, we caught two old men peeing at the entrance of the memorial, and they weren't even trying to hide what they were doing! It was disgusting, and disrespectful)
We came back to the hotel through the Orthodox section of Jerusalem called Mea Shearim and the streets were teaming with colorful people wearing black hats, long coats, pius: the real deal!!
Jodi and I packed (going to miss this place!) and went downstairs for a glass of wine and dinner. After dinner, a shower, a blog, and good night!!
Day eight began fairly early, with a 7am departure to the Old City. In order to see the Dome of the Rock, you have to wait in line for security, and the later you arrive, the longer you wait. Not sure why the security to enter this site is so much more intense than others, but it is. Finally after 45 minutes in line, we walked into the Dome of the Rock complex in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City which sits on the Temple Mount. The mosque itself is beautiful, and it was fascinating to see the people that congregate here. Women were in little study groups of Koran, men in their own private study sessions. And children, lots of children. Spent a while there talking and then proceeded to walk through the Arab section to the Wailing Wall. Everything is so close together, you wouldn't know how much animosity there is in this country (except there are soldiers and security everywhere).
After the wall visit, we went on the Western Wall Heritage Tour, which is a tour of the west wall tunnel underneath the Arab Quarter, the rest of the wall that has been buried underground and excavated and restored. There are actually places that women pray (men too, but we had to go in the women's entrance) that is nearer to the holiest of holy places, the site where Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is also where the Muslim faith believes is their holiest of spots, hence the Dome of the Rock.
We ate lunch in the Armenian section (I think, we covered a lot) but it was definitely Arab-esque, in an outdoor cafe where our lunch choices were A. Chicken Shwarma B. Falafel or C. Pizza. I had the Falafel, some delicious fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, and a Cappuccino! It was good!!! The restaurant is actually in a church courtyard, and is stop 3 and 4 of Jesus' trek to his final resting place (you KNOW that is not what it's called!) We saw religious groups follow the route, one group was actually bearing a cross!!
The underground tour actually spits out in the Armenian/Coptic/Greek Orthodox/Ethiopian, too many to mention section. We walked through 2 Ethiopian churches to get the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where some kind of sword split some kind of rock, then downstairs to where the body of Jesus was washed and prepared for burial. At this spot, believers were piling little items to be blessed (we suppose). It was fascinating to watch, they had rags that they were symbolically cleaning the blood off of this platform. The actual spot where Jesus is purported to be buried was a little too crowded for my liking, so I ducked out of the church and sat in the courtyard until everyone was ready for the next stop!
We walked some more and ended up in the Arab market (for Jodi and I, we were back in the Arab market, and oddly enough, the merchandise hadn't changed!).
We then walked to the Jewish quarter, and the difference is palatable......it is cleaner, feels newer and just more taken care of than the rest of the Old City. We were given a little history, and then set free to shop in the Cardo (the Jewish market where no haggling occurs!)
It was a long day in the Old City, and Wendy said she had a surprise for us.
We hadn't been on the bus for the whole day, but we piled on happy but tired. We were told that Wendy has wanted to take a group to this "special place", that Kfir (our driver who I call Phil because I am certain that is what he told me on our first day) had confirmed that we can go. It was totally worth it.
We drive up this very scary road outside the city, to a monument erected for the 911 fallen, and we were informed that it is the ONLY monument erected outside of the US. It is a beautiful structure, resembling and American flag, with a piece of the debris from Ground Zero displayed in the base, and on a wall surrounding the structure is plaques with ALL the names of those who perished on 911! Very moving. A JNF group came in behind, and they came to say Kadish, so we all said Kadish together. It was an amazing experience. (on an aside, we caught two old men peeing at the entrance of the memorial, and they weren't even trying to hide what they were doing! It was disgusting, and disrespectful)
We came back to the hotel through the Orthodox section of Jerusalem called Mea Shearim and the streets were teaming with colorful people wearing black hats, long coats, pius: the real deal!!
Jodi and I packed (going to miss this place!) and went downstairs for a glass of wine and dinner. After dinner, a shower, a blog, and good night!!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
We Have Been Here A Week!-Day Seven!
A very early start today. Had to wake up, get ready, have breakfast and be on the bus by 8am! A beautiful drive south toward the Dead Sea.
First stop, the sign that reads "Sea Level". Not sure why this is a photo op, but we stopped, so I took pictures! Back on the bus, next stop The Ahava store! Not the same store that we were at last time we were here, and there was really nothing there for me to buy, so I zipped through the store, and walked out. The surrounding desert mountains are beautiful.
Back on the bus, next stop Ein Gedi. This was a treat. We hiked up to the top of this nature reserve. At times the path was a little scary for some of us. It was narrow and rocky, and given my history, I paid attention to where I was going. At the top was a natural spring, and since it was terribly hot, I took off my shoes and socks and dipped my toes. It felt fantastic!! Hike back down the same way we came up, and at one point there is a little bridge which you had to share with the people going in the opposite direction. There were two older women in native garb (not sure if Israeli or Arab Israeli) who were sitting on the bridge, dipping their toes! Didn't leave too much room for those who needed to go OVER the bridge to get to the other side, but that didn't seem to bother them too much!! A beautiful hike, we got back on the bus shvitzing soaking wet!!
Next stop Massada! Thankfully we took the cable car up and down, but with ease comes uncomfortableness, and they sure do pack a bunch of hot, sweating, "ripe" people into a confined car. At the top of Massada, Harrison took us on a guided tours of the ruins, showing us the baths, the storage areas, the mikvahs, and a synagogue or two! It was fabulous, always something new to learn. Spent about 45 minutes up there, then cabled back down.
Next stop, Had Hamidbar Spa (as Wendy said, it isn't the type of spa we are used to!). We walked through the lobby and had a buffet lunch, then down to the lockers (ugh) to change with the rest of the "naked". We walked to the beach, floated for about 20 minutes, then rinsed off and jumped into the pool to totally get the yucky salt off! Got dressed again and threw out my disposable bathing suit and cover up (it was intentional), and sat in the lobby to await the bus.
Back on the bus, we drive through the desert, up the mountain (switch backs galore, some women with phobias not too happy) and at the top, a spectacular view of the sea, the mountains, the desert. Breathtaking! We were visiting Kibbutz Metzoke Dragot, a kibbutz that earns its livelihood by hosting special events. We watched the sun set, broke out the Merlot, Shiraz and Cab, and toasted the day! As the sun was setting, we headed toward a lit tent for our buffet dinner (by the way, the food is fantastic!) and dined under the stars. Only after dinner we noticed there were no stars! A bonfire was lit, our tables were cleared away, and cushions were set up around the tent.
A good friend of Wendy's who was born in Israel, moved to Atlanta, and has since moved back to Israel with his wife and family, drove all the way from Tel Aviv to our group to entertain us with his guitar. He sang beautiful Israel desert songs, ballads, and even threw in some Neal Young and Cat Stevens so that we could sing along!!
We could have stayed there all night, but our entertainment was catching a flight tomorrow for America, and our bus driver was not allowed to work over a 12 hour day, so we got back on the bus for a 45 minute bus ride back to the Dan Panorama Jerusalem!!
I have never had a more welcome and needed shower as I did tonight! Early day tomorrow.
First stop, the sign that reads "Sea Level". Not sure why this is a photo op, but we stopped, so I took pictures! Back on the bus, next stop The Ahava store! Not the same store that we were at last time we were here, and there was really nothing there for me to buy, so I zipped through the store, and walked out. The surrounding desert mountains are beautiful.
Back on the bus, next stop Ein Gedi. This was a treat. We hiked up to the top of this nature reserve. At times the path was a little scary for some of us. It was narrow and rocky, and given my history, I paid attention to where I was going. At the top was a natural spring, and since it was terribly hot, I took off my shoes and socks and dipped my toes. It felt fantastic!! Hike back down the same way we came up, and at one point there is a little bridge which you had to share with the people going in the opposite direction. There were two older women in native garb (not sure if Israeli or Arab Israeli) who were sitting on the bridge, dipping their toes! Didn't leave too much room for those who needed to go OVER the bridge to get to the other side, but that didn't seem to bother them too much!! A beautiful hike, we got back on the bus shvitzing soaking wet!!
Next stop Massada! Thankfully we took the cable car up and down, but with ease comes uncomfortableness, and they sure do pack a bunch of hot, sweating, "ripe" people into a confined car. At the top of Massada, Harrison took us on a guided tours of the ruins, showing us the baths, the storage areas, the mikvahs, and a synagogue or two! It was fabulous, always something new to learn. Spent about 45 minutes up there, then cabled back down.
Next stop, Had Hamidbar Spa (as Wendy said, it isn't the type of spa we are used to!). We walked through the lobby and had a buffet lunch, then down to the lockers (ugh) to change with the rest of the "naked". We walked to the beach, floated for about 20 minutes, then rinsed off and jumped into the pool to totally get the yucky salt off! Got dressed again and threw out my disposable bathing suit and cover up (it was intentional), and sat in the lobby to await the bus.
Back on the bus, we drive through the desert, up the mountain (switch backs galore, some women with phobias not too happy) and at the top, a spectacular view of the sea, the mountains, the desert. Breathtaking! We were visiting Kibbutz Metzoke Dragot, a kibbutz that earns its livelihood by hosting special events. We watched the sun set, broke out the Merlot, Shiraz and Cab, and toasted the day! As the sun was setting, we headed toward a lit tent for our buffet dinner (by the way, the food is fantastic!) and dined under the stars. Only after dinner we noticed there were no stars! A bonfire was lit, our tables were cleared away, and cushions were set up around the tent.
A good friend of Wendy's who was born in Israel, moved to Atlanta, and has since moved back to Israel with his wife and family, drove all the way from Tel Aviv to our group to entertain us with his guitar. He sang beautiful Israel desert songs, ballads, and even threw in some Neal Young and Cat Stevens so that we could sing along!!
We could have stayed there all night, but our entertainment was catching a flight tomorrow for America, and our bus driver was not allowed to work over a 12 hour day, so we got back on the bus for a 45 minute bus ride back to the Dan Panorama Jerusalem!!
I have never had a more welcome and needed shower as I did tonight! Early day tomorrow.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Day Six
Jodi and I had a plan, but of course, like all great plans, we had to adjust.
After breakfast at the hotel, we decided to go the the synagogue down the road, dubbed The Big Synagogue by locals. We had tried to go yesterday on our way back from shopping, but the little man at the door, who spoke perfect English, told Jodi her shorts were too short, and to come back tomorrow. He told us to come early because they will be closing to prepare for Shabbat. He told us to bring our cameras. So this morning we go, happily wearing long shorts, but still shorts. Little man: "your shorts are too short, come back tonight for services"!! This is beginning to sound a little Wizard of Oz-ish!!
Turned away twice, we decided to head back to the hotel to catch a taxi to Yad Vashem. I don't think it really matters how many times you visit this museum, it is so powerful, you just feel compelled to return. We were really debating whether to go, and decided that since the last time we were there, we were with (impatient) husbands and children, that we would go and take our time.
Well we did just that, three hours to walk through this amazing exhibit, and just as powerful as the last time I visited, and the time before. Originally we didn't get the head phones, but we went back to get them and it was such a good thing we did. Ended with a visit to the Hall of Names, the Children's Memorial (a few tears) and we left feeling relief that we decided to go back to this museum.
We hopped into a cab to go back to the hotel, and on the way asked him to take us instead to a restaurant near the hotel that he could recommend. The restaurant was very good, but that was the first time we felt "ripped off" by the cab driver, or anyone in Israel for that matter, and so, we gave him NO TIP!! Good Shabbos!! (by the way, pretty sure this cab driver was an Arab-Israeli)
Lunch at the Dolphin, non kosher (our first hint of this was the shrimp and mussels on the menu) but it was a nice lunch. After, walked back to the hotel, Jodi took a power nap, I took a power shower, and at 4 o'clock, started to get ready for our 3rd and final attempt at getting inside The Big Synagogue!!
Services started at 4:40 sharp, we were warned not to be late. So at 4:20, Jodi, Rachel, Rachel's mom Andrea and I headed out for Friday night services!! When we got there, we were dressed appropriately!!! Yay!! But we were not allowed to bring electronic devises into services, so we had to leave our phones and cameras with "the little man" at the door. He put (literally) 8 phones, and 4 cameras into a plastic shopping bag, and said he hoped they would be there when the services let out. What???????
With a leap of faith, we walked the 3 flights of stairs to the women's section of the synagogue, made a left turn to the "guest" section, and sat through an hour of prayers that we didn't understand or recognize. I impressed the others with my ability to find the spot where the Chazan was chanting (it wasn't easy!!) The service was interesting, the shul really unimpressive, but big as the name suggests. The best part of the service was that is was a total of an hour, then we were out!! Of course, our cameras and phones were there safe and sound, and we were also relieved to discover that we weren't the only people stupid enough to bring these items, there were plenty of phone and cameras in the drawer of the little desk at the entrance to the synagogue, but no "little man"!
We walked back to the hotel, congregated in the lobby for wine and conversation, and then to the dining room for Shabbat dinner, which we were really not hungry for, but managed to eat just a little.
Tomorrow is a big day, so trying to get to sleep early.
After breakfast at the hotel, we decided to go the the synagogue down the road, dubbed The Big Synagogue by locals. We had tried to go yesterday on our way back from shopping, but the little man at the door, who spoke perfect English, told Jodi her shorts were too short, and to come back tomorrow. He told us to come early because they will be closing to prepare for Shabbat. He told us to bring our cameras. So this morning we go, happily wearing long shorts, but still shorts. Little man: "your shorts are too short, come back tonight for services"!! This is beginning to sound a little Wizard of Oz-ish!!
Turned away twice, we decided to head back to the hotel to catch a taxi to Yad Vashem. I don't think it really matters how many times you visit this museum, it is so powerful, you just feel compelled to return. We were really debating whether to go, and decided that since the last time we were there, we were with (impatient) husbands and children, that we would go and take our time.
Well we did just that, three hours to walk through this amazing exhibit, and just as powerful as the last time I visited, and the time before. Originally we didn't get the head phones, but we went back to get them and it was such a good thing we did. Ended with a visit to the Hall of Names, the Children's Memorial (a few tears) and we left feeling relief that we decided to go back to this museum.
We hopped into a cab to go back to the hotel, and on the way asked him to take us instead to a restaurant near the hotel that he could recommend. The restaurant was very good, but that was the first time we felt "ripped off" by the cab driver, or anyone in Israel for that matter, and so, we gave him NO TIP!! Good Shabbos!! (by the way, pretty sure this cab driver was an Arab-Israeli)
Lunch at the Dolphin, non kosher (our first hint of this was the shrimp and mussels on the menu) but it was a nice lunch. After, walked back to the hotel, Jodi took a power nap, I took a power shower, and at 4 o'clock, started to get ready for our 3rd and final attempt at getting inside The Big Synagogue!!
Services started at 4:40 sharp, we were warned not to be late. So at 4:20, Jodi, Rachel, Rachel's mom Andrea and I headed out for Friday night services!! When we got there, we were dressed appropriately!!! Yay!! But we were not allowed to bring electronic devises into services, so we had to leave our phones and cameras with "the little man" at the door. He put (literally) 8 phones, and 4 cameras into a plastic shopping bag, and said he hoped they would be there when the services let out. What???????
With a leap of faith, we walked the 3 flights of stairs to the women's section of the synagogue, made a left turn to the "guest" section, and sat through an hour of prayers that we didn't understand or recognize. I impressed the others with my ability to find the spot where the Chazan was chanting (it wasn't easy!!) The service was interesting, the shul really unimpressive, but big as the name suggests. The best part of the service was that is was a total of an hour, then we were out!! Of course, our cameras and phones were there safe and sound, and we were also relieved to discover that we weren't the only people stupid enough to bring these items, there were plenty of phone and cameras in the drawer of the little desk at the entrance to the synagogue, but no "little man"!
We walked back to the hotel, congregated in the lobby for wine and conversation, and then to the dining room for Shabbat dinner, which we were really not hungry for, but managed to eat just a little.
Tomorrow is a big day, so trying to get to sleep early.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Day Five!!
After breakfast in the hotel, Jodi and I decided to walk to Ben Yehuda to do some shopping. Jodi was in the market for shorts, me for some more short sleeve tops, because it is sooooooo unseasonably hot here, I am shvitzing through my clothes!
Up and down Ben Yehuda Street, then on to Jaffa Road, walking into and out of every store imaginable, lamenting that it is too bad there isn't a Gap, an American Eagle or a Macy's. We did manage to get the tops, but the shorts were a rare commodity (because after all, it is winter in Israel, even though the thermometer reads 85%!!)
We finally gave up the fight, and started heading toward Machane Yehuda, the colorful market that has everything (literally) from soup to nuts!! We found some cute napkins (napkins?? really??) that we just had to buy for when our friends invite us for Shabbat dinner (so those of you who read this blog, act surprised when you get cute napkins!!). We also managed to find "the best" halavah (white and dark chocolate chip for Jodi, Expresso coffee bean for me) and "the best" rugalach, because after all, this is the 5 Senses Tour, and we have not been neglecting our eating sense!!
We headed back to the hotel because I really wanted to refresh before joining the tour at 3. At about 2:45 we went to the lobby and started meeting the women we were going to spend the next 10 days with, and I have to say I am very excited, because they seem like a great group!! We met Harrison, our fearless leader, and boarded our coach.
We drove through Jerusalem to the top of Mount Olives, where there is a fantastic panoramic view of the entire city of Jerusalem, old and new! Harrison gave us an outline of major eventst that occurred in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim histories, pointing to where these actual events occurred....amazing! A few women boarded the resident camel (5 shekles!! ) to have their picture taken.
I said at the beginning of our adventure that I wouldn't feel officially in Israel until I saw a camel, so now it is official (even though I would never fork over the 5 shekles to ride one!) Talked about the cemeteries at the base of Mount Olives, and while driving back down toward our hotel, saw a group of Orthodox Jews who appeared to be at a funeral. Also saw two Palestine girls shaking olives out of a tree....so many interesting sights and people of all walks.
Back to the hotel for a 5:00 meeting for "housekeeping" purposes, basically show up when you are supposed to, and don't keep your complaints to yourself....that kind of thing! Then to dinner, which was a typical Israeli dinner, but pretty darn good!!
At 7PM we boarded the bus again and headed to the Old City for the amazing Night Spectacular Show on the Old City Walls in the King David Tower .....this show is not to be missed!! Beautiful interpretation of the history of Jerusalem, a light and sound show that left us breathless. The Old City was hosting a Rennaissance type of festival, and the crowds were dense, to say the least.
Now let me tell you, my good friend Emily, who is one of the smartest people I know, was tardy for the bus ride at 3pm...and we all laughed about it and she had the "walk of shame" onto the bus, but is was all in good humor! So tonight, we are all in a group, milling through throngs of people (to the point of uncomfortable-ness) and someone on the tour got separated from the group, and basically disappeared, but thankfully was rejoined some 15 minutes later. It was scary, and it was EMILY!!!!! Hopefully this is not a trend!
After the show, most went back on to the hotel on the bus, but 7 of us decided to walk back through this beautiful mall called Mamilla. Well guess what? There IS a Gap, there IS an American Outfitters, but no Macy's!! Yipee, more shopping!! Stopped at an outdoor cafe and had coffee/wine and then headed back to the hotel. Believe it or not, Jodi and Ilana lead the way, because of our GREAT SENSE OF DIRECTION, thats right naysayers, we haven't gotten lost once since we have been here!!! Great day, again!
Up and down Ben Yehuda Street, then on to Jaffa Road, walking into and out of every store imaginable, lamenting that it is too bad there isn't a Gap, an American Eagle or a Macy's. We did manage to get the tops, but the shorts were a rare commodity (because after all, it is winter in Israel, even though the thermometer reads 85%!!)
We finally gave up the fight, and started heading toward Machane Yehuda, the colorful market that has everything (literally) from soup to nuts!! We found some cute napkins (napkins?? really??) that we just had to buy for when our friends invite us for Shabbat dinner (so those of you who read this blog, act surprised when you get cute napkins!!). We also managed to find "the best" halavah (white and dark chocolate chip for Jodi, Expresso coffee bean for me) and "the best" rugalach, because after all, this is the 5 Senses Tour, and we have not been neglecting our eating sense!!
We headed back to the hotel because I really wanted to refresh before joining the tour at 3. At about 2:45 we went to the lobby and started meeting the women we were going to spend the next 10 days with, and I have to say I am very excited, because they seem like a great group!! We met Harrison, our fearless leader, and boarded our coach.
We drove through Jerusalem to the top of Mount Olives, where there is a fantastic panoramic view of the entire city of Jerusalem, old and new! Harrison gave us an outline of major eventst that occurred in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim histories, pointing to where these actual events occurred....amazing! A few women boarded the resident camel (5 shekles!! ) to have their picture taken.
I said at the beginning of our adventure that I wouldn't feel officially in Israel until I saw a camel, so now it is official (even though I would never fork over the 5 shekles to ride one!) Talked about the cemeteries at the base of Mount Olives, and while driving back down toward our hotel, saw a group of Orthodox Jews who appeared to be at a funeral. Also saw two Palestine girls shaking olives out of a tree....so many interesting sights and people of all walks.
Back to the hotel for a 5:00 meeting for "housekeeping" purposes, basically show up when you are supposed to, and don't keep your complaints to yourself....that kind of thing! Then to dinner, which was a typical Israeli dinner, but pretty darn good!!
At 7PM we boarded the bus again and headed to the Old City for the amazing Night Spectacular Show on the Old City Walls in the King David Tower .....this show is not to be missed!! Beautiful interpretation of the history of Jerusalem, a light and sound show that left us breathless. The Old City was hosting a Rennaissance type of festival, and the crowds were dense, to say the least.
Now let me tell you, my good friend Emily, who is one of the smartest people I know, was tardy for the bus ride at 3pm...and we all laughed about it and she had the "walk of shame" onto the bus, but is was all in good humor! So tonight, we are all in a group, milling through throngs of people (to the point of uncomfortable-ness) and someone on the tour got separated from the group, and basically disappeared, but thankfully was rejoined some 15 minutes later. It was scary, and it was EMILY!!!!! Hopefully this is not a trend!
After the show, most went back on to the hotel on the bus, but 7 of us decided to walk back through this beautiful mall called Mamilla. Well guess what? There IS a Gap, there IS an American Outfitters, but no Macy's!! Yipee, more shopping!! Stopped at an outdoor cafe and had coffee/wine and then headed back to the hotel. Believe it or not, Jodi and Ilana lead the way, because of our GREAT SENSE OF DIRECTION, thats right naysayers, we haven't gotten lost once since we have been here!!! Great day, again!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Not So Important News Break
It has come to my attention that the name of my blog is "Israel 2021 Ilana".....ok, forgive me when I set the blog up I was running on literally 6 hours of sleep in 48+ hours!!!!!!
I cannot figure out how to change the title of my blog, so for those of you actually following, I am here and it is 2012!!!!!
I cannot figure out how to change the title of my blog, so for those of you actually following, I am here and it is 2012!!!!!
Day Four
Another beautiful day in the Land of Milk and Honey! Awoke for the "free" hotel breakfast, and have to say that it was so nice to NOT be around tourists for two days, that it was shock to hear all the "American" language and seeing all the old Jewish people (me in a few years)!
After breakfast we walked to the Old City, a nice 20 minute walk from the hotel to Jaffa Gate. The usual shmatas in the Arab Market, the Jewish Quarter stores are much nicer!! Of course, with that, they are so much more expensive, but I wasn't really looking for anything specifically, so I didn't do too much damage.
We walked and walked through nooks and crannies inside the walls. We saw things we would never have seen on a tour, the places the people live, schools, day cares. It is fascinating. We walked to the Wailing Wall and since Jodi was wearing teeny white shorts, she had to wear a shmata to cover her legs. I was jealous, and even though I was dressed more modestly, I asked if I could have a shmata too!
It was wonderful to actually have time to pray, to reflect, and to take in the splendor that is "our" Western Wall. We spend probably 45 minutes there, again, something you really cannot do on a tour.
And after we were religiously sated, we moved on to the falafal stand to have a Falafal Pita (amazingly delicious!)
Just reread the above, and I have to say that a log about a day in Israel is probably the only place you will find the word shmata three times.
We walked back to the hotel and had every intention to go to the pool, but alas, the pool here is closed. So a jaunt to the lobby to go online, even though for some odd reason, we are getting Lobby Wifi in our room.
Jodi went to work out, and I didn't.
We got ready for dinner, and then hopped in a cab to a restaurant that Adam's friend Rebecca recommended called Darna, dubbed an authentic Moroccon Glatt Kosher restaurant, and dispite this, it was wonderful!!
We ordered morrocon soup, salads galore, a beef couscous, glazed cornish hens, and an Israeli Pinot Noir. And the desserts, oh my g-d!!! The waitress poured us mint tea, and packed up leftovers in the biggest doggie bag in the history of doggie bags!! We took our left over wine, and since the water she brought us was bottled and 24 sheckles (that is $6.00!!!!) we even took the left over water!!
Took the long way home (not on purpose) and saw the sight of a fundraiser/thankyou for Israeli philanthropists at the YMCA (again, only in Israel).
Back at the hotel now watching tv, writing this blog, and feeling very stuffed and tired. Tomorrow we join the group at 3pm, and a little wistful that our independent journey is ending.
After breakfast we walked to the Old City, a nice 20 minute walk from the hotel to Jaffa Gate. The usual shmatas in the Arab Market, the Jewish Quarter stores are much nicer!! Of course, with that, they are so much more expensive, but I wasn't really looking for anything specifically, so I didn't do too much damage.
We walked and walked through nooks and crannies inside the walls. We saw things we would never have seen on a tour, the places the people live, schools, day cares. It is fascinating. We walked to the Wailing Wall and since Jodi was wearing teeny white shorts, she had to wear a shmata to cover her legs. I was jealous, and even though I was dressed more modestly, I asked if I could have a shmata too!
It was wonderful to actually have time to pray, to reflect, and to take in the splendor that is "our" Western Wall. We spend probably 45 minutes there, again, something you really cannot do on a tour.
And after we were religiously sated, we moved on to the falafal stand to have a Falafal Pita (amazingly delicious!)
Just reread the above, and I have to say that a log about a day in Israel is probably the only place you will find the word shmata three times.
We walked back to the hotel and had every intention to go to the pool, but alas, the pool here is closed. So a jaunt to the lobby to go online, even though for some odd reason, we are getting Lobby Wifi in our room.
Jodi went to work out, and I didn't.
We got ready for dinner, and then hopped in a cab to a restaurant that Adam's friend Rebecca recommended called Darna, dubbed an authentic Moroccon Glatt Kosher restaurant, and dispite this, it was wonderful!!
We ordered morrocon soup, salads galore, a beef couscous, glazed cornish hens, and an Israeli Pinot Noir. And the desserts, oh my g-d!!! The waitress poured us mint tea, and packed up leftovers in the biggest doggie bag in the history of doggie bags!! We took our left over wine, and since the water she brought us was bottled and 24 sheckles (that is $6.00!!!!) we even took the left over water!!
Took the long way home (not on purpose) and saw the sight of a fundraiser/thankyou for Israeli philanthropists at the YMCA (again, only in Israel).
Back at the hotel now watching tv, writing this blog, and feeling very stuffed and tired. Tomorrow we join the group at 3pm, and a little wistful that our independent journey is ending.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Day Three
Sitting in the lobby of the beautiful Dan Panorama, reflecting on today, another great day!
Went for breakfast at the little cafe across from our room. Then decided to head back to the shore and look for Jaffa, old and new. Found it with ease. Amazing that it really hasn't changed since we were here last, although we were able to explore it in more depth than the last time we were here ("meet back at the bus in 20 minutes???!!!). Also, I am not certain, but I don't think there was Zumba classes in the streets when we were here last time!
Heading back down toward Tel Aviv, discovered a store that needed attention. Spent too much time in there, but after a while and an emergency call to Amex, we headed back towards our humble digs.
Stopped for a bite to eat for lunch, then back to The Trieste to check out and meet Ofer, the taxi man! Had an hour to kill so decided to have a quick coffee. Ofer comes early, we down our coffee, say good bye to Odelia (loved her!) and off we go to Jerusalem!
Traffic out of Tel Aviv was horrible, but eventually we were on the highway headed towards Jerusalem. Ofer pointed out some very interesting things along the way (after an eerily quiet 1/2 hour or so), and about 1 1/2 hours later, we were at our destination, The Dan Panorama!!
Checked in, showered (ahhhhhhhhhhhh) and went for a walk to our evening meal at a restaurant called Joy (and indeed the food was a joy to eat, me Shnitzle, Jodi lamb chops)! Now relaxing in the lobby (the only place with free Wifi) catching up and listening to live piano. Nice Nice Nice!!
Went for breakfast at the little cafe across from our room. Then decided to head back to the shore and look for Jaffa, old and new. Found it with ease. Amazing that it really hasn't changed since we were here last, although we were able to explore it in more depth than the last time we were here ("meet back at the bus in 20 minutes???!!!). Also, I am not certain, but I don't think there was Zumba classes in the streets when we were here last time!
Heading back down toward Tel Aviv, discovered a store that needed attention. Spent too much time in there, but after a while and an emergency call to Amex, we headed back towards our humble digs.
Stopped for a bite to eat for lunch, then back to The Trieste to check out and meet Ofer, the taxi man! Had an hour to kill so decided to have a quick coffee. Ofer comes early, we down our coffee, say good bye to Odelia (loved her!) and off we go to Jerusalem!
Traffic out of Tel Aviv was horrible, but eventually we were on the highway headed towards Jerusalem. Ofer pointed out some very interesting things along the way (after an eerily quiet 1/2 hour or so), and about 1 1/2 hours later, we were at our destination, The Dan Panorama!!
Checked in, showered (ahhhhhhhhhhhh) and went for a walk to our evening meal at a restaurant called Joy (and indeed the food was a joy to eat, me Shnitzle, Jodi lamb chops)! Now relaxing in the lobby (the only place with free Wifi) catching up and listening to live piano. Nice Nice Nice!!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Day Two
This morning we got a surprise visit from Emily and her friend Joan and quickly got ready for the day!! Went for a delicious breakfast right outside our door, and enjoyed hearing the story of Joan's history! And then we walked, first down a beautiful street (downhill means you are walking towards water) with lovely shops and little restaurants. Finally the Mediterranean Sea came into view, and what a view that is!!
The weather was so beautiful today that all walks of life were out enjoying the sea, from the inebriated, to the fully clad Arab women, to the hookah smoking men, children galore, cosmopolitan young men and women, joggers, and of course, many camera/map toting tourists. We continued north to another shopping street (I am not naming these streets because frankly, I cannot remember! ).We ended up walking through a wonderful outdoor market that dead ends at the point where Allenby, King George and a few other major roads converge.
We followed Allenby (north?) to Ben Yehuda, and then walked that street until we found this great little cafe to have lunch at. We all made good healthy choices (and I discovered that I really don't hate Kalmata Olives??!)
Emily's host came to fetch us, we said good bye to Joan, and we piled in the car to go back to the beach to this beautiful outdoor shopping area that was converted from an old railway line (it used to run from Alexandria to Constantinople, right through Tel Aviv ). Now it houses very nice, trendy, chic, expensive stores. It also is a hot spot for bridal picture taking, and there were at least five beautiful brides that we saw there being photographed!
We said good bye to Emily and her host, and walked (no kind of ran) down to the beach to get a photo of the sunset, but we were barely too late. We took some photos anyways.
We walked back to The Trieste, and Odelia (that is the women who owns the B&B) called us to ask us if we were still interested in dinner with her. By the way, it may seem like all we are doing is eating, but I promise there is a lot of stuff in between our meals!
Of course we are interested, so minutes later Odelia picks us up, with her 8 year old daughter Elaine (so cute, loves the son Call Me Maybe :) ) and away we go!! She takes us to this really interesting part of town to this amazing restaurant where we have so much food and freshly out of the oven pita bread (oh my goodness) that we cannot believe our eyes. It was tasty, and we barely had room for the rugalach and blueberry bun we purchased an hour earlier at this wonderful bakery stand, but we managed.
Now earlier Odelia mentioned that she was going to a Bar Mitzvah and said we could join her if we were interested. Hell Yeah, we were interested!!!!
So while she took Elaine home to put her to bed, we went back to the room to shower and change (long pants, long sleeve top) and minutes later we were off to our first Orthodox Bar Mitzvah!! Wow, talk about culture shock. We had to wear these slips over our pants, the men were all on one side of the room dancing and merry making, and the women were on the other side of a big wall divider with hundreds of little children wreaking havoc and looking religiously adorable! We were totally sore thumbs in a sea of Orthodox women, but they were so hospitable, insisting that we eat (again) and we even had a table picture of us (I am sure in a few weeks the mother of the Bar Mitvah boy is going to be looking at picture proofs and saying "who the heck are those two people???!!!". )
Day two proved to be even better than day one. I cannot even imagine what tomorrow will bring!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Day one
Our adventure started four days early. We were scheduled to depart Wednesday October 31st, 2012. Hurricane Sandy had different plans. Between her and Frankenstorm, we had to think fast. So a decision was made on Friday night, as I was being blessed by Rabbi Greene, that we were leaving Saturday!! Note to self, when traveling with a group, book flights with the group!
The scramble to get things tied up, we needed accommodations for four extra nights, which was not such an easy task, but it got done. We needed to pack, but for some inexplicable reason, I was already 95% packed and had been for some time.
Emily and Jodi were dropped off around noon on Saturday, our fearless leader Wendy, who was to follow with the group on Tuesday night via Amsterdam, dropped off her son's phone (he is studying in Tel Aviv and was in need of a replacement) and my husband Andy graciously chauffeured us to Hartsfield for the first leg of our journey.
An uneventful (somewhat rocky) flight to JFK, sitting in our new and unimproved seats (we had carefully selected for the flights we were supposed to be taking and they were outstanding seats, new seats NOT SO MUCH!)
Landed with ease at JFK, with a few hours to kill before our next "highly anticipated" flight to Tel Aviv. After a free Bloody Mary (thanks Em!) at the Delta Sky Lounge, and a first class Italian dinner, we go through the additional security at Gate 6, and we are off to Tel Aviv!!!!
10 1/2 hours in Row 47 (the row in front of the bathrooms!!), Jodi in the aisle, me at the window, and some poor fellow who thought he had a chance to score an aisle seat with a trade with Jodi (no thanks!). And away we go!!! TV/movie selection was outstanding! Watched Jeff at Home, took my Ambien (well not really MY Ambien) and although I was not 100 % comfortable, I must have managed to sleep, because when I awoke there was only two hours left of the flight, and they were serving up breakfast!
And so a little before 2pm on Sunday October 28th, we land in beautiful Eretz Yisrael! Luggage a breeze, Israelphones sorted out kind of (they have to deliver them to our "hotel" (an explanation of the quotation marks around that word to follow), we hop in a cab driven by Ophar (who wants us to call him on Tuesday so he can take us to Jerusalem) and through the busy highways and streets of Tel Aviv, we arrive at The Trieste Bed and Breakfast!!
Jodi: "Are you sure this is the right place?"
Ok enough said, you can imagine our surprise. But Ophar says yes, this is the right place, the building is a square structure, no reception area, no front desk, but there is a parking lot (tiny) to the right of the building with cars in it...so we take a leap of faith and let Ophar drop us and our luggage there.
Hmmmmmmmmm, two men with cameras and another who looks like he might belong to the "hotel". As it turns out we are in the right place, the owner of the hotel is not around, he will let us use his phone to call her. Who is this man, and why are there camera men lurking around the hotel???? A WEDDING! The bride is getting dressed in one of the three units in this establishment, the young man with the phone, the hairdresser!!! The owner of the establishment ON HER WAY, 5 minutes!!
Mother and sister of the bride come out to the staircase, I offer to take their picture! I am only worried our 4 pieces of luggage will be in the pictures of the bride making her debut in her beautiful dress, but the paparazzi assures us she is not coming out yet. Mazel Tov to the sister, Mazel Tov to the mother!! They both look beautiful. Mom runs into the room and comes out of the room with a bag of candy. We must take a handful and throw it at the bride. We comply. The bride is beautiful.
Finally our proprietor arrives in a taxi, she is a bit flustered, but she shleps our bags back downstairs, talking talking talking, and leads us to the side of the building to our "big room". Ok, it is big. And kind of nice in a funky and weird way. But its clean, and she is so adorable, I wish I could remember her name because I think we are going out for dinner with her tomorrow night! I think my son Adam described the room perfectly, he said it looked like we were staying in a bomb shelter or dungeon, but later as we Skyped, he said it kind of looked like we were staying at the Wailing Wall! Why? Because the walls and ceiling are made of brick, and I have decided that before I leave this room, I am going to write a little prayer, and stuff it into a crevice of this room in Tel Aviv!
We walk to Herzl from our hotel. Every thing is in walking distance, and everyone we talk to says we are in a safe neighborhood, so we go! Jodi got her Shwarma, and I had a Falafal, and we came back weary and sated.
So my roomie is sound asleep, as I should be, but me, I am starting to blog!
The scramble to get things tied up, we needed accommodations for four extra nights, which was not such an easy task, but it got done. We needed to pack, but for some inexplicable reason, I was already 95% packed and had been for some time.
Emily and Jodi were dropped off around noon on Saturday, our fearless leader Wendy, who was to follow with the group on Tuesday night via Amsterdam, dropped off her son's phone (he is studying in Tel Aviv and was in need of a replacement) and my husband Andy graciously chauffeured us to Hartsfield for the first leg of our journey.
An uneventful (somewhat rocky) flight to JFK, sitting in our new and unimproved seats (we had carefully selected for the flights we were supposed to be taking and they were outstanding seats, new seats NOT SO MUCH!)
Landed with ease at JFK, with a few hours to kill before our next "highly anticipated" flight to Tel Aviv. After a free Bloody Mary (thanks Em!) at the Delta Sky Lounge, and a first class Italian dinner, we go through the additional security at Gate 6, and we are off to Tel Aviv!!!!
10 1/2 hours in Row 47 (the row in front of the bathrooms!!), Jodi in the aisle, me at the window, and some poor fellow who thought he had a chance to score an aisle seat with a trade with Jodi (no thanks!). And away we go!!! TV/movie selection was outstanding! Watched Jeff at Home, took my Ambien (well not really MY Ambien) and although I was not 100 % comfortable, I must have managed to sleep, because when I awoke there was only two hours left of the flight, and they were serving up breakfast!
And so a little before 2pm on Sunday October 28th, we land in beautiful Eretz Yisrael! Luggage a breeze, Israelphones sorted out kind of (they have to deliver them to our "hotel" (an explanation of the quotation marks around that word to follow), we hop in a cab driven by Ophar (who wants us to call him on Tuesday so he can take us to Jerusalem) and through the busy highways and streets of Tel Aviv, we arrive at The Trieste Bed and Breakfast!!
Jodi: "Are you sure this is the right place?"
Ok enough said, you can imagine our surprise. But Ophar says yes, this is the right place, the building is a square structure, no reception area, no front desk, but there is a parking lot (tiny) to the right of the building with cars in it...so we take a leap of faith and let Ophar drop us and our luggage there.
Hmmmmmmmmm, two men with cameras and another who looks like he might belong to the "hotel". As it turns out we are in the right place, the owner of the hotel is not around, he will let us use his phone to call her. Who is this man, and why are there camera men lurking around the hotel???? A WEDDING! The bride is getting dressed in one of the three units in this establishment, the young man with the phone, the hairdresser!!! The owner of the establishment ON HER WAY, 5 minutes!!
Mother and sister of the bride come out to the staircase, I offer to take their picture! I am only worried our 4 pieces of luggage will be in the pictures of the bride making her debut in her beautiful dress, but the paparazzi assures us she is not coming out yet. Mazel Tov to the sister, Mazel Tov to the mother!! They both look beautiful. Mom runs into the room and comes out of the room with a bag of candy. We must take a handful and throw it at the bride. We comply. The bride is beautiful.
Finally our proprietor arrives in a taxi, she is a bit flustered, but she shleps our bags back downstairs, talking talking talking, and leads us to the side of the building to our "big room". Ok, it is big. And kind of nice in a funky and weird way. But its clean, and she is so adorable, I wish I could remember her name because I think we are going out for dinner with her tomorrow night! I think my son Adam described the room perfectly, he said it looked like we were staying in a bomb shelter or dungeon, but later as we Skyped, he said it kind of looked like we were staying at the Wailing Wall! Why? Because the walls and ceiling are made of brick, and I have decided that before I leave this room, I am going to write a little prayer, and stuff it into a crevice of this room in Tel Aviv!
We walk to Herzl from our hotel. Every thing is in walking distance, and everyone we talk to says we are in a safe neighborhood, so we go! Jodi got her Shwarma, and I had a Falafal, and we came back weary and sated.
So my roomie is sound asleep, as I should be, but me, I am starting to blog!
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