First off...Let me apologize for a longer delay than I would like since my last blog entry. I have had the good fortune of some amazing travel excursions lately...and I am quickly realizing how easy it is to ball behind on things when you are running around all over the world. Perhaps I should really think long and hard about that consulting life style I have been dreaming about...
Anyway...where we last left off...I was describing Egypt in all of its...well...non-glory...In the end, I am happy I saw Egypt...but as I said before...I will not be going back anytime soon.
Israel on the other hand...has me still speechless...and it is almost 2 weeks since I have returned. Taking one step back...I have wanted to go Israel for many, many years--All of my friends that have been have described their trips as unforgettable, so, I was eager to experience the same...sadly...stupid wars had to get in the way...
Nonetheless, I finally made it...with two of my best friends...and was gong to spend 2 weeks with my closest cousin...I was on cloud 9...
Israel is a country the size of New Jersey...but with so many different cities, ethnicities, natural wonders and things to do---that I left the planning to my cousin...I knew that being the in the country of Easter and Passover was going to be amazing...and I was not let down...
We started of our journey by going to Nazareth...nothing like seeing some of history's most treasured artifacts up close and personal...We had a rental car and literally spent the next week detoxing from Egypt---It was so great to see nature so up close and personal...
Highlights included:
The Arbell Cliffs & the Sea of Galilee
The Golan Heights and the Golan Heights Winery
The AMAZING Bed & Breakfast we stayed at...Villa Tehilla
Waterfalls, apple groves, hummus, and desserts that are just incredible
The Lebanese Border and not getting into any trouble...:-)
The Bahai Gardens in Haifa
Caesaria
Making fun of Milan and Joe for falling asleep in the back seat
The country just has a way of making you feel at home---we would go from city to city...see where the Kaballah was created, see ancient Roman ruins, see mosques and churches...I think it safe to say we really felt that we were seeing and learning more than ever. The nights were also filled with fun---I learned to really enjoy Israeli beer...we met great people from all over the world, everyone eager to share their stories with us...it was all so memorable...hopefully some of the pictures will do what we saw justice...you guys let me know...
All of this led to the highlights of the trip...the OLD CITY...we walked, mouths agape, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during Palm Sunday. I stood and kissed the Wailing Wall during Passover...the Old City just has to be seen to be believed. Sometimes, I had to pinch myself just to really understand just how much history I was dealing with...At the same time...it was not just about artifacts...my cousin prepared an incredible Passover Seder...I met all of her friends who are all amazing...we ate and drank well into the night---just laughing and thinking about everything we had seen...
Luckily we still had a few days left...so...what better way to spend them than to go South...I arrived at the Dead Sea thinking it would be cool...but what can I tell you...NUTS...maybe the best way to describe the feeling of not being able to sink! The water is SO salty that you literally can stand vertically...I laid on my back and just tried to soak it all in..:-) 3 hours and lots of moisturizer later (As an aside---I decided to myself that I am getting OLD...yep...OLD...so...I made an investment and purchased some high quality lotions...I figure I can take a page out of the vanity book and concentrate on looking as good as possible---:-) We arrived in Eilat on the southern tip of the country...
From Eilat we went to Jordan---and saw PETRA---now any Indiana Jones fans will remember that Indy went here in the Last Crusade---Petra is beyond words and in my opinion cooler and more impressive than the pyramids. Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel---HOW GREAT PEACE CAN BE RIGHT?---so going border to border was no problem at all...the city is carved into an ancient rock façade...I don’t really know how to describe the wonders that are inside...Hopefully a few of the pictures will inspire you all to make your way to Petra as soon as possible...I promise you will not be disappointed.
Lastly...due to our grueling schedule to date, the group decided that some quality beach time was in order. So, in one day, and 9 PASSPORT STAMPS LATER...I found myself back in Egypt...heading to the Red Sea. We went to Sinai and stayed at a really cool little beach resort about 45km south of the border between Egypt and Israel. The Red Sea is SOOOO CALM...it was great to just wake up and hear NOTHING...peace and tranquility were everywhere...as were a BOATLOAD of mosquito's---I put some of the Dead Sea mud on me...again sticking with the skin rejuvenation theme :-) Ate a ton of fresh fish, played a lot of chess, got a nice tan, and realized that my trip as at an end.
When faced with disparity...what other options exist other than alcohol? So...since our flight was leaving Tel Aviv at 6:30 AM...we decided that we must say goodbye to the country that was so good to us by staying out all night...come on...would you have it any other way?? So we hit Tel Aviv by storm...the city ROCKS...a great mix between LA and Miami---we sampled swanky open air bars...got thoroughly drunk...hugged and kissed everyone goodbye many times...and just like that...another vacation came to a close.
My final thoughts are pretty much the same as my initial ones---Israel is amazing. From top to bottom I was impressed with every facet that the country offered. I am already planning my big return trip...
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