The Tel Aviv beach.
In an email from my mom while I was in Israel: "hope you are enjoying your time in Israel and staying away from anyplace that could be bombed for whatever reason." We were not particularly successful in staying away from bombing locations. The first day in Tel Aviv we went out for drinks at a bar next to the American Embassy, which had been bombed three years before, and on our last night, we went out to a popular restaurant which had been bombed several years before. Seemed safe enough. And it's not like you can walk around being constantly scared of that. Just have to hope for the best and enjoy yourself. Though I can't say that I wasn't a little nervous and continually checking the door for someone walking in with a large coat the whole time we were in that bar next to the embassy.
Actually, Israel didn't seem unsafe at all. Walking around on the streets and seeing the military with their giant guns was a little unnerving at times, but after I got used to it, it made me feel a little safer - and was actually glad when two soldiers with M-16's got onto our bus from Tel Aviv to Eilat.
Israel (and the middle east in general) is a fascinating place. The history is so complicated, even the people here don't fully understand it. Our host, Rachel, who is a good friend of mine from my New York days, tried to explain the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the areas in the North that will perhaps one day be a part of Syria or Lebanon, and why Israel has them, and why they don't want to give them up. I asked at one point, "well, who did the land belong to originally?", foolishly thinking that the answer might be simple. "Depends on when you mean, 200 years ago or 2000 years ago." Hmm. Tricky.
Actually, Israel didn't seem unsafe at all. Walking around on the streets and seeing the military with their giant guns was a little unnerving at times, but after I got used to it, it made me feel a little safer - and was actually glad when two soldiers with M-16's got onto our bus from Tel Aviv to Eilat.
Israel (and the middle east in general) is a fascinating place. The history is so complicated, even the people here don't fully understand it. Our host, Rachel, who is a good friend of mine from my New York days, tried to explain the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the areas in the North that will perhaps one day be a part of Syria or Lebanon, and why Israel has them, and why they don't want to give them up. I asked at one point, "well, who did the land belong to originally?", foolishly thinking that the answer might be simple. "Depends on when you mean, 200 years ago or 2000 years ago." Hmm. Tricky.
Best tour guide ever.
Rachel lives in Tel Aviv, so our time in the country was based there. The first two days we walked around Tel Aviv, saw the beach and the downtown market area. We happened to arrive in Israel during one of the biggest Jewish holidays of the year, Sukkot (of course), so nearly everyone had the week off (including Rachel, bonus), making it very busy to walk around. We went to the Israeli version of Starbucks (Israelis like their coffee really sweet), went to Rachel's favorite hummus place and had a buffet of hummus, different salads, olives, eggplant and pita. Rachel knew the owner of the restaurant, so we didn't even need to order, we just sat down and instantly had ten small plates of food in front of us. Absolutely delicious. I made up several dishes in my head that I would like to try when I get home. Middle Eastern food is definitely one of my favorites.
After Tel Aviv, the next on the list to explore was Jerusalem. Arguably the most historical city on Earth, Jerusalem was a bit overwhelming. We wandered the very busy streets of the Old City (thanks a lot, Sukkot), visited the church where Jesus was buried, looked at the Western Wall (didn't get to go up to it though, again, because of the holiday there were 70,000 people there on that day), and sat down for a nice dinner in the city. It was strange to see things that I have been hearing about my whole life, like the place where Jesus is buried. In Istanbul at the great Topkapi Palace, they have Moses' staff and Muhammed's beard on display. Really? Those stories have reached such a mythical character in my mind by now that actual physical evidence of them just seems wrong for some reason. Like the lost city of Atlantis or core of Eve's apple from the Garden of Eden.
Next was the Dead Sea. Honestly, I didn't expect to like the Dead Sea as much as I did. I'm not a huge fan of swimming in the ocean - I don't like the feeling of being covered in salt, and when Rachel told me that the water was so salty it actually feels greasy on your skin, I was nervous. She was right, it does feel greasy. Once you get in, it feels like there is a layer of oil all over your body. And any small cut in your skin, instantly makes itself known. One of my best friends who has been to the Dead Sea warned me to not shave the day we were going, and thank goodness she did, because by the time I got out, even my two day old shave was burning. But other than that, the Dead Sea was amazing. The feeling of being so buoyant in the water that you float high enough to keep not only your head but also your neck and shoulders dry was amazing. It was wonderful to just float and soak up the water that the people here had been soaking in since the beginning of time. Maybe Jesus even enjoyed a swim or two here. I'm sure there's a story about it.
After Tel Aviv, the next on the list to explore was Jerusalem. Arguably the most historical city on Earth, Jerusalem was a bit overwhelming. We wandered the very busy streets of the Old City (thanks a lot, Sukkot), visited the church where Jesus was buried, looked at the Western Wall (didn't get to go up to it though, again, because of the holiday there were 70,000 people there on that day), and sat down for a nice dinner in the city. It was strange to see things that I have been hearing about my whole life, like the place where Jesus is buried. In Istanbul at the great Topkapi Palace, they have Moses' staff and Muhammed's beard on display. Really? Those stories have reached such a mythical character in my mind by now that actual physical evidence of them just seems wrong for some reason. Like the lost city of Atlantis or core of Eve's apple from the Garden of Eden.
Next was the Dead Sea. Honestly, I didn't expect to like the Dead Sea as much as I did. I'm not a huge fan of swimming in the ocean - I don't like the feeling of being covered in salt, and when Rachel told me that the water was so salty it actually feels greasy on your skin, I was nervous. She was right, it does feel greasy. Once you get in, it feels like there is a layer of oil all over your body. And any small cut in your skin, instantly makes itself known. One of my best friends who has been to the Dead Sea warned me to not shave the day we were going, and thank goodness she did, because by the time I got out, even my two day old shave was burning. But other than that, the Dead Sea was amazing. The feeling of being so buoyant in the water that you float high enough to keep not only your head but also your neck and shoulders dry was amazing. It was wonderful to just float and soak up the water that the people here had been soaking in since the beginning of time. Maybe Jesus even enjoyed a swim or two here. I'm sure there's a story about it.
After the Dead Sea, we only had one day left in Israel, and we used it to see as much of the North of the country as possible. We made a giant circle along the borders of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. We stopped at lookout points along the way for Rachel to point out the borders and explain the territory changes over the years. She warned us to not wander off the road because of land mines that had been set up by various armies over the years. We looked out over the Sea of Galilee, and she pointed out the different religious organizations that had bought land along the shores there. She explained her annoyance at the fact that so much of the waterfront property had been purchased by wealthy organizations, that it was hard to find a spot where you could actually swim without paying for it anymore. The Sea of Galilee is supposed to be public domain. And then last, we stopped at the very tip of Israel on the border of Lebanon, and toured some of the underwater caves there. Gorgeous. And a well timed sunset over the Mediterranean Sea was unforgettable.
Regrettably, our time in Israel with our own personal tour guide had to come to an end. Back to needing to know where we are going, how we are getting there, where we are going to eat and where we are going to stay. And getting around in the Middle East is no small feat. There are busses to catch, holidays and sabbath to worry about, border crossings - complete with the question of whether to get a stamp on the passport or not, taxis, customs, visas and exit fees. From Tel Aviv, we had to catch an early morning bus to the border city of Eilat, take a taxi to the border, walk across the border and through passport control, take another taxi to the Jordanian city of Aqaba and find our hotel. We expected long nightmarish delays at the border, both because of the holiday and because of the highly publicized release of an Israeli POW. He had been a POW for five years, and the Israeli government finally made the deal to release 1000 of their prisoners in exchange for him. The country went a bit crazy. On the day we were leaving. We really know how to time it.
I think I'll save Jordan for my next post, this one has gotten long enough. We've been here for two days now, and we are off to explore Petra tomorrow. For those who don't know, Petra is the canyon temple made famous in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. Steph hasn't stopped humming the theme song to the movie since we arrived here. I'm pretty excited. Now we just have to find a horse and a brown fedora. Can't wait to tell you about it.
-EC
Regrettably, our time in Israel with our own personal tour guide had to come to an end. Back to needing to know where we are going, how we are getting there, where we are going to eat and where we are going to stay. And getting around in the Middle East is no small feat. There are busses to catch, holidays and sabbath to worry about, border crossings - complete with the question of whether to get a stamp on the passport or not, taxis, customs, visas and exit fees. From Tel Aviv, we had to catch an early morning bus to the border city of Eilat, take a taxi to the border, walk across the border and through passport control, take another taxi to the Jordanian city of Aqaba and find our hotel. We expected long nightmarish delays at the border, both because of the holiday and because of the highly publicized release of an Israeli POW. He had been a POW for five years, and the Israeli government finally made the deal to release 1000 of their prisoners in exchange for him. The country went a bit crazy. On the day we were leaving. We really know how to time it.
I think I'll save Jordan for my next post, this one has gotten long enough. We've been here for two days now, and we are off to explore Petra tomorrow. For those who don't know, Petra is the canyon temple made famous in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. Steph hasn't stopped humming the theme song to the movie since we arrived here. I'm pretty excited. Now we just have to find a horse and a brown fedora. Can't wait to tell you about it.
-EC
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