Israel: First Thoughts

I am the step-child that nobody wants.

Actually, that's not quite true...it's just become the joke amongst my handlers (I have been handed off between three different girls in Israel...one to the next to the next... all of whom are introducing me to the country).


So I got in Monday morning after a 5 hour flight from London (and a two hour flight TO London that was massivly delayed and resulted in my running like crazy to make it to the flight to Israel on time)...(the flight was first delayed for and hour and a half at the Berlin airport, then got a late slot to take off, then was told that they would have to circle twice before landing, then sat on the runway because there were no places to put them, then were put in the middle of nowhere so we took steps down, then waited for 20 minutes for a bus to came to drive us to the terminal...it was awsome. And Brits, yep, those people know how to truly ENJOY complaining...so we had a jolly old time (I mean it...me, an Aussie and the flight attendnat sat there complaining and really enjoying ourselves hour about an hour there...)

So I get in at 5:30 in the morning (Israel time), and Keren (a friend from Sabra this last summer), bless her, meets me at the Airport.

We get back to her place (which is a really nice apartments in Hertzallia...just outside Tel Aviv), and I proceed to sleep for 6 hours (because of the flight, not jet-lag...Israel's only an hour off of Germany). Then the two of us set off for a driving tour of the area (think Miami?), which ended in us going to a fun little cafe and sitting for lunch.

The next day, I hoped on a train to Tel Aviv (20 minutes or so), and was met by Zohar, an old friend from Ramot Amoona (she was the Israeli scout YEARS ago), who randomly found me on the internet through an article I wrote for the Mac Weekly on Israel.

After a chill night at her parents (BEAUTIFUL) place in Tel Aviv, we headed up north to Acco, a city where the old ruins of about every civilization that's controlled the area in the last 1000 years or so, is preserved. It was very cool, and very interesting... it also gave me much more of a taste for what Israel FEELS like...

We spent the night in some Country-Hostel type thing, and then were off to Rosh Hanikra in the north (it's on the border between Lebanon and Israel...upper left corner). Anyhow, it is these amazing caves that have naturally been formed by the mediteranian just eating away, more and more, at this chalk-rock for millenia.

After that, it was back to Tel Aviv for a shuttle to Jerusalem to stay for the day with Elana (a friend from Macalester/the U of M)


Daniel