israel

Well, let me begin by apologizing for this being the first blog since the summer and our Barcelona trip. We haven't had any major trips since then, so you haven't missed much. In between, we saw some great, smaller places in Denmark and Sweden. Little towns like Odense, the place where Hans Christian Andersen grew up. And a little fisherman's village called Dragør.

My trip to Israel was, sadly, not with Jason as he was traveling for work to the US. However, I met my friend Tim (from Philly) there. We had been planning a trip here since last fall. Our plans changed in October (the originally scheduled trip) because there was talk about some violence with Syria. Because "you never know", we felt it was best to just postpone. And thus, March was the winning month. I've always wanted to visit Israel. When you are Jewish (or even half-Jewish) and are younger than 27, you can visit for free via a youth group called Birthright. I never made it there with this organization, so I was beginning to think I wouldn't make it to Israel- at least not within the next few years. So, you can imagine my excitement when Tim suggested going. Being a 4 hour flight from Copenhagen, I couldn't really pass it up. 

There's something to be said about a place that is so remarkable that it fills you with warmth, peace, and an understanding of who you are as a person. Obviously steeped in Jewish history, we all know Israel is an important place. But it's one of those situations when handfuls of friends/family/strangers can tell you how incredible a place is- and you just don't realize it until you're there. That is exactly how Israel was. The people were friendly, the weather was perfect, the food was amazing...the list goes on. 

Most of our time was spent in Tel Aviv because that's where our hotel was, but we did day trips to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada, and the Dead Sea. The pictures will show you (in order) all of these experiences, but here's a quick run down of each place and its purpose/history (via some Wiki help):

• Tel Aviv- the main city/Israel's most metropolitan area located on the Mediterranean coast
• Jaffa- southern, oldest part of Tel Aviv, an ancient port city in Israel. Famous for its association with the biblical stories of Solomon, Jonah, and Saint Peter.
• Jerusalem- one of the oldest cities in the world. It is considered holy to three religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
• Masada- situated on top of an isolated rock plateau; the Siege of Masada by the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War; ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families hiding there.
• Bethlehem- Palestinian city located in the central West Bank; where Jesus was said to have been born
• Dead Sea- a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east, and Palestine and Israel to the west. Its surface and shores are 427 metres below sea level. The ability to float effortlessly occurs because of the extreme amount of salt in it. 

I enjoyed every place very much. Obviously, the Dead Sea was the coolest experience. Another place/site that doesn't seem possible until you're really there. Joking completely aside, I think it healed some of my emotional wounds. The physical feeling of the therapeutic water (it is used by Israeli doctors as a treatment for ailments like arthritis, asthma, anxiety, etc.) was an intense, beautiful experience. I encourage you to some day visit this incredible lake. It will change you. 

And with all of these experiences, there were MANY places we did not get to see during the week long trip, which is why I will absolutely return to Israel some day. 

So, please take a little journey into my trip by clicking the link below. Most of the pictures have captions to tell you a little bit about what you're looking at. DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I forget what a lot is because we were on fast-paced tours with loads of info to process quickly. Most of this happened in Jerusalem when we were on a guided tour, so forgive me for some missing captions or unknown info. Just enjoy the pretty pictures instead. And eventually, I can edit the pictures when someone helps me with the info or I sit down with my Nana who will help identify stuff.

SHALOM!

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO TOUR (click on the very first pic and navigate using the arrows. The descriptions will be in the top right of each photo.)