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.)

barcelona->pitt->philly->ocmd

Hello there, blog readers. It's been a while since the last update. As many of you probably know (mainly because we got to see you), we were on a 3-week vacation. We began in Barcelona, which was absolutely amazing. I can't tell you how many people recommended this city as a vacation spot before we made the move to Copenhagen. So, it was certainly one we wanted for the books! 

We hit most of the main tourist sites, which, despite being extremely touristy, are breathtaking. From the monstrosity that's the Sagrada Familia church to the brave hike (without gear!) we did to the top of the Montserrat mountains, there is no shortage of amazing things to see and do in Barcelona. Most of all, I was intrigued by the architecture. We hit the beaches for some sun one day, enjoyed amazing sangria, and indulged in tapas and paella! We certainly would recommend a Barcelona visit to anyone visiting or traveling through Europe. If it weren't for the many other cities we'd like to explore while living in Europe, we'd head back to Barcelona in a second!

Following Barcelona, we flew into Pittsburgh to see my family. It was a very nice and relaxing time. My parents hosted a picnic at a local park and lots of family and friends came to that. After Pittsburgh, we headed to Philly. Despite a major heat wave (it may have passed 100 degrees), we had a great time catching up with our good friends. Then, it was on to Ocean City (MD) to spend a week on the beach with Jason's family. It was great seeing them, as we hadn't seen them since we moved back in January. Before we knew it, the 3 weeks were over. I couldn't believe how fast the trip went.

Since we took the "good camera" with us, there is no shortage of pictures for you this time around. So, I'd like to re-direct you to another location for this blog entry so that you can see all of the great things we did in both Spain and America. Please note that I didn't go into lengthy descriptions with everything because there were so many shots. There are captions that tell you where the picture was taken, but I didn't make a huge effort to go into detail. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! 

Please enjoy and, as always, come back here to leave your comments, questions...whatever!

LINK TO PHOTO TOUR (will open in new window):

https://plus.google.com/photos/117970748350593806932/albums/5911500522253024097?authkey=CIeuwK--2_XzrAE

bornholm

All we've been told so far (by Danes, mostly) was that we truly needed to explore other parts of Denmark- particularly the coast. So, that's what we did this past weekend. Bornholm is an island in the Baltic Sea in the eastern part of Denmark. Many Danes will leave Copenhagen to take a holiday here to enjoy the beaches, cycling paths, rock climbing, and overall beauty of the island. Main industries include glass making, fishing, and dairy farming. At one point, Sweden ruled the island, but eventually it made its way back into the hands of Denmark. To get to Bornholm, you can take a bus from Copenhagen to Sweden. Once there, you then get on a ferry and travel back to Denmark and arrive on the island. The entire trip takes 3 hours. We stayed at a really nice guest house in the town of Allinge called Klostergården, which is one of the oldest guesthouses in Bornholm. Many of the photos you'll see in this post were taken on a bike ride through the island, which was a great way to experience the area. That said, Bornholm is one of the only "hilly" areas of Denmark and it was a very tough ride! We rode for around 15 miles, which isn't very much. But with the intensity of the hills, it felt like much more than that. We didn't have time to see the entire island, obviously, in one weekend. In fact, we were told you need over a week to see some of the greatest sights. So, we are planning on returning when my parents come to visit in September. It was a beautiful area and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Denmark! Enjoy the pictures!

Here comes the Bornholm Express ferry!

View from the top of the ferry. Despite how warm this looks, it was extremely windy!

Courtyard view from our room

No explanation needed. And no, we didn't buy this. I'm sure it's destined to be a classic film, though.

Allinge Church- one of many famous churches on the island

The bike ride begins...stop #1

There are many little cafes along the bike route. We stopped here for a coffee.

Arriving in the town of Gudhjem

Although you can't tell from this picture, we were at a huge food festival. The main attraction this past weekend was a food competition among talented Danish chefs, which was also on TV.

And then there was this old-fashioned ice cream shop...

...which apparently is known for the "Gudhjem Special"!

Not the Gudhjem Special, but a delicious indulgence was in order. Can't you tell how much I'm enjoying this?!

The competition...live and in person!

Continuing the bike ride. Isolation in the country. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.

I mean, how amazing is this?

This too.

The Stavehøl Vandfaldet- the highest waterfall in Denmark- at only 4 meters!

Østerlars Church- the largest and (assumed to be) oldest church on the island.

The stairway up! Creepy, eh?

View from the top

The roof

We decided to partake in a game of minigolf (Danish style!) when we got back to Allinge.

And I saw Mario...he's gone grey. And apparently lost some weight, too.

Hanging with a new friend at Hammershus

Hammershus- a famous medieval fortress. I'm too lazy to explain it in detail, so here's this bit from Wiki:
Hammershus is Northern Europe's largest medieval fortification, situated 74 metres (243 ft) above sea level on Hammeren, the northern tip of the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Erected in the 13th century, it was long believed that the castle was built as a private residence for the archbishop of Lund. However, new evidence found at the ruins of the castle suggests it was constructed in the beginning of the century as a royal residence for Valdemar II of Denmark and a base for the Danish crusades, according to Kjeld Borch Westh, superintendent of the National Museum of Denmark.

View from the hillside of Hammershus. You can see a sheep in the background to the right. All of the sheep roam free around the grounds.

We walked back to Allinge through amazing farmland and found this happening. Can I be a National Geographic photographer or what? ......      Hey! Who said "or what"??

Hard to see with the size of this shot, but off to the right you can see someone rock climbing. Look to the far right.

One more indulgence for the road. I love (but won't buy) Pop Tarts. I loved them growing up and would request them for part of a "last meal". So, this is an authentic Danish Hindbær (raspberry) bar, which I had read was the equivalent of a Pop Tart. While it didn't necessarily taste like the sugar-filled cheap toaster "pastries" I remember, we still devoured this deliciousness.

Back on the ferry!

And again...windy!

Back in Copenhagen. Even statues drink here!

Hanging out our window to watch the annual "Sea Witch Burning", an event celebrating the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

She's up in flames! Look at that crowd. And the Carlsberg beer we enjoyed during the event :-)