(no subject)

Day 2:

We departed jerusalem for Ein Gedi, on the dead sea coast. The area where the dead sea scrolls were found. Lots of camels, and date palms and sunscorched low hills, then big rocky towering hill-mountains ( not by canadian mountain standards but smaller), and the insanely blue dead sea on one side.

Ein Gedi is....kind of a weird place. rocky beach and a small concession but it was busy for what was a glorified roadside stop.

Jerualem transit and bus station...egads. We got metal gate security checked, and its the main transport hub for people doing military duty, so lots of soldiers. Somehow it all seems so run of the mill, it feels less "militarized" than I had anticipated, to be honest. Its pretty unobtrusive, and I infact feel safer than I do in most US cities, which is rather interesting.

It was a hot day and i forgot my sandals and didn't want to backtrack to change, so we only waded in the sea.

R left his sandals on the bus home, however.

Next day, off to Tel Aviv, and having to whip the phrasebook out for the word "train". Ahaha, "Rakevet!!" we all shout, laughing, problem solved. Shalom, Toda, rakevet. Hello. Please. Train. That's pretty much the sum of my language skills in hebrew.

Gorgeous train ride to Tel Aviv, and a very thorough bag check at that station. My steel water bottle amuses the young soldier, but we're off and away, with minimal fuss.

Hotel check in here is a breeze, we're greeted with a generous cup of tea with juice, and gracious service. There's a wait to get our room ready and we grab food. one section is labelled "meat". We opt for that, and OMG red meat for the first time in a week. NOM NOM.

Later that evening we opt for the dairy menu and get the biggest bowl of hummous ever and generous bread and coffee.

Lesson: the dairy menu is almost always better than the meat dishes, by far. I've eaten more healthily this week for it and I think I'll try to continue that habit at home.

The room's gorgeous, overlooking the harbor and Gordon Pool, and the sea, and it's more than we expected for a comp room.

A late night walk up to streets I cannot remember the name of, and into wee shops.

This AM we tucked into a great dairy breakfast buffet again, salmon, blintzes, granola, a waffle-ball of some kind of filling, fruit. We hit the beach early and walk miles, in the sunshine and quiet, and then back to the hotel for a nap.

Walk up the street again, get some pastries and groceries to see us through the shabbat foodservice interuptions, and more delicious pear-kiwi juice.

And then change into wading clothes and go splash in the ocean which is cold but not unpleasantly so for two canadians. its weird to see people in fuzzy vests and turtlenecks and scarves, its HOT OUT.

Shabbat lasts sometime till saturday, and we have sunday/monday for sightseeing yet, and a few places on the wish list to see. Its nice to have some semi enforced downtime, because we don't often get holidays of pure sloth, the two of us.

TV here is mercifully non-US centric, which is sort of entertaining in that hello, the US is not the end all be all of the planet, and it's nice to see a different perspective.

I'm sunburned, and i highly recommend visiting here. its amazing.

(no subject)

Day 2:

We departed jerusalem for Ein Gedi, on the dead sea coast. The area where the dead sea scrolls were found. Lots of camels, and date palms and sunscorched low hills, then big rocky towering hill-mountains ( not by canadian mountain standards but smaller), and the insanely blue dead sea on one side.

Ein Gedi is....kind of a weird place. rocky beach and a small concession but it was busy for what was a glorified roadside stop.

Jerualem transit and bus station...egads. We got metal gate security checked, and its the main transport hub for people doing military duty, so lots of soldiers. Somehow it all seems so run of the mill, it feels less "militarized" than I had anticipated, to be honest. Its pretty unobtrusive, and I infact feel safer than I do in most US cities, which is rather interesting.

It was a hot day and i forgot my sandals and didn't want to backtrack to change, so we only waded in the sea.

R left his sandals on the bus home, however.

Next day, off to Tel Aviv, and having to whip the phrasebook out for the word "train". Ahaha, "Rakevet!!" we all shout, laughing, problem solved. Shalom, Toda, rakevet. Hello. Please. Train. That's pretty much the sum of my language skills in hebrew.

Gorgeous train ride to Tel Aviv, and a very thorough bag check at that station. My steel water bottle amuses the young soldier, but we're off and away, with minimal fuss.

Hotel check in here is a breeze, we're greeted with a generous cup of tea with juice, and gracious service. There's a wait to get our room ready and we grab food. one section is labelled "meat". We opt for that, and OMG red meat for the first time in a week. NOM NOM.

Later that evening we opt for the dairy menu and get the biggest bowl of hummous ever and generous bread and coffee.

Lesson: the dairy menu is almost always better than the meat dishes, by far. I've eaten more healthily this week for it and I think I'll try to continue that habit at home.

The room's gorgeous, overlooking the harbor and Gordon Pool, and the sea, and it's more than we expected for a comp room.

A late night walk up to streets I cannot remember the name of, and into wee shops.

This AM we tucked into a great dairy breakfast buffet again, salmon, blintzes, granola, a waffle-ball of some kind of filling, fruit. We hit the beach early and walk miles, in the sunshine and quiet, and then back to the hotel for a nap.

Walk up the street again, get some pastries and groceries to see us through the shabbat foodservice interuptions, and more delicious pear-kiwi juice.

And then change into wading clothes and go splash in the ocean which is cold but not unpleasantly so for two canadians. its weird to see people in fuzzy vests and turtlenecks and scarves, its HOT OUT.

Shabbat lasts sometime till saturday, and we have sunday/monday for sightseeing yet, and a few places on the wish list to see. Its nice to have some semi enforced downtime, because we don't often get holidays of pure sloth, the two of us.

TV here is mercifully non-US centric, which is sort of entertaining in that hello, the US is not the end all be all of the planet, and it's nice to see a different perspective.

I'm sunburned, and i highly recommend visiting here. its amazing.