Friday, May 27, 2011
Chapter 6 Monday May 9th cont. Independence Day
After returning from Jaffa, we went back to Tel Aviv to go to Itzhak Rabin Memorial. We had walked to the park the previous night and the park doesn't look quite as appealing during the day. As we walked to the monument signifying where Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish radical, Ronit regaled us with stories about the several times during her military career where she met Mr. Rabin. She was very impressed that Rabin would remember her every time they met until she realized that his memory was remarkable and would frequently astound people by remembering their names even though he may only have met them once very briefly. Ronit also expressed her personal view that he was the last Prime Minister to be able to forge a consensus among the various factions in Israel and it was tragic that his life was cut short.
The party in Rabin Square lasted all night with fireworks at 11 PM and again at Midnight. There was disco music blaring till after 4 am and most of us got very little sleep that night. Ruth was up early and walking the beach at 5:45 am and said the party was still raging in a disco up the beach. They sure know how to party in Israel.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Chapter 5 Mon. May 9th Jaffa
Jaffa is very run down but old Jaffa is picturesque and over 4000 years old. Jaffa - Wikipedia
Walked thru Abrasha Park and spotted an interesting bird.
Ken: "This is what happens when a parakeet eats matza" LOL
Marc: "Yea. It's called a Matzakeet"
This scenery was really beautiful. Picture below shows Tel Aviv in background.
Walked thru Abrasha Park and spotted an interesting bird.
Ken: "This is what happens when a parakeet eats matza" LOL
Marc: "Yea. It's called a Matzakeet"
This scenery was really beautiful. Picture below shows Tel Aviv in background.
Chapter 4 Monday May 9th Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day)
Rise and shine at 6:30 AM after a well deserved night's sleep and wake to a beautiful day. Terrific breakfast buffet - cheeses, fishes, salads, outstanding breads and great omelets. This will be standard fare throughout our trip.
Get on the bus and take care of our first order of business - learning our number. Andi is #27 and I am #28. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the number given the times we were asked to count off.
Bus took us to Latrun where the British built a police station in the Ayalon Valley to guard the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israeli's tried to take the fortress 6 times during the war for independance but were unable to so they built a "Burma Road" around it. This was depicted in both the Kirk Douglas movie "Cast a Giant Shadow" and in the Herman Wouk book "The Hope". Latrun - Wikipedia
We were given a tour of the police station and tank museum by the son of our tour guide who was a tank commander in the military.
We were then honored to attend a Memorial Day service held at this fortress. It was a very emotional service and concluded with a teary rendition of Hatikvah.
Get on the bus and take care of our first order of business - learning our number. Andi is #27 and I am #28. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the number given the times we were asked to count off.
Bus took us to Latrun where the British built a police station in the Ayalon Valley to guard the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israeli's tried to take the fortress 6 times during the war for independance but were unable to so they built a "Burma Road" around it. This was depicted in both the Kirk Douglas movie "Cast a Giant Shadow" and in the Herman Wouk book "The Hope". Latrun - Wikipedia
We were then honored to attend a Memorial Day service held at this fortress. It was a very emotional service and concluded with a teary rendition of Hatikvah.
Chapter 3 Dinner and first night
The weary travelers head to dining room after brief instructions in operating the elevator - the buttons are on the outside so you press your floor first and then look at the indicator that tells you which elevator is the next to arrive. On Shabbat , there are 2 elevators that are pre-programmed to stop at every floor. Instructions in Electricity 101 are also in order - the room keys are slid into a slot behind the room door which turns on the electricity in the room. That way when you remove your key all the lights in the room go out. Nice theory but mine didn't work that way. Room also has a 115 V outlet in the WC hairdryer so our electronic devices could be charged without adapters. Everyone speaks English and everyone accepts US currency. Sometimes it was cheaper to us Shekels and sometimes US $.
We get to the dining room shortly before 8 PM but the wait staff won't seat us and direct us outside onto the patio overlooking the beach. At exactly 8 PM a siren wails and all of the wait staff stand at attention. All traffic stops, people get out of there cars and stand at attention. All pedestrians walking along the beach stop as well. It is totally silent except for the siren. It's eerily quiet like a snowy day in New England. Try to imagine an entire country coming to a standstill to pay homage to fallen comrades. I can't begin to describe how emotional this made me feel. Siren wail ends and we go to dinner.
Dinner is a fabulous buffet which makes up for the long day. Stuffed turnips, eggplant with cilantro, lamb chops and other meats are the highlights (well, they're my highlights).
After dinner, we walked as a group down Ben Gurion Blvd. for 20 minutes passing his house (flag at half staff) to Rabin Square for a Memorial Day Concert.
What is that crunching beneath our feet? Strange aroma too. OMG, it's olives that have fallen from all the olive trees lining the boulevard.
The outdoor concert is jam packed with people, the mood is somber, jumbotron's showing various scenes and also interviews with parents of fallen soldiers. There are musical acts but there was no clapping, no talking, no drinking and I didn't see any smoking. We stayed for about 30 minutes and then walked back to the hotel.
We get to the dining room shortly before 8 PM but the wait staff won't seat us and direct us outside onto the patio overlooking the beach. At exactly 8 PM a siren wails and all of the wait staff stand at attention. All traffic stops, people get out of there cars and stand at attention. All pedestrians walking along the beach stop as well. It is totally silent except for the siren. It's eerily quiet like a snowy day in New England. Try to imagine an entire country coming to a standstill to pay homage to fallen comrades. I can't begin to describe how emotional this made me feel. Siren wail ends and we go to dinner.
Dinner is a fabulous buffet which makes up for the long day. Stuffed turnips, eggplant with cilantro, lamb chops and other meats are the highlights (well, they're my highlights).
What is that crunching beneath our feet? Strange aroma too. OMG, it's olives that have fallen from all the olive trees lining the boulevard.
The outdoor concert is jam packed with people, the mood is somber, jumbotron's showing various scenes and also interviews with parents of fallen soldiers. There are musical acts but there was no clapping, no talking, no drinking and I didn't see any smoking. We stayed for about 30 minutes and then walked back to the hotel.
Chapter 2 Flight to Israel and drive to hotel
El Al plane ride - UGH! Uncomfortable seats, NO legroom, full plane so I can't get bulkhead or Exit door and we're way in the back so we get to hear the praying every few hours which was interesting. They serve dinner at 1 AM and my stomach is asking WTF? The chicken sandwich was delicious though. Slept 4 hrs sporadically and then was woken for breakfast at 3 PM Israel time (8 AM NY time). That was good and coffee was delicious.
Luggage arrived with us but some suitcases were damaged including Andi's and Shelley's.
Ronit (our tour guide) meets the plane and once everyone gets there luggage, it's off to the bus and the drive from Ben Gurion Airport to the hotel in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv looks like most large cities with drab buildings and kind of gray. Herrod's hotel on the Mediterranean is lovely and beds are comfy.
So much for the relaxing part of the trip. We get about an hour to unpack, relax and change for dinner and a night out - well we knew we weren't going to be laying on a beach for 2 weeks.
Luggage arrived with us but some suitcases were damaged including Andi's and Shelley's.
Ronit (our tour guide) meets the plane and once everyone gets there luggage, it's off to the bus and the drive from Ben Gurion Airport to the hotel in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv looks like most large cities with drab buildings and kind of gray. Herrod's hotel on the Mediterranean is lovely and beds are comfy.
So much for the relaxing part of the trip. We get about an hour to unpack, relax and change for dinner and a night out - well we knew we weren't going to be laying on a beach for 2 weeks.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Chapter 1 Preliminary meeting and travel to JFK
Several weeks before our May 7th departure, Meryl and Mark held a preliminary meeting of the group with the exception of the 5 travelers from the Boston area. Meryl had crocheted kippot for each of us (color coordinated of course). She also put together a binder that included extensive instructions, itinerary, ticketing info and documents. It was at that point that the trip actually became real to me. The previous 3 times I tried to travel to Israel (including once previously with Meryl & Mark) the trips were cancelled because of Intifadas and other political upheaval.
On the May 6th Shabbat service, Rabbi Mark blessed all of the travelers on their journey and the following day we left for Orlando Airport at 8:45 am with Bobbi Carman, Terre Wallach, Andi and me in a rented SUV. We just did get all the luggage in so we'll have to rent something larger for the return trip because we'll have 1 more passenger.
The drive was uneventful till we got to Sanford and hit a swarm of black flies that pelted our car like hail. It was at that point that I realized we had no washer fluid. UGH!
Flight to JFK was uneventful. At JFK, the Rabbi conducted a brief (1 1/2 hrs) service in the Chapel in terminal #4. Each of the 32 Florida people stated their reasons for going on this trip and said what it meant to them. It was quite inspirational and very moving. My comment: "I'm doing what all good lame duck politicians do. I'm taking a vacation." I then became more serious and talked about the numerous times I'd tried unsuccessfully in the past.
Had dinner with Phyllis & Steve Lowe and Lyn & Ed Margolis at Bar Avion on my recommendation. Meal was good but waiter was a Seinfeld episode. He couldn't get the orders straight, brought sweet tea when unsweetened was ordered, mixed up some of our meals with the table Earl, Maggie and Emily were sitting at which wouldn't have been so bad except some people started eating what was on the plate before they realized the order was incorrect. Then all of the bills for both tables got mixed up into a hodge-podge - (think Fawlty Towers). The laughter was worth the price of admission. I think the waiter is recovering at the same facility that teachers go to when they have their nervous breakdowns.
This did teach me one important lesson. Never recommend a restaurant for the duration of the trip.
Then we went to security at El Al and got a grilling. I stupidly told the interviewer that we were going to Petra Jordon as part of the itinerary. She stopped the interview and went to speak to her supervisor for a while before coming back to complete interview. While this was going on, the gatekeeper who was directing us to the proper interviewer told Shelly that her carry on was too large and she would have to check it. Shelly was miffed because her extra undergarments were in the bag. You can picture for yourself what happened next. The same thing happened to the Rabbi who tried to explain that he had traveled with the same bag as carry-on numerous times. I think he convinced them it was OK.
Everyone finally made it thru and we went to the gate to await the arrival of the Boston contingent (Ken & Ruth Cooper, Terri Gerber & Dave Gardiner, & Jessica Lucas). They arrived at 10 PM and Andi and I had a warm reunion with Andi's cousins the Coopers. Terri & Dave were married by Rabbi Mark and Jessica is Alice Kihn's grand-daughter.
On the May 6th Shabbat service, Rabbi Mark blessed all of the travelers on their journey and the following day we left for Orlando Airport at 8:45 am with Bobbi Carman, Terre Wallach, Andi and me in a rented SUV. We just did get all the luggage in so we'll have to rent something larger for the return trip because we'll have 1 more passenger.
The drive was uneventful till we got to Sanford and hit a swarm of black flies that pelted our car like hail. It was at that point that I realized we had no washer fluid. UGH!
Flight to JFK was uneventful. At JFK, the Rabbi conducted a brief (1 1/2 hrs) service in the Chapel in terminal #4. Each of the 32 Florida people stated their reasons for going on this trip and said what it meant to them. It was quite inspirational and very moving. My comment: "I'm doing what all good lame duck politicians do. I'm taking a vacation." I then became more serious and talked about the numerous times I'd tried unsuccessfully in the past.
Had dinner with Phyllis & Steve Lowe and Lyn & Ed Margolis at Bar Avion on my recommendation. Meal was good but waiter was a Seinfeld episode. He couldn't get the orders straight, brought sweet tea when unsweetened was ordered, mixed up some of our meals with the table Earl, Maggie and Emily were sitting at which wouldn't have been so bad except some people started eating what was on the plate before they realized the order was incorrect. Then all of the bills for both tables got mixed up into a hodge-podge - (think Fawlty Towers). The laughter was worth the price of admission. I think the waiter is recovering at the same facility that teachers go to when they have their nervous breakdowns.
This did teach me one important lesson. Never recommend a restaurant for the duration of the trip.
Then we went to security at El Al and got a grilling. I stupidly told the interviewer that we were going to Petra Jordon as part of the itinerary. She stopped the interview and went to speak to her supervisor for a while before coming back to complete interview. While this was going on, the gatekeeper who was directing us to the proper interviewer told Shelly that her carry on was too large and she would have to check it. Shelly was miffed because her extra undergarments were in the bag. You can picture for yourself what happened next. The same thing happened to the Rabbi who tried to explain that he had traveled with the same bag as carry-on numerous times. I think he convinced them it was OK.
Everyone finally made it thru and we went to the gate to await the arrival of the Boston contingent (Ken & Ruth Cooper, Terri Gerber & Dave Gardiner, & Jessica Lucas). They arrived at 10 PM and Andi and I had a warm reunion with Andi's cousins the Coopers. Terri & Dave were married by Rabbi Mark and Jessica is Alice Kihn's grand-daughter.
Introduction
As most of my fellow travelers know, I kept a journal throughout our trip focusing on things we did, places we saw and funny incidents that occurred. My hope is that others on the trip will contribute content to this blog since there were many instances when portions of our group were doing things separately. I would like this blog to focus on things we did rather than on the extensive history of the region. I will try to insert as many Wikipedia links as possible for people to understand the historical aspects of the places we visited.
A few thank-yous are certainly in order. Thank you to Rabbi Mark for his leadership and spiritual guidance on our shared adventure. Thank you to Dr. Meryl for her organizational ability in putting this trip together and also on this journey. Thank you to Aviatours http://www.aviatours.net/ I can't imagine a better travel experience when going to Israel than the tour that Aviatours provided. Ronit, the group leader, was the most knowledgeable tour guide I've ever encountered. Her historical perspectives, her biblical knowledge and her political explanations provided the framework for one of the most educational, spiritual and emotional experiences of my life. Thank you to the bus drivers who took us down roads it is unimaginable for buses to traverse and keeping us safe throughout the trip. I would also like to thank all of our traveling companions for providing Andrea and me one of the most enjoyable trips of our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I don't know that we can ever give a sense of how much we accomplished on this trip and I'm certainly no wordsmith but for better or worse, here goes.
A few thank-yous are certainly in order. Thank you to Rabbi Mark for his leadership and spiritual guidance on our shared adventure. Thank you to Dr. Meryl for her organizational ability in putting this trip together and also on this journey. Thank you to Aviatours http://www.aviatours.net/ I can't imagine a better travel experience when going to Israel than the tour that Aviatours provided. Ronit, the group leader, was the most knowledgeable tour guide I've ever encountered. Her historical perspectives, her biblical knowledge and her political explanations provided the framework for one of the most educational, spiritual and emotional experiences of my life. Thank you to the bus drivers who took us down roads it is unimaginable for buses to traverse and keeping us safe throughout the trip. I would also like to thank all of our traveling companions for providing Andrea and me one of the most enjoyable trips of our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I don't know that we can ever give a sense of how much we accomplished on this trip and I'm certainly no wordsmith but for better or worse, here goes.
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