Hmm, where even to begin this story of our adventures yesterday. With David finally feeling a little bit better, we finally felt comfortable leaving our wonderful nest for some sightseeing along the Northern coast and then to our next couchsurfing experience. This time, it was with an older couple who according to their profile seemed very cool and who enjoyed hosting and sightseeing with their guests. We were originally supposed to show up on Sunday and stay for two nights, but because of David's illness we postponed for only Monday night, or so we thought.
We finally got on the road around late morning towards our first destination, Rosh HaNikra. The ride across the Galil was just beautiful, with many areas reminding us of our trip to the Gold country in California. The kids and David were very excited to be a stone's throw from the Lebanonese border. The grottoes were gorgeous, and the kids loved not only exploring the exciting caves and tunnels, but the interactive movie explaining the history. I had visited the grottoes before and I don't think I ever learned about the history of them. It's really quite fascinating.
Another fascinating museum that I really wanted to visit but we got there just minutes too late, was the Ghetto Fighters museum: a museum dedicated to those who fought in the resistance during the Holocaust. It's a very impressive building and it just so happens to be built near a Roman aqueduct that spans from around Haifa down towards Caesaria. It was about this time that we called our hosts to let them know our timeline. Well, it seems that they had made other plans and because we never made it the night before, they went away for a few days, leaving us stranded. When David mentioned that we didn't have a place to stay (and they knew we had the children with us), they just said, maybe next time and that they weren't even home, they already left . Well their plans didn't include letting us know, nor did they even make any suggestions or try to help us find accommodations, especially so late in the day.
Though David was feeling anxious about us not having any place to stay, I felt more optimistic and assured him we would find something, at least in Haifa. Well that was my first mistake and boy did we pay for it, but I will get to that a little bit later.
So because what I had planned was not going to work for the day, I was trying to think of ways we could still manage to see most of what I had planned. One our major concerns was that ALL of our belongings were in the back seat of our minivan and that made me nervous, especially when we pulled into Akko. The old city looked very casbah-ish which is intriguing, but we didn't feel comfortable with our car so exposed. We tried a few places to park the car, but each time we got out, something was pulling us back to change locations, until we decided that both of us were getting weird vibes and maybe Akko would be better to tour under difference circumstances. So next on our agenda was Haifa. Now, the last time I was in Haifa was probably 22 or 23 years ago and again, with all the new highways and residential, corporate and industrial buildings, I have been finding it so hard to re-orient myself to my new surroundings. I look for certain landmarks and either they aren't there anymore, or the highway is no longer in view of them. Anyway, as we got closer to Haifa, I realized that I had never seen the North side and never knew how industrial the area is with refineries, chemical plants, etc. My goal was to get us to the top. I remembered that is where the Baha'i Gardens were and so we snaked our way upwards through some very tight streets (there are WAY TOO MANY cars in Israel and the cities and older communities are not planned out for them so it's very tight with people parking on the sidewalk, sideways, backwards, this way and that - if they only enforce their parking the country would be RICH!!!) however we never saw any signs for the gardens, or the subway or anything else that I remembered and I never remembered the views facing a port and a large industrial area. Also everything was in Russian or Ethiopian (Israel's two most recent immigrant populations i.e., within the last 20 yrs, and a very large one that) and the neighborhoods in general looked quite run down) so we started to ask around and were told that we were on the wrong hilltop, we needed to go the other side of the Haifa.
Wow - Haifa is really big and spread out. All this time, I only thought it was this tiny city on Mt. Carmel. We finally managed to work our way over to the other hilltops and now it was time to find a tourist center or a hotel. Each time we asked someone, they made a ew-wha sound and told us we were really far from where should needed to be. David was getting nervous, Natalie really had to find a bathroom, and I was still confident that as long as we are near one of the Universities, there had to be some hotels. Around and around and around we went going up and down the hills, until we finally saw an indoor mall. Natalie and I jumped out to find a bathroom for her and everyone kept pointing towards the inside. Finally, one restaurant had a restroom and as we were walking away, I noticed a woman sitting alone at table. I swear I knew her, so I whispered to Natalie that let's pretend we are looking out the window and to walk back near her so I could get a second look. OMG, it was a woman that belong to our shul, who now was studying Torah in Jerusalem for three years and was in Haifa to do a three month intense Hebrew-language class. I told her our situation, but she apologized that this was only her second day in Haifa and she was living in the dorms and knew nothing about the area . Natalie then noticed out the window, that David and Noah were heading towards the mall but they didn't know where we were, so we started to race around the mall, trying to head them off so we all wouldn't get lost. Whew, we found them, and I showed him our surprise.
After we said our goodbyes, I learned that just down the street are many hotels, so we leisurely went grocery shopping and then started towards all the hotels, many of them 5*s. We didn't care at that moment. We just wanted to settle in, then go out and enjoy the Carmel center. EVERY hotel we called or drove by was completely booked. We did managed to find one on the list who did have a few rooms. My gut told me that this was going to turn out bad, but what choice did we have. It was already 8pm, the kids hadn't eaten yet, we were tired, and David was still under the weather. They wanted $145 for the room - one bed (really a thin mattress on a box) and two cots for the kids. As I walked in the lobby, I felt uncomfortable -it was old, stained carpets, banged up, etc, but I wasn't going to pass any judgement until I saw the room. What a dump. I told the guy no thank you and he didn't even bat an eyelash, he just took the key and we left. So we kept trying to find the Holiday Inn by driving around in circles. The traffic was so bad, even on a Monday evening and the side streets very tight to drive down. In our quest to find the hotel, we stopped and asked a taxi driver for help. He asked if we tried all the hotels including the Har Carmel. He promised us that this hotel was nothing like the previous one and he even called them to find out if they had any rooms. He then got back into the taxi and had us follow him. The hotel looked very nice on the outside and we were relieved that we had such good fortune. We wanted to tip him, but he refused. We went inside and even though the room was expensive ($215) I was hopeful. The lobby looked well worn and the front desk also seemed worn, but it was a room. He told us that the rate was so high because of the extra beds for the kids and that it was in their other building across the parking lot. He wanted to be paid in full up front, so we did and began our journey. Journey is a great word here because it's now way late and as we stood in the parking lot, we had no clue which apt bldg he was referring to. David finally figured it out and went upstairs to check the room. When he came back down, I asked how it was and he seemed a little hesitant. "They just finished making the children's beds and the sheets all look clean." "What about our room?" I asked. "It's acceptable." "Acceptable? What does that mean? - This is costing us over $200 and it's only acceptable?" "Well, your standards are different than mine and there are some things about it that you may not feel comfortable about."
So we headed towards it. Again, as I was walking towards the lobby, little details started to pop out which gave away it's true character. This place, I just knew was going to be a dump, perhaps one step higher than the last one, BUT, I will just go and see how bad it is. If perhaps we were paying $50 or so for the place, I probably wouldn't be so upset, but having to climb 4 flights of stairs to the room, only made matters worse. Once in there, it looked ok but I wasn't sold. Then Natalie and Noah started to screamed about a roach, so I went to look at what they were talking about. Sure enough, they had opened one of the cabinets and there was this long-ass, at least 3 inch roach dead roach. That was enough for me to say, no thanks, I will sleep in the van. We got our money back and drove away, thankful to have escape that roach motel, so we thought.
to be continued... the ambassadors
(goodnight - need sleep, need sleep, need sleep in a bed!)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Goodbye Golan
(David is doing much better - he had a gastroenteritis viral infection. It usually lasts 3 days and it just needed to run its course.He's still a little weak,but on his feet and ready to tour again. We feel so bad that he miss so much of this beautiful corner of the country.)
We just spent an incredible time with our couchsurfing family, Yaakov and Shoshi Levi, on Moshav קדמת צבי (Quidmat Tzvi). They have a beautiful home full of fruit trees, herbs and flowering trees, as well as a huge guest house they built with a bathroom and kitchen. We stayed in the guesthouse. Yaakov is a farmer and a teacher. He has owns dairy cows and orchard. Shoshi is a social worker and also still living at home is their very sweet son, Sa'ar, who has been terrific with the children. Noah just adores him. On Saturday, Yaakov took the kids and I, as well as his kids to tour the Golan Heights via dirt roads (one of them being the Petroleum Road) and then headed over to Nachal Snir. It's very cool because you can hike in the water or the trail and as you continue through, Nachal Dan joins in, just parallel for a bit and then it merges together. The Dan is much colder than the Snir which was very refreshing. It was so lush and Natalie with an eye just like her dad, was able to spot a huge crab sitting on a rock, totally camouflaged. How she (or David) is able to spot these things is beyond me. On our way home we stopped by a new memorial that honored the 73 young soldiers who died in a horrific helicopter accident in 1997. Two Israeli helicopters were going on a stealth mission and had their lights off and collided. One of the men who died was a former student of Yaakov's.
On Sunday, it was Natalie's 9th Birthday so it was her day to choose what she wanted to do. We headed over to Manara Cliff and rode the cable car, got to ride a very fun alpine ride - sorta like a roller coaster that we can control ourselves, our ticket also included swimming in their Moshav's lovely pool. Afterwards, we grab a bite to eat, met several families who either lived in Israel or were visiting, and then we headed to Kfar Blum for rafting (or they call it kayaking) down the Jordan River. That was a lot of fun. We took Sa'ar along with us and he also had a blast. Driving around wasn't bad at all. I have a great memory and navigation skills, so having already been in the area a few times before over the wknd, it was a breeze. David was very sick that morning so Yaakov took him to the local clinic and they ran some tests, gave him an IV and then diagnose him with the virus he has. Thankfully the doctor was American, so it was much easier to communicate.
By the time we got home, David was feeling much better. His fever had finally broke and though his stomach was still upset, he was ready to continue on to our next big and exciting adventure, to visit good friends of Yaakov, a Druzim Family, located very close to the Syrian border. The Druze are very loyal to Israel, but also can travel back and forth to Syria, where many of their family are based. Unlike the Druzim who live in the Galilee /Carmel Mountain area, the Golani Druzim do not go into the Israeli Army. When we got to their house, we were greeted by the whole family. They live in a very modern home and only one room had furniture per se. Most of the rooms have an area carpet and cushions on the floor. That's where we all sat to eat and to talk. In one of the other rooms, there was a TV on a stand, and the men in there were very much engaged in a hot game of sheshbesh (backgammon.) David was invited to play and he won the game to their surprise. They wanted to play me too, but poor them, we had to leave. : ) I've learned to play Middle Eastern sheshbesh from my girlfriend's father who is Iranian. David also learned from him as well, so perhaps that's why he did so well last night. It was very nice of them to have us visit with them. They brought out a huge circular tray with olives, different types of cheeses from Yaakov's farm, olive oil and Syrian Za'arta (spices), sauteed vegetable which were out of this world - it was soooo good, and a few other dishes that were also very good - all vegetarian, because they know Yaakov and Shoshi do not eat any meat. They also had Druzim pita - this huge round, thin bread, almost the size of Noah, which is all folded up and given to everyone. This was accompanied by some honey, mint tea which also was very good. Afterwards,they brought out another round tray full of different nuts and fruit.
Again, we were so thankful to Yaakov and Shoshi for making our trip so special. Not many people get the opportunity that we just had experience. It was a perfect ending to Natalie's birthday. I hope she forever remembers it.
Today, we are heading to the Northern Coast to visit the Grottoes on the border of Lebanon, and then driving to Haifa and also visiting some small museums in the area. Tonight we will be staying with another couchsurfing family and tomorrow we will be driving down towards Tel Aviv for more exciting touring, including Caesaria, Netanya and Rechovot to visit a clandestine bullet factory during the British Mandate.
Time to get on the road.
Shalom,
We just spent an incredible time with our couchsurfing family, Yaakov and Shoshi Levi, on Moshav קדמת צבי (Quidmat Tzvi). They have a beautiful home full of fruit trees, herbs and flowering trees, as well as a huge guest house they built with a bathroom and kitchen. We stayed in the guesthouse. Yaakov is a farmer and a teacher. He has owns dairy cows and orchard. Shoshi is a social worker and also still living at home is their very sweet son, Sa'ar, who has been terrific with the children. Noah just adores him. On Saturday, Yaakov took the kids and I, as well as his kids to tour the Golan Heights via dirt roads (one of them being the Petroleum Road) and then headed over to Nachal Snir. It's very cool because you can hike in the water or the trail and as you continue through, Nachal Dan joins in, just parallel for a bit and then it merges together. The Dan is much colder than the Snir which was very refreshing. It was so lush and Natalie with an eye just like her dad, was able to spot a huge crab sitting on a rock, totally camouflaged. How she (or David) is able to spot these things is beyond me. On our way home we stopped by a new memorial that honored the 73 young soldiers who died in a horrific helicopter accident in 1997. Two Israeli helicopters were going on a stealth mission and had their lights off and collided. One of the men who died was a former student of Yaakov's.
On Sunday, it was Natalie's 9th Birthday so it was her day to choose what she wanted to do. We headed over to Manara Cliff and rode the cable car, got to ride a very fun alpine ride - sorta like a roller coaster that we can control ourselves, our ticket also included swimming in their Moshav's lovely pool. Afterwards, we grab a bite to eat, met several families who either lived in Israel or were visiting, and then we headed to Kfar Blum for rafting (or they call it kayaking) down the Jordan River. That was a lot of fun. We took Sa'ar along with us and he also had a blast. Driving around wasn't bad at all. I have a great memory and navigation skills, so having already been in the area a few times before over the wknd, it was a breeze. David was very sick that morning so Yaakov took him to the local clinic and they ran some tests, gave him an IV and then diagnose him with the virus he has. Thankfully the doctor was American, so it was much easier to communicate.
By the time we got home, David was feeling much better. His fever had finally broke and though his stomach was still upset, he was ready to continue on to our next big and exciting adventure, to visit good friends of Yaakov, a Druzim Family, located very close to the Syrian border. The Druze are very loyal to Israel, but also can travel back and forth to Syria, where many of their family are based. Unlike the Druzim who live in the Galilee /Carmel Mountain area, the Golani Druzim do not go into the Israeli Army. When we got to their house, we were greeted by the whole family. They live in a very modern home and only one room had furniture per se. Most of the rooms have an area carpet and cushions on the floor. That's where we all sat to eat and to talk. In one of the other rooms, there was a TV on a stand, and the men in there were very much engaged in a hot game of sheshbesh (backgammon.) David was invited to play and he won the game to their surprise. They wanted to play me too, but poor them, we had to leave. : ) I've learned to play Middle Eastern sheshbesh from my girlfriend's father who is Iranian. David also learned from him as well, so perhaps that's why he did so well last night. It was very nice of them to have us visit with them. They brought out a huge circular tray with olives, different types of cheeses from Yaakov's farm, olive oil and Syrian Za'arta (spices), sauteed vegetable which were out of this world - it was soooo good, and a few other dishes that were also very good - all vegetarian, because they know Yaakov and Shoshi do not eat any meat. They also had Druzim pita - this huge round, thin bread, almost the size of Noah, which is all folded up and given to everyone. This was accompanied by some honey, mint tea which also was very good. Afterwards,they brought out another round tray full of different nuts and fruit.
Again, we were so thankful to Yaakov and Shoshi for making our trip so special. Not many people get the opportunity that we just had experience. It was a perfect ending to Natalie's birthday. I hope she forever remembers it.
Today, we are heading to the Northern Coast to visit the Grottoes on the border of Lebanon, and then driving to Haifa and also visiting some small museums in the area. Tonight we will be staying with another couchsurfing family and tomorrow we will be driving down towards Tel Aviv for more exciting touring, including Caesaria, Netanya and Rechovot to visit a clandestine bullet factory during the British Mandate.
Time to get on the road.
Shalom,
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Poor David
Well if it wasn't enough that David sprained his knee, he now has come down with hopefully nothing more serious than a virus. Friday morning we took a trip to Katzrin and then to Safed, by the time we headed home, David was about to pass out. In the morning he felt dizzy and nauseous, but we thought it was just the heat but we were wrong, for when we were in Safed, the dizziness came back again - his head began to really hurt and as well as the rest of his body. He went to sleep and when I checked on him, he had a fever and chills. When he told me that he needed not one but two quilts and socks, we knew he was really sick (the weather has been just beautiful and warm.) After alternating between tylenol and ibuprofen, his fever finally broke, but began again soon after it wore off. Around 1am, it kept spiking no matter what I gave him, including a cold towel. It was now 103.2 and rising. So I woke up our guests and headed for the hospital in Safed, only to be told his lungs were find, his vitals were fine, it's probably just a virus. Well, this morning they cycle begins again. I hope he feels better soon and it's not anything more serious.
My poor baby.
My poor baby.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Beautiful North
Hmm, how can I change our plane tickets so we can stay just a little bit longer, say a few more months?
We are in the North right now, and it's been so wonderful. We were guests at one of the most thriving and quite successful kibbutzim in the Israel - Kibbutz Geva in the Jezreel Valley, near Beit She'an and Gan Ha'shlosha (the Sahne) National Park. The children had so much fun horseback riding, watching the cows being milked, meeting a newly born calf and petting not only the other calfs but getting up close and personal to their very small herd of buffalo. They got to visit the sheep and finally get to play with the cats that live among the horses. We got to go swimming in the natural pools of the Sahne, explore the ruins of Beit She'an, and take a scenic drive up Mt. Gilboa. Back at the kibbutz, we ate in the communal dining hall for breakfast and lunch (something rare these days on kibbutzim, I hear) and we were totally spoiled by their most delicious dairy products made on the kibbutz but is unfortunately, not sold to the public (per an agreement with the Dairy association and Tnuva Dairy.)
Up until a week ago, I had foregone eating all dairy and wheat but gave in to the temptation when I was in the Jewish Quarter of the old city in Jerusalem. Though the old arab man with his stone oven hidden away off the alley, has been replaced by new ovens and a staff of workers AND is now a thriving old city business, this tucked away treasure still beckons the passerbyer with it's tempting smells of hot fresh pita and bagela and za'arta spices. So how could I resist?
When visiting Kibbutz Geva, I decided that I just can't be in Israel and NOT eat dairy, especially the yogurts and cheeses, and the fresh pita and pastries. Who knows when I will be able to have this chance again, so I reason. Let me tell you, I was in Heaven. We had the best hummus, I ever tasted in my life, the goat cheese and yogurt was out of this world, and the vegetables - wow. The cucumbers here are different than at home and you can eat them whole. What a meal our host threw together for us - so very simple, yet, delicious.
When we said goodbye this morning for our next adventure in the Golan Heights, we headed for Kfar Tabor and the children had a blast learning the story behind the origins of Marzepan, creating their own chocolate candy and using their imaginations to create their own marzepan edible artwork. From there we were headed to the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) where were planning to go hiking at Nachal Daliyot, but got sidetracked with a visit at Kibbutz Degania Aleph, Israel's oldest kibbutz. Though the kibbutz is no longer it's former socialist self, it's still quite impressive, beautiful and an educational experience for the kids. Again, the weather was gorgeous and the landscape and views just stunning, especailly as we headed into the Golan towards a moshav just North of Katzrin. Boy did we not expect this little gem. The moshav is like paradise and our hosts and their children (who made a special trip to come home to meet us ... one daughter is a student at Hebrew University and the other is a Madricha for the Israeli Scouts pre-army - not sure the name of the program) are one of the nicest families that we have met. The children love this place and this family.
It's late and I need to get up early for our very busy day exploring. I can't wait to share all of our pictures and videos.
Lilah tov.
-J
We are in the North right now, and it's been so wonderful. We were guests at one of the most thriving and quite successful kibbutzim in the Israel - Kibbutz Geva in the Jezreel Valley, near Beit She'an and Gan Ha'shlosha (the Sahne) National Park. The children had so much fun horseback riding, watching the cows being milked, meeting a newly born calf and petting not only the other calfs but getting up close and personal to their very small herd of buffalo. They got to visit the sheep and finally get to play with the cats that live among the horses. We got to go swimming in the natural pools of the Sahne, explore the ruins of Beit She'an, and take a scenic drive up Mt. Gilboa. Back at the kibbutz, we ate in the communal dining hall for breakfast and lunch (something rare these days on kibbutzim, I hear) and we were totally spoiled by their most delicious dairy products made on the kibbutz but is unfortunately, not sold to the public (per an agreement with the Dairy association and Tnuva Dairy.)
Up until a week ago, I had foregone eating all dairy and wheat but gave in to the temptation when I was in the Jewish Quarter of the old city in Jerusalem. Though the old arab man with his stone oven hidden away off the alley, has been replaced by new ovens and a staff of workers AND is now a thriving old city business, this tucked away treasure still beckons the passerbyer with it's tempting smells of hot fresh pita and bagela and za'arta spices. So how could I resist?
When visiting Kibbutz Geva, I decided that I just can't be in Israel and NOT eat dairy, especially the yogurts and cheeses, and the fresh pita and pastries. Who knows when I will be able to have this chance again, so I reason. Let me tell you, I was in Heaven. We had the best hummus, I ever tasted in my life, the goat cheese and yogurt was out of this world, and the vegetables - wow. The cucumbers here are different than at home and you can eat them whole. What a meal our host threw together for us - so very simple, yet, delicious.
When we said goodbye this morning for our next adventure in the Golan Heights, we headed for Kfar Tabor and the children had a blast learning the story behind the origins of Marzepan, creating their own chocolate candy and using their imaginations to create their own marzepan edible artwork. From there we were headed to the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) where were planning to go hiking at Nachal Daliyot, but got sidetracked with a visit at Kibbutz Degania Aleph, Israel's oldest kibbutz. Though the kibbutz is no longer it's former socialist self, it's still quite impressive, beautiful and an educational experience for the kids. Again, the weather was gorgeous and the landscape and views just stunning, especailly as we headed into the Golan towards a moshav just North of Katzrin. Boy did we not expect this little gem. The moshav is like paradise and our hosts and their children (who made a special trip to come home to meet us ... one daughter is a student at Hebrew University and the other is a Madricha for the Israeli Scouts pre-army - not sure the name of the program) are one of the nicest families that we have met. The children love this place and this family.
It's late and I need to get up early for our very busy day exploring. I can't wait to share all of our pictures and videos.
Lilah tov.
-J
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Shalom Habibi
We are here in Israel (Jerusalem actually) and having a great time. The weather has been gorgeous and it's been wonderful to just walk around and explore. The city has changed so much, as well as Israel in general. It's been 20 years this summer since I was here last. So hard to believe - when you leave some place that you knew so well and never return nor had any real contact afterwards, all your memories are suspended in time. It's been a little difficult to observe how things have changed as well as getting reoriented. Streets and neighborhoods have literally changed and when you stop to ask someone, especially if they are young, they have no clue or very little memory of how it was or where something may have been. I have no problem adapting to the changes, but I need my memories to help guide me and re-orient myself to my surroundings. I am very good at navigating and so it has been throwing me off by not recognizing the landmarks I bookmarked in my memory.
But it's not stopping us from just allowing us to "get lost" and to explore the old and new Jerusalem (old = 1980's). I've also discovered old neighborhoods that I never knew existed, who architecture is just so charming and beautiful despite the neighborhood's appearance. The kids are loving it here, though all the walking has taken some adjustment on their part, but ever since we knew we were coming, we've been trying to prepare them for all the walking and hiking they would be doing here. Noah is picking up the language very quickly and wants to impress anyone he meets with his new vocabulary. And Natalie has been so adorable, stepping in as our translator. Anytime we encountered only Hebrew, she will ask us if we want her to translate. The kids have also learned the word Feral, as in Feral Cats. Both of them, but especially Natalie just can't seem to get enough of all the cats. It doesn't matter if they are wild or not, they think each cat or kitten they see is adorable, and if they could have their way,they would be stopping to pet every each one of them, which unfortunately, are far too many.
The kids also have gotten to meet family members they never knew before and to re-establish relationships with those they only had minimal contact. When we arrived in Israel, we stayed in Modiin with our cousins. Their little girl and Noah instantly hit it off. Our aunt and uncle also live there (they made Aliyah in December to be closer to both of the children and families.) Natalie was so thrilled to be able to spend time with her Aunt. We also went to visit David's other cousins and Aunt who are on his mother's side of the family and live on Givat Brenner, one the oldest and largest kibbutzes in Israel. Both kids loved the Kibbutz and their cousins (who are probably in the 60's & 70's). Unfortunately their great, great Aunt, who is almost 97 years old, was not very alert when we saw her. But we are so happy that all of us got to finally meet her, even if she didn't consciously seem to be aware we were there. She made aliyah to Israel in 1932 and her son and his wife also live on the kibbutz. They have this great history museum, in which their cousin is the groundskeeper for it, so we were able to take a peek inside. It was wonderful to walk through all that history. I was especially curious about the children's house. All of David's cousins who were raised on the Kibbutz grew up that way, including the most recent generations. They said, they stopped the children's house about 25 years. Though landwise, this kibbutz is one of the largest still remaining in Israel, it's not doing very well. Almost all its industries are gone and the land around the kibbutz is very developed, so it doesn't have a rural feel to it. But they are resourceful and the day we were there, they were celebrating their 80th anniversary. We can't wait to return.
Today we were suppose to head to Masada/Dead Sea/Ein Gedi, but what is a vacation, without David hurting himself. Yep, somehow (hmm, perhaps playing soccer up until our trip - though hubby is in denial) he sprained his knee. It started to flare up a week or so before we left, but with all the walking and with ALL the stairs (and believe me there are a lot of them) it really has become inflamed and very painful for him, He's been a trooper though and hasn't allow the pain to interfere with our sightseeing. He went to the emergency room yesterday to find out how serious it was, and the doctor told him to take Motrin and to stay off t for the next week. So Masada is out and instead we are driving up North to the Jezreel & Bet Shean Valleys to explore Roman and other ancient ruins. We will hopefully also get to take the kids to a biblical village in which the kids can pretend to live the way they did back then, including riding donkeys, making olive oil and pita, and other fun activities. I truly hope the weather stays cooperative and the area's reputation of being scorchingly hot and humid is not actualized. We have truly been so spoiled with this beautiful weather and cool nights here in the Judean desert (and even visiting the Kibbutz which is along the coast, quite near to Tel Aviv, the weather was perfect.)
I will be posting pictures & videos soon but for now, it's time to get the kiddies out of bed, pack up our mini-van (which btw, is so awesome that we found a family to swap cars with) and get on the road.
Yalla, lehitraot.
But it's not stopping us from just allowing us to "get lost" and to explore the old and new Jerusalem (old = 1980's). I've also discovered old neighborhoods that I never knew existed, who architecture is just so charming and beautiful despite the neighborhood's appearance. The kids are loving it here, though all the walking has taken some adjustment on their part, but ever since we knew we were coming, we've been trying to prepare them for all the walking and hiking they would be doing here. Noah is picking up the language very quickly and wants to impress anyone he meets with his new vocabulary. And Natalie has been so adorable, stepping in as our translator. Anytime we encountered only Hebrew, she will ask us if we want her to translate. The kids have also learned the word Feral, as in Feral Cats. Both of them, but especially Natalie just can't seem to get enough of all the cats. It doesn't matter if they are wild or not, they think each cat or kitten they see is adorable, and if they could have their way,they would be stopping to pet every each one of them, which unfortunately, are far too many.
The kids also have gotten to meet family members they never knew before and to re-establish relationships with those they only had minimal contact. When we arrived in Israel, we stayed in Modiin with our cousins. Their little girl and Noah instantly hit it off. Our aunt and uncle also live there (they made Aliyah in December to be closer to both of the children and families.) Natalie was so thrilled to be able to spend time with her Aunt. We also went to visit David's other cousins and Aunt who are on his mother's side of the family and live on Givat Brenner, one the oldest and largest kibbutzes in Israel. Both kids loved the Kibbutz and their cousins (who are probably in the 60's & 70's). Unfortunately their great, great Aunt, who is almost 97 years old, was not very alert when we saw her. But we are so happy that all of us got to finally meet her, even if she didn't consciously seem to be aware we were there. She made aliyah to Israel in 1932 and her son and his wife also live on the kibbutz. They have this great history museum, in which their cousin is the groundskeeper for it, so we were able to take a peek inside. It was wonderful to walk through all that history. I was especially curious about the children's house. All of David's cousins who were raised on the Kibbutz grew up that way, including the most recent generations. They said, they stopped the children's house about 25 years. Though landwise, this kibbutz is one of the largest still remaining in Israel, it's not doing very well. Almost all its industries are gone and the land around the kibbutz is very developed, so it doesn't have a rural feel to it. But they are resourceful and the day we were there, they were celebrating their 80th anniversary. We can't wait to return.
Today we were suppose to head to Masada/Dead Sea/Ein Gedi, but what is a vacation, without David hurting himself. Yep, somehow (hmm, perhaps playing soccer up until our trip - though hubby is in denial) he sprained his knee. It started to flare up a week or so before we left, but with all the walking and with ALL the stairs (and believe me there are a lot of them) it really has become inflamed and very painful for him, He's been a trooper though and hasn't allow the pain to interfere with our sightseeing. He went to the emergency room yesterday to find out how serious it was, and the doctor told him to take Motrin and to stay off t for the next week. So Masada is out and instead we are driving up North to the Jezreel & Bet Shean Valleys to explore Roman and other ancient ruins. We will hopefully also get to take the kids to a biblical village in which the kids can pretend to live the way they did back then, including riding donkeys, making olive oil and pita, and other fun activities. I truly hope the weather stays cooperative and the area's reputation of being scorchingly hot and humid is not actualized. We have truly been so spoiled with this beautiful weather and cool nights here in the Judean desert (and even visiting the Kibbutz which is along the coast, quite near to Tel Aviv, the weather was perfect.)
I will be posting pictures & videos soon but for now, it's time to get the kiddies out of bed, pack up our mini-van (which btw, is so awesome that we found a family to swap cars with) and get on the road.
Yalla, lehitraot.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Four More Days ....
Until we leave for Israel. We will be gone for three weeks and we certaintly have each day packed fun with lots of adventures.
And speaking of packing ... what a (I wish I knew a yiddish word that I could insert here) that my husband has been about my over packing. Admittedly, I am terrible when it comes to foreseeing how much clothing, etc, I/we will need on any trip that we go on, but this is even more frustrating because 1) we are going for 3 weeks. 2) there are the kids to consider and they will be getting dirty alot and will be all sweaty, so that means they will want to change their clothes; 3) there's me - I don't want to have to wash my clothes over and over again especially because I airdry my clothes and if I get to take more, there are so many cute little outfits that I might actually get to wear. Ok, maybe not, but who knows, we might be able to actually enjoy a romantic night out and I can wear that something sexy that I've been holding on to, like FOREVER. I've also lost 20 lbs and so I am finally able to fit back into all those cute outfits. Yea for me!!! 4) and this is a big one, we are not staying with just one or two families. We are traveling around constantly and staying with many folks (doing the couchsurfing thing), so it's not like I can bring a few things, hang them up, do wash every few days, etc. Well, the way hubby looks at it, that's all the reason why to limit our clothing. To him, there is no need to have 12 pairs of socks, or underwear for the kids, or to have 12 tshirts/shorts for each kid. I should only bring half of that and just keep washing them. And you know, it will probably be ME doing the washin. I'm just sayin'.
So you see, we are having a slight tug of war over this. And I hate to see the expression on his face when he sees all the shoes I am bringing for the kids and I. But hey, there are the Crocs which are great for water (Natalie & Noah); the hiking sandals (all three of us); sneakers (all three of us); and my nice flats (one or two pairs - uh oh, I'm ducking).
There are the toiletries, including travel curlers, hair dryer, brushes, hairbands, hair products; there are the electronics (his lap top), camera, portable dvd player, videocamera, and natalie's early birthday gift - a metal detector - figured we could sneak up to an archaelogical site and search for old coins (just kidding) - nah we will try it at the beach. It's really quite small and very portable, something we picked up at Target; there are the four sleeping bags; a bag full of stuff that folks in Israel wanted us to bring to them; and of course thank you gifts for everyone's generousity.
Well the good news is that we will have a mini-van in Israel just to carry all this stuff around. We found these really nice folks who wanted to do a carswap, so they got ours and we got theirs.
I'm kinda thinking that this is going to turn out like a National Lampoon vacation. Hey that's a great idea. Maybe afterwards, I will show them our videotapes, our pictures, our diary and whatever else we managed to used to document our family fun, and who knows, maybe you will soon see a trailer of the next National Lampoon movie - Israel, starring us or at least base on the true adventures of the Selvins!!!
And speaking of packing ... what a (I wish I knew a yiddish word that I could insert here) that my husband has been about my over packing. Admittedly, I am terrible when it comes to foreseeing how much clothing, etc, I/we will need on any trip that we go on, but this is even more frustrating because 1) we are going for 3 weeks. 2) there are the kids to consider and they will be getting dirty alot and will be all sweaty, so that means they will want to change their clothes; 3) there's me - I don't want to have to wash my clothes over and over again especially because I airdry my clothes and if I get to take more, there are so many cute little outfits that I might actually get to wear. Ok, maybe not, but who knows, we might be able to actually enjoy a romantic night out and I can wear that something sexy that I've been holding on to, like FOREVER. I've also lost 20 lbs and so I am finally able to fit back into all those cute outfits. Yea for me!!! 4) and this is a big one, we are not staying with just one or two families. We are traveling around constantly and staying with many folks (doing the couchsurfing thing), so it's not like I can bring a few things, hang them up, do wash every few days, etc. Well, the way hubby looks at it, that's all the reason why to limit our clothing. To him, there is no need to have 12 pairs of socks, or underwear for the kids, or to have 12 tshirts/shorts for each kid. I should only bring half of that and just keep washing them. And you know, it will probably be ME doing the washin. I'm just sayin'.
So you see, we are having a slight tug of war over this. And I hate to see the expression on his face when he sees all the shoes I am bringing for the kids and I. But hey, there are the Crocs which are great for water (Natalie & Noah); the hiking sandals (all three of us); sneakers (all three of us); and my nice flats (one or two pairs - uh oh, I'm ducking).
There are the toiletries, including travel curlers, hair dryer, brushes, hairbands, hair products; there are the electronics (his lap top), camera, portable dvd player, videocamera, and natalie's early birthday gift - a metal detector - figured we could sneak up to an archaelogical site and search for old coins (just kidding) - nah we will try it at the beach. It's really quite small and very portable, something we picked up at Target; there are the four sleeping bags; a bag full of stuff that folks in Israel wanted us to bring to them; and of course thank you gifts for everyone's generousity.
Well the good news is that we will have a mini-van in Israel just to carry all this stuff around. We found these really nice folks who wanted to do a carswap, so they got ours and we got theirs.
I'm kinda thinking that this is going to turn out like a National Lampoon vacation. Hey that's a great idea. Maybe afterwards, I will show them our videotapes, our pictures, our diary and whatever else we managed to used to document our family fun, and who knows, maybe you will soon see a trailer of the next National Lampoon movie - Israel, starring us or at least base on the true adventures of the Selvins!!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tim Russert, Your Presence Will Be Missed
To say that David and I were stunned to hear the news of his sudden death would be an understatement. We didn't know him personally, but like millions of other mourners, we were very sad to hear of his passing. I can't say exactly why it's affecting me the way is, but he just seemed like a gentle, warm human being, that I respected very much.I have always enjoyed listening to his commentaries and news reports and as the moderator for Meet the Press, I found him to be honest, fair, and respectful of others. Unlike some of the other political news shows, whose guests and moderators will often leave me feeling tense because of their aggressive and juvenile behavior, Tim Russert's charm, intelligence and directness without being a bully, made a difference with how I viewed these types of shows, the issues, and the guests. With him at the helm, the tone and direction wasn't angry or antagonistic but displayed a maturity and professionalism often lacking today, in politics and journalism.
His wake was today in Washington DC, and I wish that I had the opportunity to go and offer my deepest sympathies. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to but just watching it on the news this evening, brought tears to my eyes.
His presence will be missed.
Our condolences to his family.
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