Destination: Dead Sea and more

Shalom! Sorry for the delay - I've been busy and I've been too tired at night to stay up and blog. Anyway, here's the scoop on my latest travel adventures.

I think I mentioned in my last entry that I would be going to the Western Wall on Thursday night (January 3), but that actually didn't happen. Instead, I wound up going out to dinner at a place called Barood, which we sort of just stumbled upon by accident while walking along Ben Yehuda Street. Barood was great - excellent atmosphere, excellent food (I had a steak and an excellent dessert - halva parfait, which I had never had), and excellent company. After Barood, we went to a club, and while the atmosphere was cool, the music was way too loud. I know I'm getting old when I say things like that, but I honestly wanted to cover my ears at times. I don't really understand why they played the music that loud, since it wasn't a dance club, but oh well. The place was hopping, as Thursday night is basically a lot like Friday night in the States.

After the bar (and Cuban cigars for the guys), we headed back to the Maiersdorf, and I was out cold for the night. I find myself still feeling really tired - almost wanting to put my head down when we are out, etc. I don't think it's jet lag, and I do know I'm fighting off a cold (tons of people in the group have full fledged colds, including my roommate, Amber. I feel bad for them). Anyway, I took all the Airborne I brought with, but I'm still taking Zicam, so I'm hoping I can avoid full fledged sickness. Stay tuned for more on that.

On Friday, January 4, a group of us left Jerusalem and headed to the Dead Sea. I went with 6 others from the group: Amber, Kara, Ben, Vince, Joe, and Daniel. The first five are all from Hamline, and Daniel is from Australia. Joe did an excellent job finding transportation, and a van with a driver just for us came to pick us up at about 10:30 on Friday morning. The drive was pretty, and we got to see a different part of Israel - desert, mountains, and the Dead Sea. Our plan was to spend the night away from Jerusalem, so Amber had made a reservation for two rooms via the internet at a place called the Kibbutz Ein Gedi. For those of you don't know, a kibbutz is a self sustaining collective community, basically a commune, run by Jews. This particular kibbutz runs a spa and hotel for tourists, and that seems to be the main way they make money (though I'm not sure).

After about an hour and a half on the road, the driver pulled up at the kibbutz and we went to check in. Unfortunately, the kibbutz claimed to have no record of us in their system, meaning they didn't have rooms for us. They claimed they were completely booked. Amber then showed them her confirmation email, and they still said nothing was available. At the same time, we were trying to hold our driver so we wouldn't be stranded somewhere without a driver. The driver then started calling other hotels to see if we could find a room at a different place. Finally, the kibbutz manager came out, and she said that they did have two rooms available after all, but they didn't include food. She also emphasized that the rooms were not fancy. At that point, we didn't care at all, and we said we would take them. I think they thought Americans wouldn't want to stay in non-fancy rooms; otherwise, I'm not sure why they wouldn't give us those rooms. After we solved the housing crisis, we had to wait a bit to check in and hit the spa, so we went outside, ordered a few drinks (as usual, diet coke for me), the guys played table tennis, and we made friends with some of the kibbutz cats (it seems cats are everywhere in Israel; who knew).

At 2:00, we caught the shuttle to the spa, and the Dead Sea adventures began. For those of you that don't know, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth - I think it's 400 or so meters below sea level, which is about 1200 feet. Also, the Dead Sea is receding, basically disappearing (I don't know the science behind this, but I'm sure google or wikipedia would have answers if you care). As a result of the shrinking, we had to walk a long way from the spa to actually reach the sea. We actually passed a sign that said "Suitable bathing area" or something similar, and we were still a LONG way from the water - that's how much the water has receded. We eventually reached the beach, which was made of hard, dried salt. It was definitely not a beach on which you would sunbathe, and I had to wear flip flops to walk on it. I crossed the hard salt and entered the water to begin my floating adventure.

The Dead Sea supposedly has great healing powers, and is supposed to heal your skin, etc. All I know is that it was the saltiest, thickest water I've ever been in. You literally DO float on top of the water (this has to do with salt and mineral content I think), and once I was floating, I found it difficult to stand back up. I got a tiny bit of water in my mouth, and it tasted horrible! I can't imagine getting it in your eyes - I think it would seriously destroy your contacts upon touch. Also, any cuts or sores on your skin resulted in some burning, but nothing terrible. Despite the stinging and the taste, the whole experience was awesome. I can't explain the feeling of floating on water, but it was just really cool-probably one of the coolest things I've ever done. So far though, my knee isn't healed, and neither is my skin. I bought some lotions from the resort, so maybe if I use them long enough, I will be 100% healed. ;)

Also, the weather was quite nice - partly sunnier and quite a bit warmer than Jerusalem, which made floating in water pleasant. The water itself was cold, but not cold like Lake Superior. It was just fine when the sun was out, and I wasn't shivering or anything like that.

After floating on the sea, we walked back toward the spa and stopped off at the mud bins. We covered ourselves completely in mud, which felt amazing. I was surprised by how good it felt, honestly. I've never done any spa treatments at home, but I think I will look into doing this in the States. After letting the mud dry a bit, we rinsed off in the hot, sulfur smelling showers (I'm guessing the water came from the sea or a natural spring) they provided (smelled and tasted terrible again, but it felt good). We then went back to the spa, showered, and caught the shuttle back to the hotel portion of the kibbutz. The spa had hot baths (some of you might remember how much I loved the baths in Budapest), but the baths smelled so strongly of sulfur that I couldn't bring myself to go in them. Sort of a bummer, but it was okay too.

Let me tell you a bit about our rooms at the kibbutz...they reminded me of the rooms I think American summer camps probably have. In the girls' room, we had two twin beds and one bed on the floor that was basically one of those couch cushion chairs that flip out into a bed (popular in college dorm rooms). The guys had two twin beds and two of the couch cushion beds. The bathroom was tiny, and the shower included a squeegee, which seemed a bit odd to me but in the morning I figured out why it was necessary - water flooded all over the bathroom while showering. Also, our room had no hot water and only two towels, meaning that Kara had to use a sheet to dry off. Despite these issues, the rooms were cheap and clean, and they were just fine for one night.

Back to the kibbutz adventures...Joe signed us up for the 6:00 dinner seating, so we headed back down to the bar for more drinks around 5:30. At about 5:55, we headed over to dinner, thinking that we would be eating at a restaurant of sorts. In reality, it was basically an Israeli Old Country Buffet. Nicer, but really the same concept. Also, all the spa guests lined up outside waiting to get in, just like they raced to catch the shuttle at the spa. I found that quite hysterical - the place was like a retirement home and people had routines they had to follow: spa at 2, dinner at 6, mini golf at 10, etc. Anyway, the food was decent, but no one here understands the concept of a line, and at one point, I had to push myself back up to the food. Also, despite having 3 Jews in our group, we completely stuck out at the kibbutz - I think we might have been the only Americans in the whole joint. At one point, Daniel pulled out his kippa and put it on in an attempt to make us seem more legitimate, but I don't think it mattered even one bit. Everyone stared at us as we ate, but we still had a good time.

After dinner, we headed back to the lobby area for the nightly entertainment promised by our guidebooks. The guidebooks listed belly dancing among some of the possibilities for entertainment, so we had no idea what to expect. Guess what Friday night's entertainment was: karaoke. Mostly Hebrew karaoke I might add. I think we had about 7 songs in English from which to choose. This makes sense obviously, but it made for a LONG karaoke experience. Some folks sang English songs, and eventually, Joe got up to sing a new version of Hotel California - Hotel Ein Gedi Kibbutz. His rendition actually won him a prize, which I found quite hysterical. The kibbutz also served cotton candy throughout the event, and we were surrounded by mostly senior citizens and children. Quite surreal really.

Overall, Kibbutz Ein Gedi was a good experience, but it was also one of the strangest places I've ever stayed. I don't know how many of you have seen dirty dancing, but the kibbutz reminded me of the lodge at which that movie takes place - Kellerman's Lodge. So, we named ourselves the Kellermans and decided we were all on a family vacation together. Quite amusing, and it made the experience quite enjoyable. I'm not sure too many Americans would dig the kibbutz, but I'm glad we stayed there. At on point, Kara pointed to the giant radio tower on one of the buildings and said that it was probably used to send a signal to the mother ship, if that helps explain anything for you. :)

The next day, Saturday, January 5, we were off to Masada (our driver returned to the kibbutz), which is basically a really old Jewish fortress/castle (it was built by King Herod) on top of a mountain in the middle of the desert. As the Romans tried to conquer the Jews at Masada, the Jews chose death rather than slavery, and they killed each other and their families (Jews can't commit suicide if they want to be buried in a Jewish cemetery). Masada is now a symbol of Jewish strength and resistance, and it is a national park. Because it is on top of a mountain, we had to ride a cable car to reach the actual fort (we could have hiked, but I don't think any of us were prepared for that type of an adventure). Masada was quite interesting, and I was able to get some beautiful pictures of both the fortress and the Dead Sea (amazing all around views from being that high). If you want to learn more about Masada, there is an old American movie about it, but I'm sure google or wikipedia would also do the trick. ;)

After Masada, we decided to head back to Jerusalem, as everyone was tired and we weren't sure where the driver would be willing to bring us. On the way back, we stopped off at a market along the road because they had a camel sitting outside as advertisement. We took pictures of the camel, but really, seeing it there (along with the others along the way) made me really sad because I couldn't help but think its life is probably awful. It's tied to a little rope, separated from other camels, and just has to stand all day long on the side of the road. Plus, it's knee was bloody and it seemed to be favoring that leg. The whole thing made me really sad.

When we got back to Maiersdorf, Amber did laundry, and she was kind enough to wash a few things for me, including the five day pants. It was nice to have them clean, as they are good for walking around. Basically, we lounged around all afternoon, and it felt like we were in college. Quite fun! Also, I took advantage of technology and made a video call to Sarah. It was nice to hear a voice from home, as I'm feeling a bit homesick for some reason. I haven't even been gone that long, but a big part of me is ready to go home already. It's always hard to live out of a suitcase, rely on cabs to take you everywhere, not know when your next meal will be or how much it will cost, and not really have tons of control over your life. Also, unlike other places I've traveled, I don't really feel like I can just jet out for a walk or do touristy things by myself. Not only would I be ridiculously lost, but I'm not sure that's a safe thing to do here. Anyway, I'm sure I will be fine. Homesickness tends to come in waves, and I'm sure this one will subside soon.

On Saturday night, a group of us went out to a restaurant called Pasha, where I had the best meal I've had the entire time in Israel. They served us tons and tons of different salads and warm pita to start, and then I ordered the mixed grill kabob dinner. The entire meal was fabulous, and it was completely reasonable in price as well. If I could find a place to buy all those different salad and warm pita in the states, I would probably live there. Delicious.

Okay, that's enough for this post. I will write another one describing Sunday's adventures.

Pictures:
1) Sign for Barood
2) Me and Vince in Barood (playing around with special effects on the camera)
3) Vince, Me, and Ben at Hebrew Karaoke night at the Kibbutz Ein Gedi
4) Sunset at the Kibbutz Ein Gedi spa
5) View of the Dead Sea from Kibbutz Ein Gedi
6) Me with cotton candy at Hebrew karaoke night
7) View from the Kibbutz Ein Gedi
8) The Dead Sea
9) Me floating in the Dead Sea
10) Some of the Kellerman's floating in the Dead Sea
11) Ben, Joe, Kara, Me, and Daniel in the mud at the Dead Sea
12) View of the kibbutz from our room
13) Vince and Ben playing table tennis at the kibbutz
14) 6 out of the 7 Kellermans: Ben, Amber, me, Daniel, Kara and Joe
15) Ben and Kara at the kibbutz
16) Vince, Joe, and Ben rocking the Hebrew karaoke
17) Another view from the kibbutz
18) Masada
19) Masada
20) Masada
21) Me in a tunnel at Masada - clearly the people were short back then
22) Me and the roadside camel
23) The poor roadside camel
24) Sunset from our room in Maiersdorf - Saturday, January 5, 2008

Love to all!

Continued adventures

Shalom! (Shalom means peace in Hebrew, in case you don't know). I hope this finds everyone well. I'm two days behind in describing my adventures, so I thought I better write. Yesterday (1/2/08), we had an afternoon class, so we spent the morning doing the Ramparts Walk in the Old City. The Ramparts Walk is a walk along the top of the walls that protect the Old City. It was quite neat to walk along the wall, even though it was definitely treacherous at times. Steep stairs, narrow paths, etc. Anyway, I kept thinking that 100s (probably 1000s) of years ago, people stood on those walls ready to defend Jerusalem from attackers. Quite amazing. I remember being in Europe and thinking it was old, but this place - this is amazingly old. Hard to truly comprehend.

In the afternoon, I attended class, and Qadi (Judge) Natour presented. He is the highest authority on Islamic law in all of Israel. Pretty neat. He's been asked to be on the Israel Supreme Court (he chose not to for various reasons), and he is well respected by both the Muslim and the Jewish communities. Pretty amazing that he came to speak to our class.

After class, Kara, Amber, and I came back to our rooms and worked on the plans for our weekend getaway to the Dead Sea and Masada. Sidenote: At least 6 of us will be going there tomorrow (for those of you that know, the weekends in Israel consist of Friday and Saturday, not Saturday and Sunday - Shabbat is Friday). I think we have our hotel set up, and I'm looking forward to soaking in the Dead Sea and climbing Masada (or more likely taking the cable car). Masada is listed as a must do in my travel guide, so I hope it lives up to its promise.

Anyway, after we got those plans lined up, we attended the evening lecture and learned about conflict resolution within the Hindu tradition, and this was also quite fascinating. One of our fellow classmates presented, and he did an excellent job. After that, Amber and I came back to the room and crashed - read books, played around on the computer, and went to bed early. We are both a bit wiped out. I also think my sleeping schedule is still messed up, but I'm not sure. Regardless, we (Kara, Amber, and me) call ourselves the three old ladies. :) Several of our classmates are going out until 3 am on various nights, and I just don't have the energy to do that.

Today (1/3/08), we had morning class again and then a tour of the Israel Supreme Court. The tour was pretty good, but it was nothing special. Basically, it was just the tour that anyone in the public can get. When I was in France, we had a special tour of the Supreme Court, so I was expecting something similar to that. Regardless, the building is quite neat, and the architecture is filled with a great deal of symbolism.

After that tour, Amber, Vince, and I went to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum). Obviously, words cannot capture that experience, but it was both amazing and devastating. The museum sits on 45 acres of land and has both outdoor and indoor exhibits. I thought the cattle car memorial was especially moving, and I also found the outdoor exhibit which listed all the names of the cities where the Jewish population was either decimated completely or significantly diminished was also excellent. Another excellent exhibit was the Hall of Names, which holds all the documented names of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The room also contained pictures of many of the victims. Quite moving and disturbing overall. Several times throughout the tour, I found myself near tears. I think it would be sad if I wasn't honestly. One of the saddest things: when a survivor returned to her neighborhood, her neighbor asked, "didn't they kill all of you?" Humans can be amazingly wretched, but the 1000s of names listed as rescuers and the 100s of stories about folks that helped the Jews despite a huge risk of peril also reminded me that humans can be wonderful. I found a rescuer (I think they are called the righteous) named Anton Schmid! He was from Austria and was serving in the German Wermacht (army). He helped many Jews, but unfortunately he was caught and executed. I have no idea if my family has any old relation to him, but it was still neat to see my name there. Overall, Yad Vashem was an amazing experience, and I'm very glad I went. Oh, pictures weren't allowed inside (of course), so I don't have much to show from there.

After Yad Vashem, we headed back to Maiersdorf, and things have been chill for a bit. I think we are going to head out to dinner in the Old City and to see the Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall) at night, which I've heard is quite cool. We don't seem to be moving very quickly however, so I'm not sure what actually will happen.

Random note: George Bush is coming to Jerusalem next week. This is not a good thing for us, as it means that security will be insane, and many places in the city, places we want to go, will probably be closed or at the very least have limited access. Yad Vashem is an example, so I'm glad we made it there today. They are also telling us that we might have a hard time leaving the country on the 11th. If that happens, I will most likely be stuck in Warsaw overnight, as I don't have a ton of time in between my flights and I can't imagine Lot Polish Airlines flies to Chicago more than once a day. Yikes! Oh well, at least I've stayed in a foreign city by myself before. All will work out. I can't wait to see how lost my luggage gets on the way home! ;)

One more random note: the weather here has been fantastic! No rain, tons of sun, and decently warm. I was walking around the Old City in jeans and a t-shirt, sometimes with a North Face jacket, and I felt great. Today, I just wore black pants and a dress shirt, and I didn't feel cold until later in the evening. If I go out tonight, I will wear jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, a fleece vest, and my North Face jacket. I heard it's brutally cold at home, so I'm especially grateful for the change of pace.

Okay, that's all for tonight. I'm off to the Dead Sea and Masada tomorrow, and I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging. I'll do my best.

The Pictures:

1) Another view from the Ramparts Walk. This is a view of the Mount of Olives. According to the bible, the people buried there will be the first people redeemed when the Messiah arrives or returns, depending on your religion. ;)
2) A view from Yad Vashem (again, the place is amazingly beautiful and huge)
3) A view of the Old City from the Ramparts Walk
4) Yesterday's sunset from my room
5) Me and Karyna, waiting to get on the bus to go to the Supreme Court - overlooking the city.
6) German cattle car used to transport Jews to concentration camps during WWII.
7) A small part of the Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem (every city in which the Jewish population was decimated or destroyed is listed)
8) Amber and Vince in the Valley of the Communities

Love to all!

A few more pictures

A few more:

1) View from the Ramparts Walk - some people think this might be the tomb of Jesus.
2) View from the Ramparts Walk.
3) Classmates on the Ramparts Walk.
4) Classmates on the Ramparts Walk.
5) Watch your step, Joe! Ramparts Walk.

A thousand words

I don't have time to really write this morning, so I posted a bunch of pictures. I hope you enjoy!

In order:
1) View from my room!
2) Mike's place - where we rung in 2008!
3) Amber, Kara, and me at Mike's
4) Some of the gang at Mike's
5) Daniel, Me, and Michelle at Mike's
6) Wall of the Old City as seen from the Ramparts Walk. Ramparts Walk is a walk along (on top of) the walls that protect the Old City.
7) Ramparts Walk
8) Me on the Ramparts Walk (note the new clothes!)
9) Me on the Ramparts Walk
10) View from the Ramparts Walk
11) Gotcha, Michael!
12) Ramparts walk - Dome of the Rock in the background
13) Dome of the Rock

I LOVE sleep!

I think I told everyone that my luggage arrived yesterday, and I can't tell you how happy I am to have new clothes! I put on jeans and a t-shirt, and fresh everything else. It was awesome! I must have been tired/stressed or something, because after I put on my fresh PJs, I slept for 14 hours. I fell asleep at 4 pm and didn't wake up until 6 am (well, I woke up occasionally, but you know what I mean). I feel terrific today, and after I take a shower, I get to wear new clothes! Yay!

However, my 14 hours of sleep also mean that I have nothing new to report. So, instead, I will just share some general thoughts on random things.

First, taxi drivers here are insane! I've literally been carsick on almost every ride (I've now figured out that I MUST sit in the front seat, and that seems to help a lot). They drive super fast, and rush hour doesn't seem to intimidate them one bit. They just force their way into traffic, etc. We come so close to other cars that I could literally give the other drivers a high five or a handshake. Craziness! However, they almost always get us to where we want to go, and the price is decently reasonable too. On NYE however, they dropped me, Ben, and Amber off somewhere VERY far from campus (I don't think the driver knew we meant Hebrew University on Mount Scopus and not just Mount Scopus - or he was being a jerk, who knows). Anyway, we had no idea where we were, it was late (dark), so we had to get another cab! That one at least took us to campus, and then we were able to get in. Anyway, the point is that taxi drivers are slightly insane here. :)

Second, the security is odd. There are people everywhere with machine guns, and army units (I think that's what they are) march through the Old City in formation, etc. (for those of you that don't know, military service is compulsory for all Israelis, men and women, after they finish high school. This results in a VERY young looking military force, at least from what I can tell so far). Also, our school is basically a compound - you have to present your ID or passport to get back in at certain hours, and you have to go through security too. However, during the day, security seems quite lax, which I find odd. I'm not really scared or anything, but since they are so worried about violence (completely legitimate worries), it seems they would be hard core all the time. A note to my mom - please don't worry too much. I'm being very safe and smart. We don't go to the areas where violence is likely, etc.

Third, campus in general is beautiful. I should really take some pictures and post them, because I've never seen a campus like it before. Great old buildings, the sidewalks are made out of what seems like metallic rock (I have no idea if it's really stone or metal), and it's just all around beautiful. At the same time, it's completely modern. Wifi in some places, inet in all the rooms, all that stuff. Yesterday, Michael showed me a falafel shop and the grocery store, so I had a fabulous lunch and a nice visit with him (a 2L at HUSL). Oh, a random note about campus - there are cats everywhere! They are quite cute, and they sometimes roam into the buildings. Normally, seeing them would make me sad, but they seem to be in fabulous shape (not skinny, good fur, etc). That's definitely not something that I saw on American university campuses!

Fourth, at designated Muslim prayer times (five times a day), announcements or perhaps the prayers themselves are blasted over what seems like loud speakers from the various mosques. I think it might be called the call to prayer, but I'm really not sure what it is. It can be quite disconcerting at 5 am, when the first announcement goes off, but it's also pretty cool. Quite surreal actually. I will be learning more about Islam in today's class, so perhaps I can actually explain what I'm hearing after that, who knows.

Fifth, the food. I could eat this food everyday for every meal for the rest of my life and be happy. It's delicious. Pitas, hummus, kababs, fresh vegetables, unique spices, awesome sauces. I bought some fantastic looking oranges at the store yesterday, and I can't wait to eat those. I also bought some chocolate chips (it says chips) cookies, and they are excellent too. It would be easy to gain weight here, but I think the amount of walking could help curb that as well.

Today, we have class later in the day, so I am going with Kara and Amber to walk on the ramparts in the Old City. I'm not really sure what this means, but it sounded interesting. Our weekend plans for the Dead Sea and Mosada are shaping up, so that should be quite fun as well. The sun is up, and it makes the view from my room amazing. I will post pictures of the view soon - I forgot my camera cord so I have to borrow from others.

I have to go now - breakfast in a half hour! Yum, I'm starving. I get to enjoy some of the delicious food!

Pictures: First one on the left is a view from Maiersdorf Faculty Club, where I'm staying. The view isn't the one from my room, but it's also beautiful. The first one on the right and the third picture down are from Old City (I thought the palm tree was neat - I wanted to show that they have lots of different kinds of vegetation here), and the fourth picture is another picture of Warsaw, one of the Christmas trees in Old Town to be more precise. :)