Israel, Part I

Another trip, another dreadfully long blog entry. I can't help it. It's my own permanent record of my travels. I'll post in pieces so you can take it slow. Too lazy to post pictures in, so instead I have included a link to allllllllllllllll my pictures which are online - here you go:

http://picasaweb.google.com/linderms/IsraelDec2007

On that note...

Traveling

I took three flights and endured approximately 30 hours worth of travel to get the holy land. I did use the word endured and you would too if you spent over an entire day just getting somewhere. That borders on the ridiculous. Anyway, on my flight from LA to Zurich, I was asked shortly into my fight if I’d like to move to a back row by one of the stewardesses as I’d have access to two seats. Actually the stewardess cared little for my comfort and mostly wanted me to move so the family I had been sitting with could have an extra seat for their little munchkins. In fact, the row of seats she moved me to had non-working overheard lights and a busted tv monitor in the aisle seat (the preferred, clearly). That non-withstanding, I thought I was getting a sweet deal as when I sat down the 3rd seat in the row appeared unoccupied save for a lone sweatshirt. 1.5 hours later the seat still had no passenger. I continued watching my movie and dreaming about how awesome it’d be when I stretched out across the entire row. The movie ended; I finished off my red wine and took several Tylenol PMs in prep for sleep and just as I was about lay my head down, an Italian dude returned to the sweat-shirted seat and after a non-sensical exchange of words I confirmed that indeed he was there for the remainder of the flight. Foiled! Asshole.

Zurich

Zurich must be the most expensive city in the entire universe. A parking ticket in SF costs you $40. I bet in Zurich it costs you $240. We had a 5 or so hour layover in this incredibly cold city which warranted a trip out of the airport, enough time to wander the streets (and be cold) and eat dinner. We examined at least 7 menus and could not find a single damn restaurant in Zurich where one could eat a meal for less than around $30. In the end we ate at an Italian place where I consumed a bowl of soup and a plate of pasta that was essentially a chunk of carbs drowning in cream spiced up with some black truffles (if you’re going to eat in the most expensive city on earth, you might as well indulge). Aside from the fact that I have probably never eaten a single plate of food containing that many calories, I spent about $70 on my meal. I think I spent more on that one single dinner in my layover city than I did on the sum total of all meals I purchased in Israel.

Day 1

We arrived at the King Solomon Hotel in Jerusalem, most def not to be confused with the luxurious government-official-haven King David Hotel, at approximately 5am and I went straight to bed. After sleeping for a few hours we headed to breakfast (are you sensing this theme of sleep/eat/sleep/eat that I lived by for about 2 days straight) which for me on Day 1 as well as Days 2-10 consisted of large amounts of smoked fishes and Bulgarian Feta (my newest cheese of choice). I *think* I overate but I *know* for sure that Jocelyn liked it when I announced in the elevator that I was on the verge of exploding fish and cheese. The first activity of the day was an Orientation session. Game 1: that name thing where you sit in a circle and then recite the name and nickname of all the people that went before as well as your own. My favorite nicknames included:

1) “Just Dave:” Dave announced he has no nickname and therefore we sighed and agreed that we’d *just* call him *just* dave, which while I think is somewhat sad, is also quite entertaining.

2) “Kabob:” This kid Bobby told us that one of his nicknames is Kabob. And that he hates it. So what happens when you tell someone that? They call you that the rest of the trip. In fact, no other nickname was used as profusely as was Kabob. And after you called him Kabob, you’d giggle.

3) “Butterscotch:” Nickname of Layla, the soft-spoken, highly observant Orthodox girl on our trip. No explanation provided. I think that the contrast b/t person and name sans explanation is explanation enough for why that name is just so good.

Anyway. After our little get acquainted session, we departed for the Knesset - the Israeli Parliament – with this guy Ken who was our guide for a few days. He was terrible. I want to here make note of part of the dress code for the Knesset: “’Crocs’ shoes are not permitted unless they are black or navy.” Really??? Is that REALLY part of the dress code??? We met w/ a Knesset membr – Yoel Hasson – pretty cool stuff. He addressed his perspectives on Iran, the Annapolis Summit, keeping Jerusalem whole, refusing a Palestinian state, and Israel’s pro-Bush/pro-America sentiments. I love that Israel loves Bush when his own country has pretty much fallen completely out of love with him.

Daylight ended shortly after the Knesset and we headed to dinner in the Ben Yehuda district at Café Rimon. In my opinion, the meal consisted of Chinese food, Italian food, and Mexican food, all served with lots of hummus. I didn’t so much understand it. Anyway I lost my appetite sitting next to Ken, the atrocious tour guide with an ego the size of Masada who has not and likely will never learn how to shut the f up.

Dinner was followed by a lecture. I can’t remember who lectured or what he lectured on b/c I was falling asleep. So it must’ve been super great.

Luckily the day closed with our fist visit to the Western Wall, or the Kotel. There is really nothing on this earth like it. Visiting that wall makes Rome feel new. The Wall abuts land that pretty much was not the birthplace of Judaism but of humanity – how can you describe what you feel when you’re touching something so ancient? You also, while in the excavation tunnels of the Kotel, get as close as religiously permitted to the stone that marks the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac and the cornerstone of the oldest temple. The Holiest of Holies. Deeply moving and something that everyone must experience for herself.

Day 2

Day 2: Not fun. I ask you this: if you travel half way around the world to see one of the most historic lands on earth – do you hope to engage in team building activities while there? Do you want to do things like relay races on giant wooden stilts across a field specked with dog shit, or play pick-up games of red rover? No? Me neither. The rest of the day was filled with lectures. I knew that I’d have to attend said lectures, I knew that – but it’s still no easier to stomach. There were two highlights to the day:

• Visit to Yad va Shem – The Holocaust Museum, strikingly done. Just not enough time. And I got lost getting back to the bus. Yes, I got lost finding my way out of a museum. Are we really that surprised?
• Dinner – Went out for AJ’s bday. Best meal of the trip. Grilled meat and a great salad. And wine. Lots and lots of Israeli wine.