Barcelona rocked my world!

Hola!

So Barce was amazing!  I am going to keep this blog short because pictures are a far better way to show you everything I did, plus I took close to 600.  Whoops! 

I was there for only 4 days, but I did everything on my hand-written "alex does spain" itinerary.  Complete with almost every Gaudi attraction, a long bike ride through Barri Gotic and along the beautiful boardwalk, a jaunt to Nou Stadium to check out FCB's digs, and realllly great food--I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

The weather was amazing, my hotel was in a perfect location minutes from the subway, the Rambla, and my favorite neighborhood the Raval.  I walked around in the early mornings to catch the best sunlight and to avoid the crowds if only for an hour.  I sipped espresso and ate pastries, and read my book while I sipped beer from Catalonia.  I stumbled upon restaurants not listed in my Lonely Planet guide and was happy to discover fresh fish, colorful veggies, and a local twist on mediterranean staples.  

Barce was a great way to end my travels...

After only a 5 hour flight, I arrived back in Israel Monday evening.

The last time I'll have my passort stamped with the "Israeli entry ink."  So crazy that my time here is almost done. I only have 11 days left!!

Thanks everyone for reading!

Adios

I've been working here, not just traveling!

Hi everyone,

So it's been about 2 weeks since my last post, which is about how its been going all summer.  I thought I would post not about travel or food, but about all the work I've been doing here.  I know that may come as a shock to you all as the entire blog is covered with pictures from around Israel and Egypt--how could I really have time to work? Hopefully, after reading this post you'll have an idea of just what that work has entailed...

Ok, so as most of you know I am here doing environmental law-related work towards my Masters degree. So the bulk of this post will focus on that area.  However, I've also done a smattering of other things completely unrelated to the environment that have been equally as rewarding.

After my Birthright trip, I took a few days off before I met with a handful of people to discuss what exactly I would be doing with my time here in Israel.  First, I traveled to Kiryat Ono, a city just east of Tel Aviv.  At the college there, Ono Academic College, I met with Hanan Mandel--my supervisor, a professor, and lawyer.  We discussed my work with the students at Ono who are part of a variety of legal clinics the school has established.  I would meet with them to discuss their work and try to set up some sort of collaborative model where I might be able to help them with their work.  First, there is the clinic who is run by all orthodox men.  This clinic was started to bring awareness to the Haredi community about environmental issues that might be affecting their quality of life.  Then, if anyone wishes to express a concern or get help in determining whether any legal right is being violated by say a company polluting air space, or by the city putting a weird wire on their property, they would have a comfortable group of law students to phone or email and discuss the issue.  Obviously, my hands on interaction with members of this community would be limited because I am a woman and secular. But, these men were very nice and interested in how some of the issues they were facing here in Israel might be resolved in the U.S. Next, I met with a group of students who follows legal decisions handed down by the courts in Israel, specifically focusing on those affecting the environment.  The idea was to discuss these issues as they arose and for me to provide insight as to how they might be dealt with in the U.S.  Unfortunately, this particular arrangement hasn't really taken off because either there have not been very many legal decisions affecting environmental law in the past couple of months, or because the students may feel uncomfortable emailing me.  Nevertheless, I have had other opportunities to communicate with two other student groups at Ono.  

One group is made up of three students who have worked on and completed a model to evaluate local government's sustainability actions in Israeli cities.  The idea was for me to look at their model, and then to do some comparative research about the different models implored in the U.S. to evaluate local governments sustainable actions.  I have been conducting research since this initial meeting almost two months ago and have discovered that ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability), has developed a number of models that many different municipalities have used to evaluate sustainable actions.  These models are more focused on simply evaluating those actions, not ranking different cities against each other.  Other evaluative methods used are ranking methods, and give actual letter grades to cities in one region.  Reporting on both of these type of methods will give the students an idea of the categories and indicators used, the actual process by which the government was evaluated, stakeholders, and expected results.  Hopefully, this information will be useful as they push forward and look to use their model in a pilot city.  

The next group, is a group of students who is part of a general legal clinic at Ono.  Although unrelated to the environment, my work with this group was awesome.  They asked for my help in creating an English contract for an Israeli salesman who had entered into an exclusive purchasing agreement for an air freshener made somewhere in Europe.  I spent a few days sitting down with two students and worked to build on what they had already translated from Hebrew to English, continue the translation, and restructure the contract a bit so that our client would have the best agreement possible.  For the first time since graduating law school, I felt like an actual lawyer.  We not only translated the agreement, but we discussed our client's interests and how best we could draft the agreement to meet his needs.  Great stuff.  

Aside from working with the students at Ono, I was lucky enough to work with the head of MBA Environmental Management program--Dr. Miki Haran.  Miki, former Minister of the Environment for Israel, is still a highly regarded environmental consultant and policy expert and now teaches at Ono.  She gave me the opportunity to do some research for her concerning a project that she had taken on pro bono. In a nearby city, there was an issue with air vapors at a school. Parents were so concerned with the test results that showed slightly elevated chlorinated volatile organic compound (VOC) levels, that the school had been shut down.  Becase the school was positioned at the beginning of sewage system, there was no way that the sewer pipes were carrying any harmful chemicals from nearby industry--the usual source of chlorinated VOCs.  So, she was interested in how some of the tests could still be showing there was slight contamination.  After completing research, it turns out that the level of these chlorinated VOCs is present when vapors are testsed because they are naturally occurring in water resulting from use of typical dishwashing soap, typical household cleaning solutions, and even from some adhesives or paints.  Long story short, Miki was able to use this research and present it to the community to reassure them that these slightly elevated levels were not unusual.  Obviously, in a perfect world the school might stop using particular harmful cleaning solutions or stop its use of certain paints, adhesives, etc.  However one step at a time--the school is now set to open on schedule in the fall. 

I was also lucky enough to work with Emanuel Weizer, head of the Environmetnal Law section of the Israeli Bar Association and an adjunct professor at Ono.  Emanuel had two issues that he wanted me to research.  First, I was to complete research about whether radiation from cellular antennas could be the basis for at trespass action.  After reseraching U.S. case law, it was clear that this radiation might be enough for the basis of an intangible trespass claim.  However, in the U.S. it was important to assert this claim within the statute of limitations that starts to run as soon as the permanent trespass, the antenna, is placed on the property.  Here though, it wasn't that simple as the antenna was never actually placed on the property, but near by.  In this hypothetical, this seems to work in favor of any private property owner trying to assert trespass and recover damages in Israel.  This is because, instead of being concerned by the statute of limitations for the permanent trespass, the owner would have a claim for each intangible, on-going trespass.  There is no intent to bring this action in Israeli right now, but the research might provide a basis for asserting this sort of claim and recovery should exist in Israel.  

In addition, Emanuel also wanted to know about the permitting system under the U.S. Clean Air Act.  This was particularily relevant to him because Israel just recently passed the Clean Air Law.  He was intersted in whether the U.S. issued general permits or whether each source (major and minor) were evaluated and issued permits with specific conditions.  He wants to make sure that all sources in Isarel, not just major, are held accountable and meet emission limits.  In Israel, smaller sources although very prevalant, are issued general permits, instead of specific permits addressing facility specific-issues.  

Ok moving on...are you still with me? Just a couple more projects related to the environment:

I was lucky enough to work with the largest environmental non-profit in Isreal, Life & Environment. My task was to do research about NGO initiated partnerships/collaborations with companies to evaluate their Corporate Sustainabiltiy Reports (CSRs). These reports are compiled by small and large companies and evaluate the company's sustainble actions, including what it is doing for the environment.  Life & Environment wants to catch Israel up and establish a better connection with companies in Israel who have started to complete CSR reports, a new concept in Israel.  The idea was to look at the U.S. and UK to see how similar partnerships were started and cultivated.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any partnerships that focus on evaluating an entire CSR report.  Instead, the idea is for an NGO to identify one particular issue it finds most important and has expertise with an then pitch the idea of collaborting to the company.  For example, companies like Ben & Jerry's used to work wtih NGOs in evaluating its entire CSR report, but found that it was far more useful to start partnerships that focused on one issue, like helping farmers institute sustainble practices.  Obviously, this model is extremely important in Israel so that non-profits can be invovled in the discussion with companies and make sure they are pursuing environmental stewardship.

Last but certainly not least, I was invovled with a Green-Building Workshop.  I began planning this workshop when I first arrived, and it took a bit of effort to find a day where the four particpants could speak and to arrange some of the logistics.  Luckily, we were able to arrange for Miki Haran, Hanan, Jonathan Libber (with the EPA in Washington, D.C.), and myself to present to small audience of students and faculty on July 28th.  Although the workshop was small, I think it provded a great overview of what the legal landscape is in Israel, a great model developed by Jonatahn at the EPA that could be used to evaluate the economic benefits of green-building here in Israel, and then a good overview of green-buiding laws in the U.S. and their application to sports stadiums--I supposed you could have guessed that's what I presented on.  I'll admit, I was nervous to present.  I hadn't ever talked for an hour in front of people and wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about and conveyed all the important information.  I talked about green-buidling laws at the federal, state, and municipal levels, briefly discussed the LEED guidelines, and then used sports stadiums as an example of how those laws apply and potential benefits of this application.  Miki, was very intersted in using the information contained in my presentation as she had never thought about green-building laws applied to sports stadiums.  Here in Isarel, they just aren't as crazy about sports or stadiums as we are in teh U.S. so the application is not as obvious.  But, she told me that she wants to use the example and include it in her class in the fall--really great to bring attention to the issue.  In addition, I think this presentation was helpful to a woman from the Research and Development section of the Knesset, Israel's parliament government.  She is conducting comparative law research about green-building in a variety of different countries and was excited to get my presentation.  Awesome.

And we are nearing the end!

Completely unrelated to all the environmental stuff I just told you about, I has the privilege of working with the NOGA Center in Tel Aviv.  The NOGA Center was established to offer legal advice and representation to victims of serious crimes and to raise awareness in Israel of the needs of the victims.  Obviously, I was very interested in helping them in any way I could.  I was able to complete research on two different issues--both realted to inheritance, specifically to intestacy law.  The center was very intersted in who would take and how much under U.S. law so that they could use this research as a way to support their arguments in Israeli court.  At times, the intestacy law is unfavorable to their clients and having comparative law research showing how another country's intestacy laws work provide additional support for a change in the laws here and possible recovery for their clients.  

Obviously, I am no expert in intestacy law, but it gave me a great opporutnity to step outside of my comfort zone and research issues that really helped some of the NOGA Center's clients.   

Ok, that's it.  I promise.  I hope now you believe me that I've actually been working!  But, don't worry--I am taking a vacation to Barcelona for four days next week so I will soon again be posting about the cool, fun stuff complete with many pictures for all you visual people out there.

Thanks for reading!

Egypt in only 4 days!

So it's been quite a while since my last blog post, but I'm hoping this one will make up for the long delay.  As some of you may know, I just went on a 4-day trip to Egypt--you know the country you see in the southwest corner of the Israel map.  I planned this trip just about 3 weeks before going on it, and by planning, I mean I bought cheap plane tickets and looked through a Lonely Planet guide.  I was a bit apprehensive about traveling alone, one because I've done little to no traveling solo and two because Egypt is a Muslim country.  Well, both of my concerns were put to rest when I talked my new friend Ian into traveling with me.  Ian, like me, was lucky enough to take advantage of the amazing hospitality of Robin Sandenburgh--the mom of Signe's best friend.  

Her house is simply gorgeous, and in a part of Cairo called Maadi where a lot of foreign diplomats live. I arrived here around 9:30p.m. from the Cairo airport after only a 1 hour flight from Tel Aviv--so quick!  I met Ian and we were off to watch the soccer game at a place called the Swiss Club, somewhere in Cairo.  I quickly became accustomed to the stares, smiles, and yells from men and the crazy, dirty, congested streets of Cairo.  When we arrived I tried my first Egyptian beer, and tried to soak in the culture--well the culture of everyone not from Egypt.

The next morning, we got moving as quickly as possible and started in the white Land Cruiser first to Saqqara and then on to Dashur.  In Saqqara I saw the amazing Step Pyramid and many many tombs full of hieroglyphics.  After wandering around here, we made the drive to Dashur where I saw the very first pyramid ever built--the Red Pyramid.  We trekked up 125 stairs to the entrance of the tomb where we were greeted by one of many "tour guides" asking for baqsheesh or a tip for doing pretty much nothing but saying "Asalama" (Arabic for "hi!"). 

We went down a very steep passageway and were greeted by three inner-chambers with high triangular ceilings that consisted of a series of pretruding stone levels.  Really amazing.  Driving back to Maadi, I knew that this trip was going to be really fantastic.

After quickly eating a great lunch of organic veggies from the farm Ian is interning for and traditional balaadi bread from the corner market, we quick took the Metro to downtown Cairo to purchase our overnight-sleeper car train tickets to Luxor.  After spending only 680 Egyptian pounds each, about $120 for a roundtrip ticket, we traveled to the Khan al-Khalili market where I ate amazing fatil bread with the greatest layers of spongey dough, sprinkled with powdered sugar and wrapped in old, used computer paper.  

I saw more junk in that market than I knew existed for the cheapest prices one could imagined.  Men asked Ian how many camels he would sell me for and I was lucky to even have one grab my butt--something I was warned about in my guidebook.  All was well though as we made it out of the market and sampled cactus fruit before jumping in a cab and heading home.  

After a fantastic traditional Egyptian dinner and nice sleep, we were headed to Alexandria--a gorgeous city on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.  After a short 3 hour drive, we were greeted with blue waters and tall buildings.  We scoped out a fantastic fish restaurant where you chose your fish from an open ice-packed cooler and instruct the nice Egyptian man how you'd like it cooked.  While waiting, we ate countless amazing salads and balaadi bread-yum! 

The rest of the afternoon we strolled along the sea, Ian went for a swim, and we saw amazing Mosques.  We quickly drove back to Maadi, and in with one hour turn-around time, we were off again.  This time, to catch our train to Luxor.

We got to Giza Station, just Northwest of Maadi and boarded a "deluxe" train to Luxor about 14 hours south of Cairo.  After being served what I think was dinner, we slept in bunk-style beds and were awakened by a knock on our door--"1 hour until we arrive in Luxor."  The sleeper-car was so clutch and we wasted no time at all making the journey.  When we arrived we quickly got our bearings and went straight for Luxor Temple.  Wow.  It was amazing.  Perhaps one of my most favorite parts of the trip was seeing the two rows of sphinxes that start at the entrance to Luxor Temple and reach 3km to the entrance of Karnak Temple.  It was quite the sight to see.  After the Temple, we decided to take the ferry across the Nile River to the East Bank and hire a cab driver to take us around to see the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, and Hatshepsut's Temple.  

Although these are typical desinations for any tourist, they did not dissapoint.  The Valley of The Kings was very amazing--seeing all the narrow passage ways utilized to deter grave robbers, the dark and solid stone sarcophagi, and the amazing and colorful hieroglyphics made the long and hot walk up to the Valley completely worth it.  It was especially fantastic when I went to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo the following day and saw the very-well preserved bodies of the some of the kings whose tombs I had walked through.  Hatshepsut's Temple was also stunning as you can obviously see in the picture to the left.  

115 degree heat makes you tired, very tired.  So we decided to sit and rest at a cafe on the East Bank.  It was nice to sit and drink Egyptian beer, while eating more balaadi, greek salad, and dates soaked in sugar syrup from the tree hanging above our heads.  Coincidence or not, we ran into a felucca driver at the restuarant who encouraged us to take a relaxing float on the Nile.  It of course was exactly what we were looking for.  So for about an hour and a half we floated on an old and rickety felucca in the Nile River.  Our driver spoke perfect English and let us nap as we coasted a long.  It was surreal putting my feet in the Nile, and staring at some of the oldest and most amazing historical sites.

Our Luxor trip concluded with a trip to a fantastic bakery on the street where we purchased every bread item possible, including a fantastically hot and slightly sweet spongey bread that had been cooked in a huge black, cast iron pan and brought to us directly from the oven. And I'm sorry, forgot to take a pictures of this.  We also visited a fair-trade store where for the first time I was not hassled to purchase anything.  Don't worry, the 4-year old boy in the park who walked up to us and simply said "Hello baqsheesh" made up for it.  I guess tips are expected for just about anything.

On my last day, I was on my own for the first time.  I decided to brave the Metro from Maadi to downtown Cairo on the Women-Only car and go to see the enormous Egyptian Museum.  I spent 4 hours walking the halls of this museum seeing more jewelry, stone figures, furniture, tombs, mummies, and artwork then I knew how to comprehend.  And to think that the items in the museum were only 1/4 of the museum's total collection.  Highlights were for sure King Tut's special rooms where I saw jewelry ridiculously well-preserved and then of course the Royal Mummies room where I stared at the almost perfect mummies of the some of the Kings dating back thousands of years.  After the musuem, I spent some time on the nearby islands of Zamalek and Gezeira and took a well-bargained for taxi ride to the Citadel of Muhammed Ali.  The stunning view (plus some smog) of the city and the ornate celing inside the mosque was definitely worth it.

To end my journey, we went to the very corny light and sound show at the Giza Pyramids.  I wanted to go so that I could see the Pyramids and of course the Sphinx.  The show I could have done without, but the view of these vast monuments was such a great way to end my trip.  They were amazing, even from a distance and it was so cool to think about all the different people in history who had stood before them.

I will say it one last time, Egypt was amazing! I had the time of my life and hope I did it justice.
~Thanks for reading, and if you want to see more pictures please click here.

Dayan Moshav

Last Friday afternoon, I traveled an hour or so north of Tel Aviv with my new friend Dafna.  I had been looking forward to this trip ever since I semi-invited myself to her family’s home, the Talmei Elazar moshav.  This moshav is located in northern Israel, where the air is crisp and fresh, and you can hear the leaves of the eucalyptus trees blowing in the wind.  I felt this special air as soon as I got off the bus, and was happy to leave the busy, chaotic streets of Tel Aviv for a couple of days.

As we walked from the bus stop I was already smiling and taking so many pictures (click here to see them all!).  Dafna gets to practice her English probably more than she would like, because I’m always asking so many questions.  She does a fantastic job of describing all the plant life I’m seeing—the trees, the sabres or the cactus as we know them.  Dafna is a great story-teller, and did such a great job of telling me all about how the moshav got started.  After the state of Israel was founded, the government asked her family members if they would like to start this moshav, and take advantage of the fertile land.  They agreed, and the moshav has nearly tripled in size since it was started over 60 years ago.

As we approached the entrance to this farming community, I was really getting excited.  The street is lined with palm trees and bushes full of gorgeous pink flowers.  Each house stands in front of a large grove or open space identified only by a small sign stating the names of its inhabitants.  

We passed old and very new looking homes and finally arrived at Ya’achov and Batya Dayan’s house.  

As soon as I walked in, I felt welcomed.  Although her parents do not speak English, I knew that we were going to connect through so many other ways besides words.  I was introduced to warm, welcoming people who immediately offered me something to eat. We spent some time getting acquainted and then I was quickly saying hi to new family and new faces as they trickled in through the open back door.  So nice to meet so many family members, and see so many people coming to visit and talk.  The numbers would only increase as the weekend went on.

Just before welcoming the Sabbath, I went for a stroll with Daf and Liron, her eight-year old cousin.  She wanted to show me everything—the swing set, her bus stop, she was beyond cute.  We each learned words from each other—me in Hebrew and her in English.   Echla hagid I said as I pointed to the most basic objects.  It was great having Liron teaching me new and fun things.

After our short walk, we all showered and were ready for dinner. I had been anticipating this first meal for awhile now, and I was even more excited after I watched Batya prepare all of the dishes throughout the afternoon.   

This is the point where your mouths will start to water.  I took the liberty of asking about a million questions and taking just as many pictures, so you will have both a written and visual description of these amazing dishes.  Ok here is the menu, and yes, this was only for dinner:

Olives from the tree in the backyard marinated in olive oil with jalapeno peppers, lemon, and garlic

Kuba or matzah ball looking food, soaked in homemade tomato broth

Roasted potatoes with olive oil and sea salt

Bulgar wheat with cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil

Whole chickpeas with green onions and olive oil, salt and pepper

Local, organic dover sole with celery from the backyard, parsley, cilantro, and tomato

Homemade hummus

Homemade dessert croissants topped with sesame seeds

Homemade challah that will make your mouth water

Marinated beets, and

A specially prepared cheese-bread dessert baked especially for me because Batya knows I love it.

As you can see, taste, imagine the food was  really great and even better because it was honestly prepared with love.  Batya loves to cook and to make people in her home happy and content.  Well, she absolutely succeeded.  As if her cooking wasn’t enough, she is also a pseudo-environmentalist.—in a word, my hero.  Daf tells me that her mom insisted on using compact florescent lightbulbs and saving every drop of water she could when they were growing up.   Batya turns the water off in between each dish she washes and I especially took notice as she placed a bucket in the sink to catch the water from washing the fresh vegetables from her neighbor’s organic garden.  She then re-used that water to quench the thirst of the very dry plants in the backyard.  Batya tells Daf, who tells me that there used to be a lot of water—the garden was lush, green and fertile.  Now, there is a definite water shortage in Israel and so every last drop counts.  It’s amazing how necessity will spur you to make big changes in your every day life. 

These water shortages and other difficulties also forced Ya’acov to make changes in the way he cultivated the land.  The land used to be home to many rows of organic veggies, wandering goats, and cows.  However, the demands of this farm became too much and now Ya’achov focuses his efforts on growing citrus (that's a grapefruit in the picture).   When I first met him, his smiling eyes made me feel welcome to ask any questions.  

He told me (well, he told Daf) that he sells his citrus to Prigat, one of Israel’s largest beverage retailers..  It’s quite simple—he grows oranges and grapefruit and then is paid by the kilogram.  The citrus is then used in the orange and grapefruit juices sold by Prigat (I sampled, its great orange juice).  Because he has been working with Prigat, he trusts them, but there is no union to represent his interests and make sure he is receiving a fair price.   However,  he seems content with this arrangement and takes pride in his groves, I can tell.  When I walked down the midracha—sidewalk in Hebrew- to the grove, I sampled the citrus and it was fantastic.  This is enough for him and enough that he has been able to provide for his family, who is always visiting with hugs, kisses, and warm thoughts.

Warm thoughts are exactly what I have of Ya’achov, Batya, and the entire Dayan family.  Toda, raba, raba, raba for the weekend and for welcoming me into your home.

Shalom!  

12 De Haas

It’s hard to believe that a week has already passed since I last posted about my amazing 12 day adventure.This past week has been full of exploring, fun activities, lots of walking, sun, the sea, and good food. While I don’t feel completely settled just yet, I definitely feel that I am starting to learn my way around the city and I feel that I am actually living here instead of only on a vacation.

So, I will be leaving the apt. I am currently staying in on Tuesday and venturing to a new one only blocks away. Here, I’ll stay for the rest of my time here with two Israeli guys I have never met. One I am told is studying culinary arts—that might be a match made in heaven—and the other is just beginning his studies, but I’m not sure what in. I am excited/anxious to get to my next apt. and meet my new roommates. But first things first…I must pay homage to my current location, 12 De Haas St.

This apartment is located in the area commonly called Milano Square, just off one of the main street Ibn Gvirol. Now, if you’re having trouble pronouncing that, don’t worry, I can’t either. It goes something like this—“Iben Geevrawl.” Ok, so Milano Square is beyond cute. Just across the street from me, there are three super great cafes with fantastic patios, big umbrellas, and lively Israelis. I spent a few mornings at the Juno Wine Bar sipping fantastic espresso and noshing on fantastic "mini sandwich" as the menu called it. After only three days, I walked up to find a table and one of the waitresses asked, “double espresso?” I guess I am already a regular.

If you journey just a few blocks down Hamaccabi, another busy street near by, you’ll find many more cafes, shops, a great all-natural bakery, and a supermarket. One of my favorite places already is a chain called Fresh Kitchen. They serve organic salads, sandwiches, freshly squeezed juice, and coffee all of which are awesome. I can definitely say that last Sunday, after feeling exhausted from the trip and looking for food that was fresh and not picked over by hundreds of hotel guests, the bulgar wheat salad, carrot-orange-ginger juice, and multi-grain bread was a nice change of pace!

After finding that nice organic restaurant, I decided I had to find an organic/natural foods grocery store. I already knew of one a decent store a ways away called Eden. Both Dafna and Orit tell me to stay away because its so expensive, but if you know me you know spending money on food is my jam. That being said I still wanted to explore other options. I ended up finding a great store called “Natural Market” on Dizengoff, another popular street in Tel Aviv. It’s much closer and has a great selection of fresh veggies, dried fruits, and all the staples. And, believe it or not I stumbled upon a Lakefront beer! Hard to believe that half-way around the world a small natural foods market would carry Lakefront, but I guess gluten-free beer is hard to come by here. I bought it of course and tried it, but I think I’ll stick to Stein or IPAs for now.

Speaking of beer, Dafna told me about this awesome beer market just South of Tel Aviv right near the beach. This was by far one of the best experiences so far. Dafna, Orit, and a friend from their apartment building, Udi, journeyed the “5 min” to the market to sample so many different beers. Perhaps here is a great chance to tell you all that Israelis do not know how to estimate how long it will take you to walk somewhere. 5 min. really means at least 30min. or even more. Anyways, on our journey, I stumbled upon a John Deere tractor! 

Everyone laughed after I told them I grew up very near the headquarters are, and so Dafna (my new personal photographer) of course made me pose. Ok, back to the beer. 

After arriving at the market we purchased three tickets for 15sh (about $3.90). All of the beer was Israeli and there was great music playing. Even though it was about 90 degrees, everyone was crammed around the stands drinking and smiling. I tried a dark beer and two IPAs. By far, the second IPA was the best. It was from a brewery called “Alona”, well at least that’s the best translation I can do. It was crisp, yet really hoppy and surprisingly smooth. 

After sampling beers we journeyed just a few feet away to the Organic Market. Uhhh yum! There were great looking fruits and veggies , and the best hummus. It was cooking in a giant black, cast iron vat of sorts—so fresh and still warm when I sampled. Of course I bought a tub, which came in a 100% biodegradable bag.  It's almost gone...whoops!

I ended this fantastic week with my first trip to the beach. It was totally packed. Saturday is the only day of the week that everyone has off from work, from school, from everything. It was so nice to sit in the sun, chat with my new friends, and even sit in the amazingly warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. I can’t wait to go back.

So, tomorrow is the start of the work week here in Israel. Sunday—Thursday so all of the Jewish people can have the Sabbath on Friday and Saturday. I am already making plans for this upcoming week, so keep tuned in for more to come!    Also, please click here for more pics from this past week!

Shalom!

Israel in 12 days

Hi everyone!  It's been such a long time, I feel like I need to re-introduce my new Israeli-self. Ok, not really but it's so nice to be able to chat with you all again.

Right now, I am sitting at a quaint cafe across the street from my apartment in Tel Aviv, sipping fantastic espresso.  This area is commonly called Milano Square and its just off one of the main streets in Tel Aviv.  It doesn't feel as busy as it does more south, and plus just north there is a sprawling park.  Just west is of course the Mediterranean Sea.  Can't wait to go for a jog tonight.  

It is also fantastically gorgeous outside, like it is everyday in Israel.  Hot of course, but sunny and alive.  All the people here are always outside, talking, laughing, and eating amazing food.

I already love the culture.

I think its only fitting to start where I am now, and then take a look back at where I've been the past twelve days because it is the first time that I've really had time to reflect.  The past 12 days have been crazy--6a.m. wake-up calls to the same hotel food of freshly baked breads and a variety of salads and eggs (it was only good in the beginning) and sleep at 12:30a.m. after a long day of hiking, lectures, swimming, site-seeing, and much, much more  I really had no idea what to expect on this trip, except for the very basic activities I shared with you all in my last posts.  But, I can safely say that the trip exceeded my expectations.

In 12 days, I went all over the State of Israel (about the size of New Jersey in total, but the populated areas, meaning not the desert, are only the size of Rhode Island).  I landed in Tel Aviv, met the Israeli soldiers who would be traveling with us on our journey.  Having the Israelis was one of the biggest perks on this trip, without them I would have been lost.  Not only did they provide an interesting perspective on everything we did on the trip, but they taught us all about the culture in Israel, answered my many, many questions, translated Hebrew, and even read food labels for me.  Nir, one of my favorite Israeli guys, finally asked me, "What is it that you are looking for on the label?"  Even me, crazy-food-label-reader, has discovered that food is different in Israel.  High-fructose corn-syrup doesn't exist, its always sugar, many things are made with olive oil, etc.  Of course, the food is not all organic, but its starting point is so much better than in the U.S.  

Ok, moving on.  For sake of organization, the rest of the post will have headings and brief highlights from each city.  

Tiberius

We traveled Northeast from Tel Aviv to the city of Tiberius located right on the Sea of Galilee or Lake Kinneret.  We spent 4 nights in Tiberius.   In Tiberius I:

-hiked

-visited the old city of Zefat, where I met a fantastic Kabbalah Artist and ate the best falafel ever

*falafel is everywhere, its the Israeli snack of choice!

-went to an orthodox Shabbat service where I had to sit in a separate room from the men

-saw the most gorgeous view of the city and the Sea of Galilee (Hagit in the middle and Tiffany on the right were two of my closest friends on the trip).

Golan Heights
Ok, not a city but a location.  Here I:
-hiked
-went to an Israeli army base on the Lebanon border

*I think in between here and visiting the desert we went to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

These two destinations are worth noting because they, along with the many discussions with my new

Israeli-soldier friends, changed my view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict entirely.  For those of you who don't know, the West Bank is home to about 2.5 million Palestinians.  It is divided into three territories, all of which are enclosed by a security fence that prevents these people from leaving.  Only certain Palestinians may leave (farmers, doctors, students) with a permit and only at certain times.  I saw a small group being let out of the territory to farm their land outside the West bank borders.  

Our visit to the Gaza Strip was a bit different.  We visited a small village/town right on the border of the Gaza Strip, literally on the security wall.  This was really moving for me because the gentleman who spoke showed us missles he had collected from previous attacks, told us that he continued to live there with his family because he didn't want to let Hamas push him out of his land, and because he had faith that peace would come at some point.  I saw bomb shelters every 20 ft., a loud speaker system that gives the residents 20 seconds to get cover before a missle hits, and greenhouses full of cherry tomato crops farmed by the people of this village.  Not really a "normal life."  I'd have to admit it was scary to think that just sitting there we were in jeopardy, and even more scary when we hiked to the top of sand dune and I was yelled at to come down in the bunker just to make sure I was as safe as possible.  Here, I was told Hamas and the Palestinains are always watching.

Negev
This is the desert folks.  It was stunning.  Here I:
-rode a camel

-ate amazing food (some of the best I had on the trip) from a communal plate served by the Bedouins, drank tea sweetened with cardamon, and espresso from freshly fire-roasted coffee beans

-slept in a huge tent with everyone on the trip

-woke up @ 4a.m. for a sunrise hike to Mt. Masada

-traveled on to the Dead Sea where I floated in the oily water and rubbed Dead Sea Mud on my face

Tel Aviv

I was here for only one night, and saw the city briefly, but got to see Dafna and Orit.  I have been Skyping with them in the U.S. and it was so fun to see them in person!  

Eilat

This is a touristy town in Israel, very south on the Jordan border.  In this city I:

-walked to the corny boardwalk along the stunning Red Sea

-went on my most favorite hike of the trip where I saw 4 countries (Jordan, Syria, Saudia Arabia, and Israel) at once and the Red Sea.

Jerusalem

This was by far my most favorite city.  It was magical really--the air was crisp and beautiful at night, the entire city is made of white stone and everywhere you turn there is something beautiful to look at.  In the capital of Israel, I:

-went to the Kotel (Western Wall) twice.  This is in the "old city" and I assure you right out of the movies.  Orthodox Jews running to meet the Sabbath and running to pray at the wall.  I am not religious nor did I feel a religious connection when I was here but I felt a spiritual one.  

It is so pretty here. The light is perfect and highlights the wall and the millions of paper prayers folded and stuff into the 

cracks, and the gorgeous temple overlooking this scene.  Thousands of people pray here, the holiest of sites in Israel.  

-City of David--I walked through a water tunnel used to transport water from one location to another about 1,000 years ago.  Definitely one of the most fun parts of the trip.

Yes, this is getting long.  But I will leave you with a couple of thoughts:

Israel is a special and unique place.  Although I am anything but the world traveler, I know this is the only place where everyone (well most everyone) is Jewish.  Everywhere you go there are orthodox jews with payas (curls hanging down as sideburns), men with kipas, women dressed conservatively.  

Also, men and woman dressed in army uniforms with berets tucked into their shoulders representing all the different IDF units are a common occurrence.  The IDF is a people's army, a required service for all Israeli citizens, and most everyone sees it not only as an obligation but an honor.  There is a sense of pride and nationalism here unlike anything I've ever seen or felt in the U.S.  At times, this is a bit overwhelming and even odd because support of the IDF is so strong that you feel it isn't appropriate to question its actions. It will be interesting to see if this changes as my time goes on here.  

Alright, I hope that I did the trip justice and you are all still awake after reading/viewing this post.  I assure you more to come.  Thanks for reading as always--Shalom.