Ali Ray

Shalom! (Peace!) I am sorry that it has taken me so long to write, but I have been busy, busy, busy! My time in the Czech Republic has ended and I made it home safely. I am now on my second big adventure in Israel! I have been here for a little over a week already and have already seen some fabulous sites. I will post pictures shortly and will describe my last days in Brno as soon as I can! ... read more

Sunday morning marked the perfect weekend trip - the first trip I have gone on since my arrival in the Czech Republic where it did not rain during some part or most of the weekend! Yet another glorious, sunny day! After breakfast, I went with everyone to the Demänovská Ice Cave. The caves were quite pretty, but not as impressive as the Macocha Abyss, located near Brno (I have pictures up on an earlier blog). The tour lasted only about an hour or so. It was fun, but I would have preferred to be outside in the sun than in a cave! The last event of the trip was lunch and a tour of Vlkolínec, an UNESCO World Heritage Village. It is special because it is a relatively untouched preservation of traditional folk architecture for the ... read more

The morning dawned brilliant and warm, with promises of a lovely day and hope for an eventful weekend. After wishing Amichai a very happy 22nd birthday via Skype, I boarded a bus that took me to a small town called Piešťany, famous for its sulfur healing waters and beautiful surroundings. A few people loitered in the sunshine as they walked to various destinations and I had the chance to meander through the town and see the abundance of shops and aquatic activity centers. The smell of sulfur from the springs was present and unpleasant, but kept largely at bay by the scent that wafted through the air of tulips and other flowers . I did not stay long in that town, but in that short time I wished to partake of the healing waters as well. ... read more

Sunday, April 13th, was our final day in Bohemia. The sun thankfully was out to greet us again and the day was much warmer than Saturday. As we had done previously, we had breakfast in the hotel and then turned in our keys. The main attraction for the day was the ZOO Dvůr Králové. The website for the Zoo is http://www.zoodk.cz/home_en.php if you want to see more... When I first saw the itinerary, I thought, I am not 5. I do not want to go to a Zoo! When I got there, however, and started to look at the animals, I was reminded how much fun the zoo really is and how much I love animals. I ended up having a pretty good time. One thing I strongly dislike about the Czech Republic, however, is the ... read more

Sunday was true to its name; the day dawned bright and warm. Emily and I lingered over our breakfast and when everyone else went to take last-minute photos, we did the opposite. We went back to to sleep until it was time to check out of the hotel and board the bus. We were on the bus only a few minutes before we got off again to tour the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The salt mine was actually fascinating. I mean, a place that tells you that you can lick the floors and walls (but not the statues) has to be pretty cool, right? ;-) The mine has been in use until very recently and has existed since Medieval times. The salt has mined by men and even horses were kept in full stables in the mine ... read more

On Friday, March 28th, 2008, I began my exploration of Poland. My first stop was Auschwitz and Auschwitz - Birkenau. As I have said, I don't wish to talk about it because it was terrible to even visit. Please do not think me crass or heartless if I move quickly from it in conversation. I must say, however, how confused I felt about how to approach the weekend. How could I honor what I had seen? Should I even go out with other people for drinks or dinner? Would it be wrong to continue to do tourist things the rest of the weekend? I really struggled with these things but I felt a peculiar notion that the best way I could show my honor and respect to people who had died was very simply to live. ... read more