http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Middle East , Israel , Tel Aviv District , Tel Aviv en-us Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:09:37 +0000 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:09:37 +0000 I am sure this applies to almost anyone when travelling with ELAL or in and out of this world's most horrible unfriendly and most security conscious airport especially when someone asking stupid favour for not putting Israeli entry stamp on the passport like me.....May I request you don't stamp on my passport This is my major concern when I visiting Israel.WHY A rude immigration lady r http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-462790.html The day began with breakfast. We passed on the pickled fish and salad but had excellent eggs potatoes fruit pastry and coffee. We met our guide Anat who met us exactly on time. Following a brief driving tour of Tel Aviv new hill we toured our first historic site. The Ayalon underground munitions factory was a secret ammunition factory which operated during the British Mandate. Durin http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-452273.html I left you last time as I was about to try to cross the prince hussein bridge Hmm that one didnt work the bridge was closed for the day and whats more the guy in charge very nice fellow in an air conditioned office said only vehicles could pass with prior consent of both Governments as it went straight into the west bank.He advised I go North and cross at the only other available place which http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-447184.html Sunday 913Up early to finish packing and clean the apt. Our taxi came at 730 and the trip to the airport in a prearranged taxi is well worth the 65 euros. Peace of mind and convenience is worth a lot when you need to be somewhere on time and you have a lot of luggage. So here we are at Charles de Gaulle waiting for our flight to Tel Aviv. Sunday mornings are a good time to fly Paris is v http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-447129.html Shanah tovah to all It is definitely moving into fall at least up here in Jerusalem. Last night I put a blanket on my bed and the acorns are starting to drop. Who knew there were oak trees in JerusalemLivingI spent my Rosh Hashanah with my friend Tamar her husband Eric and their extended family who all live just north of Tel Aviv. I must confess I had been feeling a little homesick http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-439348.html Oh good lord. I am getting so behind on this I hardly know what to do with myself. This trip is especially emphasizing what I already knew on the road a day feels like a week and a week feels like a monthSO. I might just have to cut my losses and write about what happened since Sally Bub and I parted ways. So I spent a ridiculously delirious night involving mooching off of a giant greekm http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-426664.html Three years in DC a most strange yet wonderful place in many ways are over. The house is packed and the trash is piled on the curb. Well it was Friday night anyway. This morning most of it is gone Gotta love the wandering scavengers who love those trashed pieces of furniture. Too bad much of it was spoken for on Freecycle. Pesky thieves Regardless tomorrow we fly to Tel Aviv where I'm http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-420011.html June 6thToday was a gloriously free day. I had breakfast and went straight to the beach but I forgot my bathing suit so I waded around a bit bought a delicious iced coffee for the use of a beach chair and went back for lunch. And then returned to the beach. Of course. This time I remembered my suit and dove out into the waves. So much fun though very salty. Had another iced coffee took a ton http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-407271.html Oh my gosh Today we climbed up to Masada which is a 1200 foot rise in elevation All switchbacks in the sun. It was brutal but so worth it. Really gorgeous view of the Dead Sea which we went in afterwards. That is surreal. And I'm running out of minutes so I'll finish this laterI am not quite sure that I can do justice to what we did today. We got up early but not early enough and left the http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-405588.html I Have Arrived.I had never previously thought that any journey could be so harrowing. It was like a Spielberg epic laughing crying yelling... actually though the laughing was more to keep from crying and the crying didn't involve so many tears as angry rants... so I suppose it was just stressinduced ...angry stress.Chapter 1.SO. I start the long journey as always by sleeping through my a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-404821.html And once again it takes me ages to blog... I know I've promied to blog from the trip to New Zealand. I REMEMBER trying to write several times creating folders of pictures to upload and show you but never done it. I think I can explain. But first thing first....Last I wrote was from the Israeli airport on our way to my father's dream trip for his 60 years old Bday. We went all 4 of us 2 wom http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-403451.html Day 17 130 am M.E.T. The diner I had on the plane was delicious. I ate chicken mashed potatoes a little feta cheese chocolate cream cake water and apple juice. There were two choices but they ran out of pasta. I enjoyed this dinner better than the dinner on the flight coming to Israel. I ate this meal at 130 am 32000 feet high our speed is 567 m.p.h. we are over the Agean Sea and ha http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-390477.html I am home and other then ski vacations I havenrsquot been traveling much lately. But I keep dreaming and it seems like time. I wanted to do some hiking and since I donrsquot have too many vacation days to break me away from work I though of short hike in Europe. And with that I started searching. I first thought of the Italian Dolomites. It seamed like a natural choice since I love this a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-388711.html One can come to be used to new circumstances at an alarming speed. I have experienced this phenomenon on more than one occasion and find it to be a theme running through my current travels as well. Where I currently reside in Poriyya Illit on the southwestern slopes above the Kinneret the feeling is one of quiet relaxed solitude. Unlike in the kibbutziem where the collective is the priority a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-381675.html It has been many years since I have dressed up for purim. I didnt even dress up when I was running my youth groups purim carnival. This year was a little different. i was in israel and every single person doesnt matter on your age I have noticed gets in the spirit of dressing up. So I was innovative and decided to dress up as a twister board. The front of the tshirt was the spinner and the back http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-381057.html One month ago today I left for Israel. Time really does fly when you're having the greatest adventure of your life I heard someone at the hostel say something along the lines of the shock of visiting somewhere so far away from home doesn't really wear off until you actually get back home and I have a feeling that will be so true in 5 months when I go back. I'm loving this experience that I'm http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-378853.html It is amazing how in any given moment time can feel as though it is crawling by but when you stop to look back a whole week has passed. And this is where I presently find myself.I arrived in Israel at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 230am local time on Feb. 1409. After a near eternity of traveling it was glorious to be somewhere permanently even if it did mean facing Israeli immigration. B http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-376538.html Shay and I went to Israel and Egypt with a plan to travel on to Jordan and Petra.We flew into TelAviv and stayed the first night in the centre of TelAviv just off the beach. The hotel was a bit dodgy and there was quite an elderly woman of the night encamped on a chrome and plastic kitchen chair right outside the door day and night.It was hot and we spent a few hours on our first day sitting on http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-375823.html After a long night yesterday and a long day today we are tired. Our group has definitely bonded and found a common groove after days of travel including having our bus stranded in the rain yesterday after being blocked on a narrow road because of a accident between 2 other buses. The kids have also forged bonds and they are going off on their own as a group.Today we had a museum marathon in Tel http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-374653.html After the twoweek soul healing at Livnot OTZMA went on break. This included the last remaining days of Hannukah and the New Year. I regret that I did not do anything exciting or eventful. Mainly I traveled within ldquoThe Centerrdquo of Israel. The Center is the triangle between Haifa Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Anything outside this triangle is considered the ldquoperipheryrdquo this incl http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-372620.html