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 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:03:45 BST Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:03:45 BST After an extended Indian Summer on the West Coast including Hawaii Orit Yacu and Trinity returned to Israel. For the present moment Orit now lives in Tel Aviv and Trinity is living an organic artists' village in the Western Galilee. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-320386.html Trip to IsraelTel Aviv Jaffa Jerusalem NazarethUnder Construction http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-318306.html I was running late for the airport. It seems to be the same where ever you are in the world as I had to wait half an hour for a bus that never arrived.By the time I got there I was only 10 mins late which is good for me.My heart was in my mouth as Rachael and I text each other frantically. But I'm relieved when she tells me shes waiting in line to be questioned.The airport is a familiar seen w http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-315307.html After being ripped off by the taxidriver to get to Tel Aviv I am so happy just to arrive to be in Israel.My hopes for this trip have been to arrive safe in Israel and to leave safe from Israel. You can't get more basic than that and anything more is a bonus.I'm so suprised by Tel Aviv its a bit shabby and the beach smells a bit like wee. I dont know if thats just because its suppost to be the http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-315262.html In Haifa we got a great hotel up on the hill and had a great view of the whole city including the Baha'i Gardens. We all went out for supper in Haifa that night and afterwards Jarin decided to crash early because he wanted to be rested for scuba diving the next day. Dad and I hit the Irish house which was packed and had live Irish music great time. We obviously had to rub it into Jarin's fa http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-309419.html So I have had no time for the past several weeks to update my blog and add the photos from the trip. The rest of Italy is up on facebook. Israel was wonderful. Saw a lot of friends and relaxed quite a bit as well.Writting this from the train station in Berlin. Quick rundown of what I did in IsraelJuly 8 Haggai picked me up at the airport on Tuseday night. Met a lot of his family. Went out http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-299930.html Shalom friends from IsraelWe made it just fine just got back from making a quick bus trip down to Jaffa we couldn't find anything worth reporting so had a quick bite in a shwarma shop and took the taxi back to the hostel.We are turning in soon to get some really needed sleepTomorrow we head out to Jerusalem to meet Bridgette and get aquainted with our new nighbourhood.Nite and Shalom http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-294108.html Manishma a phrase that Maayan prepared me for Literally translates to What are we hearing but it means What's up Comes from the habit when Israelis listened to the radio every hour to get updates on their sole existence I now wake up at normal hours and am definitely accustomed to the Israeli life except for one thing. Sunday is the first day of the week here which means I have class. T http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-290260.html I have just spent my first full day in Israel. Sam and I arrived on Tuesday late afternoon after a 13hour flight and the loss of 7 hours while crossing time zones. Sam and I had been hoping to sit together on the flight but it became quite complicated quite quickly. It wasnrsquot as simple as asking someone to trade with one of usmdashfirst a Hassidic man who was supposed to sit next to http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-288181.html It was a two day journey to reach Tel Aviv where the majority of the time was spent on land instead of on air. It was pouring down in Zurich which ruined my plans to tour the city. I ended up staying in the airport which had its bright side as well. Euro 2008 championships had started that day and the Swiss were handing out their amazing chocolate in shapes of small footballs. FYI my favorite http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-286064.html My best friend from school Meg came to visit me after her semester in London ended. We went to the beach wandered around Jerusalem and Yafo and she went to the Dead Sea and Masada. When she called and asked if she could come visit Hilary and I had already booked our hotel and flight to Cairo so Meg came with us.We left late Thursday night after checking out of the dorms and moving all of m http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-280406.html I got my kibbutz placement. I will be going to Kibbutz Baram on Monday. I should have been tipped off to the somewhat bum operation when I walked into the building where the kibbutz volunteer office is located. I walked up to the receptionist conveniently located behind bullet proof glass and asked brightly where I might find the volunteer office. Based upon her reaction one may have thought http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-279394.html We are waiting to board at the airport. See you soonLove41 eighth graders and 4 chaperones. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-279092.html Hey eighth grade parents and familiesYesterday after a 630 wake up we headed on our bus driven by Wattid to the city of Jaffa. Although there was much too much fog to see the city of Tel Aviv from the Jaffa Hill we still were able to admire the view. After that we took a class picture in front of the old city walls of Jaffa. We then headed to the suburb of Jaffa named Neve Tzedek where we http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-279091.html There are a few things people don't tell you about Israel that as an American I find a bit strange. First people don't keep their dogs on a leash. Not in cities not anywhere. As someone who lives in New York where the average dog is 75 pit I have simply grown cautious when it comes to strange dogs. And I love dogs pits included. I live with a darling New York rescue mutt and he's swe http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-278928.html Here is more or less the itinerary of my last week or so in Israel. Thank you Katherine and Erica for organizing this I wouldn't have remembered other wise. As you can see it was packed to the brim. Sunday Arrive at hotel in JerusalemDinner and Icebreakers Monday Panoramic view of JerusalemTour of the Old City and Wailing WallShort hike through arab village name anyoneLong bus ride up to http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-278724.html I'm not even sure if that's the correct transliteration for the Hebrew word excuse me. There doesn't seem to be a free transliteration website. Well I've never written a blog before. I don't even read other people's blogs. Everyone else seems to have a litany of goto web sites blogs and such. I don't. When I work at a desk job I go to facebook gmail and maybe vogue.com. I have no idea http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-278613.html Yes we are behind on our blogs. Maybe hopelessly behind. We're just having too much fun to spend much time on the computer which is how it should be. That's why I am breaking with tradition and posting a bunch of pictures of events that our fearless travelers have yet to describe. Enjoy the pictures even though you don't yet have the full story surrounding them http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-278399.html Dutch VersionHet wordt weer eens tijd om wat fotootjes up te loaden. Geen lange verhalen deze keer gewoon een impressie van de laatste maand of iets langer. Ik ga nog steeds 3 ochtenden in de week naar hebreeuwse les werk een paar uur per dag als telemarketeer voor de nederlandse markt. Tussendoor maken we uitstapjes en we hebben in de maand april en begin mei zoveel joodse feestdagen vakant http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-277286.html Israel's day of remembrance for fallen soldiers was last Wednesday and I sang in service our program put on last Tuesday night. The next day Hilary and I left early in the morning for Eilat. On Yom Hazikaron and Yom Hashoah a siren goes off every year and the whole country stops and stands for a minute and listens to it. On Yom Hashoah I was in class a siren went off during our Yom Hazika http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-276907.html As the sun sets and Israel's 60th anniversary officially draws to an end my sunburned self and friends sit on our upstairs mirpeset patio and sing and dance our hearts out to 80s music. Perhaps not a normal way to bring this momentous day to a close it seems a fitting end...dancing and singing...for a day most of the world never dreamed could happen. And on this day which began in the nigh http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-274502.html I spent my Pesach break in London and Ireland. A bunch of my close friends are studying in London so I stayed with them in their dorm near Kings Cross. They had been complaining about their dorm because it's brand new but nothing quite works right but it's like palace compared to my prison of a dorm room. It was really nice to see them again but it was strange to be in London with them I http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-272466.html Nun nach den Ereignissen in Eilat habe ich dann vorsichtshalber beschlossen lieber zeitig am Flughafen zu sein und war folglich noch vor Mitternacht und ber fnf Stunden vor Abflug dort. Das sollte wohl reichen mchte man meinen. Ich konnte allerdings erst 3 12 Stunden vor Abflug wirklich zur Security und fhlte mich gut gewappnet. Doch was dann kam kann ich ruhigen Gewissens als ewigen Alb http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-261960.html Okay ich gebe zu mein Reiserverhalten ist allgemein als krankb anerkannt. Heute habe ich dafr die Schelte erhalten.Eigentlich wollte ich um 5 nach Tel Aviv fliegen und war deshalb gegen 1515 Uhr am Flughafen. Allerdings wurde ich zwei Stunden lang von Sicherheitsleuten auseinandergenommen durfte mich bis auf die Unterhose ausziehen und letztlich mein Flugzeug abfliegen hren. Das ist zwar hal http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-261670.html Nachdem es die letzten Tage einfach nur zu heiss war um die 35 Grad aber gefuehlte 40 ist heute wieder das Wetter human geworden und ich moechte ein paar Fotos von einer sehr schoenen ruhigen Gegend zeigen. Man glaubt es nicht aber diese Nachbarschaft liegt mitten im Zentrum zwischen 2 Hauptstrassen direkt hinter dem Markt und nahe am Strand. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-259978.html Am 21. 3. bin ich JetSki gefahren und habe den Sonnenuntergang gesehen. Das Wasser wirkte wie Seide. Es gab keine Wellen und seit Freitag ist eine fast unertraegliche Hitze in Israel die von Wind aus Osten ruehrt. Temperaturem um die 3335 Grad und den ganzen Tag blauen Himmel bescheren Israel einen vorgezogenen Sommer und eine starke Schwere. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-258908.html