Israel Travel Blog

6/28/08  6:15 a.m.

We are on our descent into Israel – our journey is about to begin! The travel has been really pleasant thus far. It has been fun being part of a group and sharing this with Noni, Papu, David, Susie, Sheilah, and Jerry. We have all slept a little, eaten a lot, and are as ready as we can ever get.

While this is a return to Israel for the Weisers – it is a first for mom and dad and I know they must be excited. We are so lucky to be experiencing this together, and for the kids to see it through their grandparents’ eyes. It will be an added blessing to share it with the rest of the group.

We just landed! Ben Gurion airport! It was exciting and emotional – brought Noni to tears.

While music wasn’t playing, Jordan sang “Yerushalyim Shel Zahav” and we all felt

something in our own way.

Now to the airport and the day/evening begins. Getting bags and to the hotel relatively easy.

A quick shower and then we met Albert and Beatris in the lobby. We had dinner at a lovely

café on Dizengoff Street. At 10:00 Noni and Papu were ready to call it a night. The rest of

the Weisers walked all the way to the beach with a quick stop for ice cream. It was fantastic

seeing so many people out at the cafes, music, Israeli dancing at midnight – really felt like

a Saturday night at Israel. We took off our shoes walked in the super soft sand and put our

feet in the Med. Sea – and it was warm at 1:00 a.m. We finally headed home for our first

night of sleep.

Sunday June 29^th.

Well – sort of sleep. It was hard to really sleep with jet lag but we rested. At 6:00 a.m.

Robert and Tami went out for a jog in the city of Tel Aviv. At the end of a long jog we were

treated to fresh squeezed juice at a juice stand on the corner of Ben Gurion st. and

Dizengoff. Back to the hotel for our first Israeli breakfast- delicious cheeses, salads,

burekas. Shower and hurry to find out that the New Jersey flight was 2 hours late. It was a

good thing because at just that moment Michelle realized she forgot her passport at the

Sheraton in Dari’s purse. She had partied quite hard on her first night in Tel Avilv – had a

crazy taxi ride and was really quite spent. We got the crew together and walked back to the

beach. One stop at the Sheraton allowed us to see the Israeli Olympic team. A fun arrival.

We then met our guide Shari and driver Judah, and then on the bus to begin our tour with

a Schehiyanu!

We are driving to a Kibbutz to learn about Kibbutz life, but first a stop for lunch. We are told

we have a half hour – difficult if not impossible for this group. We have a quick lunch and

back on the road. The Kibbutz tour is wonderful. It starts with a movie explaining how the

Kibbutz started and what Kibbutz life is like. We then follow our guide, playing accordion to

the museum where he shares some more info out in the courtyard. We see the original

 Kibbutz, a room, the well. We then board a tractor for a tour of the modern working Kibbutz,

even through the cow and dairy farms. We learn what life is like for the 650 people who live

there. It was very interesting and we would spend much more time here, but we need to

get on the bus to make our next destination. We pull up to Rosh Hanikrah at 6:00 p.m. and

take the last cable car down. The water coming into the limestone caves is beautiful. The

walk is slippery and takes some time but we get some great photos. At the end we are

fascinated to see the fence and being at the Lebanon border. In the water there are a line

of buoys which separates Israel and Lebanon. It is a little scary and very cool to be standing

at an actual border. Once again time is of the essence because we need to get to our final

Kibbutz by 8:00 p.m. The bus ride takes a long time, and we arrive a little after 8:00. We

quickly unload luggage and go right into the dining room. The Kibbutz is really lovely with a

tasty buffet and nice staff. A cold bottle of Sauvignon from the Galel is a perfect with the

meal. At 9:15 we rush to our rooms to change into our swimsuits for a night swim!! We get

to the Olympic sized swimming pool and we have a private pool party to end a perfect day.

Finally, back to our rooms to shower, unpack, and call it a night. Again it is almost midnight

and our wake-up call is for 6:30 a.m.

It is really great to be all together and experience the trip with each other. The kids are

super flexible and all move together well. The adults are also really flexible and enjoying

each others company. It seems to me that the Israeli’s are very nice and want your

experience to be positive except for the one bus driver that took us to the airport. The food

seems better than I remember – it’s like Israel really wants to impress us. So far, it’s off to

a good start.

Monday June 30^th.

6:30 a.m. wake-up calls for everyone! Breakfast in the dining room – what a treat. The older

generation was making a lot of noise over the chocolate croissants, fig jam, and halvah.

That was after the discussion of where the broom was last night…. Lots of smiles from

David and Susie! On the bus and on our way to the archeological dig, I have to admit it was

much better than anticipated! It was totally cool getting so close to the excavations, meeting

the archaeologists, walking the site. The 4x4 ft. holes were active with labor and the

explanations were fascinating. Into the Nile house with beautiful mosaics, the “Mona Lisa”

mosaic, (including the Zodiac signs), and the amphitheater made in an interesting visit. It

got very hot and we were glad for a water fountain and eventually the air conditioned bus.

Next stop Tzfat – up on the top of the mountain. We had a quick lunch of fresh falafel and

started walking down into the old city. It was a bit chaotic with everyone separating, but we

all had the chance to see beautiful art galleries, do some shopping, and learn a bit of

history. Tzfat is home to many artisans. Our guide Shari is terrific with history, bible, and

geography. She answers everyone’s questions and is sensitive to every ones needs.

From Tzfat we move on to river rafting and we convince everyone to participate. We get into

four rafts and we are off on the river. The water is shallow and we have a fun time splashing

and floating down river. We let the kids swing on a rope into the water, and all manage to

navigate the “rapids”. About an hour later we are at the end – wet, tired, and very happy. We

return to the Kibbutz for a quick swim and shower then off to the farm for our steak dinner.

The dinner is amazing!! An appetizer course of salads, a delicious course of smoked

meats, and a course of mixed grilled meats served on a small grill and then dessert.

Outside is a bat mitzvah with a DJ, a very grand entrance, and a video montage. Its all the

same things half way across the world. We return to the Kibbutz at 10:30 meet in the lobby

for a drink, recap the day and of course everyone is exhausted. It is 11:45 -  another full

and fantastic day.