The Ferry Ride from Hell

Greetings from Dubrovnik, Croatia!

I know I still owe you a proper entry about Italy, and intend to do so as soon as I have a few minutes. However, right now I want to tell you about our lovely little day of travel yesterday. Also, just a little side note, these hilarious Croatians thought it would be a funny game to play on unsuspecting tourists to switch the "z" and the "y" on the keyboard. I will try my best to adjust, but please excuse any mistakes. Thank zou☺

We left Positano yesterday morning on a wonderful ferry that took us along the Amulfi Coast and landed us in Solerno, which is just north of Sicily. From there, we caught a two-hour train to another small town (of course I cant remember the name...must remember to use my journal!). From there we took a three-hour Eurostar train to Bari where we would catch our overnight ferry to Croatia. Needless to say, it was already a long day.

When we arrived in Bari it was windy and rainy, as we headed to the port to buy our ferry tickets. We had been weighing between actually getting a cabin for the nine-hour overnight ride to Dubrovnik or just toughing it out on deck, hoping we could find a bench or a worthy area of the floor to sleep on. Seeing as the cabins were extremely expensive and I was still trying to prove to Dave (and myself) that I was the tough backing girl I strove to be, we decided to go for the deck passes. We figured we had arrived in Bari early enough to be one of the first on board the ship, and would surely be able to secure a good spot for the night. Even better, we had met a group of young British backpackers at the port who kindly offered us their sleeping bags as they had splurged for a cabin. We were so excited about our good fortune thus far, we hadn’t even noticed that the weather was beginning to really pick up. We barely even blinked at the fact that the “ship” we were about to board was not a ship at all, but more like a rundown version of the Staten Island ferry. However, instead of crossing the Hudson River, this vessel was supposed to carry us across the Adriatic Sea. Still, we didn’t think twice. We merrily climbed the ramp up into the side of the boat with our backpacks and newly acquired sleeping bags in tow.

We boarded the ferry at 8:30 PM and everything was going perfectly according to plan. Dave had found a common room on the boat where there were booths with soft, couch-like benches and tables. At this point, we did begin to notice that the boat was perhaps a bit more run down than the nice ferries we took in Greece, but it was nothing to write home about (or so I thought). The boat was not scheduled to disembark until 10 PM, so we figured we had plenty of time to have a drink, relax, and settle in before curling up with our cozy sleeping bags for a restful eight hours of sleep.

After about an hour, things started to turn a bit. Our peaceful sleeping cove was slowly but surely becoming the amusement park for every passenger on the boat. The majority of them appeared to be Croatian or of some other Eastern European descent, and all somehow seemed to be related to one another. Perhaps they were on their way home from a family reunion in Bari, although I am not sure who they would be reuniting with as it seemed that anyone they could have possibly been related to was already on that boat. In any case, they were loud, obnoxious, and extremely smelly. As was the yippy little family dog who was also along for the reunion and nearly ripped the hands off of every person that walked by. Still, at this point in the early evening, it was all actually quite amusing.

Then the boat began to move. Within fifteen minutes we knew this was going to be a rough ride. Drinks were spilling and people were falling over in their chairs as the wind and rain continued to pick up. The members of the family reunion seemed to be extremely amused by the apparent carnival ride they thought we were on. The harder the boat rocked, the louder they got. Still, I was rather amused. Then the sea sickness set in. Not me. Everyone else. Almost every singly person in that room (and all over the boat), one by one, began to lose their stomachs, and lost them everywhere. Some into garbage cans, some into seasickness bags, but most, unfortunately, went right onto the floor. I had never seen (or smelled) anything like it.

You also have to realize that, at this point, the weather was so rough outside that there was no option to even stick your head out the door for some air. The wind was so strong that the doors wouldn’t even open. Your only option for air was to stick your head out the little round window above the toilet in the bathroom. That is if you were willing to stand over, or in some cases on, someone throwing up into the toilet. I’m telling you it was madness.

It was at about this point that Dave, too, started to look rather green. He decided to go downstairs to see if we could still book a cabin and try to escape the episode of Twilight Zone we had found ourselves in. When he returned, having obviously gotten sick, he was stark white and soaked with sweat. He informed me that he had booked a room and that he needed to go there…NOW! I told him to go ahead without me, that I would take care of our luggage which was in the storage room, and that I would have the ship attendant show me to the room in a few minutes.

Looking back, we didn’t really need our luggage, nor was it worth the near-death experience I had in that storage room. Not only did the sliding door that opened the luggage room slide back and close onto my hand, but I was nearly taken out by several suitcases that were thrown from their shelves. Somehow I managed to find our packs, throw both of them on my back, and mak it out with only a few scratches and bruises.

I then went to find the woman who was supposed to show me to our room. She also happened to be the only employee on the boat other than the Captain and the bartender, who could have been the same person. I’m still not sure. In any case, when I finally found this woman, she was in the reception area gripping her desk for dear life and crossing herself repeatedly. I asked her if she was alright and if it was usually this rough, to which she replied, “No! It never this rough! Not like this!” Then I asked her if it was dangerous, to which she replied, “Dangerous? I not know what this mean.” So I made a sign with my hands of a boat going under water, to which she replied, “I just want to make it home tomorrow.” I told her she may not want to say that to anyone else and asked her to please show me to my room. So we both made our way down the skinny corridor, gripping the walls for dear life as not to fall over.

When I finally reached the tiny room, I found Dave coming out of the little bathroom and looking even worse. He couldn’t even say a word to me. He simply swayed his way over to the bottom bunk bed and curled up onto its mattress. He was soaked to the bone and shivering. At that point, I was about ready to lose it, but still managed to stay focused on helping Dave. I plopped on the floor, dug through his bag, got out some dry clothes, and got him changed. Somehow, he then managed to roll over and go to sleep. It was at that moment I did lose it. All of my fear finally caught up with me and I sat there crying on the floor of that tiny little cabin as the boat continued to slam into the tumultuous water.

The only thing that matched my fear, was my exhaustion. I considered just sleeping right there on the floor as it felt much more grounded, but I figured I would at least try to get some sleep and crawled up into the top bunk. Now, to give you an idea of how rough it was, I literally had to hang onto the ends of the mattress for dear life, as not to be thrown off of the top bunk. There was also a little window in the room, out of which I could see the waves crashing over the top of the boat. The noises were almost more scary than the sights. The boat would creek and screech as it rode up the face of each wave, and then let out a mighty roar as it came crashing down on the other side. It was truly terrifying.

This is how the next four hours went, until Dave woke up and must have heard me whimpering on the top bunk. He told me to climb down and sleep with him in the lower bunk. This was something I wanted to do hours earlier, but didn’t want to wake him since he had been so sick. I made my way down the ladder and curled up next to him. The waters had still not calmed, but I have to say I suddenly felt safe. Finally, I nodded off to sleep and when I awoke we were smoothly sailing along towards the Dalmatian Coast which was now in sight. We were almost there.

We gathered our things and headed out to finally disembark from the vessel of death we had been trapped on all night. We walked out into the hallway and joined the hoards of other people who had obviously also had the night from hell. Everyone was disheveled and green-looking, and still had a slightly terrified flash in their eyes. Nobody really said anything. There wasn't much to be said. Shared looks and nods were all that was needed.

When we finally touched our feet onto the solid shore, some people actually got down on their knees and kissed the ground. We made it. I still don't know how I managed not to get sick. Maybe I was too busy being scared shitless to bother with nausea. In any case, I think I earned at least a few tough backpacker points last night.

We now find ourselves safely in Dubrovnik which seems to be absolutely beautiful (even from just our short walk down to Old Town to get breakfast). We are going to head back to our little guest room now and try to sleep off this feeling that we are still on the boat. The computer screen is literally swaying in front of me.

The moral of the story is, if you are going to cross the Adriatic…fly.

Okay, off for a nap and then some exploring. I will write again when I can.

Ciao Bella!

Unfortunately, I don't have time to write a proper entry on Rome right now. What I will tell you is that I have been here for three days and am madly, truly, deeply in love with this city. I should also tell you that I am going to need to buy some bigger clothes due to the three dinners per night we have been eating. The past three days in Rome have been a magical world wind of sights, food, wine, and gelato. It has been pure unabashed gluttony. I give all of the credit to our hostess (my good friend from college, Ginny) for showing us an unbelievable time.

Today we are hopping on a train and heading down to Naples where we plan to spend two hours for the simple purpose of seeking out the "world's best pizza" (we'll see!). After we stuff ourselves silly, we will hop back on the train and head to Sorrento for a few days before moving onto the rest of the Amulfi coast. I will try to send an update from there, but in the mean time, here are some pictures to enjoy.

I love and miss you all!

Fabulous Italian/American/Polish Brunch at the WB

The Colosseum

View Over Vatican City

Dave and I Tossing Coins into Trevi Fountain
(This is supposed to ensure your return to Rome)

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Trying to Fit in with the Fountains

Ginny Joins the Fun

Dave Couldn't Resist

Santorini, Properly...

Roof of Church

Hi Everyone!

When I sat down to write this blog, I fully intended to apologize for not writing more often. However, after some though I have a)just accepted the fact that I am not going to be able to update this blog as much as I would like (I hope you can accept that, too) and b)I’m quite happy with the fact that I am out experiencing my trip instead of spending hours behind a computer telling you about it. That's not to say I don't love sharing my adventures with everyone, but I have found myself stressing over not writing as much lately and that's not good! Hopefully you and I can find a happy medium.

As I am sure you could tell, I did not come close to doing Santorini justice in my last blog. So while I am currently sitting in my friend Ginny's beautiful apartment in beautiful Rome, I am going to write a post about beautiful Santorini. Don't worry, then I will tell you about beautiful Rome.

I am one of those people who would prefer to see a films I know nothing and have heard nothing about. I often find myself pleasantly surprised with these films. When a movie has been built up too much, or even worse, I find out that Angelina Jolie dies in the end, my movie-going experience tends to be generally disappointing. This was my fear in going to Santorini. I had heard and read so much about how stunning Santorini is and about it's impressive Caldera. To make matters worse, my brother, Aaron, and his wife, Kelly, had been to Santorini just two summers ago on their honeymoon and not only raved about it, but had shown me all of their pictures. Needless to say, I was preparing myself for possible disappointment. Impossible. Santorini really is one of the most breathtaking places I have ever seen, and this is largely due to the Caldera.

Dave Looking Over the Caldera

Now, what's the story with this Caldera? The modern island of Santorini is the result of an earth shattering volcanic eruption. In @%*$ BC (or was it AD?). The volcano that resided in the center of the island, formerly known as "the round one" as it looked like a big disc, erupted causing one of the biggest explosions in the history of the earth. Hot lava and ash spewed 35 kilometers into the sky and tsunamis traveled as far as Israel and Asia Minor. The eruption also caused the center of the island to drop out and the waters of the Aegean to fill in. Thus, forming what is now known as the Caldera. A few smaller eruptions and some earthquakes along the way finished off the job, but the result is something along the lines of Big Sur on steroids, but in the middle of the Aegean Sea. It also offers up the most beautiful (and famous) sunsets, dare I say, in the world! It is worth every bit of hype.

View of the Caldera

When Dave and I arrived in Santorini we, once again, had not yet booked a place to stay. We decided to go with the trusty "Greek" way of doing things and just pick a place amongst the hoards of hotel owners the would surely greet us at the port. It worked out beautifully in Paros, so we figured this was the way to go in Santorini. What a mistake. To make a long story short, we were talked into staying at a place one what I call "the wrong side" of Santorini (aka the non-Caldera side) in Perrissa beach. For those of you heading to Santorini, DO NOT make this mistake. Not only does it take 45 minutes (not the short 15 minutes the hotel owners claims) to get to any view of the Caldera or to get into Fira (the main town), but Perissa is an unexciting and slightly dirty place. Also, don't be drawn in by the "black sand beach" as it's not very nice. What I will say is that you can find VERY cheap places to stay on that side of the island, but you can also find cheap places just outside the town of Fira where you will be in walking distance to an exciting town and full views of the Caldera.

After quickly discovering that we were, in fact, on the wrong side of the island, Dave and I spent our first evening in Santorini driving around on a moped trying to find a new place to stay. As our luck goes (we have exceedingly good luck with finding wonderful and affordable places to stay) we stumbled upon a very simple and pretty hotel called The Butterfly Villas which is RIGHT ON THE CALDERA!!! For only 80 euro a night (trust me that is CHEAP for a Caldera view) we got a beautiful little studio with a kitchenette and a balcony that looked right out over the Caldera. It was breathtaking. The only problem with Butterfly Villas is that only one person who works there actually speaks English, making it nearly impossible to get any information out of them. Even our poor attempts at Greek didn’t seem to help the lack in communication. I requested fresh towels for the bathroom and we were brought coffee. Dave asked where we could catch the bus into town and the man behind the desk came around and hugged him. We needed a new plan.

Enjoying the View from the Butterfly Terraces

Luckily, there is an even nicer hotel right next door called The Volcano View, which we could not afford, but were perfectly happy to use for everything else besides a room. We used their internet, had them call us cabs into town, booked excursions with their concierge, and enjoyed mimosas at their complimentary and very delicious breakfast. It worked out just perfectly. In fact, after a few days we were even getting waves and nods from the our “fellow guests” as they began to recognize us.

So we blissfully woke up each morning to greet the Caldera, headed next store for some breakfast, headed back to our hotel to lay by the pool with a beer in hand, talking about how wonderful our lives were. Then we would make our way back to the room just in time to watch the sun set over the Caldera while sitting on our balcony with a bottle of local wine and some savory cheese from the food stall just up the road. Not too shabby.

Wine and Cheese Part on Our Balcony

We also spent some time exploring the towns of Fira and Oia. Fira is the place you want to be for energy and nightlife. However, be forewarned that the nasty beast called tourism has sunk its claws deep into Fira. The little streets are lined with shops that, for the most part, offer predictable and overpriced souvenirs and designer diggs. There are some good food options in Fira, but steer clear of most restaurants that line the Caldera. You will overpay for some pretty mediocre food. Not to mention you will also get charged a “sitting fee” for the view. This is not actually explained to you when you sit down, of course. Instead, when you inevitably ask what the mysterious extra charge is on your bill, your waiter simply points to the minuscule print at the very bottom of the menu. This is not to say that every restaurant in Fira is out to rip you off, however, I would advise to dine with caution. The general rule seemed to be that the food gets better tasting and more affordable as you move away from the Caldera views.

Dave and I with View of Fira Behind Us

Fira at Night

As for Oia, what it lacks in excitement, it more than makes up for in romanticism and beauty. Dave and I headed to Oia for our last night (also his birthday night) to watch a sunset. Yes, another fucking sunset. However, this really was the mother of them all as Oia is world famous for its sunsets. Thinking we were so very clever, we snuck onto a rooftop trying to avoid the hoards of people that had already been gathered for hours in anticipation for the sun to start setting. About 10 minutes later we were told by a local restaurant manager that we needed to move. We tried to protest, but when he told us it was his roof, well, we couldn’t really argue. By this point all the cafes were jam-packed and every bit of stonewall to sit on was filled. So Dave and I found ourselves watching the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life while sitting in a garbage dump...literally. When the sun just began to turn that deep reddish orange, I had almost forgot about the fact that I was using an old mop as a cushion. It was definitely an experience. At the end of the sunset people actually cheered as if the earth had just put on a show just for us. I, too, jumped up and cheered. I wasn’t quite sure if I was cheering for the beauty of the sunset, cheering for the other people who were also cheering, or just cheering because I would have otherwise been sitting at my desk back in California plugging away on an ordinary Tuesday evening. I think it was everything. Then I picked a chicken bone off the back of my dress and headed into town to find some wine and birthday cake.

Sunset in Oia

Crowd Watching Sunset in Oia

Oia at Night

The next morning we caught an early flight to Athens where we had an 8 hour lay-over before heading to Rome. Dave and I decided we would hang at the airport instead of heading back into Athens for the day. This way Dave could get some work done and I could try to get some much needed sleep (we had watched the sun come up two nights earlier and had gotten three hours of sleep the night before). I am sad this day was my last impression of Greek people.

I am starting to become a better traveler as I have FINALLY learned how to sleep anywhere (as long as I am laying down, that is). This was something I always aspired to be able to do and envied those who had this amazing ability. So I was actually quite happy with the prospect of a day at the airport where I could just find myself a little bench or row of chairs and curl up with my sweatshirt for a few hours of much-needed zzz. Little did I know that every employee of the Athens airport was part of a conspiracy not to let me sleep that day. My first attempt at sleep was on a padded bench at a table Dave and I were sitting at in a little coffee shop. Perfect! It was soft and I could be close to Dave. I had put my head down (not even putting my feet up!) for five-minutes when the cleaning lady came over and starting yelling "trouble! trouble!" at me. I guess I understood that sleeping in the coffee shop was not really kosher (even at the airport), so I took my sweatshirt and went searching for an open bench. I walked to an empty part of the terminal and found a row of open airport chairs that were calling my name. I got myself settled in and fell right to sleep. However, I was abruptly awoken, this time by an official airport worker, yelling "Good morning" at me and then telling me that this terminal was too busy and I couldn’t take up an entire row of chairs. I lifted my head up to look around at all the people and there was NOBODY there! I shared my observation with her and told her I desperately needed to sleep and if she could just please let me alone for another hour. She then threatened to call security and I was just too tired to deal with that hassle. So, once again, I grabbed my sweatshirt and headed back to the coffee shop to find Dave. Instead of sleep I chose books and caffeine and for the next 3 hours I sat there secretly cursing the entire country until we finally boarded our flight to Rome.

Goodbye Greece!

Happy Birthday Dave

I have 7 minutes before I am kicked off of this computer, so I am going to make this short.

This is no secret, but Santorini is just one of the most beautiful places on earth. The best way I can describe is Big Sur on steroids.

Dave and I managed to find the biggest steal on the island. We stumbled across a modest, yet beautiful place tucked right into the cliffs of the Caldera. I will give more detail on the hotel later as anyone coming to Santorini on a budget needs to stay at this place!

Today is Dave's birthday. We rang it in by watching the sun rise over the island. Tonight we will head to the beautiful town of Oia to have drinks and dinner.

Tomorrow...ROME!!!

Time’s up!!!

When in Rome? When in Greece...

Nuns Watching the Sunset Over Athens

Dave and I arrived in Athens late on Friday afternoon. An hour delayed flight, a long wait for luggage, a 40-minute very crowded train ride into the center of the city, and a misdirected walk to our hotel left us with just enough time to plop down our sweaty backpacks and catch the Acropolis for an hour before it closed. While I wish we had arrived earlier, giving us more time to explore the impressive sight, we got there just in time to see the sun start setting over Athens and as the lights of the city were beginning to glow. When the Acropolis closed we followed a small crowd of people to a nearby rock/lookout point where we sat and watched the rest of the beautiful sunset. We sat there until the sky was officially going dark and then finally headed back to Plaka, the area of Athens where we were staying.

View Over Athens from the Acropolis

Plaka, upon first glance, seems to be extremely charming. However, it is, in fact, completely overpriced and a bit of a tourist trap. It's a great place to stay for one night in Athens (which is actually all you need) as you are very central, close to all the sights, and as an English speaking tourist it is very easy to navigate. However, I would not recommend spending any more time in Plaka than perhaps a few minutes to wander a few of the little side streets. Also, be very careful as not to be lured into one of the touristy, overpriced restaurants with mediocre food. The managers of these restaurants are extremely good salesmen, spilling over with beautiful compliments and offering up free glasses of wine with our dinner. However, if you walk just five minutes outside of Plaka, you can find the same menus for half the price. This is exactly what Dave and I did. We found an adorable little restaurant on a side street and had a romantic little dinner that consisted of Greek Salad (of course) and Dorada which is the local fish here so it's very fresh and very cheap! After dinner we headed to Ermou street for a beer. The street was packed with hundreds of locals, young and old, sitting at outdoor tables at the dozens of bars and cafes, drinking everything from Espressos to pints of beer. The energy was amazing. This was also the first taste I had of the “Greek schedule” where everything starts, well, late…to put it mildly, even by New York standards. We had trouble getting a seat for dinner at 11 PM and the area where we got drinks only seemed to be getting crowded around 1 AM. Dad, I can see why you love Athens so much. You would fit right in! We headed back to the hotel at a decent hour (um, 3 AM) as we had to wake up at 6:30 AM to catch our ferry to Paros.

Street in Plaka

The ferries in Greece are an experience unto themselves. They literally feel like cruise ships with restaurants, shops, cabins, and in some cases, even casinos. I would tell you more about the 5-hour ferry ride to Paros, however, I spent the majority of it sleeping under a table in the lounge area of the ship. Needless to say I was just slightly tired from the two and a half hours of sleep I got the night before.

We decided to come to Paros instead of our original plan of heading to Mykonos at the suggestion of my sister, Karina, and her information was right on point. Paros is a perfect alternative to Mykonos. Paros offers all the beaches, food, and nightlife for half the price and half the "I Heart Greece" t-shirt wearing tourists of Mykonos. Everything just feels a bit more authentic here as this is the place where all the Greeks come for their vacation. At first this made it a bit tough to meet people as there was a serious language barrier, but, of course, Dave and I eventually managed to make quite a few fantastic Greek friends!

Noussa Town, Paros

We arrived in Paros a place to stay, as we were told it's better to just book directly with a hotel owner who would approach us at the port entrance. Little did we know what we were really in for. It's like having 100 sweaty and smelly auctioneers screaming things at you all at once, trying to get you to “bid” on their hotel room. It was nuts, but Dave and I are tough. We threw a few elbows and managed to work out an amazing deal for the most perfect place just 5 minutes outside of Noussa. I can tell you now, Noussa, is absolutely the BEST place to stay on Paros. It is a quaint, yet hopping port town filled with shops, galleries, and restaurants and bars galour. The little streets and alleyways are packed with young people, as the older, wiser generation watches from balconies above. This is exactly what I pictured in my dreams of Greece. We are staying at a guesthouse called The Young Inn. We have a little studio apartment with a bathroom, AC, and a little kitchen for only 30 Euros a night! We also have a little terrace that sits in the garden with a table and chairs where Dave and I have been eating our breakfast every morning. In the evenings we have occasional visits from the other guests and guesthouse staff members, who sit at our little table for a beer and perhaps a bite or two of our food. This may sound rather invasive, but it’s just perfect for Dave and me. What can I say? That’s how we roll. Cooking our own food for many of our meals has saved us SO much money. Dave has also already mastered making Tzaziki and Greek Salad, so I am not missing out on anything. We have gone out for food in the lively port twice, but generally that has been for our second dinner that is generally eaten around midnight. Last night we had a fabulous “second dinner” with a few of our new friends who guided us through delicious local fare such as fried calamari, grilled octopus, stewed lamb, and my favorite introduction: Marides. Marides are little fish, not unlike Sardines, that are fried and eaten whole. They are delicious! Especially when washed down with a few glasses of Ouzo.

Dave Making Tzatziki

Our days on Paros have been spent exploring the island by way of our trusty rental moped (the only acceptable method of transportation here). We have done a pretty good job exploring many of Paros' beaches. We were told Golden Beach on the southwest coast of the island was the most beautiful beach on Paros, and indeed it was. However, what we were not told is that Golden Beach is also the windiest beach on the island. It's rather hard to relax and just take in the beauty of a place when you are being whipped by sand and dodging flying umbrellas. So while Golden Beach is as beautiful as they say, I would recommend heading to the equally beautiful Santa Maria Beach instead. Yes, it's a bit more crowded than Golden Beach, but it's also a lot more exciting with activities such as beach volleyball and several restaurants and beach bars to choose from. And it is possible to avoid the crowds here if you head to the far end of the beach. This was the only beach we went back to twice!

Santa Maria Beach

This is a great time to actually explain the schedule (or lack thereof) here in Greece. It took me a little while to catch onto how things work around here, but I believe I finally had my "when in Greece" night last night. The days go something like this: wake up around noon and ride your rented moped to the beach. Bake in the sun for about 6 hours, only getting up to cool off in the water, grab a beer, or if you are really ambitious, play a game of beach volleyball. Leave the beach around 7 or 8 PM (when the sun starts to go down) and head to grab a light "first dinner" before heading off for a nap until about 11PM. At midnight you eat your “second dinner” which generally lasts until about 2 AM. After dinner you go to one of the 19230829014 cafes (I really have never seen more cafes in my life) to have coffee BEFORE heading out to the bars and clubs. Mind you, this means you are sitting down to a relaxed coffee at about 2am. Then you dance your ass off until 5am when the clubs actually close (that surprised me, I have to say). Not to worry though! The party continues after you head to the store to get more food and beer which is then taken to the beach where you watch the sunrise over the Agean Sea. You finally role into bed around 7am, sleep until about 11am, and do it all over again. This was our night last night. I am slightly surprised I can even write at the moment.

So you say "when in Rome", I say 'when in Greece". Seeing as we are heading to Rome next week...I can only imagine what we are in for!

We leave tomorrow for Santorini which, as most of you know, is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. This will also be the place we celebrate Dave's birthday (the 11th)! I will share more from there.

Until then…

As always, I love and miss you all!!

Israel in a Nutshell

Believe it or not, I was actually extremely apprehensive about signing up for Taglit:Birthright Israel. Despite the fact that I was being offered a completely free ten day trip to Israel and had been told by several of my friends that their lives were forever altered by going on Birthright, I still didn't know how I felt about about the whole concept. I think I even remember my friend Josh telling me he actually got to sit down with God over a glass of Manischewitz. Now, I am not a religious person (nor do I like Manischewitz), but really, who would pass up the opportunity to shoot the shit with God? Still, I was extremely apprehensive. Not only did the idea of traveling around Israel on a bus with 40 other 20-something Jewish-Americans make me slightly uneasy, but I was expecting to have certain ideas about Judaism, God, unleavened bread, and making Aliah (moving to Israel) shoved down my throat the entire time. I could not grasp the concept that I would actually be offered an agenda-free free trip to Israel just because I was Jewish. I mean, I had barely spoken a word of Hebrew since my Bat Mitzvah (which I only agreed to because I thought I deserved a kick-ass party after the 7 years I suffered through in Hebrew school) and I love Christmas. Still, they were offering me the free trip. So I signed up.

The plan was for Dave and I to go on Birthright, then stay an extra ten days in Israel to explore the country on our own and visit Dave's family before we continued on for our summer of travel.

Sitting here writing this now, after three truly life changing weeks, it is hard to imagine that I hesitated for even a second to take this opportunity. This experience has already exceeded every expectation I could have possibly imagined. Whether I sat Down with God or not, that's between him and me, but I can tell you that I have been shaken to my core in the most unexpected way. Oh, and I still don't like Manischewitz.

I will give much of the credit of my experience to the my group of peers (including the 8 Israeli soldiers who traveled along with us). However, it was our tour guide, Chagai (yes, "Chagai the guide") that truly made the trip for me. The best way for me to describe this man, is that he is the best teacher I have ever had. In the ten days we were with Chagai he taught us everything from history to politics to geology to just some great lessons about life. Each evening he would fill us in on our next 24 hours: where we would be going, what we would be doing, what time we needed to wake up, what we needed to wear, what we needed to bring, what we would be eating and when, and then he would sit down and join us for a beer. Over ten days the man spent hours upon hours talking to us and spitting information at us and not once was I not excited to listen.

Chagai the Guide

Being in Israel has truly changed my life. It has changed the way I see myself and the context in which I fit into every aspect of my life. It is a very strange feeling to be in a place I have never been, on the other side of the world, and feel oddly at home. As I mentioned earlier, for many years now I have not felt very connected to Judaism. In fact, at times I have even denied my association with it altogether. However, being in Israel has reminded me that Judaism in not just about religion. It's about tradition, values, and a shared history of fighting for what you believe in and the freedom to be able to express those beliefs. I have never been more proud to be part of something in my life.

Okay, onto the fun part. What did we actually do with our time in the Promised Land? I'll tell you. Well, first I have to tell you how we got there (barely).

One part of my trip to Israel I was extremely excited about was flying on the infamous El Al Airlines. Everyone had told me how incredible they are and what an experience it is to fly with them. So you can imagine how surprised Dave and I were when we arrived at JFK airport to find out that we were not, in fact, flying on a cushy direct flight to Israel on El Al, but were, in fact, flying on Aerosvit (Ukrainian Airlines) and connecting through Kiev. For those of you who are planning a trip to Kiev, I hear the Aerosvit flights are extremely cheap. However, in any other case I would highly suggest avoiding this airline, at all costs. The plane looked like it was bought from Pan Am in 1972, there was no soap, no movie (as they couldn't get the VCR, or maybe it was a Betamax, to work), the pillows were the size of gauze pads, the whole plane smelled like an armpit, the bathroom was held together by security tape, and the flight attendants were abusive (I literally had a bruise on my hip from one of them shaking me awake to eat my shitty 3 am breakfast that consisted of an egg log with a side of fried fish). All in all, it was a good experience. Kiev seemed to be a nice place, or at least the airport was decent. And finally, we were off to the motherland...

Lovely Aersosvit Flight

Tea Party in the Kiev Airport

We arrived late in Israel and thus had to skip the hike that was scheduled for that evening. Instead, we hopped straight on our trusty bus (which would become our home for much of the ten-day trip), was introduced to Chagai, and headed north to the Sea of Galilee (The Kinneret). The Kinneret is the main source of fresh water to all of Israel and is one of the most beautiful bodies of water I have ever seen. We didn't get to swim in the Kinneret on Taglit, but Dave and I finally made our way back there two days ago and it was incredible. The water felt like it was drawn for a bath just for me. It was clear and crisp, but warm at the same time. Amazing...

(Picture to right: Looking out over the Kinneret)

While we were on Taglit we spent our time up north in the Golan Heights, a beautiful mountain range that sits on the border between Israel and Syria, just Northeast of The Sea of Galilee. This land has been a large factor in the dispute of the possible peace agreement between Israel and Syria. One of the major concerns being that the Golan Heights are in very close proximity to The Sea of Galilee, and giving this territory back to Syria may compromise Israel's control over it's main fresh water source.

The highlight of being in the Golan heights (while on Taglit) was sitting at the top of Mt. Bental which overlooks the entirety of the region, as well as over the border into Syria. Chagai pulled out a huge map and told us the history of the Golan Heights, including the story of the 6 day war. It is a rare experience to learn about the history of such a place while actually standing on its soil. It was unforgettable.

History Lesson Overlooking the Syrian Boarder

Barbed Wire with Flowers on Mt. Bental

The next day we headed to Svat, the home of Kabala! Apparently Madonna is buying a house there. No joke. We also swung by a little town called Roshpina so Chagai could take us to the best falafel joint in Israel (this was not scheduled on the trip, of course). Now, not only did I eat falafel for the majority of my meals and snacks in Israel, but I grew up in New York which offers some pretty decent falafel, if you ask me. So I was slightly skeptical when Chagai said this place was the best. However, I have to hand my hat to Chagai, because this was truly the best falafel I have ever tasted.

That evening we headed to Tel Aviv. We spent a few hours on the beautiful beach there before heading out for a free night on the town. Dave and I met up with his cousins for some coffee before meeting up with a new friend Dave had made while standing in line at the falafel place (typical Dave). Yayir was a 26-year-old Israeli who happened to be one of the most hooked up guys in Tel Aviv. So while the rest of our group headed to the strip of touristy bars further inland, Dave and I, along with two of my favorite girls on our trip, joined Yayir and his friends for an incredible night at a bumping club right on the water. This ended up being one of my favorite nights in Israel. (Picture to left: Man Making Laffa Bread in S'vat)


(Picture to left: Night Out in Tel Aviv) The next morning, hangover in tow, we were introduced to the 8 Israeli soldiers who would be joining us for the next 6 days of our trip. Four guys and four girls all 22 going on 30. They were typical 20-something-year-olds in most ways, but with a certain strength and maturity that only comes with experiencing things that most of us cannot understand. It was through them, through my Israeli peers that I learned some of the biggest lessons of this trip. To clarify, they were not there for our protection (we had two armed guards at all times), they were there to experience Israel right along with us; to learn from us, and for us to learn from them. And that we did.

We spent our first day with the soldiers in Beit Gubrin were we climbed down into caves to do some archaeological digging. I found a piece of pottery dating back to the time of Moses...or something like that...I don't know...it was old. Really, really old. That evening we headed to Jerusalem where we would spend the next few days, including Shabbat. I fell in love with Jerusalem immediately. It has the energy of a modern city, but holds enough history that you actually feel like you're stepping back in time. (Picture to left: Finding Moses' Tea Pot!)

Our few days in Jerusalem were extremely powerful and moving. They included a trip to the Western Wall (an unspeakably powerful experience for me), shopping for shabbat food at the local shuk (market), and Yad Vashem (the Halocaust museum...again, no words). It was in these few days that I truly felt my connection to Israel, its history, and its people. (Pictures to the left, above: View Over the Old City of Jerusalem, below: Women Praying at the Wailing Wall)

From Jerusalem we headed south to Arad where we would spend a VERY short night before my favorite day of the trip. We woke up that morning at 3:30am to hike up to the top of Masada and watch the sun rise over the Dead Sea. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It takes a lot to silence 40 people in their 20s, but there we were standing at the top of this mountain, absolutely speechless. I am pretty sure we all stood there in awe for at least 20 minutes before Chagai finally broke the silence to begin telling us the powerful history behind Masada. I wish I had time to tell you about it here, but I don't. I will, however offer this: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1.html

The Climb to Masada

Sunrise Over the Dead Sea

Bird Watching Sunrise

The Snake Path

After winding down the Snake Path, a famously steep and winding trail down the side of Masada, we headed off to hike amongst the natural springs and waterfalls of Nachel David, a nearby nature preserve. Later in the afternoon, after much anticipation, it was finally time to float in the healing salty waters of the Dead Sea. Well, we actually floated in one of the evaporating pools of the Dead Sea as most of the actual sea has already evaporated away, sure to reasons I will not discuss now as not to ruin the nice story of peacful floating I am about to tell. So, Dave and I (along with a few others from our group) covered ourselves in theraputic mud and headed into the Dead Sea to float. Floating in the dead is a very strange but fantastic experience. It kind of feels like swimming in an extra boyant sea of natural bath oil (or lubricant, to put it mildly). It is one of the most calming feelings I have ever experienced, and I am not easily calmed. Just floating there, feeling weightless...it was incredible. I imagined that the feeling was not dissimilar to being on the moon, but I kept that to myself. The water is so dense with salt that it doesn't even splash or ripple with the wind. Well, it splashed just enough to get a little of that salt into my eye. Let me tell you, that ripped me out of Nirvana pretty quickly. All I can say is that exfoliation is not meant for eyeballs. I can also, say, however, that my skin has never been softer.

Dave Getting Frisky in Mud

Floating in the Dead Sea

After washing the salt off of us (and out of my eye), we hopped back on the bus and headed south into the desert where we would spend the night at a Bedion (Bed-oo-in) Camp. The night kicked off with a lecture from a Bedion Tribe member who told us the history of the Bedions, and how a woman's worth in measured in camels. It was fascinating. After the lesson, we had the most incredible meal of stuffed chicken, rice, vegetables, hummus, and laffa bread...all eaten with our hands while sitting on mats. We spent most of the night by a camp fire drinking beers under the stars, before we passed out in the tent that offered shelter to all 40 of us for the night. By this point we were all pretty well bonded, so it was very fun to pile in together.

Bedion Tent

We woke up early the next morning to go on a disappointing camel trek which was not worth the lack of sleep. When I was told "camel trek", I imagined being draped in exotic linens, sitting bareback on the hump of a fiesty camel and galloping across the desert in a sandstorm while seeing mirages of water due to my extreme thirst. Instead, I found myself (Nalgene in tow), plunking along on a half-dead and very grumpy camel who was tied to a string of ten other equally unhappy camels. We were all led down a very unexciting little trail which I think lasted about 7 and a half minutes. This really was not what I had in mind. However, the beautiful hike we took that afternoon Ein Avdat made up for the grumpy camels and more.

Camel Ride (This looked cooler than it was..)

Jumping for Joy in Ein Avdat

That evening we headed back to Tel Aviv for the last two days of our trip where we visited the Tel Aviv Museum (the place where Ben Gurion announced the declaration of Israel as an independent Jewish State), Mount Herzel, and a very cool flea market where I bought a pair of vintage Levi's. They rock.

Restaurant in Tel Aviv Flea Market

Those were the basic highlights of Taglit. We did an unbelievable amount in such a short time. I learned so much, met some amazing people, ate like a queen, and saw a beautiful country from top to bottom. There is just no way to do it justice.

After the trip, Dave and I headed up to Jerusalem to spend time with my dear family friend Naomi and Dave's sister, Becky. We spent some more time in the old city where we saw the church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jesus' burial sight) and explored the underground caves below the city. We spent two days after that back up in the Golan heights where we went on perhaps the most beautiful hike I have ever done. Now we are with Dave's cousins in G'vet Hayim on their kibbutz. The kibbutz is amazingly beautiful. It's basically a small self-contained city which includes about 1000 acres of beautiful farmland, hundreds of houses, a school, a grocery store, and even a fantastic high-end boutique. I have never been anywhere like this place. We spent today (our last day) on the beach with Dave's cousins. The beaches here are amazing...silky sand, clear and VERY warm water. The only drawback is that the water is infested with jellyfish...one of which got Dave pretty badly yesterday. I offered to pee on his wound, as I heard that's what you are supposed to do, but Dave declined. Dave's family has been amazingly hospitable. They have made me feel right at home. There was even chocolate on our pillows when we arrived...no joke. They really are some of the warmest people I have ever met.

We leave in the morning for Greece. I am extremely excited for the next portion of our adventure, but also extremely sad to be leaving this amazing place. I will absolutely be back.