6/18: Shabbat

The first kibbutz we stayed on.

Yummmm...Shawarma!

Sarah and Me at the bat in Tiberius.

I woke up very early today -- despite wanting to sleep in.  Deciding trying to fall back to sleep was futile, I got ready and looked around the kibbutz that we were staying on.  I then had a delicious breakfast.  Breakfast in Israel is amazing: for us, it was typically a buffet with fresh vegetables, pickled fishes, an egg dish called shakshuka, different shmears, yogurt with plums, and cereal.  I sat with my friend Adam while I ate and we talked until some others joined us.  It was a great day to start the day.  Later we did some sunbathing, played cards, and wondered around the kibbutz.  We then had a group discussion called agree/disagree.  Nathan, Amit, and Casey would read a statement about Judaism/Jewishness/and Israel and we walked over to a spot indicating if we agreed, disagreed, were neutral, etc.  It was very interesting to see how everyone felt.  That evening we went out to the city of Tiberius where I got a delicious shawarma and we went out for drink at a bar overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

6/16-17: One Long Blurry Day

A building that remains from the Syrian War.  Note the bullet holes.

Here we are playing Mickey Mickey Mickey, you drink water while someone says Mickey over and over in one breath -- prevents dehydration. 

Soldiers walking back to base for shabbat.

I woke up at 6:30 and got to JFK for 8:00 to head to Israel.  There I met my group; my new family for the next 10 days.  It's weird looking back at those first interactions after I practically lived on the same bus with them for the next week plus to come.  Anyway, we all checked in and then the security process started.  Now I never thought of myself as much of a security risk but, apparently my reputation proceeded me.  Before the regular JFK security, we had to go through El Al security.  The guy I went to looked very meek and nice.  Yeah, right!  The conversation went something like this:

El Al: Why are you going to Israel?
OJ: On Birthright.
El Al: Have you been to Israel before?
OJ: No.
El Al: Passport please.  Do you speak Hebrew?
OJ: No, just a few prayers.
El Al: Did you go to Hebrew school?
OJ: No.
El Al: Oh really! Where do you go to synagogue?
OJ: Uhh...I don't.  I mean I have with my grandparents a few times in London.
El Al: Where do they go?
OJ: I don't know.
El Al:  What are their last names?
OJ: Sellwyn. S-E-L-L-W-Y-N.
El Al: So you don't go to synagogue at all?
OJ: No.  But I am part of Hillel.
EL Al: And what do you do there?
OJ: Jewish and Israel things....?
El Al: Hmmmmm.... Do you have a Hebrew name?
OJ: Abraham Moshe.
El Al: Did you pack your own bag?
OJ: Yes.
El Al: Has it been out of your sight?
OJ: No.
El Al: Are you bringing any gifts for friends?
OJ: No.
El Al: Did anyone give you anything to bring.
OJ: No.
El Al: I ask because once someone gave a traveler something that looked OK but, IT WAS A BOMB!
OJ: No, no one gave me anything.
El Al: Enjoy your flight Mr. Judd.

After being grilled, I took my bag over to a scanner where they asked me a few more questions about the contents of my bag and then finally approved me to get my ticket.  After all that, I went through normal JFK security and waited with my group at the gate.  We went over some logistics, played a get to know you game called "The Wind Blows To" and then boarded the plane.  I sat between Joe and Shasha, to boys from Harvard.  Oh yeah, 12 of the kids on the trip were from Harvard.  I had a quick chat with Joe about the meaning of life and then passed out for the majority of the trip.  This meant that I woke up on Friday morning in Israel.  We went through immigration and got our bags.  As we left customs we were greated by the Israelis that would accompany us for the whole trip.  They greeted us with a traditional song: "Hevenu Shalom Alehem." 

We got on our tour bus (our new base camp for the next 10 days) and started to meet new friends both American and Israeli.  We were introduced to our Israeli tour guide Amit who lead our group along with the American trip staffers Casey and Nathan.  We also had a security guide/medic named Guy and Gadir, our bus driver.  The seven IDF soldiers (all around my age or younger) were: Dvir, Chen, Rimon, Korren, Maayan, Rimon, and Adi.  We journeyed from Tel Aviv in the south way up north to the Golan where we would stay on a kibbutz for two nights.  The entire drive only took two hours!  After finding our rooms and having some lunch we headed off to the Golan Heights.  We went to a beautiful olive processing plant where they made the most delicious olive oils and great beauty products.  We then went up to the Syrian boarder which really is a spectacular sight.  The surprising thing is that the military post that we visited is actually prepared so that it could be occupied and used for defense if needed despite the fact that it is a tourist area.  If that wasn't enough for the first day, we hiked the Jilabon River.  That was exhausting; partly because it was so rocky and partly because we were exhausted from traveling.  We went back to the kibbutz, had shabbat (where we sang a prayer to the tune of the Back Street Boys), and went to dinner.  Despite being totally wiped, most of us went to the bar where we drank an Israeli beer called Gold Star.  It was cheap and reminded me of Shiner Bach.  An exhausting and fun first day.

6/15/11 An Unexpected Way to Start My Journey

So, I started off my trip my going to NYC so that I could fly out the next morning from JFK.  The train ride down was uneventful -- the best kind of travel!  I arrived in NYC around 3 and checked my bag at Penn Station.  With time to kill, I headed to Times Square with no real agenda.  Out of curiosity, I went to the theater where Chris Rock's show 'The Motherfucker With the Hat' was playing just to see if I could get a cheap ticket.  Turns out that a student rush ticket was only $27!  I bought one immediately.  I then walked back to Penn Station to get my bag and head to the hotel.  I waited for a taxi in a taxi stand for 25 minutes!  In NYC...talk about irony.  So I go to the hotel in a $50 cab ride, drop off my stuff, shower, and head for the subway to catch my show.  I met a nice couple at the hotel named Pat and Ron.  They are from England so we got along swimmingly.  Together, we helped each other navigate the train system and safely got into Manhattan.  I caught a quick bite to eat and dashed off to the show.  My seat was the last on the left in the front row.  The view was great -- sometimes partially obstructed by an end table but, I was within spitting distance of Chris Rock for $27 so who am I to complain?  They play was very good.  I had no idea what to expect; I thought it was a comedy of sorts.  WRONG!  It was a drama about drugs, alcohol, and affairs but, had very funny moments in it.  Definitely worth the price.  When it ended, I decided to wait at the stage door to meet the cast as I had nothing better to do.  I ended up getting my Playbill signed by all 5 member of the cast and got a picture with Chris Rock!  It's on my phone so I will post it when I am back State side.

Welcome!

Hey, and welcome to my summer travel blog!  This is the best way to keep up with my travels, see where I've been, what I've done, and where I am going.  I will also post pictures of what's going on.  I will not be able to post while I am in Israel but, I hope to catch up once I arrive in London.  Here is my schedule:

Wednesday, June 15th: Take the train to NYC.
Thursday, June 16th: Fly to Israel.
Sunday, June 26th: Fly to London.
Friday, July 1st: Take train to Aix en Provence.
Saturday, July 23rd: Take train back to London.
Thursday, July 28th: Fly to Boston.