Isreal

Israel is of course on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East. I flew into Tel Aviv on Feb. 28, 2009. At the customs desk I was asked if I wished for my passport to be stamped or stamp a piece of paper. The passport was stamped, which precluded me from going into the West Bank and Bethlehem. The Old City of Jerusalem is most interesting and historic. The streets are narrow, crowded with vendors selling everything imaginable. The Holy sites are hard to find, but rich in religious history. Only having a couple of days to explore and with the morning fog hampering vision, had to rush to see everything.

Jerusalem is a interesting city of course. Young people are all required to be in the military and all of them carry guns over their shoulder. This was a bit ominous at first, but not a problem at all. Public transportation is always packed with passengers. Tour buses are everywhere, and a mix of humanity from all over the world is ever present. The best site was from high in the bell tower of the church next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then the Church itself where Jesus was nailed to the cross is clearly the high-light. The Walling Wall, the Temple on the Rock are very interesting as well. Over looking the Old City from high above, finds satellite dishes on nearly every roof.

The food was great, a huge buffet in the Crown Plaza Hotel, with many dishes of middle eastern flair which I enjoyed both evenings while there.

Merchants were eager to sell their goods and would exchange US Dollars for Israeli Shekels back and forth. It is a long way from my home, nearly a 13 hour non-stop flight from New York and a 14 hour flight back to the US, plus flight time in the US. Very tired indeed upon returning home on March 5.

Israel is one of those places that you need to see, but maybe not high on the need to go back to list.