Pesach Sameach! Part 1

Are you ready to hear about my crazy awesome adventures in Israel during spring break? I hope you are, or else.

Thursday:
SCHOOL IS OUT! Until May, but people already started to leave. I went out that night for a fellow USYer's birthday and found a delicious, open late waffle place near Ben Yehuda Street. Yum!

Friday:
Woke up around 8 AM, heading to the shook with my fellow traveler- Zach Zimmerman. We bought a lot of easy to carry hiking food, like nuts, fruits and veggies. Bought a new compass with a thermometer on it, thanks to some birthday money (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) then headed back to campus to pack for Shabbat. At 12:30, Zach and I headed to the central bus station to take a bus down to the Dead Sea where we would meet up with our friend Rachel Aronson (she went to Rwanda with me). We cut the time pretty close and had to run to catch the bus. As we were running to cross the street to the Central Bus Station, we heard a boom. Everyone stopped and stared. My first reaction: Thank God it is over and I'm safe, I have to call my counselor. No worries though, someone left a bag behind and it was a controlled explosion by the Israeli Police. That happens all the time. We continued to scurry through security and find the platform for our bus that doesn't come very often. With one minute to spare, we found the bus pulling into its designated spot. We pushed and shoved our way onto the bus, in the classic Israeli fashion. There were plenty of seats open but all except one was saved. If I were Israeli, let me tell you, that would not fly! I finally got a seat and began listening to my iPod on the road to the Dead Sea. The road took us through the West Bank and I saw a non Israeli license plate in this area for the first time. Israeli plates are usually yellow with a small israeli flag on the side, the one I saw was all white with a green boarder and green writing.

Shabbat Dinner

After an hour and a half bus ride, exactly in between Arad and Jerusalem, we got off the bus at the Ein Gedi Dead Sea camping site and beach and luckily found Rachel! What a success! We found a lovely picnic bench and took out some munchies. Rachel and I went swimming in the beautiful sea, yet painful on my sensitive Cahn skin. Got out, hung out and prepared a dinner of a pepper/cucumber salad, challah for Shabbat, cans of peas/carrots, beans, corn, with red cabbage and pre made pasta.

Zach and Rachel at the Dead Sea on Shabbat morning.

A kid came over from Year Course's rival program - Aardvark. He sat and chatted for a bit then returned to his hiking partner. After dinner, we moved our sleeping location to a more quite area. In Israel, the normal thing for Arabs to do on a Friday night is BBQ at a park or a beach with the family. They blasted music until 3 AM. As we were talking before bed, the aardvark kid somehow found us again even when we were secluded and hidden from everyone. We went to bed around 10:30/11 but on and off slept until the music turned off, woke up again for sunrise then again at 7:30.

Saturday:

Rachel, Zach and I at Ein Gedi

After a nice breakfast, we walked over to the Ein Gedi Park Site but learned we had to walk somewhere else to go on the hike we wanted. We changed our minds about doing the intense hike because we didn't have 7 hours to do it and we wanted more of a relaxing day. It was a really stunning day! Hot in the sun and perfect under the shade. We hiked the Wadi Arugot path, ending up at the Upper Pools. Mom- you'll be so proud, we spent a whole half hour talking only in Hebrew! We kinda forgot about it afterwards. But exciting, right??

We ate lunch there and took a nice nap. When we woke up, the Aardvark kid was there. I swear he was following us...He kept appearing out of nowhere! We started walking down when Rachel started getting sick so we slowed our pace. We were slowing down the Aardvark kid so he went ahead of us.

We got out of the park just in time for it close, walked to the bus stop an hour early, ate dinner and waited for the bus. Arriving in Jerusalem around 9:30, I went to bed happy from a fun day but also exhausted.

Sunday:

Biking at HiYarkon Park in Tel Aviv

With no previous plans, Shira and I decided to go biking in Tel Aviv for the day. Don't you just love how Israel is so small that you can go almost anywhere for the day for cheap? Cause I love it! At 11 we hopped on a bus to Tel Aviv and rented bikes. We rode around HaYarkon Park in northern Tel Aviv. For lunch, we stopped at Japanika, a famous sushi bar, then rode to the shook to pick up fruits for lunch. Being in Tel Aviv reminded me of how much I miss it; the atmosphere, the shook, the beach! Lunch then walking around in the water gave me an appetite for ice cream. Ice cream in Israel couldn't be better, especially on one of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced in my life.

We arrived back in Jerusalem at 7, ate our dinner of tomatoes and mozzarella from the shook with barekas.

Sam Forman and Gabi Remz were in town so I met them, along with other kids from Year Course (but all from Section One) from Boston at King's Bar downtown.


Now it is time for Pesach in Israel!