Pictures to come soon.
Historically, our people are nomads and that is evidenced by
the past 8 days. Tsfat -> Afula -> Akko -> Haifa -> Tel Aviv -> Afula
-> Ramat Hasharon -> Jerusalem. Currently I am sitting in the train
station on the way to Tel Aviv, city 5 of 7 on our list. To say we are travelling aimlessly would be
incorrect. There has been a purpose in
each of the places we have visited and it has all worked out as it was meant to
be.
Tzfat: Magical,
Mysterious, Magnificent Triumphs
The last week in Tsfat cannot be summed up in words so I
will do so in pictures. But beyond these pictures it also included Hitdodebus
(a primal form of meditation where you go into the woods by yourself and scream
to Hashem), a nighthike with Noam and a wonderfully festive last Shabbat.
(Quasi-failed Pyramid Attempt)
(Our fly-kicking Jedi Master, Doron)
(Rolling Hills on the Hike)
(Beautiful Sunset to end the hike)
(Doron explaining that as one candle burns out, it gives way for another candle to ignite)
Afula: Hospitality at
its Finest
Everyone knocks Afula, but that is because they are not
shown the hospitality that we were by Bruria Ricon, the mother of my brother
(from another mother) and Danny, the father of my brother (from another
mother). They must not have experienced
the splendor of the Ricon household or the delicious meal at the coffee shop
after an interesting bus ride in which the driver did not even know the names
of the destinations in which the bus was stopping in. They must not have
experienced a home-cooked meal by Shir (my sister from another mother) or the
trip to the sport goods store!
Akko: Beatboxing and
a Boat
My cuddly travel buddy Louma and I meant to take a
secluded getaway to a moshav (agricultural settlement) called Eli Ad (packed
with terrific hikes and waterfalls).
Bruria told us “You might have to change your plans, I am going to Akko
tomorrow.” Resolutely determined to go
Eli Ad, we logged into AirBnb and found a beautiful cabin to lay our heads.
Baruch Hashem, our reservation loaded to 99% before telling us it had 8 more
days of processing. It just so happened
that Keith, my travel buddy from day 1, and a kid who I’ve spent a fight-free
48 of 52 days with, was also in Akko. It
was a layup, we went to Akko the next morning with Bruria. After a morning in the Mediterranean and a 10
Shekel dance party boat ride around the port we spent most of the afternoon
posted up at an underpriced seaside restaurant with great food (big portions to
boot) and beautiful views of the Mediterranean.
We then met a traveler named Zack who latched onto us for the rest of
the day and the next morning for that matter too. It’s fine, Zack was a great dude who enhanced
our experience. That night we spent
smoking hookah with some Arabic kids who were observing Ramadan and one of
which (Shady) was the best beat-boxer I have ever seen in person.
Fueled by a next morning full of Arabic pastries, delicious
Schwarma and Arabic coffee, Keith, Louma and I headed to Haifa.
Haifa: Take the Best, Fuck the Rest
We started the morning by meeting up with our friend Avi
(from Livnot) who literally leaped into the frame of the picture we were
snapping from the bottom of the Bahai’iGardens.
After meeting a couple of New York girls who thought we were soccer players
in the Maccabe Games, we opted for a taxi to take us to lunch. This turned out to be a dual-highlight of the
day. It was by far the wildest cab ride
in my life. The driver had an open
bottle of next to him, which when questioned about it responded it wasn’t in
fact beer, but that it was wine that he had been drinking. After telling us the only red things he likes
in life are tomatoes and wine (and not red lights) he proceeded to give us his
life philosophy on women. I will spare
you the lewd details, but what I will repeat was his most memorable quote on
life itself; “Take the best, fuck the rest!” Said cabbie, also named Avi,
informed us that we would not be going to the shit restaurant we had picked
out, but would instead pay him 10 shekels more for his advice to go to an
Argentinean restaurant in the business district named Eduardo’s. Eduardo’s was closed, I mean lights off, door
locked and nobody inside. After Louma
confidently tried and failed to open the door, we resolved to having to go somewhere
else, content with the fact that although we had lost our cab fee, we had paid
for the entertainment. This is where the dual-highlight completes itself.
Eduardo himself came out and said “Are you guys hungry? I can open back up for
you guys?” Wait! WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!? Never in my life have I heard of such
a thing. I’ve had restaurants turn on
their grills early to accommodate me, but to fire them back up after they were
closed, unheard of! For $40 (including a substantial tip and a
slight discount) we filled our stomachs on parmesan and tomato veal schnitzel,
empanadas and beer.
After a quick street-side 20 shekel bathing suit purchase,
our crew of four headed to the beach, where we were determined to sleep for the
night. First we posted up at a restaurant for 6 hours, ordering just an
overpriced hookah and two drinks; all-the-while we were bringing beers from the
convenience store into the restaurant and drinking them in there. We met some cool people, including a man who
lived on a transcendental medicine colony in Iowa.
Next we did what we had set out to do; we slept on the
beach. This was not your ordinary beach
sleeping arrangement however. Insert Couch beach barracks photo.
Tel Aviv: “She Said Yes!”
We came to Tel Aviv because my brother (from another
mother), Itay told me two days earlier that he would be proposing to his
girlfriend of 5 years, Maya. I knew it
would be an elaborate proposal, but it way exceeded my expectations and totally
shocked Maya too! It was done amidst a row of tanks to the song posted below,
at the IDF Museum where Maya did her National Service and where they originally
met. I’ll leave the rest of it up to
your sweet imagination.
(YOU ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE)
Afula: Part 2
I discovered Shir’s amazing artwork and ate a delectable
lunch cooked by Shir and Bruria.
Ramat Hasharon: Shabbat R&R
Spent Shabbat here and a peaceful day of relaxation at
Itay’s place.
Jerusalem: Family Time
Here to see Molly (Austy Wilde and Oliver Baron and Steve
Eisenberg as bonus) and start my Isralights program.
Also, for the first time
in my life, the hairs on my arm are blonde.
