Ft. Myers - Day 5 - in Immokalee

So today I did get up a little earlier than usual and did get out the door earlier than the previous days. I wanted to make sure I made it to the Corkscrew Sanctuary and then had enough time to head back to Sanibel Island for a tram tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers. Since there is about an hour and a half or so ride between the sanctuary and Sanibel Island, I wanted to leave plenty of time for the 2.25 mile walk in the sanctuary and drive back.

The sanctuary was so peaceful and gorgeous and perfect in the morning light. Not too hot even though it was a swamp, but in the shade it was perfect. Though, I must admit, there were mosquitoes. Not as many as I expected but enough. It was so nice. So quiet. There were only a handful of people there and plenty of naturalists on hand to answer questions. I've seen things I've never seen before such as: pink lychen, blue herons, egrets, and other birds I can't identify. The sanctuary also has lots of benches along the 2.25 mile boardwalk allowing the visitor to sit and steep in the glorious scenery. You can sit and enjoy the variety of flora and fauna.

As I struck up a conversation with one of the naturalists (not to be confused with nudists - naturalist are ones who walk around and help identify the birds and such and nudists... well, I think you can guess that one), she suggested that I go to Lake Trafford for an airboat ride instead of the Everglades. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant. Was she getting a kickback? All possible, but the price made it appealing anyways. And I didn't look forward to the several-hour drive to Everglades City for an airboat ride especially when I knew it would be crowded with hundreds of other tourists.

So, I drove for a half hour (way better than 2 or more) to Lake Trafford and got an airboat ride for about $35 (instead of $140 in Everglades City). Granted, the Everglades City stuff was for a full day, including lunch and a land tour, but I didn't want either of those. I can get my own lunch and I've seen mangroves before and I knew I'd have other little trips.
Here, the ride was an hour long and there were only 5 people in the boat and I had the front seat. I got to see some more amazing birds, some alligators as in the picture, and pretty cool scenery (the second picture is of Lake Trafford).

Up to now it's been a very action-packed morning. Actually, by the time I was done with the airboat tour of Lake Trafford, it was after 1 in the afternoon. I was getting pretty hungry and having an hour's drive looming ahead of me, didn't feel that I had the luxury of taking a chance on a restaurant. So, I went back to the Parrot Key restaurant. Hey, it was good, so why not try something else on the menu? And I did. This time, I tried a Basa sandwich. For those of you out there like who have never heard of Basa, it's a fish. It was perfectly blackened (lightly) and I had it as a sandwich. Their mango bbq sauce that accompanies this sandwich is just outstanding.

Ft. Myers - Day 4 - Somewhat wasted

The day, not me. I got a really late start on the day, but I don't really mind because the reason was a good book. And besides, this is a vacation; no schedules, no timelines, no due dates...

But by the time I got out of the hotel, it was time for lunch. So being a little adventurous I decided to check out The Parrot Key restaurant. I was really hesitant for all the kitch and "tourist trap" written all over it. I mean, how good could the food be at a place that specializes in Pirate dinner cruises and deep sea fishing? But my fears were allayed when I saw several tables full of coast guard members. Coast guard = locals. If locals eat there, I can give it a try.
I was very pleased. So much so that I went back the next day. But on this day, I decided to order a fish sandwich. I am a new convert to fish and I've been experimenting with it, but I figured that while I'm in Florida, I'll have ample supply of fresh fish at restaurants. I've also not had mahi mahi in many years and thought I'd give it a try in the grilled variety in a sandwich. I really liked it. LikeI said above, I was so happy with this restaurant that I came back the next day.

After lunch I thought it would be a good time to explore the region's natural wonders and drove out to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The drive didn't seem to be that long but it took about an hour. By the time I got there it was just after 4:00 PM and after talking with the man at the front desk he suggested I come in the morning and spend as much time as I'd like. Since the sanctuary closes at 5:30 promptly it would not have left me enough time to walk through and see all it has to offer. So, I got back into my car and drove back.

Updates

Ok, so my vacation is coming to an end fairly soon and I haven't really kept up with the blog. But I'm just too tired after all the sightseeing and eating and driving. I'll have to update when I get a chance, maybe even this evening, but at some point in the near future.

I've also been quite disappointed with my pictures. Half of them are either blurry or overexpose and the other half didn't capture what I intended. :(

I'll keep trying though.

Ft. Myers - Day 3 - The beach on Sanibel Island

I seem to be getting rather late starts to the day on this vacation. It could be that I'm dreadfully tired all the time and need to catch up on my sleep. Today was no different. A late start again. Oh well.
The weather was gorgeous and I decided to go to the beach. The thing is, I hate tanning. I know, I shouldn't go to the beach then. But I love to be near water and hear the waves and be warm. Maybe I was a fish in a previous life. Unfortunately, the water was too cold for me to swim. But I slathered SPF 60 sunscreen on and sprawled on the beach towel and warmed my bones. It was also a great time to read the book I started on the plane. My friend has impeccable taste in books and since we seem to like the same things, we recommend each other great stuff. This new book (a first in a series) is so good I can't put it down. Maybe that's why I have such late starts and leisurely lunches.

But while at the beach I also went shelling. The beach is made of shells, not really sand. The shells that are ground to a powder are the "sand". Since the beach, Bowman's Beach, is in a nature preserve, you could see all sorts of birds I don't normally see. Today I saw some egrets. Had to look it up. After the tanning and a few unsuccessful attempts at pictures, I decided it was time for lunch.

I decided to go to a restaurant called the Blue Giraffe. I saw lots of adds for it and claims of awards. I must have ordered something that was never entered into any contests since the burger I had was very dry (I ordered it medium) and the key lime pie was just gross. It was very chewy, not a word I'd want to describe a pie. And it just didn't taste right. The location though was rather pleasant. The mall reminded me of the shops in Door County with the charm of an old European city center only less dirty/lazy and well maintained. The fountains were soothing and the old trees that would take 5 people to link hands around the trunk must have give in it the old-world charm.

After a bit more of driving around and stopping at some random nature trail to see the descending sun, I decided to drive to Captiva Island to see the sun set. Absolutely, jaw-droppingly, stunningly spectacular. People (me included) would pull off to the side of the road and watch the sunset. Others were better prepaired and were there on the beach with friends; beer and camera in hand, ready to witness the birth of night. Shockingly beautiful.

As tired as I was after driving so much in an unfamiliar place, I still decided to go out to Naples for dinner. You see, I've seen a few adds for a Persian restaurant and I love middle-eastern food so I decided to check it out. The restaurant had a really nice write-up in one of the magazines and it was recent (this year) so my appetite was getting a workout just looking at the pictures. This was the worst meal I've had in Florida. For an appetizer I ordered a Shirazi Salad on the recommendation of my strangely-accented server. It was OK. Then for the main course, I at first ordered the mixed grill, thinking that I could eat the leftovers for lunch the next day (I had a fridge and microwave in my room). But it was so bad that I sent it back after just a few bites. The chicken was really dry, the beef was absolutely tasteless, and the lamb was barely edible. So I gave another dish a try. This time, it was a braised lamb with plums. I don't know how it's possible to have dry lamb in a stew, but this lamb was dry. The plums were tasty though. Quite disappointing.

What should I do? Ft. Myers - Day 2 - Naples

It rained overnight and is overcast now. Bummer. I seem to bring precipitation where ever I go on my vacations (it rained in the desert in Israel, it's raining here). So I'll have to find something I can do that doesn't require lots of sunshine.

So after a lazy morning I decided to drive to Naples. I took a scenic drive, through Fort Myers Beach. Little touristy shops, restaurants, hotels, and motels dotted the way.

In Naples, I stumbled upon a seafood shop which also happened to make something out of their fresh catch (Captain Kirk's Stone Crabs Fresh Seafood Market). The very friendly lady at the counter was very helpful in explaining the choices and letting me know that they catch their own seafood every morning. I saw no tourist anywhere in sight and was encouraged by the constant stream of locals some who purchased the fresh catch and some who had lunch. I ordered seafood bisque and seafood salad. It was the silkiest, tastiest bisque and the seafood was so fresh it was sweet. I lingered over the soup and salad for about an hour. It was a very leisurely lunch as I sat there eating my food and reading my book.

I then decided it was time to go exploring and went to the botanical gardens. The gardens are very lovely and quite serene. There is a butterfly pavilion and an area for kids to play and explore. The rest of the gardens offer a variety of designs and the sculptures are very cute.


For dinner I decided to drive to Fort Myers Beach since it has more dining options that the area around my hotel. The restaurant for this evening was Yucatan Beach Stand Bar Grill. It has a vibrant island atmosphere (though I'm not sure which island it's supposed to be), and the food was pretty good. I came back to this restaurant another day for the same dish and was not disappointed. I've gotten into the habit of asking the locals, wait staff specifically, what they'd recommend and why. If it sounds good, then I'll order it; if not, I'll keep looking. More often that not, this strategy pays off really well. This case was no exception.
The waitress recommended the Pompano and it was grilled to perfection. I wonder how to recreate it at home. My fish always sticks to the grill, of any variety, but this was perfection on a plate; with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. So good! And I didn't feel too guilty since it was fish and veggies. Oh, and the restaurant had live music every time I was there. Not great music (there are only so many times I can listen to a Jimmy Buffet song), but it was live entertainment.

In Ft. Myers FL - Day 1

After a long night of packing, checking the airline cancellation board, and about 3 hours of sleep, I finally made it to my vacation destination. I've never been to Florida and thought it's about time I remedied that. So after some searching and deciding on what I want to see, I picked Fort Myers.

I was very happy that my flight was not canceled or delayed much (the delay was only 45 minutes while the plane was being deiced). The flight itself was pretty easy and I managed to fall asleep. Though, after so little sleep at home, that wasn't such a feat.

Having my long sleeved t-shirt, sweater, and winter jacket on proved to be much more of a challenge since the weather here in Ft. Myers was in the mid-80s this afternoon.

After picking a car at the rental counter I headed to my hotel. I am so glad I made a list of the things I needed to pack. This way, I remembered to bring my GPS and didn't need to rent one at about $10 per day.

When I got to my hotel, the nice lady at the front desk upgraded me to a suite when I asked about a fridge and microwave in my room. The original room didn't have them and I wanted them in case I have leftovers. This also allowed me to go get some yogurt and keep it from spoiling.

Now this may sound odd to those who don't know me and completely normal to those who do. I love tea and decided to take my electric teapot with me. I also have a few baggies of loose leaf tea as well as a canister of Orange Blossom Organic Green Tea from Rishi Tea. But of course I forgot something. No, it wasn't the strainer; it was the cup. Oh well, I'll need a souvenir though I was hoping it wouldn't be a mug for me since I have way too many cups at home already.

I also took a pillow with my own pillowcase with me. It's a little pillow that's filled with buckwheat and is really great for traveling 'cause it's so small and is really good for my neck and back.

One of these days I'll take a picture of the suitcase I use; it's a carry-on and I've used it on long trips (1.5 weeks in Portugal and 2 weeks in Israel) and I'm using it on shorter trips (like this one) too. The reason I mention this is because the teapot took up about half the suitcase this time around. Can anyone recommend a compact version that's good for traveling?

After a leisurely lunch outside at the Lighthouse Restaurant (ok, how cool is it that I can have lunch outside and be in 80-degree weather in the afternoon while anticipating the biggest snow storm of the year so far in the morning?) I picked up the previously mentioned yogurt, water, mosquito repellant and some crackers at a local grocery store.

Since then I took the opportunity to nap (hey, I'm going on about 3 hours of sleep last night) and review a mountain of brochures. I haven't picked the specific things I want to do but a very vague plan is starting to form.

But for now, g'night.

Still packing....

As you might have guessed based on my previous posts, I generally pack the night before my trip. This is what I'm actually doing right now. Given the weather we're experiencing in SE WI (our first major winter snow storm), I don't know if my flight will be canceled or delayed.

Leaving Door County

I can't believe I haven't written about the last day of our mini-vacation. This morning, like the others before, we had a wonderful breakfast in our room. But today we were leaving, so we packed up our stuff and checked out by 10 AM.
But it was too nice a day to leave yet, and I had a few stops to make. The first stop of the day was to the oilerie, where I bought some garlic olive oil. I really like this store because you can try the olive oils and the vinegars. I've been to this store last year, and even wrote a little review of it.

The other "must" stop for the day was at the K. Allen Gallery. It's a small gallery and has some pieces that are actually affordable. The owners are artists themselves and they live right next to the gallery. They have unique things that are definitely worth a look.
Having no other plans for the day, we crossed the street to an antique shop and browsed around there. We also stopped in at a few other antique shops and art galleries. It was a great day, and we didn't have any set plans, so why not.

But around noon or thereabouts we decided to head home since it's about a 2-hour drive. We figured that by the time we get home, we'll be hungry. We were correct. And with that, our little mini-vacation came to an end. The drive was lovely and I hope to drive out to Door County again soon.

It's Independence Day

And right now, there's a band playing not too far, so I can hear it sitting on my bed in my hotel room. The band is trying to play a Jimmi Hendrix song and earlier attempted a Rolling Stones song.

The weather is absolutely stunning today. It's warm, sunny, wispy clouds roll along the vast expanse of sky, a gentle breeze keeps things cool.

We ate breakfast in the room again. Honestly, we're eating better than at any restaurant. Great food, comfortable, nobody hurrying us up, etc. Of course, it helps that we are a close family.

After breakfast we drove around some art galleries and antique shops. First, we went to K. Allen gallery to see if they got anything new this year that I might like. Last year, I bought 2 vases from them. I absolutely love those, but didn't find anything like that today. This gallery has the most "affordable" art in Door County in my opinion. It also has the most glass art. For some reason, I'm just fascinated by glass; it seems like a frozen river, or frozen smoke; so much movement.
Across the street from the gallery happened to be an antique shop, so we stopped in. This one had a lot of kitsch.
After these, we found a cluster of antique shops, really close to the gallery and we spent an hour or so there. All sorts of interesting things from antique furniture, to silverware, to enamelware, to linens, to anything else you might think of.
The spot also happens to be really beautiful. Lush greenery surrounded the cottages and patios, the garden gnomes and garden sculptures smiles and cast friendly shadows in the warm morning sun. It looked like a postcard.

Our next stop was the Edgewood Orchard Galleries. This gallery has a lot of sculptures and even a sculpture garden. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of their sculptures and consider only a scant few to be OK. They're just simply not my style.
But the gallery has some interesting paintings and had one vase/vessel that I could barely walk away from; it was just amazing. It was just too expensive. We spent quite a bit of time at this gallery. Dad and Grandma enjoyed a cup of coffee here while I snapped pictures.

On our way back, we stopped at an orchard store to see what they have. I got a jar of strawberry-rhubarb jam and grandma got some cherry jam.

Lunch we had back in the hotel, of course. When I say we're eating better than at any restaurant, I mean it. Here's our typical menu for the last few days when we eat in:

• Grilled Chicken
• Baked Shrimp (and grilled to heat it up)
• Salad (tomato, onion, salt)
• Hot Dogs - 3 kinds (beef, turkey, and buffalo)

For dessert:

• Tea (green and black)
• Candy
• Zephyr in chocolate (Russian-style marshmallow covered in chocolate)
• Grapes
• Cherries
• Jam (we just bought it today and wanted to try it)

As much as I like fireworks, I think we're skipping them tonight. We're all too tired and I'm too sneezy.

Gorgeous Day

Today, the weather didn't disappoint. The sun was out, a gentle breeze reminded us that we're in Wisconsin and that even in July we should wear jackets up here. Which, dad did. I had my fleece and grandma had her thick cardigan. But it's gorgeous.

We had breakfast in our room. See, we have 2 little fridges full of food and then some, so it's a shame to waste it. Additionally, we came here with full intention of not eating out at least for breakfast. It turns out that each of us has packed a loaf of bread, cheese, and a sausage of some kind, in addition to hard boiled eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese and cream. So we had breakfast "Russian" style.


After breakfast, we drove to Gill's Rock where we boarded the ferry to Washington Island. I've never been there, nor has grandma. I was so tired (slept poorly at night) so I dozed off on the boat. The gentle rocking of the waves put me to sleep. I'd make a horrible navy person. I'd sleep the whole time.
The whole of Door County is decorated for Independence Day and here is a store in Gill's Rock flying the flag. While we waited for the ferry we ducked into a couple of shops. All sorts of kitch and touristy souvenirs.
But while on the island, we took the little trolley tour and it was pretty nice. Got to see an ostrich farm, a bear, chickens, goats, etc.

Then for lunch, we came back to the hotel. See, I packed enough food to feed a small army for a week, let alone the 3 of us. So I insisted that we eat it. That meant that dad had to drag my electric grill (which is in 2 bags) from the car and set it up in our room so I could grill. I grilled a few chicken legs and a package of hot dogs, and warmed up some shrimp I cooked before we left. Grandma and I made salad and dad opened a bottle of wine. Though this is Independence Day (well, tomorrow), we were toasting to Father's Day, since this trip was a gift to my dad from me.

After lunch we took a bit of a rest, some napped and I blogged. :) Then we drove around the peninsula, stopped by a free concert in Egg Harbor, drove around some more and came back to the hotel for dinner. Did I mention that we have enough food to feed a small army?

With dinner over, it's time for another game of cards.

Fish Creek, WI

We're in Door County, WI, or "up north" as most Wisconsinites refer to anything "north" of where they are currently. We actually made pretty good time, 2.5 hours. No traffic or construction to deal with so the drive was rather nice.
It was wonderful to see grandma so excited. She's never been here before so to see her reaction to all the clean greenery was great.
Our hotel is nice and we have lots of room, he beds are nice and big, the fridge keeps cold, and we have a table an chairs. We played cards for a few hours and laughed our butts off. It was nice. Reminds me when I was little and the three of us (dad, grandma, and I) went on vacation.

After we checked in, we went to find lunch. The only thing we could find were sandwich places so we settled on The Cookery. The place was completely rebuilt after last year's fire. None of us have ever been there before and we liked the atmosphere and the decor. Dad and Grandma had a Ruben sandwich and I had a cheeseburger. The burger was so-so. A little dry, short on the tomato, no sauce of any kind, no onion. Meh. Even mine are better and I haven't figured out how long to cook burgers.

We rested, went for a walk, went for a drive around the little towns and in the evening went to Pelletier's for a Fish Boil. I was hoping dad and grandma would at least be OK with it, but they actually liked it. Dad was even surprised at himself at how much he liked it. I was too. The fish is Lake Michigan White Fish and it has a subtly sweet and mild flavor. Yum.
After dinner, we played card for a while. It was fun.

I still haven't packed...

Or marinated the chicken.

I am a terrible procrastinator. But that's my nature on such things, I suppose. Yes, we're planning another trip, but this time it's within driving distance. I am taking a half-day of vacation tomorrow, so we can head up north at a decent time.

Since I don't want us to go out to restaurants all the time, I'm marinating the chicken and bringing my electric grill. NOTE TO SELF: DON'T FORGET THE GRILL! But I'm charging the camera batteries as we speak. Priorities. ;)

I'll post the recipe for the chicken a bit later, but for now, I gotta go clean and marinate it.

Things I will not see at home

There were a few things that I came across on this trip that I know I won't see at home. Here are a few of them.
Blue sky, green grass - perfection. Except you see that little yellow thingie? That's a mine field warning. After the war of 1967, the Jordanians never provided the map of the mine fields so the mines are all still there. This is valuable land that could be used, but it's not. Not really. The only use it has now is for grazing and every once in a while, a cow does get blown up. But Israeli lives aren't being lost in an attempt to clear the mines.


That's right. You are not imagining it. It's a camel crossing warning. LOL. Saw a ton of these signs on the way to Eilat. I guess there are lots of Bedouins and they raise camels. Not sure why though.




Yup, it's a Kosher McDonald's. Definitely won't see this at home.

Home - Day ???

I don't really know how to count this travel day. See, the "day" started on Friday (day 14 of the trip) and I didn't sleep until I got home on Saturday afternoon.

I decided to check our luggage on the return flight because I had purchased some jars of stuff that were larger than 3 ounces. (I think the 3 oz. rule is ridiculously stupid, but whatever.) Because of these jars (of date honey) my luggage was checked twice in Tel-Aviv and more in US (I could tell since they didn't close the suitcase all the way. It's such a hassle to check luggage on an international flight. We had to collect it in Newark (our layover spot) and re-screen it and then re-check it in. Ugh!

The flight from Tel-Aviv was looooong. It felt even longer with a sinus infection and no voice.






The food was OK for dinner and could hardly have been called "food" for breakfast. But we nibbled nonetheless. The picture shows breakfast. I ate the bagel with jam. The yellow mixture is supposed to be eggs, but they looked rather gray when you poke them. So I was afraid of touching it further. And not being a fan of grapefruit, I only ate the little bit of orange that was in the tray.


But I'm finally home. I love traveling, but nothing beats home. After a fitful nap my dad drove me to urgent care where we waited for about an hour to be seen by a doctor. This is when I found out I have a serious sinus infection and the loss of voice is a result of that. I don't think I've ever had one this severe (I never lost my voice before).

Tel-Aviv - Day 15

Today is the last day of our trip in Israel. Before I left, I wanted to visit my great-grandmother's grave. The last time I saw her I was 11 years old and full of confidence that I'll see her again soon. That was nearly 20 years ago. My uncle and I went this time (grandma and her sister went earlier in our trip) and we cleaned the grave a little and put fresh flowers and lit a candle. I don't know what the custom is for taking a picture of a loved one's grave, but I didn't. It seems a little tacky (though I did take pictures at the cemetery on Mt. Hertzl) to take pictures of the grave of a loved one.

After the solemn start to the day, we were on our way to Carmel market. I needed spices. We checked out local stores and the spices I need/want weren't available and I knew that I saw them at Carmel market. After walking the main line of the market one time I was afraid that I missed the vendor with the spices I wanted. So we had to go back through the throng of pushing and shoving and shouting people one more time. Oh how I love my local store. With shopping carts, and people saying "excuse me", and no strollers in the middle of the isle blocking everything, and the isle being wide, and no shoving/pushing/shouting. I think I will relish shopping in a store more than ever before. I like personal space and in America we have it. I don't think the concept of "personal space" exists in middle east. Second time through the market I found the spices I was looking. Now, with spices in hand, it was time to head home for lunch and to start packing.

For lunch, I had borsch that my great aunt made and some chicken kotleti (meat patties that are slightly fried but don't taste fried). Turns out my great aunt makes an awesome vegetable borscht. I want her recipe. I love borsch in general, but this one tasted like it was meat-based though it wasn't. I'm going to have to call her for this recipe.

After lunch it was time to start packing. I was expecting it to go a lot smoother and quicker than it did. First, it turns out that my grandma got a lot gifts of the clothing variety and dind't expect that. Then, I got a lot of spices and my suitecase is rather small (it was a carry-on on the flight to Israel). Then, while packing, I kept forgetting and remembering other stuff that needed to be packed. For example, I completely packed my suitecase only to realize that I left my new tripod under the chair. Crap. Have to re-pack. Crap. At least I remembered it while I was still there. Then I forgot grandma's suit while packing her suitecase. So I put it into mine. Then when I put the tripod in I had to put it into the carry-on bag. Oy! But everything eventually fit. Surprisingly.

After an early dinner, we were on our way to the airport. This was a great trip. It would have been better had I not lost my voice and scared my whole family that I'm really sick.

Tel-Aviv - Day 14

Everything is closed today. I was getting really nervous since I hadn't gotten much in terms of souvenirs and had only 1 day left. My uncle was off work and we could do something since he has a car, but it's a holiday (Pesach or Passover) so everything is closed. Therefore we decided to go to Jaffa since we didn't really see it as part of the tour. We only got to get off the bus for 5 minutes and take pictures - that was our only view of Jaffa.
But today, my uncle, his wife, his youngest child, and I went to Jaffa. The day was perfect - a very slight and pleasant breeze accompanied the warm sun. Because it was a holiday, there were hardly any cars out and very few people out and about. Mostly, I guess people just stayed at home. Which gave us the freedom to roam around without crowds. We ducked into nearly all the galleries that were open (and most of them were closed) and browsed to our hearts' content. The views of Tel-Aviv from here (which is north of Jaffa) were great. Waves, greenery, sunshine - it was a perfect spring day. I won't see this weather back home till mid-June probably.

Having walked all over the upper part of the town we made our way through the narrow and shadowed streets to the port. Until the port of Haifa was established as a major port, this one in Jaffa was the primary port of Israel. It's been a port since ancient times, and still works as a port.
Here, we took a little boat ride that lasted about a half hour or so, but gave panoramic views of Jaffa and Tel-Aviv. The wind wasn't too strong while we were on the water, but it was a little wobbly. I don't like roller-coasters and this wasn't as bad, but I definitely felt my stomach doing flips.
After the boat ride, it was time to head back home (it was close to 2 PM) and on the way we stopped for some shashliq. This time it was chicken and we took it to go. It was really delicious. Surprisingly so, since I'm a bit of purist in this regard and don't eat chicken shashliq. I guess I consider it chicken on a sqewer, but this one had all the right spices and such. To reiterate, it was delicious.

Eilat, Tel-Aviv - Day 13

This morning the weather looked absolutely gorgeous and my uncle asked if I wanted to go tanning. Having lost my voice completely by morning, I declined (the Silent post was written on Eilat - Day 12). So we set out back to Tel-Aviv right after breakfast, ahead of schedule. Too bad this gorgeous weather wasn't there for us yesterday. But oh well. I guess I'll have to come back. ;)

On the way back, we passed the same raw natural beauty, road signs I won't see at home, and the same Kosher McDonald's. Somehow I managed to nap most of the way back.

This was also the first day of Passover.
We don't celebrate with all the customs and traditions mainly because we don't know them. But we do have gefilte fish. And my great aunt made an awesomely delicious batch yet again. I know I have the recipe from the last time she visited us, but I didn't see her make it. All I know is that the process is very involved (several times she passes the fish meat through the meat grinder, and that's after picking out all the bones).

Eilat - Day 12

Breakfast was good, except there was no bread. Anywhere. It's Pesach, so I had to put butter and jam on matza. Hmm...... It was edible. Other things were good too, but I can't remember now.

The plan today was to go swimming and tanning. But the weather was less than cooperative. It drizzled again. So we went to the aquarium. It was really nice and I even saw some folks from the tour (there was an Eilat extension and some people bought it). The aquarium had all sorts of cute fish and there were quite a few visitors, but we came early in the morning so we got to see quite a bit before much of the crowd.
By the time we were finished here, it looked like the weather was turning around so we decided to go swimming after-all. So we went. It drizzled again, but stopped as soon as we got to the beach. Then, my uncle decided to go into the water. I just stuck a toe in to see if the water is warm. It wasn't. But he had his scuba suit on and wasn't as cold. I decided to sit on the shore and tan.
It was so windy the windsurfers were all out. I was afraid they'd reach the Jordan border (we could see the Jordanian flag from the beach quite clearly). Then, the older cousin who came with us decided she wanted to swim. So she went with her dad. She had a coat on but stuck her toes in. Quite a site.
By the time we finished this "swimming" adventure, we were ready for lunch. We went to an Argentinian-style restaurant (El Gaucho) and ordered steaks. Really yummy. As we were leaving we were approached by a guy offering a gift if we go into the jewelry store right next door. So we went in. And spent a lot of time there. A lot of time. They had a lot of unique and elegant things. I even found a few things I liked. No, I didn't buy anything. I have enough stuff I don't wear. Why buy more stuff I won't wear?

By this time the little cousin was really set on going to King's City. It's a place that's great for kids. Lots of little things to do, lots of illusions and activities and such. We spent probably 2 hours here. It was fun, but I think she had more fun than anyone.
And at this point, I was ready for the hotel and a hot shower. Not that it wasn't warm, but my back was killing me and I wanted to warm it up. The sun wasn't doing it, so I figured the water would.
Not only was I tired by the end of the day, but my throat was killing me. So far on this trip, it wasn't really a problem. I thought I had severe allergies because I kept sneezing all the time and thought that the sore throat I did have (a tiny bit) was as a result of these allergies. But this evening I also started to sound really really hoarse. I imagine I sounded like I went to 30 death-metal concerts and screamed at each of them.

Eilat - Day 11

Today (Monday) we're on our way to Eilat. The drive is about 4 hours, but closer to 5 or 6 if you make stops. I didn't think there's anywhere you can drive in this postage stamp country for 4 hours, but I was wrong. Here too, there's lots of road construction.

On the way, we passed Bedouin "settlements". I can't really call them houses because they looked like corrugated metal that's been attached with wire. I doubt the floor is anything more than the dirt on which this "structure" stands. We also saw a bit of a dust storm, shepherds tending their flock of sheep and goats, camels, and a few cows.

In one of our stops we got ice cream for the cousin (the 8-year-old) who came with us at a kosher McDonald's (see this post). Yes, they do exist. I have pictures to prove it (which I'll post at some future date).
Another stop we made was a lot closer to Eilat and this little place had camels and other animals that you could ride for a price, they had a bathroom you could use for a shekel (about 20 US cents), and a small cafe. The bathroom looked rather scary since it had those bars you see sometimes that go from floor to ceiling but rotate like a door. Our shekel didn't want to work, but the guy let me in. I was very pleasantly surprised at how clean and well-maintained it was. Though I did see an employee going to the bathroom with her own roll of toilet paper. That was very wise. The toilet paper was like regular paper, just on a roll and in the shape of toilet paper. No matter, it was clean, there was toilet paper, water to flush, and soap.

Driving through the desert and the mountains was absolutely amazing. We drove through the Negev desert (I think); our route was through Be'er Sheva and Dimona. People think that the desert is always dead, but there was so much life there. The camels, the Bedouins, the trees, the grasses, the birds, etc. The mountains were also a sight to behold. So many colors! You can see almost every color in the rainbow. The reds up against the tans which are up against the whites and oranges and ochres. So many amazing thing nature shaped with wind and water. Some of the areas looked like paws of some giant animal at rest, others looked like they were pillars, and yet others looked like layers of a cake. I took some pictures, but we'll see how they turn out. I doubt there's anything more than a blur, but I was taking them out of a moving car.

There were also some interesting road signs like camels crossing and shooting range on the right, and "sea level".

There was one place where people can pull off to the side of the road and take pictures and take a break. We stopped there too and I took some pictures. Too bad there were no places to stop to take pictures of the great views of the mountains.

After the third stop (with the bathroom) we had only about an hour to go. In the afternoons, when the fog clears and/or the dust storm you can see Jordan.

When we got to the hotel, we arrived a little earlier than their check-in time, but they had our rooms ready. My uncled dragged the luggage to the rooms and we to eat. I was a little confused when he started heading to the gas station, but there was a restaurant right behind it.

I don't think you need to even guess that I ordered shashliq. It was great. The plethora of little plates with stuff they bring was really yummy too. All sorts of eggplant dishes, and even a Russian salad (olivie). It was quite delicious.


After our lunch, I took a nap. I wasn't planning on a nap; I was watching TV. Next thing I know I hear a tap-tap-tap on the door and we decided to go check out the place. We went for a walk on the boardwalk and saw all sorts of souvenirs. These souvenirs were kinda crappy so I didn't get anything here. But the walk was nice.

It turns out that unusual weather followed me. It rained in Eilat. In the middle of the desert. Just my luck. I wanted to get warm, maybe even a slight tan so I don't blend in with the walls at work. No such luck. The little drizzle stopped quickly, but it was overcast.

We also went to IMAX and the show was in Hebrew. Something about the space station and astronauts from US and former USSR and how they live on their missions (or whatever their expeditions are called).

We returned to our hotel and had dinner. It was pretty good. By this time of the day, I was completely wiped out so I headed to my room for a shower and sleep. I was hoping that the next day would be sunny so I can warm up and maybe slightly tan.

Tel-Aviv - Day 10

This morning I had breakfast at the hotel and then my uncle (technically, he's my second cousin, but dad calls him "brother", so I call him "uncle") picked me up. It turned out to be not a short drive to Tel-Aviv from Jerusalem, but we didn't really hit any traffic until we got to the general Tel-Aviv area. Today was the day I rested. Sort of.

Mainly played with the little cousins (2nd cousins once removed) who are 8 and 3. I don't remember what we ate, but it was good. Everything is quite delicious and the veggies are very yummy.

We also went to the "downtown" area and walked around trying to find souvenirs. No such luck. Since it was Sunday, there were no bazaars or flea markets. The only thing I found was a table cloth for my round table. Apparently, it's rather difficult to find a round tablecloth in the size I need (180cm in diameter), and I have lots of Israeli tablecloths, but none are round. The reason I like these tablecloths is that they wash out really well and hold up to use and abuse. We only took the older cousin to go with us, and the younger one was with the babysitter.

In the evening, we played some more and had dinner.

It was a rather uneventful day, for which I was really grateful.

Silent - Well, almost

You know how I always say I can't really whisper? That's all I seem to be able to do since last night. Yup, I totally lost my voice. I think it has to do with my throat being severely irritated by the smoke fumes (everyone smokes everywhere here), the general allergies, the wind which forced me to shout a little.
Ugh. I'm not a big fan of this whispering thing. And it hurts to talk. Ok, I'm off to eat either something cold or hot.

Later.

Jerusalem - Day 9

Today is our last day of the trip, except for those who are going to Eilat. We had the morning activities and then we were on our own until dinner.

The morning tour consisted of a walk to the Jaffa Gate (I think) and tour of David's Tower. The view from here was spectacular. Just fantastic. We also walked (rather quickly) through the museum that was in the tower. Nothing very interesting in the museum. By around 10 o'clock in the morning, we were on our own, until about 6 PM when we were supposed to board the bus for dinner.

So, I spent the day with the same CA couple with whom I went to dinner the other night. A very lovely couple. We decided to ask for a recommendation at the visitor information center and we visited an church in the Armenian quarter. It was quite a lovely church, and it had a lovely yard inside. They also have a guest house and people do stay there. It felt very quiet there, not like it was in the middle of such a noisy place as the Old City of Jerusalem.

In the same visitor center we asked for a recommendation for a good shish-kabob place. The woman told us not to eat in the city from the street vendors, but to go outside the city walls. So we left through the Damascus gate and went across the street passing many different street vendors selling fruit, veggies, and remote controls. Asking directions a few times, we found the hotel (Jerusalem Hotel) to which we were pointed.

The hotel itself was quite beautiful, with carvings and other decorations of middle-eastern flavor. The door in the picture is a good indicator of you'd see inside. The careful attention to detail, the carvings, the quiet grandeur... The hotel had the feel of a B&B because it was small, but looked immaculately clean. The court yard is where the restaurant was located and there were plenty of locals which made me more confident in the food.

Now about the food.

WOW! It was amazing. They had shashliq (that's how it was on the menu, and that's how we refer to it, but in English, it's referred to as "shish-kabob"). I ordered lamb and was quite surprised to find the little bit of fat added to the skewer just like we do. It was truly lip-smacking and finger-licking goodness. Though I was a bit surprised to find it served with a side of French fries. For an appetizer, we ordered a "small" sampler of stuff and it barely fit on our table. It all was great. The pitas, the salads, the humus, the lemonade (with mint) was absolutely delicious. The couple I was with really liked it and agreed that it was a good choice for lunch and thought the hotel would be a great place to stay if they come back on their own.

Then we walked back into the old city (through the Damascus Gate) and walked around a bit. I found breathtakingly beautiful silk rugs, but they were too small. Even if they weren't too small, there's no way I can pay $13,500.00 for a rug. But they were definitely stunning. All I could do was say "wow". By now, it was close to 3 in the afternoon and we were all ready to head back to the hotel. Oh, and I would have bought souvenirs in Jerusalem, except that this was our only free day and it happened to be Shabbat. All Jewish shops were closed. Drat! Oh well.

We walked to our hotel which wasn't far and said good by since the couple wasn't joining us for the "farewell dinner". I'm glad I met those folks.

After a few hours of rest and a shower, I was ready for the dinner. We went to Abu Gosh for a shish-kabob dinner. Apparently, "shish-kabob" here means ground meat that's been grilled on a skewer, and "shashliq" means non-ground meat (real meat) grilled on a sqewer. At this dinner, we had shish-kabob of lamb and chicken shashliq. I traded my chicken sqewer for a lamb one, but mainly filled up on the salads. They were great. All sorts of salads, served "tapas" style. It's about 10 different little plates and everyone tastes a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You fill up.

I had one more night in Jerusalem, but many from our group left that night after dinner.

Well, that's it for the "official" tour. More on the rest of the trip later.

Pictures

You'll notice that I don't have any pictures for the last few days of the trip. There's a really good explanation for it and it's that I just didn't have the time to comb through hundreds of pics for those days.
I do plan on adding some pics later on, but not today, and probably not tomorrow. For now, I hope the narrative gives you an idea of what's going on.
There is still one more day of Jerusalem that I need to write about, but that too will not be today. And most likely not tomorrow, since the plan is to go to Eilat with my cousin (whom I refer to as uncle) and his daughter.
So, that's it for now. Hope to have internet access at some point again soon so I can get everything uploaded.

Later!

Jerusalem - Day 8

Breakfast was the same and we still had live music. What a wonderful treat. This is also the first hotel that understands “hot” water for tea. In other hotels the water you get for tea is something my dad would refer to as “pisherts” (luke-warm).

The morning was cooler than yesterday, but I was comfortable with the synthetic long-sleeved shirt I brought just for the purpose. The weather fluctuates greatly during the day here; the mornings and evenings are much cooler than the day. But at this time of the year, it’s quite pleasant and not hot. I can’t imagine walking for 5 hours in the heat of July in Jerusalem.

Our first stop was Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed (actually, it’s the reproduction of the scrolls). The building itself was more interesting than the scrolls. I was very underwhelmed. There’s room that’s circular and photocopy of the scrolls in the middle. Ok. Now what? The grounds were very cool though. There are many statues and a model of how Jerusalem would have looked like in the time of the Second Temple. I wish we would have seen this model yesterday, before seeing the real Old City.

After the Scrolls we went to Mt. Herzl where Herzl is buried. Mt. Herzl also has the graves of dignitaries such as Golda Meir (our hometown girl and “the only one with balls” in the government, as the saying goes). I placed a rock on her grave. The black and white monuments are the graves of Leah and Yitzhak Rabin. This site is also the site of a military cemetery. Israelis refer to them as “youth cities” since so many young people have lost their lives in the fight for Israel.

Our next stop was Yad Vashem. It was absolutely gut-wrenching and I was glad I brought a lot of tissues. The personal effects of the victims - the shoes, the prayer books, the papers, the necklaces, etc. - as well as the personal testimonies that were taped and shown were so moving. It’s too horrible to believe that people are capable of such monstrosity, but it happened. And we must never forget. We must educate and remember and honor. We also visited the Children’s Hall which has 4 candles burning but with the mirrors, you see 1.2 million stars flickering in the near pitch-black building. While you’re walking through, the names of the children who were identified are being read. The name, family name, years of age at death, and where the child was born. Heart breaking. Absolutely gut-wrenching. I have no idea how people can refrain from bawling and I’m not moved to tears easily. But this was really hard.

Right after this, we had our “well-planned” lunch. Oy! Who could eat after this? I really didn’t think I could swallow a bite. But I guess after all that walking I was hungry enough to eat a bagel.

After lunch it was time for Bethlehem. Scary! Our tour guide and bus driver didn’t go with us. We had to switch buses and guides and cross into Palestinian territory. We went to the Church of the Nativity and it’s a pretty church. Lots of Russians were taking too long to move through, so we had to wait. Those Russians again. The church proved to be a very emotional experience for the Christian folks on the tour. After the church through which we had to hurry since there was some procession of the Armenian part of the church starting and we were driven to a local shop. There, it seems that we spent more time than at the church. Lots of people bought lots of stuff. I just don’t know where that money would go to and whom it would support, so I will be making purchases in areas that are not in Palestine. Just because Obama wants to give $900M to Hizzbolla doesn’t mean I want to support terrorism.
The tour guide even helped the "vendors" sell their stuff to us - he would bring it into the bus and ask if we wanted it and the price. I thought it was highly unprofessional, especially after spending about an hour in a shop. Oh, and while we were in the shop, the doors were kinda closed and locked, though the key was in the lock. I think it was more to keep others out and us from wandering off. We had people on the tour who were completely oblivious to everything and asked questions such as "who was Jesus", "why was a restaurant blown up in Tel-Aviv by suicide bombers" and "is Jerusalem in Israel". Hmmm.......

And yes, we saw the wall that separates Jerusalem. (The picture shows the wall from the Palestinian side. There was no graffiti on the Jerusalem side where we were. At least nothing that could be seen. I wonder what the Hebrew above the oil thing says.) It feels like 2 separate countries, truly. I wonder if that’s how East/West Berlin was. This didn’t feel like it was in the middle of Israel at all. And yes, we were asked for our passports on our way out. 2 people from the checkpoint carrying much weaponry (gun, semi-automatic rifle, or maybe it was automatic, I don’t know) came into the bus and asked for passports. It would have been good of our tour guide to let us know about this the day before! But I always carry my passport when I travel, so it was no issue. But they didn’t search us. The car in front of us was searched. The dog sniffed the car, the trunk was popped open, the underside was inspected.

Now, I’m just waiting for our evening excursion which includes dinner at a kibbutz. I hope it’s not falafel or schnitzel again. I’ve had enough of that. Not that I really miss my typical food, but I miss my typical food. I don’t want to eat typical stuff that I’d eat at home while I’m traveling, but there’s got to be more than a falafel or a schnitzel.

Dinner was quite typical here for the tour. A buffet. A HUGE buffet. They even had gefilte fish, but this was sweet. I'm not a big fan of sweet gefilte fish. It's not dessert. But the dinner was good and dessert awesome.