So much to say, but I'll try to keep it short.
Last Tuesday, I went to Natzeret (Nazareth) for the first time ever. We saw and went inside both Churches of the Annunciation (Greek Orthodox and Catholic, one extremely impressive building). Eventually, I lost my group and wandered around Natzeret by myself for a few minutes until I found some people I knew. We went by the White Mosque but didn't go inside because they were about to do afternoon prayers. Other than those couple of things and a couple of shooks (markets), we didn't see a whole lot so I don't really know what else is there. Not sure if it's worth going back.
Thursday, after class, I went on a spontaneous trip to Rosh HaNikra, which is the border on the coast between Israel and Lebanon. Rosh HaNikra is known for the caves that have formed over thousands of years, a beautiful site where “the land falls in love with the sea.” Cable cars take visitors down to the grottoes and up above is the actual border with Lebanon, clearly marked with a massive barrier, barbed wire, soldiers, and signs that say people cannot take pictures, which I totally ignored. It was also the crossing that the two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2006 were returned through with Israeli flags covering their caskets. Leaving was very frustrating – once the bus finally came to pick us up, it took about three hours to get back to Haifa, 26 miles away. The bus went to every freakin' town in northern Israel, then we had to take a train, then the shared taxi. Took way longer than it should have, but it was a really fun experience.
The next day, many people from the International School went to Tsfat (Safed), one of the four holy cities for Jews in Israel and is considered the home of Jewish mysticism. As tradition, I went to the candle factory and bought the awesome Yemenite pizza thingy from the awesome Yemenite man, something every tourist does in Tsfat. What was new for me was hiking Har Meron (Mount Meron), which is about 20 miles from Tsfat, another important site in Jewish spirituality. We couldn't get to the top because there is an army base there, but we took a trail around the top that reminded me a bit of Spencer's Butte in Eugene. Amazing views all around and it felt good to do that mild hike (I want to find something more challenging. Weekend in the Golan Heights, anyone?).
Observations:
1. The girl that works in the falafel shop on campus was surprised to see that I am a Jew in the International School. She thought that only Natzrim (Christians) were in it. There's really nothing else to say about that other than “strange.”
2. Shkalim are dangerous. Shkalim, the currency in Israel, has an exchange rate right now of about 3.86 Shkalim to $1 USD. As a result, much of what is paid for in Shkalim seems like a lot of money. Basically, people throw 50 and 100 notes around on a daily basis, something I'm not used to. Between paying seemingly large sums of money, the brightly colored designs of the bills, and the fact that the 20 Shekel note is literally made of plastic, I can't help but think that I'm dealing with Monopoly money. On top of that, the coins are really annoying, especially the 10 Agurot, which is equivalent to about 2 – 3 cents. And yet, they're actually necessary.
3. Cans here are thicker than ones in the US. That means that when I'm done drinking my juice, soda, or beer, I get very disappointed because I feel like there's more, but it tricks me every time.
The pictures are from the glass inside the Catholic Church of the Annunciation, me in front of the Israel-Lebanon border, eating that yummy pizza thingy in Tsfat, and the coast at Rosh HaNikra.
-AZ
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