ITALIA!!!

Italy 5.8.2011 – 5.16.2011

I want to start off saying that by the end of Israel, I really wasn’t excited for going to Italy. Israel was so much fun and different, that I was just ready to stay there another week and maybe take a 1-2 day trip to Jordan or Egypt and see some wild stuff. The thought of Rome and Italy just didn’t excite me… but I was proven wrong with a slap in the face from the Tuscany, one of my favorite trips yet. The things I saw, smelled, heard, tasted, and felt were intangible. By the end of Italy, I was only longing to come back to the states for my family & friends, but I could have been there happy for as long as I could imagine.

Sunday, 5.8.2011

Robbie and I arrived in Rome at 2:30 am… so it’s really Monday by this point. We heard there were a lot of hostels near Termini Station, and so we hostel- shopped and by 3:00 am. … Zzzzz Zzzz Zzzz

Monday 5.9.2011    Rome Day 1

First thing in the morning, Robbie & I took our clothes to a laundry mat and met up with Eli, who was going to travel with us all throughout Italy. I tell you one thing… it’s REALLY hard to travel with a group without cell phones. We finally found each other.

Nevertheless, we did what any tourist should do their first day in Rome… go straight for the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We ended up going on a tour, which I recommend every single person to do. When you go on any huge and historical museums like so, everything will just start blending together if you don’t know their significance of what you see.

I must say, the Vatican Museum is a MUST SEE in Rome. No doubt. Room after room, Roman drawings, sculptures, paintings and so on or displayed. It was different artwork from any other museum had seen that year.

That all lead to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is the huge room in which the famous sculpture Michael Angelo painted the story of the bible. How he did it, we still don’t know, but he did it all upside down or something. I say that because it was all painted on a curved roof. Pretty incredible. As you learn about Michael Angelo, his history, and his humor, you’ll find quite a few of his drawings a bit humorous. We couldn’t take pics in this room, but here’s a googled image down below.

After that, we made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica Church. The interior of the Church is odd when looking up because it was designed with a perception from down below that made the Church look smaller than it really is. It’s kind of an odd idea because you would assume someone would want a church to look as enormous as possible. From inside, we climbed to the top and got a nice panorama view of Rome… Incredible.

In the mean time, we ate pasta & pizza. It is like they say, cheap and delicious. By the end of Italy, I know I gained weight from it.

We went hostel hunting and make it out to Yellow Hostel. It was recommended to me from a friend and held up to its expectations… it was that cool, energetic, young, backpacker’s hostel. I recommend it too.

Tuesday 5.10.2011           Rome Day 2

We were woken up by the staff and told to move out because apparently we didn’t book two nights in a row. So then we just headed on over and went hostel hunting again. Then, we spent the next hour and a half trying to figure out info on how much it was to rent a car with full coverage for insurance. Full coverage was vital, because… well, I’ve only driven stick by myself once and Robbie has only driven stick- shift for thirty minutes… and we were about to drive along the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is a drive along the cliffs of Italy, bumper to bumper, with blind 270 degree turns all over the place. Insurance was huge.

So if you want to rent a car in Italy, beware, because some companies literally charge double the price. TravelCar was our best and cheapest option. We then reserved a car for the next day.

After that, we made our way to see what every tourist should do in Rome, and that’s the Coliseum. We bought a joined tour here for the Coliseum and the Forum. As you’d imagine, the Coliseum was SICK. It was huge, and you could just imagine the arena with gladiators, royalty & your common townsmen… all screaming and cheering.

The Forum was crazy too because of how much history it had. Our tour guide was excellent, so I really learned a lot about the history of it all. The Forum has Roman ruins and as you stare at them, it just made you think in perspective how small you really are. It’s weird to think how those ruins have been there for millenniums.

Later, we headed for the Jewish Ghetto to check that out. It’s not really a ghetto at all, but it was really cool. Of the whole ‘touristy’ Rome, this section was sweet because it was probably the least touristy. We dined and satisfied our stomach with delicious pasta.

By night I was exhausted. All this traveling and sight- seeing really makes you worn out by 10:00 pm.

Wednesday 5.11.2011                    Driving Day 1: Rome -> Amalfi Coast

We woke up pretty early and headed to the car rental place to get our car. What would take a maximum of 25 minutes in the states took us nearly an hour and a half in Italy. Its small things like that that make you really miss and appreciate home.

Anyhow, by 11:00 am, off we were. We headed down for the South Coast…. Towards Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

Along the way, Robbie and & I thought it would be a good idea if we actually practiced how to drive uphill from a dead stop, seeing how the roads of the Amalfi Coast are on the edges of hilly cliffs. In the mean time, we ran into a random Italian village on a cliff. It was our first encounter of a non- English speaking town. They were so unbelievably nice, and we just spent a good hour in their town, getting  food and trying to converse. It was our first snapshot of the real side of Italy.

 I didn’t see Pompeii and this is something I really regret, but I was just a bit ‘monumented’ out. Instead, Robbie and I dropped off Eli and drove through the Amalfi Coast to find a place to stay. It took us nearly an hour, but we ended up finding this awesome Bungalo in Sorrento called Nube d’ Argento. We had an amazing view, and so I just sat, chilaxed, enjoyed nature and the sunset, and wrote my journal. It was nice to finally get a break.

Later that night, Eli and I went into town to eat. We saw some live music, met new people, and basically enjoyed the culture of the small town of Sorrento.

Thursday 5.12.2011         Driving Day 2: Amalfi Coast to Tuscany

We left our bungalow early and had a LOT to drive that day. We drove even further south into the coast until we hit the city Amalfi. By this point we took a random route through the mountains to head back to Rome.y  The drive along the Amalfi Coast was amazing. The water had the separation of turquoise & blue that everyone loves. Also, when you drove, it was breathtaking when you turned a corner and all you saw where cliffs, small villages, and a beautiful sea. I definitely recommend this drive... just be careful.

 With all the windy roads and villages in the middle of nowhere, this is where a lot of the fun started happening.

Along the way to Tuscany, we stopped at the ancient and perishing town of  Civita di Bagnoregio. This is when we started hitting the cliff- top villages. This old town still has people living in it today, but is slowly falling apart as the city and terrace sort of decays.

By the time we made it to Tuscany, I really couldn’t believe my senses. I’ve said it once, and I’ve said it twice, but this place was really incredible. What Eli, Robbie, and I did was we found the smallest roads possible on our Italy map, and just drove through them. We drove through the hills of what I imagine a symbolic heaven to look like. I want to say that as soon as we drove into Tuscany, immediately, it was prettier. No joke… within an instant.

For those of you who want a picture of how amazing Tuscany was… it is as follows. I have never been to a place where literally all 5 senses were captured so heavily. If at any moment one sense was absent, the other four compensated. It was as if I closed my eyes, I could smell the clean smell of flowers more, I could hear the wind and the birds speaking in harmony, I could feel the perfect mixture of the sun’s heat and the wind at a blow, and I could taste either nature’s scent or I could taste the fine Italian pasta at any given destination. It was truly incredible. Now, it goes without to say, you didn’t want to blink because you didn’t want to miss a view so grand. A view where the wind blows the fine grass to create waves of shade, a view where the abundance of green, orange, purple, red, and yellow flowers are at your every degree of eye movement, where the mountains in the back create the morning blue color at any time of the day, and where windy roads in, around, and out of mountains always had you on your feet and curious for more. Tuscany was shear fantasy. Nothing can capture the beauty of the immaculate heart of Tuscany.

Here, we tried to find a place to stay and after village hunting, we finally made it to the town of Pitigliano. We got hooked up with a sick Bed & Breakfast. The room was so Italian I couldn’t believe it. We just walked around the village that night just to take in the simplicity of these people’s lives. Everybody new everyone, and as so it seemed, everyone was happy. No one really spoke English so the ‘Spatalian’ came into play there. By that, I mean not quite knowing which words you could say in Spanish, but not Italian… so you just changed random words and sounds, hoping they’d understand. You also had to sing it too J

Friday 5.13.2011                Driving Day 3: Tuscany

As we were in Pitigliano, away from the tourists… we were just hungry for more of these villages. So that day, as we drove, we sort of went village hunting to find that perfect* Italian village where NO ONE spoke a word of English nor Spanish, and the community was still vibrant. So the search began.

Somehow, we were in Pitigliamo when a huge antique car show or something was taken place. We saw old Model T’s, Royal’s Royces, and more. Robbie head to back up in a hill from a dead stop with a Royal’s Royce 1 foot parked in front of him and the whole town looking. It was his 3^rd day driving stick… talk about pressure.

We end up going to Sorano for some coffee. We liked what we saw a lot. The town seemed deserted at first, but we finally found the town center. The town of Sorano was awesome, but we still saw English writings… and passed a bar called “American Bar” with two shotguns pointing upwards as an upside down V… that wasn’t happening for us.

As I was buying my postcard, I saw another postcard with an amazing picture of a hot springs. We asked someone where the place was on the map, and we made our way there. The good thing about renting a car with your friends is you can go anywhere you’d like at any instant. And so this town was called Cascata di Saturnia… and we had lunch there and then made our way to this hot spring. The water wasn’t too hot either, just warm… which felt much better on a sunny day. But if you ever go here, make sure you ask the people in town how you get to the free hot springs. If you take a different route you can be charged 20 Euros.

After relaxing in the water and the pseudo waterfall, we continues driving. Mountain after mountain & cliff after cliff, we finally found it. We found the Italian town we were looking for. I don’t even think the name was on the map, but it was called Roccalbegna.  Here, they only spoke Italian and nothing else (check). When we first drove into town, the whole community was just outside enjoying life (check). There were little kids riding their bikes and playing with each other (check). There were people in their 20’s and 30’s (check). They had a beautiful view off the side of their cliff (check). They had an indoor sized soccer court and grass tennis courts that people were playing (check). There were huge hills in which an outdoor life was simply possible (check). This was it. This was the town we were looking for!!! So we bought Gelatono and just stood to the side and just watched them. It seemed like a bunch older people back at recess. Why in the world wouldn’t you want to live a life of Recess when you’re older???? Quite unbelievable. I remember thinking when I saw this how this day was my favorite day yet in Europe. I was 100% at ease and I got to see the coolest city yet. I may have found a second home.

I don't have a picture of this place because someone stole my phone, but then again, I don't think I'll forget it.

On the way to Florence, we stopped in Sienna to see the main square and the Church. Of the 40 minutes there, I just wish I had more time. We were also bombarded just with amazing scenery. We were away from tourists all day, and we really dove into the Italian culture. No doubt, the best day traveling yet.

We arrived in Florence at about 11:00 pm. Up until 2:00 am we were looking for hostel after hostel after hostel. I never thought about how hard it would be to try to find a hostel in a big city with a car. With all the one- way streets, bus/ taxi only streets, and not a clue where you are… it took a while. Also, advice… don’t show up on a Friday night in such a tourist city with 3 people and expect 20 hostels to have room for 3. its just not likely. Anyhow, we ended up sleeping big that night. We cut a deal with one of the guys at a real nice hotel for 30 Euros per person. This hotel was deluxe… definitely a clutch deal outside of town. 

Saturday 5. 14. 2011        Florence (Firenze)

Woke up to an AMAZING breakfast. Eggs, bacon, fruits, yogurt, grapefruit juice, muffins… they had it all. I felt like the most hi- class traveler ever.

Anyhow, so it ends up taking like 2 hours to return the car. Like our Canadian tour guide living in Italy told us… “Everything in Italy is a Process… You can’t get anything done straight to the point.”

We then took advantage of an internet point for the next 1.5 hours to figure out the rest of our travels. By mid afternoon, it was time to cramp as much of Florence as I could. We headed off to the Cathedral, Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, constructed in the 13^th century. This Cathedral was one of the cooler looking Cathedrals. It is plastered in green, pink, white, brown marbled colors along with the Gothic architecture. It was basically an innocent looking Cathedral. It looked stunning really. I believe it’s the 4^th largest Cathedral (1 behind Sevilla’s). 

Anyhow, we walked up to the top of the Duomo and got to see Florence from the height of the Cathedral. Like Sevilla, and like Rome, the Cathedrals are the highest point of the whole city so nothing is built higher. But unlike the other cities who tempt to challenge the cities with false feet of attaining the maximum limit, Florence’s Cathedral was “The Structure” of the city and nothing in view could challenge its height. At a distance you would see a flat city with red roof tops, and a giant Cathedral. That was the image of Florence. And so from the top of the cathedral, we got a 360 view of the whole city. I would stay up there all day if I could.

We headed back down after some time to see the inside of the church. The inside of the church was pretty amazing too. The ceiling had a clear picture of what heaven and hell is pictured like in paintings. It was pretty cut clear… no questions asked of what they imagined it to be.

Later, we made our way to the Piazza di Michelangelo, where you can view a panorama of Florence. On the way, we enjoyed some live music, and spent hours just enjoying Florence. I got to see Jersey Shore… though I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of. Plaza after plaza & performer after performer… Florence was filled with locals and tourists that were just energetic and happy to be there. How cool no? I wish Houston could be like that.

Anyhow, we finally made it to Piazza di Michelangelo where we relaxed and saw the sun set on the steps. It was a bit outside of town, and here we met people from all over the world. This place was very tranquil, and a must- see destination for the sunset. Hours passed by, we spoke Spanish to the Spanish and English to about every single other person… It was coming close to my time to leave Europe. I got a little emotional. This scenery was too pretty to leave. I knew I was about to miss a whole different type of world I was used to.

On our way back, we grabbed Italian pizza, and got ready to go out. We changed in the bus station and took our bags with us to a club. It goes without to say, we weren’t allowed in with our bags. We ended up leaving them at a local pizzeria for free… incredible huh? That gave us time to chat with young people and see the night life there. Interestingly, Italian clubs weren’t my thing.

So, when we left, we had 2 hours to burn before our 5:00 am bus to Cinque Terre. We ended up chatting with study abroad students in Florence… literally the most diverse group ever. And since they were so diverse, their common language was Italian, even though they all spoke English. Crazy no? Some of those students spoke four languages!!!

By 5:00 am, we made it to the train station and headed for Cinque Terre and our 10 km hike. 

Sunday 5.15.2011             Cinque Terre

My last full day in Europe. So by 11:00 am, we got our bags stored and head for the Cinque Terre to experience one of the most beautiful hikes in Europe.

We started north (from the Village of Monterosso) and head south. It’s easier that way because you get rid of the hard inclined routes in the beginning. I won’t lie, by this time, I was feeling a bit sick because of my lack of sleep. The hike really helped, but it was also cold, then hot, then cold, then hot, and so on… I thought it was going to pour down raining too, but it eventually cleared up.

But anyhow, we started hiking and we were immediately filled with beauty at every step. We walked along the cliffs to see this beautiful dark blue water. Seriously, the Mediterranean Sea really surprises me. I’ve seen it along Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Israel, and now Italy… and every time it looks different. Now, it was this dark blue color. The Cinque Terre is basically a hike of 5 old villages along the Northwest coast of Italy, and it is green, blue, white, and beautiful. 

By our 2^nd town of Vernazza, we just relaxed for a bit. We ate lunch, and took a nap along the beach. Within hours, we were ready to go again… Off to more and more. I knew this was the last bit of extraordinary scenery I was going to s wateree in Europe. I’m glad my last few memories were of the Cinque Terre because it would be hard to top this. From what I hear, it basically looks like Hawaii. To some up Cinque Terre... I basically came to Italy for the Cinque Terre. To me, Italy wouldn't be the same had I not done this trail. It was kind of a mix of the Amalfi Coast & Tuscany. If I only had more time I would have dived into the water after the hike. Make sure you do this hike if you go to Italy. You will not be disappointed.

 On the train back to the first station, I realized how I had to say a quick goodbye to Eli & Robbie. Robbie & I had seen A LOTTT that year together. We traveled all over the world together. I grew really close to Eli too. I really admired his perception on things. He was a very open- minded person and the dude was just fun. I had a quick goodbye, but I know I’ll see these guys in the future. They were with me when my world changed. This was our last picture together on the trail.

 

By night, I had to take a bus to Milan, and from Milan to Bergamo. Travel advice… just take a flight out of Pisa with Ryan Air if you’re going to leave out of Cinque Terre. The Milan airport for Ryan Airport is actually in Bergamo and is a huge hassle.

This is when stuff got interesting though. When I arrived in Milan at 12:30 am, I had to wait in the train station until 5:00 am to take a bus to Bergamo. I decided to try to get some wifi because my friend who lived in Milan was going to try to meet up with me. I had no phone, and Wifi was my only way of contacting him. I really didn’t want to stay alone in the Milan train station because of how sketchy it was. Anyhow, long story short, I was looking for wifi about 5 minutes outside of the station when this young kid snatched my phone out of his hands and ran!!!! I grabbed my bag and ran after him. I ran after him through a tunnel, cut the corner, through my bags in a dark spot and headed for him. Right turn after left after right, he lost me… Then I had to figure out where I was, and more importantly… where my bag was ASAP. I went to three different groups of police just to figure out where in the world we were because I knew I could locate it if they told me. By the third group of police, they finally gave me a map. Within 10 minutes, I found it, thank God, untouched. I literally ran from 1:00 am- 2:30 am in the center of Milan.  But thank God only my phone was stolen. I lost a lot of pictures of the Tuscany, of the Amalfi Coast, and most importantly, my videos of my guitar lessons from my guitar teacher… but like Tupac said Life Goes On.

Monday 5.16.2011           Italy -> Sevilla

I slept in a bus and plane and made my way back for my 2^nd home… Sevilla!

Though I lost my phone, Italy was an adventure. It was a great place to end off my travels. I hadn’t even spent much time in Florence, and I didn’t see Venice. But I for sure did see Italy. I saw it like no one else.

Backpacking in Israel

Israel 5.1.2011 – 5.8.2011

Israel was the most interesting place I’ve ever visited. I spent 8 days in Israel and that was simply not enough. I could have spent months there, learning and seeing new things every day, but that still wouldn’t be enough. Everywhere you walk, you see stuff that’s older than you could possibly imagine, with more history that is bearable. Israel also has a different sort of energy to it too. While Europe struggles with having high birth rates and a lack of youth, Israel is flourished with the two. That might be a contributing factor to why it has so much energy, or maybe because the whole country has been in the military since the age of 18, or maybe because they are surrounded by their enemies so they have to always be alert. But as for me, I really loved this energy. I loved their humor too; it was very dry and a bit sarcastic. In general, I found Israelites to be amazingly nice. They were some of the nicest people I’ve met… and that says a lot when comparing it to our Southern Hospitality. Random strangers would invite my friend and I into their homes to use a phone or anything we needed. This country had a lot of trust within itself, and the atmosphere reflected on me. They really loved their people and the tourists that visited too. With 2 days left, Robbie & I looked into seeing how much it would cost to stay a few days longer. By the end, I wasn’t even excited about going to Italy…. And so that’s Israel in a nutshell. Here’s how it went:

Saturday 4.30.2011

So I spent the day before I got to Tel Aviv with Robbie and Eli in a train for 12.5 hours from Sevilla to Barcelona. Pretty long day, but very useful because I got a lot of rest the day before my big trip began, and I got to plan out my trip with Robbie and Eli… of whom I would be doing most of my traveling with. Eli is the Israel master, and though he wasn’t going to Israel with Robbie and I, he lived there for a while and he is literally the Israel Encyclopedia. This kid has given Robbie and I history/ geography/ religious lessons of 1-2 hours on numerous occasions. He could teach a class if he wanted to. So with him, Robbie and I got a good idea of what we were looking to do in Israel.

Then, we had to figure out Italy. That was a little difficult since Robbie has already been there and Eli will have been there for a week by then. Therefore, there was some mixed interest of what exactly we wanted to do, but after an hour of brainstorming nearly every solution, we came up with the best plan.

And there went a whole day. Left Sevilla at 8:00 am that day, and arrived in the airport at 9:00 pm. Now it was time to check in for our 12:15 am flight for Tel Aviv. Here goes nothing.

So I check in, everything is ok. Robbie checks in, and it doesn’t show his name on the computer. Scroll back down to my trip to Instanbul and remember what happened what happened when I bought my last plane ticket with Robbie. We bought tickets through a third party in Spanish, and I said never to do that… Well, this time when I did so again, I made sure we got the confirmation for him and myself so everything was would be ok. Come to find out, he was nowhere in the system. I thought Robbie was about to repeat Istanbul all over again. Come to find out, he booked a connecting flight to Latvia instead. He ended up traveling a whole 22 Hours more than I did!!! Crazy, but alas, everything was ok, and the bank accounts were untouched.

Sunday 5.1.2011               Haifa Day 1

The morning starts out in the airplane. By the time I made it to my couchsurfers place, it was 10:00 am.  This was cool, because this was my first time couchsurfing, and by myself too. You could imagine what was going through my mind as I roamed the streets of Israel by myself, in search of a house without street signs nor house numbers, and without a phone on me to call. Ringing that doorbell was an interesting feeling.

the street that lead to the couchsurfing house

That afternoon, I had lunch and hot tea with my hosts and get to know them quite a bit. Very lovely couple with a cute baby and dog. They lived off a mountain in a town called Ossfia, a bit close to Haifa.

The first thing I did then was make my way to the Baha’I Gardens. I’ve heard about it all my life, and finally, I got to see the beauty of the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa. I spent hours gazing into the gardens and visiting the shrines. Time passed by way too fast. Then I met up with a good old friend who has been volunteering there for the past year. We chatted, I met some new people from all over the world, and viola.

Monday 5.2.2011             Haifa Day 2

Robbie made it in the morning, and then we skedaddle. We headed to the gardens in Haifa. We literally spent the whole day in the gardens. From the top of Mount Carmel, to the bottom, with tea in the middle, relaxing, and feeling time take us as we wanted it to. Truly an uplifting feeling. The feeling was indescribable to me. I really don’t know what else to say other than it just felt heavenly.

A little later we went into town, and then headed back up. We ended up leaving that area around 9:30 to head back home and rest.

That night, we chatted with Dori, our couchsurfer host, quite a bit. We also did a lot of planning for the rest of the trip.

This was a huge day, short of words.

Tuesday 5.3.2011             Haifa Day 3 & Bahji

That morning, we left for Akka & Bahji. I went to Bahji to visit the Shrine of Baha’u’allah, and once again… just amazing. These pictures below are from a subpar camera. These pictures absolutely do no justice. They don’t show the mist in the sky, how the sun falls on the selected roses and blades of grass, the birds at the distance, and the view yonder. This was a bold a beautiful garden, and the presence you felt was unbelievable.

Robbie spent the day in Akka, and we met up at the bus station to leave Haifa. My 3 day visit in Haifa was up and I was to head for Jerusalem. We got a night bus into Jerusalem, and quite embarrassingly, we arrived without even knowing if we were in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. We had to ask someone where we were, but we quickly learned how small Israel really is.

The funny thing is, when we arrived, it was 10:00 pm, and we had NO IDEA where we were staying that night. We didn’t have a guide book nor map. So we just asked around for advice on where we could find a hostel. Within an hour, we had our place to stay. If you’re going to Jerusalem, book Abraham Hostel days/ a week in advance if you can. It’s absolutely amazing… great environment, great people, great staff, and cheap. We only stayed here for a night because they were booked all week, but I definitely advise this place!

Wednesday 5.4.2011      Dead Sea, Masada, & Jericho

We woke up early and headed out to find a car to rent. We end up renting an automatic Nissan ( Not manual L ). It was relatively inexpensive for Robbie and I to rent the car and gas. I definitely recommend renting a car in Israel and driving because the road s are good, and the drivers aren’t too crazy.

Anyhow, we drove for the Masada and the Dead Sea. We heard from some locals of a good spot along the road where there was a hot spring. This place was more for locals, so we weren’t  swarmed with tourists… quite awesome. About that time, Robbie and I met two British people. They were really cool and easy going, so from there we went on. We dipped into the Dead Sea and it was just weird. It’s like you could try to do all you could, but you will always float. I wish I had a good book so that I could read, because floating in the Dead Sea was just that easy and comfortable. Advice… don’t shave that day. It will BURN.

For anyone that knows, the sand there is a bit special. It’s exfoliative… yes, I made up a new word, but you know what I mean. We covered ourselves with the sand/ mud and then dipped into the Hot Spring. My skin was feeling soffffft. This hot spring was the best though because the top 3 inches were cool, then it got hot immediately! It was perfect, because if you ever got too hot like in a hot tub, you could just stand up or roll around and feel a nice breeze of cool water. I wish they could make all spas like that. It was seriously perfect!

At that point, the two people we met were going to the Masada as well, so we offered them a ride to the Masada. The Masada is RICH in history. Basically what happened is there were Jewish tribes who fleeted Jerusalem and settled in the Masada territory. The Jewish- Roman War started in 66 AD and by 73 AD the Romans created a ramp that lead to the top of the Masada to reach the Jews. By the time they reached to the top, they found one of the biggest mass- ‘suicides’ in history. What happened was the Jews would have rather killed each other and died before being a slave again. One person lived to tell the story.

Unfortunately, we got there 30 minutes late and so we had to take cable cars to the top. Apparently, 3:00 pm is the latest you can hike up. We hiked all the way down though so it’s all good. We also spent about 2 hours at the top of the Masada just reading information, sight-seeing, and imagining what happened under our very own feet millenniums ago.

On the way back, we decided to stop somewhere a bit more exotic, so we went to the oldest city in the World… Jericho. Jericho is Palestinian territory in the West Bank. Robbie and I had to ask a whole bunch of people if this was safe. Earlier that day, the US embassy advised us not to travel. The Palestinian territories of Israel had a lot of commotion with the death of Osama Bin Ladin the day before ‘on the news’, and the Israelis advised us not to go, but the Palestinian Israelis said there was no harm. It was split 50/50 if we should go or not, but we’re young, and we feel invincible… so why not? Our decision was made… we were going to the oldest city in the world.

We drove in, and it’s a complete Arab town, almost like a different nation. Jerusalem is quite industrialized, but this town, it was way different. So after driving around the town a bit, we decided to go to the city square. There was a police station nearby where soldiers were armed with AK47’s everywhere. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t feel as safe because I have never felt so many eyes look at me. Well, I guess I kind of look like them, but I was with my American friend, and two British/ blonde girls. Both of those which were a rare commodity in the walls of the West Bank. There was no conflict at all tough, we ate some delicious falafel, the best hummus I’ve ever had in my life, and tried to learn some Arabic from some locals. The people there were very nice… Once again, the media misconceives us by displaying fear and terror in our eyes. We were there past sunset, so it was just cool being there in the dark and leaving with no problems.

We went to a different hostel that night… Hebron Hostel to be exact… it was cheap and was your most basic hostel.

Thursday 5.5.2011            Jerusalem Day 1

We woke up early and started our touristy stuff. After dropping off the car, we headed for a free tour. Usually free tours are supposed to be the best because the guys are working solely for tips… but not here in Jerusalem. I advise not to do so in Jerusalem. We saw some cool sights like the Western Wall and what not, but I never got a good rundown of the history.

After that, we went falafel hunting and then took a nap.

We woke up a little too late and couldn’t make it out to see too much. We end up going to Mount Zion and we saw King David’s tomb.

Later, we went to the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem called Yed Vachem. It is a little out of town but it was great. It kind of puts you in a weird mood… well… because it’s the Holocaust, but it is a must- see.

Later, we were walking around the Old City in the market when we ran into some students we met in the Airline line in Barcelona that were studying abroad from Arizona… small world no? So then, we ended up hiking up Mt Of Olives at night. It was quite the hike but it gave an amazing view. You could see the wall of tombs from the Muslims, Christians, and Jews, the Great Wall, Old Jerusalem, the New City, and Bethlehem from this mountain. It was definitely worth the hike.

          

We went to the market and bought food to make sandwich. Good old way to conserve money while traveling.  Another early night of sleep.

Friday 5.6.2011                  Jerusalem Day 2

Friday was a good day. I felt like I saw an amazing amount.

Started off the morning going back to The Mount of Olives  again but for the history and sight- seeing  this time. Here, Robbie and I got a tour guide to actually learn about the history of it all. Turns out the Old City of Jerusalem was belonged to Jordan for up until the 70’s (only a duration of 20 years though). But that’s CRAZY. Other than that, we visited Mary’s Tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the place where Jesus and his disciples are believed to have prayed the night before Jesus was crucified.

After that, we made lunch and took a siesta.

Later, we did the Walk; of Via Dolorosa. This street is believed to be the street that Jesus Christ made his walk to be crucified. It is in the middle of the market, just as it was 2000 years ago. There were 12 stations of this walk with some of the prettiest churches I’ve yet seen. The artwork, the architecture, and the overall mood of this walk was a different feeling all together. This was a very meaningful ‘tourist’ attraction. The walk of Via Dolorsa lead to the Church of Holy Sepulchre. This was the most amazing church I have yet been to. It beats Sevilla’s, Barcelona’s, Granada’s, Lisbon’s, and everyone I have seen yet. It is not only because how pretty it was inside, but mainly because what this church means. It being at the end of the Via Doloroa path, they established the church at the site where Christ was crucified. It was a very bold church, dark colors, and a dawning feeling.

To end the night, we switched Hostels to Abraham Hostel. I HIGHLY recommend this hostel. One of the cooler hostels I’ve ever been to AND they support couchsurfing too! They had a helpful staff, great rooms, and awesome environment, while being relatively inexpensive.

Saturday 5.7.2011            Jerusalem Day 3

In the morning, we left for the Israel Museum. Here, they had some of the some ancient archaeological findings… they had a skull that dated back to 9,000 B.C.!!! They had findings from era to era, that dominated the ancient lands of Israel. Israel has been ruled by m many kingdoms… the romans, the Greeks, the Babolonians, the Persians…and so on. They show how society has progressed over time, how they started using more tools to live, where they lived, and basically the evolution until this present day.

They also had a section of the Israel Museum that had Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls reveal writings of the Bible… Old Testament & New Testament. Basically, people are still finding scrolls in caves and what not that have the story of the Bible on it… quite amazing. On the way to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem, you see a whole bunch of caves… If I had another day, I would have loved to park my car and gone exploring in those caves.

At night, Robbie and I went to Mayishurum to see the craziest thing yet. There, the Haredi Jews were protesting against people who were not following the Jewish Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath is from Sundown Friday night to Sundown Saturday night, and it goes against the proper use of electronics & technology, and it is the day of rest. Generally, the Haredi Jews are ultra- orthodox, and from what I have noticed and heard within the Jewish community, they don’t get along well with other Jews. The Haredi Jews have a huge political say even though their numbers are so small, and so the police can’t do much. This protest was on the streets for people who were driving their cars, and they have been protesting like so for the past two years… it’s pretty crazy.

Later that day, we left for Tel Aviv. My friend back at Tech has a friend who lives in Tel Aviv and so the friend’s friend spotted us the coolest place to see. It was along the beach in Tel Aviv, and he could see the Mediterranean Sea out his room. He had a sick Balcony, which basically was like a Bachelor’s pad. Even better, he was one of the coolest people I have yet met. He had stories of life, been through a lot, and is living the dream. He’s one of those people that walk into a room, and you can feel not only feel his energy, but how open- minded and accepting he is. Truly a great person.

Sunday 5.8.2011               Tel Aviv (I have no pictures of Tel Aviv because I captured them with my phone, and my phone was stolen before I uploaded the pictures)

That morning, we woke up and went to the Beach to relax and sleep. It was a tad bit chilly, but we managed. Later on, we sort of went to Jaffa, which is a huge free market in Tel Aviv. Went back and chilled more on the beach. The beach of Tel Aviv was amazing. I’ve been to the Beaches of California, Florida, Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, Spain, and more… but never have I seen such a cool setting. Not only that, the waves were the highest I have yet seen (not saying much). There were so many surfers, and just a clean atmosphere. One thing that’s cool about the beach we were at is that it was along the downtown area and literally a 1 minute walk from my friends place. The mix of the two was like you were in the center of it all.

I totally ripped this from google images :/

Later that evening we had to head for Italy. We got to the airport three hours early (4:30 pm). We had the most exclusive search I have ever been in.. and yes, the number of times are many. It was a 2 hour exclusive search where they went through everything. They took us to the back room, patted us down, and made sure every inch of our body wasn’t hiding anything. I don’t quite know what they were looking for, but oh well. They also broke our glass of coffee, and they said we could sew them for it if we wanted to. We passed the idea, but it’s funny to think I could have sued the Israel Airport and won… though it would have only been for $5.

The plane was delayed 3 hours, and we ended up getting into Rome at 2:30 am. I met some local Italians, and they gave me A LOT of travel advice. The right people to sit by at the right time. They lived in Tuscany… which is what you can read about in my Italy section. Anyhow, we arrived at 2:30 am… and so Italy begins.

So ya, I will 100% return to Israel at least a few more times in my lifetime. Israel will keep you on your feet to the second your plane takes off.