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Settling In at Sde Eliyahu
Mar. 21st, 2011 03:00 pmWhew, do I have a long tale for you! I've been keeping records in a physical journal (and will continue to do so for the rest of the trip), which I'm going to transfer in part to here.
Minimal links, because there's a lot of information here and I haven't had a chance to actually look around the entire kibbutz yet.
Checking in for my boarding pass the night before I left was a good idea. I only had to go through the bag check instead of the long lines for check-in, and it took barely twenty minutes (mostly because there was no available station). I got through the TSA checkpoint with an empty water bottle, fortunately, so I could fill it on the other side.
It was cloudy when I left, and would stay so until we started flying over the Balkans, after I'd switched planes. I also couldn't get to sleep during the entire flight, which was a spectacularly bad idea. Not entirely my fault, though.
I had to go through four or five passport and carry-on checks. That was fun. At Ben Gurion Airport, I had trouble finding my suitcase because someone had taken it off the carousel track and just dumped it on the floor.
Traveler's Tip: When picking up luggage, always make sure to stand where the luggage comes out so you see it right away and can move faster. Also, there will be less chance someone will simply pick your bag up and leave. Also, make sure your baggage has your name and contact (and address as well), and perhaps something that will help you identify the bag(s) more easily.
I arrived in Israel at 3 in the afternoon, tired but eager to see what I could. I managed to stay awake until 9 PM or so and somehow slept exactly eight hours. I...really don't know why, considering I'd been up for over a day and a half by that point and there really was no rush. Fredi and Aviva, the couple I was staying with until the ulpan started, showed me around Yavne a little. It's an industrial town, mostly, and used to be quite an important one. Lately, though, its importance has declined.
Later, we went to old Jaffa (Yaffo), just south of Tel Aviv, and looked at the Ottoman fort. No pictures for that, sadly--I forgot my camera that day. There were a lot of art galleries, one of which featured the works of artist Patricia Govezensky. The curator there seemed pleased that I knew of her (thanks, Dad). We also visited the harbor, where people where fishing and where Andromeda Rock stands (yes, that Andromeda), and passed by the embassies of the Vatican and of the Greek Orthodox Church. We also walked up the hill to the Statue of Faith and the Wishing Bridge.
Drivers in Israel appear to be insane. They are incredibly unsafe, veering without signaling, speeding, and cutting in at high speed. For those of you planning on driving or riding with someone, please do be aware of this. Don't distract the driver or allow yourself to be distracted, but remain aware. Also, parking is very limited, and by that I mean VERY limited. Drivers will often park on sidewalks or in no-park zones because there's absolutely nowhere else to go.
Remember this post on what movies to watch? Talking with a lot of the volunteers here, it seems that yes, the movie You Don't Mess With the Zohan is somewhat accurate...especially where using hummus on absolutely everything is concerned. Not that I mind; I love hummus.
This weekend (including today) was also Purim. There were people dressed up in costumes, and hammentaschen absolutely everywhere of all kinds. At the kibbutz, the celebration was yesterday. Today, only a few cities are celebrating (I have yet to find out the reason WHY different cities celebrate on different days).
On the 19th of March, we went to Bet Jemail, where a monastery and a nunnery stand. The nuns mostly make chocolate and handmade glazed pottery, and the monks make olive oil and wine. Many of the olive trees there are between six hundred and eight hundred years old! In the back of the monastery is a small church dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Since Bet Jemail is in the Judean hills (though not as high as Jerusalem), I got a pretty good view of the land spread out below.
Afterwards, we went to Jerusalem. More specifically, to Ein Kerem, where we had lunch and took a quick tour of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, which was built on the ruins of a Byzantine church (discovered when a cannon fell through the courtyard into the church below) commemorating the birthplace of St. John.
That night, Aviva and I went to a concert given by the wonderful Trifonas Nikolaidis.
To be continued...
Minimal links, because there's a lot of information here and I haven't had a chance to actually look around the entire kibbutz yet.
Checking in for my boarding pass the night before I left was a good idea. I only had to go through the bag check instead of the long lines for check-in, and it took barely twenty minutes (mostly because there was no available station). I got through the TSA checkpoint with an empty water bottle, fortunately, so I could fill it on the other side.
It was cloudy when I left, and would stay so until we started flying over the Balkans, after I'd switched planes. I also couldn't get to sleep during the entire flight, which was a spectacularly bad idea. Not entirely my fault, though.
I had to go through four or five passport and carry-on checks. That was fun. At Ben Gurion Airport, I had trouble finding my suitcase because someone had taken it off the carousel track and just dumped it on the floor.
Traveler's Tip: When picking up luggage, always make sure to stand where the luggage comes out so you see it right away and can move faster. Also, there will be less chance someone will simply pick your bag up and leave. Also, make sure your baggage has your name and contact (and address as well), and perhaps something that will help you identify the bag(s) more easily.
I arrived in Israel at 3 in the afternoon, tired but eager to see what I could. I managed to stay awake until 9 PM or so and somehow slept exactly eight hours. I...really don't know why, considering I'd been up for over a day and a half by that point and there really was no rush. Fredi and Aviva, the couple I was staying with until the ulpan started, showed me around Yavne a little. It's an industrial town, mostly, and used to be quite an important one. Lately, though, its importance has declined.
Later, we went to old Jaffa (Yaffo), just south of Tel Aviv, and looked at the Ottoman fort. No pictures for that, sadly--I forgot my camera that day. There were a lot of art galleries, one of which featured the works of artist Patricia Govezensky. The curator there seemed pleased that I knew of her (thanks, Dad). We also visited the harbor, where people where fishing and where Andromeda Rock stands (yes, that Andromeda), and passed by the embassies of the Vatican and of the Greek Orthodox Church. We also walked up the hill to the Statue of Faith and the Wishing Bridge.
Drivers in Israel appear to be insane. They are incredibly unsafe, veering without signaling, speeding, and cutting in at high speed. For those of you planning on driving or riding with someone, please do be aware of this. Don't distract the driver or allow yourself to be distracted, but remain aware. Also, parking is very limited, and by that I mean VERY limited. Drivers will often park on sidewalks or in no-park zones because there's absolutely nowhere else to go.
Remember this post on what movies to watch? Talking with a lot of the volunteers here, it seems that yes, the movie You Don't Mess With the Zohan is somewhat accurate...especially where using hummus on absolutely everything is concerned. Not that I mind; I love hummus.
This weekend (including today) was also Purim. There were people dressed up in costumes, and hammentaschen absolutely everywhere of all kinds. At the kibbutz, the celebration was yesterday. Today, only a few cities are celebrating (I have yet to find out the reason WHY different cities celebrate on different days).
On the 19th of March, we went to Bet Jemail, where a monastery and a nunnery stand. The nuns mostly make chocolate and handmade glazed pottery, and the monks make olive oil and wine. Many of the olive trees there are between six hundred and eight hundred years old! In the back of the monastery is a small church dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Since Bet Jemail is in the Judean hills (though not as high as Jerusalem), I got a pretty good view of the land spread out below.
Afterwards, we went to Jerusalem. More specifically, to Ein Kerem, where we had lunch and took a quick tour of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, which was built on the ruins of a Byzantine church (discovered when a cannon fell through the courtyard into the church below) commemorating the birthplace of St. John.
That night, Aviva and I went to a concert given by the wonderful Trifonas Nikolaidis.
To be continued...
