I just returned from my trip to Israel. It was amazing!
Let me present you with the highlights (part 1).
Wednesday evening I flew out of Baltimore, met up with Joseph in Philadelphia. He flew in from San Antonio. Our flight was direct to Tel Aviv, and was about 11 hours. I'm lucky because I can sleep on planes.
We arrived in Tel Aviv at about 3:00 in the afternoon. We picked up a rental car and drove into Tel Aviv where we had a hotel rooms reserved for the night. I was the navigator of the trip, which turned out to be a little bit crazy at times. (I'm just glad I wasn't driving.) Although there were several wrong turns at different points, we made it eventually everywhere that we needed to go. (And I got better as I caught on to how their system worked.)
Our hotel was right on the beach in Tel Aviv. After we got settled in, we got some food at the grocery store next to our hotel and went down to the beach to eat it. It was sunset and the beach was beautiful!
This is what it looked like during the day. The water was so warm, green, and clear. It reminded me of Mexico.
Joseph's parents flew in from Berlin at 3am, so we drove to the airport to get them. After a few more hours of sleeping, we headed into Jerusalem.
It was Friday night, so we headed down to the Western (Wailing) Wall, which is where the Jews gather to welcome in the Sabbath. It was amazing.
Here I am with the wall in the background.
Everyone is free to approach the wall, but the men and women must do so separately, and there is a wall separating the two sections. The women's side is on the right, while the men are on the left.
More pictures from the Western Wall. The place REALLY filled up, but as soon as Shabbat officially started, cameras were no longer allowed to be used.
(You can see the Dome of the Rock in the background.)
The next day we went up to the BYU Jerusalem Center for church. That's right, church on Saturday! I love it. In fact, I sort of like the idea of having the Sabbath on Saturday.
Me and the Jerusalem Center, the side that faces the city.
The view of the city from the Jerusalem Center. Beautiful!
Joseph and I at the Jerusalem Center.
From there we got a ride down to Gethsemane, which is located on the Mt. of Olives, just east of the Old City. We saw it, as well as some of the other sites right there.
A view up to the Old City. You can see the wall around the city and the Dome of the Rock peaking up.
Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Another view of the city, most notably, the Golden Gate (also known as the Sealed Gate).
The Church of All Nations.
Inside the Tomb of the Virgin.
From the Mount of Olives, we caught a taxi back over to the Garden Tomb, which was very near our hotel.
This is me and "The Place of the Skull," which is believed by some to be the location of the crucifixion.
The Garden Tomb.
From there, we drove out to the Dead Sea. (That's what that road sign says, that we're heading in the right direction.)
Truly, this is among the most barren places in the world.
We made it to the Dead Sea!
Floating in the Dead Sea is among one of the coolest things I've ever done. I thought it might be one of those things that people exaggerate a little bit on...you know, like, okay, you can float, but only if you're positioned in just the right way, and that way is tricky to find. Not so. It's hard to keep yourself underwater. Here is Joseph and I floating in the sea.
Although absolutely nothing can live in the Dead Sea, it's famous for its minerals and rejuvenating effects on your skin. The mud is sold around the world, so of course we had to give ourselves the usual (free!) Dead Sea mud skin treatment. That is to say, slather the mud from the sea all over ourselves.
Honestly, my skin has NEVER felt softer than it did after that. It was amazing! I felt a little bit slippery.
Don't I look rejuvenated?
We returned from the Dead Sea after dark and Joseph and went out again to explore the city. This is me eating some kabobs (in pita bread) that we bought from a street vendor for 7 shekels (about $1.75), with the Damascus Gate in the background. Yum!
A cool after-dark shot of the Dome of the Rock.
Another view of the Old City and the wall around it.
We found a path that led us right up to the Golden (Sealed) Gate. It was cool, but a little bit creepy, mostly for the following reasons: (1) it was dark, (2) there was an armed Israeli guard up on the wall watching us (we were the only ones there; he just wanted to make sure we didn't do anything crazy, I guess) (you can see him in the first cutout on the right), and (3) the area in front of the Sealed Gate is a Muslim graveyard.
The Sealed Gate is located on the east side of the city, facing the Mt. of Olives. According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah comes to Jerusalem, he will enter the city from the east, or through the Golden Gate. To prevent this from happening, back in the 1500s, the Muslims sealed the gate. They also later built a cemetery in front of it, believing that this too would prevent him from entering.
Fascinating!
The cemetery.
Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon...
Another department tradition is the Tshirt. Steven made my Tshirt and did the presentation.
Clearly, I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and explanation. He's funny, there's no denying it.
They also put the Tshirt content in frames so you can put them in your future office. (And they are, don't worry.) This was the front...
And this was the back....
And of course, they make put it right on and wear it for the rest of the party.
People made speeches...my adviser (Ted), my faculty adviser (Don), even Steven wanted to say more. I was really touched by all the nice things people had to say. (This is me listening to all the speeches.)
During Steven's speech, I remember him saying he'd miss me because no one laughed at his jokes as much as I did. (Which is true, by the way.) (But he's so dang funny, I can't help it.)
Not the best of me, but fun to remember who was there!
My parents came out for the occasion! I was glad they were there.
Me with Don (left) and Ted (right).
Me with Mukremin (my academic older brother who graduated a few years before me -- he just happened to be in town for it) and Steven.
White dwarf groupies.
Yep, I was one happy graduate!
