Israel

If you are religious, spiritual, or just interested in the historical aspects of the Judeo-Christian faiths, then venturing to Israel is an absolute necessity. The entire experience, from the flight we took via Germany to arrive in Tel Aviv, to the heavy airport screening that takes place upon entrance and exit from Israel, was memorable. It is a dream of so many to visit Israel and you can't help but feel that energy when you arrive.

If you're like me, the mere thought of 'Israel' conjures up images of violence and grief. But there is another side to Israel that we don't see on CNN. First off, much of the military strife and aggression takes place in a relatively small section of the country, far away from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and other tourist attractions. While you may see security checkpoints at various places -- on the drive to Masada, for example -- you really don't feel that you may be in any danger. If anything, I have never felt safer.

Tel Aviv is lush, beautiful, and full of love. The beaches are packed from daybreak to evening (and into the wee hours of the morning). The produce is outstanding! I have never tasted watermelon as sweet as the ones we had here.

What's most striking about Tel Aviv is the fact that locals seem like the happiest people on earth. They are full of joy and seem to live every day to its fullest. The Muslim and Jewish sections coexist, and it is normal to find members of both faiths eating at the same restaurants.

Jerusalem, of course, has an entirely unique vibration. We took a tour to the Old City and spent the day visiting all the holy sites -- King David's Tomb, St. James Cathedral, the Holocaust Museum, and the Western Wall. It was emotional to say the least. You can't really help it. We were on the tour with a family from Mexico City. The father and I both felt so overwhelmed with emotion that we cried spontaneously at the entrance of King David's Tomb. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest -- it was a feeling I will never forget.

After a few days of relaxing on the magnificent beaches of Tel Aviv, we took a private tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. Masada overlooks the Dead Sea and some pilgrims choose to hike up to the plateau over the course of 4 hours. We took the cable car. Essentially, it is the site of an ancient fortress that was invaded by the Romans. You can see the remains of the synagogue, palace rooms, bathhouses, and storage rooms.

The Dead Sea, scientists speculate, may not be around much longer. So you better hurry before it dries up! Its salt content is so high that you literally float on the water. The feeling is surreal. You almost feel like you may fall over as you're getting in, but once you're afloat, it's magnificent. Just don't get it into your eyes. I couldn't see for a solid 5 minutes. The mud is also highly beneficial to your skin. Lee had more fun playing with the mud than anyone else on the beach that day.

We had just a week in Israel but it really felt like 'home'. Don't be misled by the media, Israel is a safe place to travel to, and as long as you're not frightening by the presence of guns (all the bouncers at the clubs/bars carry them!) you will be in for the spiritual ride of a lifetime.

Sevilla, Spain

Sevilla is the capital of Andulusia and a 3 hour drive from Marbella. We drove through the beautiful countryside and made our way through the maze that is the central part of Sevilla. Our hotel was located near the heart of the old town, surrounded by the main cathedral, the old Jewish quarter, Alcazar (palace), and of course, dozens of tapas bars.

Unlike in Marbella, you really feel like you're in Spain in this cobblestoned town. We spent two days walking through the narrow streets and alleys and just taking in the traditional Spanish culture. As I've mentioned before, Marbella is not really Spain. It's a beautiful place and the best choice if you're planning to stay over an extended period (as we did). But, it's places like Sevilla that test our fluency of the language, our familiarity with the history and culture, and our not-so tapa savvy tastebuds.

Oslo, Norway

The best thing about Europe is that most countries are just a hop, skip, and jump away within the continent. Scandanavia is practically a suburb of Spain so we decided to spend a few days in Norway. Lee has been to Sweden already and we've both heard wonderful things about its neighbor to the West.

We arrived at the Oslo airport and took a train through fields of lavender to get to the city. The public transport is immaculate. Most Scandanavians are taught English from a young age. Though language wasn't a huge problem for us, purchasing subway tickets from stand alone machines was challenging because none of the machines included English instructions. Norwegian is unlike anything I've ever read! I recall being in my 7th grade typing class and typing erratically on the keyboard , making up words like 'Det smakde meget god. ' That's what Norwegian looks like to me. I digress...

The most striking part about Scandanavia in the summer is that the days are very long. The sun sets well after midnight and rises around 4 a.m. If the curtains at your hotel are not thick enough, your internal clock can really get screwed up. It was clear that Norwegians were loving every moment of the season. One waitress said that locals are always happier in the summer, but almost bipolar. After all, the winter is dark and the days are very short. I imagine it would be quite depressing.

Speaking of depression, we visited the Munch museum (which houses the infamous 'Scream' painting). Now there's a depressed guy. It's one thing to see a representation of his works in an art history book, but walking through the museum was draining. Every piece of art displayed was gloomy, somber, and often- macabre. We also visited the Viking museum and learned all about their history. They had 3 actual ships displayed that were discovered in the early 1900's that were build in the 800s and were well preserved. See photo. It's also interesting to see how the physical characteristics of these broad, strong, people have been retained today. I've never seen so many tall people.

Of course, there are also the fjords (Lee's favorite word next to archipelago). You can take a 2-hour tour on the water to see them and they are really interesting estuaries, formed in the Ice Age. A few of the longest fjords in the world are in Norway. A must-see.

Next time, I'd like to visit Sweden, Finland, and Iceland as well. There's something unique about that part of the world. It's difficult to explain but the perspective of the sky seems different and the air is crisp and clean. Though we only spent a few days in Norway, it's a place that ranks rather high on the list of countries we have visited on this trip (which is around 20 at this point).

French Riviera

You've heard of 'wedding crashers' but what about HONEYMOON crashers? Well, our weekend in the South of France was spent doing just that -- crashing our friends' honeymoon! Congratulations again to Greg and Julie on their recent nuptials. Since we were out of the country for their Cabo wedding, we decided to connect with them on their sacred honeymoon.

We started in Nice where the streets are lined in cobblestone and the hillsides are covered with beautiful French villas. We arrived just a week after the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix, which is the busiest time of the year for the region. I can't really compare the South with Paris - which is a magnificent city sans the beautiful crystal blue coast and suntanned locals.

We did what all the French do (except smoke 3 packs/day) - we ate crepes and chocolate crossiants with GOOD coffee in the morning, planned our entire day around lunch, then ate a leisurely 3 hour dinner. In between these meals, the four of us visited Monaco, just a quick 20-minute drive away (hard to believe it is it's own country). The streets were still lined with guard rails from the race held the weekend before. Lee certainly did enjoy driving through
the streets like he was in his very own Formula 1. We also indulged in ice cream, and the boys took a dip in the ice cold ocean.

Traveling has been all about new experiences, new faces, and new stories the past several months but an encounter with old friends gives you some of the sensibilities of home. Like it or not, Julie and Greg will always have us in their honeymoon photo album.