Day 1: July 7th and 8th, 2010 (Atlanta to Tel Aviv)

Saffran Family at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv

Al’s parents came to our house at 5:30 PM and we were still in the process of packing and finally left around 6:30 PM. We got to the airport at 7:10 PM and met up with the rest of the tour group. We checked our bags and went thru security. I spaced and left my laptop in my knapsack which slowed us down at security. We were in no rush anyway since our flight wasn’t until 10:15 PM. Everybody was hungry so we stopped at the food court at concourse E. Zach got a pepperoni slice and Hannah and Al got Chinese food. We then went to the Delta Skyclub but you can’t bring food in. I wanted to grab a drink so I went in and had a quick beer and everybody else went back to the food court. I rejoined them in five minutes and they were sitting with the Rittenbergs. After a few minutes I invited Scott R. to the Delta Club and we had a few more drinks. 15 minutes later the rest of the Saffrans and Rittenbergs joined us at the Club for drinks and snacks. The Rittenbergs never flew overseas so they were anxious so we left early and went down to the gate and sat there for over an hour. I hung out with Hannah and Zach and watched episodes of “silent library” on YouTube. This is an MTV show that Hannah had seen and it was pretty funny. Around 10 PM we finally boarded the Boeing 777. Lift off was at 10:45 PM. It was an 11 hour and 19 minutes flight to Tel Aviv. I had a pasta dinner on board and watched The Book of Eli (not very good). It wasn’t until 1:30 AM that I started to dose off and maybe slept until 3:00 AM. It was a rough night not only due to the lack of sleep but there were a number of crying babies on the flight which didn’t help. For breakfast they served pizza, chick peas, fruit, Milano cookies and a coke (great way to start the day). As we entered Israeli airspace they informed us that no one is allowed to get out of their seat for the last 30 minutes of the flight. We finally arrived at 10:10 AM EST or around 5:00 PM local time on Thursday in Ben Gurion airport after a very nice landing. Our tour group all hooked up after we got off the plane and proceeded to get our luggage and go through passport control. We met our tour guide (Schmuel) and our bus driver (Shimon). The bus drive from the airport to the Crown Plaza hotel in Tel Aviv was about 30 minutes. During our drive the tour guide pointed out various landmarks and explained the local region. We finally arrived at the hotel at 7:30 PM and took a group photo with the sunset in the background. Al and I had separate rooms from the kids [Room 313 (kids) and room 316 (parents)] and unpacked our stuff, took a quick shower and met everybody downstairs. Our hotel was right on the beach in a good location of town. The group walked on the promenade along the beach and found a restaurant that could handle 24 people. We sat outside near the beach on a beautiful night and enjoyed dinner. I had a Maccabee beer (ok) and Al had a fresh lemonade. The kids sat at a separate table. Zach had a burger and ice cream and Al and I split a beef kabob and chicken schnitzel. The portions were huge and dinner took about two hours to finish. After dinner I walked over to a supermarket and bought a case of water for the room. I headed back to the hotel room around 11:15 PM, brushed up and got into bed around 11:45 PM. We were all tired from a very long day.

View from room of the Tel Aviv Marina from Crown Plaza Hotel

View from room at the Crown Plaza Hotel

View from room at the Crown Plaza Hotel

Day 2: July 9th, 2010 (Tel Aviv)

Woke up around 5:00 AM and couldn’t fall back asleep. Finally got out of bed at 6:30 AM and showered. Al showered after me and then we got dressed, grabbed the kids and went downstairs for breakfast. They had a breakfast buffet that was huge. You walked in there was a table full of every croissant, pastry and bread you can image. Then there was another table in the center that had vegetables, fish, cheeses, yogurts, hummus and more. Another table was full of all different types of fruits and then they had a hot food section with waffles, eggs, potatoes and more. The last table was full of different kinds of cereals. Clearly, there was a great selection of food and unlimited quantities. We chowed for a while and then went back to the room to get our stuff for the day since we were going to be out most of the day. We then headed down to the lobby where everybody was ready to board the bus around 8:15 AM. As part of this

trip we have an assigned tour guide who is taking us to all the sites and explaining the history of Tel Aviv and the various buildings as we traveled around the city. Our first stop was Independence Hall.

Scott standing where Ben Gurion declared Independence for Israel

It was in this building that Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence back on May 14, 1948. Ben Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel and equate him to our George Washington. The building is not very large and you go through a few rooms before entering the main auditorium where you listen to Ben Gurion’s recorded speech from that day. It is in Hebrew so it is a little difficult to fully comprehend the impact of his words. It ends with the Israeli national anthem and everybody stands up in respect. Our tour guide explains the events that led up to that day and what transpired afterwards which is truly remarkable in light of the oppression Israel faced. One interesting comment from our tour guide was that Jews define peace as “the cease fire between wars”. This is something that we cannot fully appreciate as Americans. He also mentioned that their Independence Hall was also an art museum. When we finished there the women wanted to go to a specific hand bag store on a side street. We stopped there for a little and let the woman shop as the guys hung outside. We boarded the bus and drove around while our guide explained the buildings and history of Tel Aviv. We passed by a memorial park for the 11 Jewish Athletes that were killed during the Munich Olympics. Our next stop was Rabin Square which is the site of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

Rabin Memorial

He was a Nobel Peace prize recipient and the 5th prime minister of Israel. We got back on the bus and passed by the Opera house, Ministry of Defense and a number of other interesting buildings. Our next stop was the Azrieli Observatory which is the tallest building in Tel Aviv. You access the building thru a shopping mall and take a series of elevators there. When we finally got there we found out the observatory was closed because someone was having a Bris so we check out some of the stores in the mall and bought some drinks and snacks in a pharmacy. Our next stop was the Carmel market where you walk through a very congested side street and vendors are selling everything from produce to spices to toys.

Saffrans and Rittenbergs getting Falafels in Carmel Market

Al, Hannah and I had our first Israeli falafel and Zach had a pizza. We walked around for a while but the only thing that anybody bought was Hannah who found a toe ring she liked. We spent a couple of hours there and then walked back to the hotel. I made a pit stop at the supermarket and bought more water since we were drinking so much due to the hot weather. When we got back to the hotel, I took Zach and Andrew R. to the pool/hot tub. When the kids headed back to the room, I went into the sauna and then worked out on the Elliptical for 20 minutes. Went back to the room, showered and met downstairs for dinner at 7:00 PM. The whole group ate at the hotel for a Shabbat dinner. It was a great buffet with a very large assortment of dishes. After dinner some of us decided to have a drink on the patio at the bar. I had a Goldstar beer (good) and Al had a wine. We stayed there until 12 AM and finally went to bed around 12:30 AM.

Day 3: July 10th, 2010 (Tel Aviv)

Scott in front of the Tel Aviv Crown Plaza Hotel

Woke around 5:00 AM and had to go to the bathroom. It was still dark out so I went back to bed and fell back asleep until 7:45 AM. Motivated at 7:45 AM and toke a showered and shaved. Al showered after me. We got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. The food was slightly different then the day before but still a vast quantity and selection. We headed back to the room around 8:45 AM to brush up and then went downstairs to meet the Rabbi and others to head over to services. The Rabbi knew a conservative synagogue about 20 minutes from the hotel so the four of us walked over there. It was a small local synagogue with about 30 people in it when we got there around 9:30 AM. They knew we were not locals and were very nice to us when we entered the building. As time went on the synagogue slowly filled up handling about 100 people. We also realized there two identical brothers were getting Bar Mitzvah’d so that made the service extra special. Even so, I still found some time to close my eyes and dose off. The Rabbi there knew our Rabbi so we felt very comfortable. The service lasted until 12:30 PM and then we went behind the main building to a courtyard and had an Oneg where they had a couple of tables set up with drinks, crackers, and fruit. It was much smaller then what we were used to but very nice still the same. We hung out about 10 minutes and then started our 20 minute trek back to the hotel. It was hot out so we all worked up a good sweat by the time we got back. We headed up the elevator to our floor and all the kids were sitting there. Zach informed us that he and Hannah had both slept until 12 PM. They needed it since they had gone to bed late and still had not recovered from the time change. We got back to the room and changed into our bathing suits and headed down for lunch around 1:30 PM. We finished lunch and decided to meet in the lobby at 3:00 PM to hang on the beach. The beach was great. There were a lot of people hanging out playing paddle ball (official Israeli beach sport). The water was nice and warm and the waves were excellent. We all had a wonderful time and the kids really enjoyed themselves. We spent a few hours on the beach and then went back to the room and showered up for dinner. A few of us decided to have a little cocktail party in the room and had some vodka drinks mixed with OJ. We then went out for dinner and found a nice place to eat and watched the Germany/Uruguay third place soccer match. It was getting late so we headed back to the hotel and passed out.

Day 4: July 11th, 2010 (Tel Aviv)

Woke up at 6:45 AM and went downstairs for breakfast. Went back to the room after breakfast, brushed our teeth and went downstairs to the bus around 8:30 AM. Our first stop was the Ben Gurion House.

Entrance to Ben Gurion's House

Since it was so close to the hotel we decided to walk over there instead of driving. It was only a 15 minute walk. Ben Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel and Minister of Defense. He lived in a very modest house especially compared to American standards. I was surprised at the lack of security at his house and how accessible all of his personal belongings were (you can go right up to everything and touch it, even though you were not suppose to touch things). We watched a movie about him and all the special accomplishments he had in his life. The highlight was the second floor of this house that had over 20,000 books in the library. We spent about an hour and a half at the house before heading back to the bus and then drove south to the old city of Jaffa.

Zach in Jaffa with Tel Aviv in the background

As we walked around the city our tour guide provided details of the city’s rich history. Jaffa is located on the Mediterrean with excellent views of Tel Aviv. We walked around for an hour and worked up a good sweat. Since it was time for lunch we stopped at a strip mall and got food. Hannah, Al and I all got Schwarma’s and Zach got cheese pastries at a bakery. Our next stop was an old Kibbutz training facility that had a secret bullet manufacturing facility underground. This facility was used during the British rule of Palestine until 1948. They were never discovered by the British nor did anybody at the Kibbutz know what they were doing. 45 workers would descend down through a secret passage under the washing machine in the wash room everyday for three years. We had an opportunity to go down the secret passage and saw the operations. Our next stop was the Palmach Museum which was dedicated to the freedom fighters of Israel before the official army was formed. We each received a listening device and moved from room to room learning about the Palmach in an interesting multi-media presentation. We all learned a lot and enjoyed the museum. Our last stop for the day was the Azrieli Observatory.

View from Azrieli Observatory

This observatory is located on the 49th floor of a mall in Tel Aviv and provides excellent panoramic views of the city. We took a bunch of pictures and then headed back down to the bus which took us back to the hotel. At the hotel we washed up and joined the Rittenburgs for dinner. We found a great little pizza place not far from the hotel that ended up having very good pizza. No complaints from anybody. For dessert we walked a few blocks and got some ice cream for the kids. We wanted to head back to the hotel because the world cup soccer final between Spain and Netherlands was on and we definitely wanted to watch the game. Al and Zach decided to stay in the room while Hannah and I went down to the hotel bar on the beach where a large screen projector TV was set to show the game. The place was packed but we were able to get good seats on a couch. I had a beer and we ordered some edamame. It was a great game with Spain winning 1-0 in overtime. We finally headed back up to the room and got into bed around 12:30 AM.

Day 5: July 12th, 2010 (Tel Aviv and Haifa)

Got up around 6:30 AM showered, put our luggage outside our room and then went downstairs for the buffet around 7:00 AM. We had a solid breakfast and then headed back up to the room quickly to get our small bags we wanted to carry on the bus. We went down to the buses around 8:00 AM and headed north along the coastal road to our first location. It took about 45 minutes to visit an old aqueduct that was located parallel to the beach. We hung out there for about 30 minutes and took pictures.

The adults in front of the Aqueduct at Caesarea

When we headed back to the bus in the parking lot, a local vendor parked his truck next to us and was selling souvenirs. His truck was rigged so that he could slide his vending table and hanging stuff right out the back of his truck. We didn’t buy anything but a couple of people did get a few items. Our next stop was the ancient city of Caesarea. This was a very interesting Roman and Crusader ruin.

Scott in the middle of Caesarea

We always hit the bathrooms first before venturing out and while I was waiting for Al, I started talking to a woman from Connecticut who happened to have a brother that lived in Marietta, GA. I didn’t know her brother but after speaking further, our Rabbi knew her Rabbi and started doing Jewish geography. Our first stop at the ruins was multi-media presentation that explained the history of Caesarea. After the video we headed over to the ampi-theater where our tour guide explained more details about the area. It was another very hot day and we all huddled in the shade while he spoke. We continued walking around Caesarea and all the excavated ruins which were located right along the Mediterranean. There was a harbor place, bath house, chariot hippodrome, and many other structures. On the grounds of Caesarea was the Drydal House where they sold all different types of drydals, most of which were handmade. We spent a couple of hours in Caesarea and then got back on the bus and continued to head north. It was around 1:00 PM so we stopped for lunch. We went to a cafeteria style restaurant where you picked out a meat and two vegetables. Zach and Hannah both got the chicken, Al got the meatballs and I got the stuffed cabbage (with chickpeas and lima beans). Not a big surprise but Zach did not like his food but the rest of us did. Zach ended up getting a big of tortilla chips at the gas station. Around 1:45 PM we got back on the bus and went to Crusader city of Acre. Our first stop there was the old castle. Many rooms of the castle were recently excavated and our tour guide presented the history of the building from Crusader time to recent time when it was the central British prison in Palestine. We then headed over to a silver and jewelry store where they made a lot of handmade items. Our next stop was the market area within Acre. This was a very traditional market where you walked around narrow corridors and people were selling all types of products from toys to fish and much more. After walking through the market we came across the Templar Tunnels. This was a very cool secret passage underground that the knights used to gain access to the castle from the ocean. We went down a set of stairs and had to bend down and walk through a long low ceiling dark tunnel with running water on each side. We walked down a few tunnels and then emerged up a set of stairs and came outside across the street from the Mediterranean.

Alan S and Scott standing at the exit of the Templar Tunnel in Acre

Our bus met us there and continued to drive north along the coast to Rosh Hanikra where we descended by cable care to see the magnificent underwater grottoes.

Zack in front of a grotto

We watched a video that explained the history of the grotto and how the British actually bored through the mountain to establish a railroad that would be able to provide supplies to the Northern Territories. In the late 1940’s a section of the tunnel was blown up by military forces and has been closed ever since. What you are able to walk through is the eroded caves and walk ways throughout the grotto. The floor is very slippery and Terry Rittenberg slipped and hit the ground hard. She was ok but we were all very cautious after that making sure to hold onto the railing along the path. When we emerged from the grotto we rode the cable car back up the mountain and walked over to the border crossing between Israel and Lebanon. We took a bunch of pictures with

the whole group and individually.

Saffrans at the Israeli border at Rosh Hanikra

It was a long day and we got back on the bus for the one hour drive to Haifa where we were spending the night. Before getting to our hotel we made a pit stop to take pictures of the angled gardens and Bahai Shrine.

View of the Bahai Shrine and Gardens in Haifa

Haifa is built on the side of a mountain (similar layout to San Francisco), so looking down the mountain you get a great view of the city and of the gardens that are planted on the side of the mountain. We re-boarded and made it to the Dan Carmel Hotel around 7:45 PM. Went up to room 803 (kids) and 804 (parents). Al’s legs were hurting from walking around so we relaxed a few minutes in the room before heading out for dinner. We wanted something quick and easy. The concierge recommended we walk to Haifa Center which was only 10 minutes down the street from the hotel. We headed toward the Center area and came upon a mall so we decided to check it out for a restaurant. Not much was open but we did find one and checked out the menu. Everybody was able to find something so we decided to eat there instead of walking around more. Zach ordered a pizza and lemonade, Hannah had a cream cheese and salmon toasted sandwich with salad and ice tea, Al had a chicken noodle stir fry with a lemonade and I had the vegetable stir fry. Not long after we sat down another couple from our trip came to the restaurant and sat at the table next to us. Before the food came out, Zach and I went to the Pharmacy (like a CVS) in the mall and bought a six pack of large water, some energy bars and gum. We headed back to the table and the food came out soon afterwards. Everybody was pleased with the quality and quantity of their food. We were all tired from a long day so we finished up and walked back to the hotel. We got back around 9:30 PM, showered up and relaxed. We knew tomorrow was going to be another busy day so we wanted to try and go to bed early.

Day 6: July 13th, 2010 (Haifa and Tiberias)

Woke up at 6:30 AM, showered and packed up our stuff so we could leave it outside our room by 7:00 AM. We all went downstairs for a buffet breakfast at the hotel. It was not as good as the previous days but still fine with much to choose from. After finishing breakfast we went back up to the room quickly to grab our small bags and then went downstairs to meet everybody at the bus at 8:00 AM. Like usual not everybody showed up on time and we finally left at 8:25 AM. Our first stop was Megiddo about 35 minutes from Haifa. This was an ancient walled city with ruins and active excavation digs going on.

Excavation at Megiddo

Because of its strategic location at the crossroads of several major routes, Megiddo and its environs have witnessed several major battles throughout history.  Best known for the Battle of Armageddon.  Besides the great views, the interesting feature was the old water reservoir that was constructed. We descended down a 138 step staircase and walked thru the old water tunnel that fed spring water into the reservoir. When we emerged came back up a staircase and our bus was waiting for us.

Hannah coming up the staircase of the reservoir

We headed northeast and drove thru Nazereth where the emaculate conception occurred and then stopped at Tzipori. Tzipori was another ancient city with many ruins and interesting roman mosaics. We walked around for about an hour and then drove further northeast and stopped for lunch. Hannah, Al and I each had a falafel and Zach had a bag of French fries. After lunch we went to Zefat where there was a very old Synagogue called Abohau that we checked out. The predominant color of the synagogue is blue. The Torah commands Jews to put a blue thread in the tallit (prayer shawl). Jewish tradition teaches that blue suggests the heavens, which induces thought of G-d. The color thus helps direct thoughts and prayers to G-d.

The kids on the Bima at Abohau Synagogue

We then walked around the market place where there were a number of art galleries and shops. Around 4:15 we headed to Tiberias where our hotel (Leonardo Hotel) was located. We arrived around 5:00 PM and checked in. When we got up to the room our key didn’t work so I had to head back downstairs to get things worked out. Our room had a beautiful view of Lake Tiberias or the official name of Sea of Galilee. Across the lake you can see the hills of the Golan Heights. We decided to head down to the pool area and let the kids swim while we had some drinks. I decided to head over to the supermarket and get some beers and brought them back to the pool. A bunch of us hung out for a while drinking and then went back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. We went with the Rittenberg’s and walked to a restaurant close to the hotel. Hannah had a Swarma and Zach and Al both had a chicken schnitzel. Zach actually tried a onion ring even though he did not like it that much. After dinner we got the kids some ice cream and walked around the outdoor market near the water where hundreds of people were shopping also. At 10 PM we headed back to the hotel and got back in the room by 10:15 PM. In the room we relaxed and watched TV and then went to bed around 11:30 PM.

View from our hotel room in Tiberias

Day 7: July 14th, 2010 (Tiberias)

Scott at the gate in Capernaum

We woke up at 6:30 AM and went downstairs for breakfast at 7:15 AM. We then boarded the bus at 8:00 AM and drove to Capernaum (8:30 AM). This is where Jesus ended up after being chased out of Nazereth. This is also the place where he started Christianity and performed many of his miracles. An old Synagogue ruins remains where Jesus actually taught. Our next stop (10:00 AM) was the Golan Heights Winery.

The Saffrans at the Golan Heights Winery

They gave us a tour of the winery and then we had the opportunity to sample three wines. The best part of this was watching the kids sample the wines. Hannah didn’t like any of them but Zach liked the sweeter dessert wine. I think a couple of the kids actually felt the effects of the wine after the tour. They gave everybody a token wine opener as a parting gift.

We then ventured further northwest through the Golan Heights to an old Army Outpost called Merom Golan on Mt. Bental. From there we looked over the border of Israel to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

Hannah on Mt. Bental with Syria in the background

There is a buffer zone between the borders that the UN oversees. In the distance we could actually hear tanks firing their guns (practicing maneuvers). On top of the outpost we had a great view of the surrounding countryside. We got back on the bus and drove over to a place where they have jeep tours of the Golan Heights. Each jeep held nine people and we drove through the back countryside along barbed wired fences with signs stating “danger land mines”.

Land Mine sign in Golan Heights

Throughout the Golan Heights there are still many live mines that the Syrians planted there when they controlled the land. During the jeep tour we made one pit stop at an old ruins along a stream. We got out and stretched our legs and then hit the road again. The jeeps drove us over to the Naot Shoe Factory located in the Kibbutz Naot.

Jeep at the Naot Shoe Factory

This was one of the highlights for Al since she loves their shoes and you can buy then at a reduced price compared to what it cost in the US. We were there about an hour and then made a very quick stop at a gas station to pick up lunch since we were on a time crunch. I got a yogurt, Zach got a beef sausage and Al and Hannah had hummus and pita. We needed to hustle because we were scheduled for a rafting trip down the Jordan River. When we got to the river we all changed into our bathing suits and listening to a guide give us instructions on what to do on the raft. After our little “class” we got our life vests and manned our rafts. Denise G. joined our family and we had five people on our raft. Most of the way the water was very calm and there was only one little drop where they take of picture of you. This was a very nice relaxing rafting trip. When everybody made it down the river we got back on the bus and I decided to hang out with the kids. All throughout the trip they would sit in the back of the bus while the adults sat upfront. I decided to give them a hard time and sit in the back. This started an all out fight and the kids attacked me. We wrestled for a while until I lost steam and headed back up front to my seat. By the way, everybody stayed in the same seat on the bus throughout the whole trip. When we got back to the hotel, I walked over to the store and picked up some water and beers. We then showered up and met everybody downstairs for dinner. We walked over to a restaurant called Decks where they cook up different types of meats and fishes. It was a good meal but took too long. After dinner we walked around the market place a little bit and then headed back to the room around 11:00 PM.

Rafting on the Jordan River