It had been 7 years since my last visit to Israel, a country that I had spent over 2 years living and traveling through during my college days. Thus, my anticipation and excitement to return here were sky high, especially eager to show off the country to Jason. However, my first impression of Tel Aviv was definitely a disappointment, discovering how dirty and rundown parts of the city seemed to have gotten. This was especially evident on our walk along the esplanade to Old Jaffa, where the number of deserted structures, heaps of garbage, and stray cats clashed against the beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. I returned from that afternoon a little disenfranchised about why this place was so special.

One night out with our friend Yoav, coupled with great conversation about why this city maintains so many of its quirks, helped us to see through some of the superficial flaws. I started to experience all the wonderful aspects of the country that I had fallen in love with years ago. First and foremost, Israeli people are a breed all of their own. Although their no-nonsense, straightforward approach to life often comes off as rude, I find their blunt nature somewhat refreshing. I was especially impressed when our waiter informed the table next to us that had not left him a tip, that service is not included and that it's typically 10%. In the states you would have just been left with a disgruntled server who most likely wouldn’t have said anything.

The food in this country is absolutely outstanding. I had forgotten about all the fresh breads, delicious array of dairy products, and incredible salads they have here. Our first day in Tel Aviv we made a b-line for Yotvata to indulge in the fresh smoothies that are amazing. There is a really cool area along the water that didn’t exist when I was last there called the New Port. We spent many meals in the great restaurants there, including an afternoon at Aroma Café catching up with my old friend Asgeir who I met in Jerusalem.

Our 4 days in Tel Aviv flew by, and before we knew it we were on our way down south to spend Yom Kippur with my cousins in Beer Sheva. No doubt being in Israel for the high holidays is a unique experience, since the entire country literally shuts down. It is generally accepted that people don’t drive their cars on the holiday, which leaves the streets completely open to pedestrians. It felt like a block party as we walked to shul for Kil Nidre, the streets flowing with people socializing and children riding their bikes. It’s a site that apparently only happens once a year. The best part of the weekend in Beer Sheva was of course spending time with my cousins Amy, Miryam and Yishai, all of who I had gotten to know when I spent time in Israel before.

Yesterday was an adventure filled day with Miryam, Achiad (her boyfriend) and Yishai. After packing I think around a dozen sandwiches for just the 5 of us, they took us on a day trip to some beautiful sites in the Negev. First we stopped off at Ben Gurion’s gravesite, which is a spectacular look out onto a large canyon. We descended into Ein Avdat, and did a little hike in this area, eventually coming to a small flowing spring. Yishai, Jason and I opted to climb to the top of the canyon, which was an adventure in itself. Yishai and his 17-year-old nimble body, was practically giving us a heart attack with his attempts to scale the side of the mountain instead of using the path. Once Miryam and Achiad picked us up in the car, we continued to Makhtesh Ramon, the largest crater in Israel. Since I was last there, they have set up a sculpture garden along the rim of the canyon -- we had fun swinging on the large swings structure! Watching the sunset from Camel Point was the perfect way to end that long day in the desert.

Our 2 weeks in Israel and Jordan have been jam-packed with so many adventures, it’s hard to know where to even start with describing them all. We find ourselves being especially exhausted at the end of our days here, filling each moment with so much activity. I’m going to summarize some of the highlights.

Eilat was a relaxing 3 days of fun in the sun. We went snorkeling in what was supposed to be an incredible marine life filled Red Sea, but must admit we were a little disappointed. I think the Maldives spoiled us with the range of sea-life we experienced there. It was still beautiful none-the-less, especially the colors of the mountains in Jordan that seemed to glow during sunset.

Jason shared the details of our quest in Petra in the previous post, which was amazing. The following day we continued our desert adventures in Wadi Rum. A jeep safari took us through the most gorgeous terrain, stopping off at some fun points along the way – these included mushroom rock, Lawrence of Arabia’s home (cave), a sand dune we could climb up and then run down, some Nabatean carvings in the mountain, and a couple of free-climbing areas. Let’s just say we were pooped after this activity filled day, and found much comfort in the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel in Aqaba we crashed in that night.

Being that it’s Sukkot in Israel, this is a special time to enjoy the countries wonderful outdoors. We had a lovely meal in our cousin’s Sukkah on Shabbat, followed by Jason’s star performance of shaking the lulav and etrog. The following day we all went to Bet Guvrim to go cave exploring. Since Miryam had worked in this site, she took us through the “off limits” areas to explore, using only the light from our flashlights to illuminate our way. Wasn’t sure if we’d all make it through some of the tight squeezes in the rocks, but somehow we managed.

Yesterday I had an incredible union with a long lost cousin, who I randomly was introduced to at Yom Kippur Services the previous week. When Aaron Leeper asked me if I was related to Elaine from Ohio, I told him that was my grandma – he then informed me we were somehow cousins. According the family tree we are 4^th cousins once removed. I even got to meet my 5^th cousins (his children Maayan and Shalev), which was great. I guess I have 2 sets of cousins in Beer Sheva – who would have thought!?!?

No trip to Israel is complete without the quintessential Masada visit. Although our initial plan was to take the cable car up to King Herod’s Fortress (Masada), upon seeing it from afar Jason decided he wanted to climb it. I guess looks can be deceiving, because had Jason known it was going to be as rigorous as it was, there’s no way we would have done it. The snake path winding up to the top is very steep, but more grueling was the high noon heat that was blazing on us. At the top Jason was so drenched he managed to wring drops of sweat out of his shirt – he sweats a lot!

Floating in the Dead Sea was a perfect way to soothe our sore muscles from the Masada climb earlier that day. We had so much fun playing around with the buoyancy in the salt filled water. Large crystallized salt rocks covered the bottom of the sea, which were actually quite sharp on our feet as we tried to walk over them. Now we can say we’ve been to the lowest place on earth!

Our whirlwind time in Israel has felt much like the summer when I was 14-years-old on my confirmation trip. This 6 week trip to Israel, promised by parents if their child graduates from Hebrew School, was the main thing that kept me going to my bi-weekly Hebrew class.  Who could pass up the guarantee of an entire summer with hundreds of teenagers, in Israel, with no parents.

Unlike my confirmation trip, this time around I’m not guzzling bottles of Goldstar beer behind my counselors back, nor tiptoeing into the boy’s room to “hang out”. We are however filling almost every single day with more activities then I know how to keep track of, like the well choreographed confirmation trip many years ago. I must admit though my energy level isn’t quite like it was when I was a teenager!

We just spent the past 5 nights in Tiberias, a town located on Lake Kinneret in the Galilee. This was a great home base for us to explore the northern terrain. The amount of greenery and beauty of this area is breathtaking, and we enjoyed much of it. Although we were hoping to catch the thousands of birds that migrate through the Hula Valley each year, we were informed upon arrival that they all flew away the day before. We still delighted in the swampy marshland of the reserve, and especially loved feeding the African Catfish, which looked like scary critters from a different planet.

The mineral hot springs and the crocodile farm of Hamat Gader are a must when up north. We splurged on the “Spa Village” experience for the hot springs, escaping the masses of screaming children in the main area. However, in typical Israeli fashion the “no smoking” and “no cell phones” sign in what was supposed to be the serene adult area was completely ignored, making it not the most relaxing experience.

Nazareth, the home to Jesus is another interesting place we managed to visit. The groups of Christian tourists were going nuts in the Basillica of Annunciation, posing for pictures at the spot where the Virgin Mary lived. The town is an interesting mix of Christian and Muslim Arabs, mosque and church located side by side. A typical Arabic lunch of schwarma in a doughy laffa, and assorted desserts definitely hit the spot.

Our final day up north we fit in a ton. We began that morning by going up to Kiryat Shmona to check out the Danziger Library, which my grandparents had donated to the community in 1990. The principal Amir, and Adrienne, an English teacher who my mom had met while there in February, where nice enough to show us around. Learning that the school had been struck by 4 ketusha rockets the year before, put into perspective the realities people of this area live with every day.

From here we drove through Metulla, eventually making our way to The Banias. The gorgeous hike to the waterfalls and springs was a wonderful way to end our time in the Galilee. From here our journey continued to Safed, the birth place of the well-known Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah. Wandering through the artist colony nestled on the side of the mountain truly put us in a reflective mode. In fact, Jason even questioned picking up a copy of the Torah to read – hmmm, maybe there is something very spiritual about Safed. Next thing you know, he’ll come home sporting the red wrist tie.

Yesterday we had a very unique experience visiting Eliana and her children (family friends) in their community of Eli. Eli is what some people may refer to as a settlement, located inside the West Bank or occupied territories. We initially met her in the town of Ariel, so that she could pick us up in a bullet proof car to drive us into the area where she lives. Surrounded by many Arab villages, precautions must be taken to ensure safety while entering this area. In fact, we were shocked to find out how close tragedies had hit the community, learning that Eliana’s neighbors had been murdered in cold blood.

Although a little hesitant of what Eli may be like, we were surprised to find a well developed, self-sustaining town. Consisting of about 650 families, ranging from secular to religious, this community has their own schools, yeshiva, store, post office, single restaurant and of course synagogues. It sits on top of a mountain, with incredible 360 degree views of the surrounding area. It truly is located on a magnificently beautiful piece of land.

The question that comes to mind is why people would choose to live in an area like this, surrounded by such potential of volatility and violence from Arab neighbors. There are of course many reasons, depending on who you talk to. Eliana shared with us was her belief that all of the land of Israel was sanctioned by G-d, and that we Jews had a right to live on the land. She also taught us about some of the biblical history that occurred directly on this land they were living. In fact, gazing out from her back yard we looked down onto the town of Shilo where they recently discovered what they think is the original sight of the Bet Mikdash, and incredibly important and holy site to Jews.

Eliana’s passion and commitment to her community of Eli was very inspirational, and put a little seed in my mind about what it might be like to live here (don’t worry mom, not going to happen!) We even got to meet four out of five of her children, who were so vibrant and fun to play with. After spending much time in the predominantly secular city of Tel Aviv, getting the opportunity to connect with a religious family living on such a disputed piece of land with so much Jewish significance and history was truly fascinating. Thank you Eliana for taking your day to share with us about your life and community!

How can a radio station with a jingle like this not make you smile!?!? We have become accustomed to breaking out in regular sing song sessions of “gal gal gal galatz” at sporadic moments during the day. This is yet one more thing that I’m going to miss about the country.

Israel is one of those amazing countries where we’ve either loved (most apects) or hated things (rude Israeli's with no sense of spatial orientation). This I feel sums up the spirit of the land – a charged place where people are so passionate about life. There seems to be no middle ground, people voicing strong opinions about everything ranging from deeply contested issues as politics, to how their salad at lunch tasted. It’s incredibly refreshing being in a place where people’s sense of self, identity, and connection to their country is so profound. Jason and I have certainly spent many hours discussing the differences we see between Israel and the states.

The past 5 weeks here have absolutely flown by. Being able to connect and spend time with so many people has been wonderful, and has made the experience here even more meaningful. From our countless meals with Yoav in Tel Aviv, to reconnecting with Asgeir an old time friend from Jerusalem, to spending a full week including Yom Kippur in Beer Sheva with my cousins Jack, Amy, Miryam and Yishai, to randomly meeting Aaron Leper and his kids who are long lost cousins and made Aliyah 25 years ago, to seeing the library in Kiryat Shmona and meeting both Amir and Adrienne, to seeing , to hanging out with Naomi and Katie who we met thru Yoav, to meeting up with Eliana and her children and getting a tour of Eli, to Jason’s Bar Mitzvah with Katie, Naomi, Baruch and Rabbi Ezra, to having coffee with Jen, a child friend I went to middle school with and haven’t seen in over 15 years, and then seeing Janet Rothman surprisingly show up. It feels like our social calendar has been more packed here than it is at home!

The past 5 days in Jerusalem were so incredible, especially being able to experience the city with Jason. We spent countless hours wandering inside the old city walls, had a delicious lunch at Mahane Yehuda (the shuk), did the whole Ben Yehuda thing looking tirelessly for things to buy and ended up with nothing, ate a yummy dinner in the German Colony at a restaurant named “Joy”, I got over to the Israel Museum, we went to Yad Vashem, and had lunch in Ein Kerem, we walked thru Rehavia, my old neighborhood, and finished off the week with a stroll through Mea Shearim.

There is no doubt in our 5 weeks here we have filled every single day with adventures galore. Tomorrow we sadly will say good bye to Eretz Yisrael, and be on our way to Cologne, Germany. I will certainly miss it here, but no doubt will be returning sooner than later!

Had it not been for a cheap and direct flight from Tel Aviv to Cologne, I couldn’t have expected to find myself in Germany of all countries. Of course the main images I had were laden with the atrocities of the Holocaust – I really had no other strong sense of what it would be like here. Although the cold weather has been a shock to our system, our time here has really turned out to be a wonderful experience. I never would have thought I’d use the words “quaint” and Germany in the same sentence, but I feel that really sums up much of the character of this country.

Even the large cities of Hamburg and Berlin have a “small city” charm to them. The lack of high rises, the tree lined streets, the rivers that cut directly thru them, the beautiful monuments, clock towers, churches and synagogues, and the distinct character in each neighborhood gives these cities a very homey feel. I’m not saying that Berlin isn’t a ginormous town, but unlike the frenetic cities of Tokyo or Bangkok, it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

We’ve managed to cover a lot of ground in Berlin on foot, spending hours each day roaming the city. After walking for 5 hours yesterday, we realized when consulting the map that we had only covered about 1/10^th of the city. Although this town has a lot of history, many of the historical structures were destroyed during the war. One of the newest installations is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe opened in 2005. This is a very poignant memorial that occupies 5 acres of land in a very central location in the city. The 2,711 coffin like structures that are arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field, create a serene and confusing atmosphere in which you enter into.

What has been incredible for us is seeing pieces of the resurrecting Jewish culture and institutions throughout the city. There are many synagogues, kosher restaurants, Holocaust memorials, Jewish museums, all which are on the forefront. That’s not to say we haven’t taken notice of the large amounts of security personnel that are guarding these Jewish places, but it still has made us happy to see Jewish life beginning to thrive here.

On a non-kosher note, I have to mention the delicious bratwurst we indulged in a couple days ago. These are the sort of things we don’t typically eat, but figured while in Germany we had to splurge on this juicy, flavorful piece of goodness. Jason of course was beaming like a proud parent as he watched me eat the thing, since this is normally not my style!

That’s right, the Wandering Walkers are officially on US soil. It is bittersweet that these past 10 months of travel have finally come to a close, with a whirlwind of emotions filling our minds.

As I was going through the ritual this morning of cramming for the final time all of our stuff into our bags , something we’ve done an average of every 3 mornings for the past 300 days, a sense of calm came over me – no more packing and unpacking! Schlepping all our bags to the train station to take the Picadilly Line to Heathrow airport was also one of those “thank goodness we don’t have to do this anymore” moments. Probably for Jason the most enthralling thing about this coming to a close is having access to reliable and fast internet.  Not to mention we won't be racking up any more on the tab of around $2,500 we spent on internet connections this year!

For as many burdens that will be lifted from our shoulders by being settled in the states, there are just as many things that we will miss about the open road. The sense of the unknown and adventure we’ve experienced has been beyond exhilarating this year. The spontaneity of each day, the lack of responsibilities to anyone but ourselves, the challenges to push ourselves to do things we would never have done back home, the vast array of food varieties we’ve sampled, the stepping in and out of different cultures on a regular basis – these are just some of the things I will miss to no end.

Although our around the world portion of our trip is at a close, we won’t exactly truly be settling down in SF until January ’08. We will be spending the rest of the year in Scottsdale, AZ so we can hang out with Jason’s family and my grandparents who all live there. We'll make our annual trip to Maui for a couple weeks with my family, then Jason will go directly to Vegas for a trade show for a week, and finally we'll be back and settled on January 21st!

Now you may be asking yourself, “But what about the Wandering Walkers website – what will happen to that?!?!?” Well people, no need to fret as we will continue to update our site with probably a lot less exciting stories of our lives back home. Mainly we’ll start a section documenting and critiquing the restaurants we’ll be eating at, plus some of the adventures we do manage to have back home.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge and thank so many of our friends and family who diligently followed our travels around the world. It really has been so touching to us that people have put time and energy into keeping up with us. I guess there really won’t be anything to talk about once we’re home, since you know it all!

There is no doubt we’ve experienced a level of appreciation for where we live during our first couple weeks home. The main thing we keep saying to each other is “gosh, everything in the states is so easy!” There's no hassle, or bargaining, or searching for things we need -- it's all there for you and of course available in excess!  For as many cities and countries as we experienced this past year, I still think that good ole’ San Francisco is tops. From our 4am walks to Coit Tower and the Marina (thanks to jet lag), to driving over the Golden Gate Bridge on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, to the vibrant hustle and bustle of downtown on Market Street, to discovering some of the new restaurants to hit our neighborhood, I just can’t get enough of this town.

HOWEVER, one week in SF was all we got for the time being since our home is rented out through the end of the year. Now we find ourselves in Scottsdale, AZ for the next 6 weeks. As different as this desert city is from the city by the bay, it is incredibly beautiful here. The sunsets are truly unique to anywhere else in the world, and on our evening walk yesterday I couldn’t stop commenting on how gorgeous it was.

Jason predicted this would happen, we’d get home and be bored, and low and behold it’s true. I’m holding off on looking for a job until I get back to SF in early January, and this time of year things slow down for Jason. I must say having the day to day routine here I so craved while on the road doesn’t quite give us that excitement of travel. But, it is very nice relaxing and catching up with family! 

This time of year always seems to highlight the importance of the people we hold most dear in our lives. In particular, after 10 months of being away from all our family and friends, I think we have a renewed appreciation of how special it is to be able to share the holidays with family.

Thanksgiving was a beautiful affair at my brother and sister-in-laws home -- my parents, grandparents, uncle Art and cousin Max all joined in the celebration, along with Jason’s whole family. It was adorable to see my first cousin Max and my little niece Ari become fast friends (although Max had enough of her after about an hour!) Also, cooking alongside my mom in preparation for the meal was so much fun – it had been many, many years since we last had shared the same kitchen together, and truly was nice reconnecting over the open flame.

We’ve now been in Scottsdale, AZ for officially one month. I honestly don’t know where the time has gone, since we really haven’t done much of anything while being here (a complete 180 from our time on the road). We have managed to spend some wonderful quality time with Ari, Jason taking her to a swimming class one evening (in the pool with her) and I’ve hit up a couple Friday morning music classes. As I sit here right now, Ari is actually taking one of her 3 hour marathon naps at our place (so is Jason), since I think our mall time earlier today wore them both out.

Last night we had a Hannukah party, which was not only a celebration of the festival of lights, but also a tribute to everything Dora. If you don’t have children or nieces and nephews this might mean nothing, but Dora the Explorer is taking over the world. When both I and Ari’s parent have bought the same Dora puppet by coincidence, you know a product is doing well. Not to mention the Dora rug, Dora blanket, Dora outfit, and Dora washcloth that were all dawned upon our little angel last night. The energy and excitement of Hannukah that I felt as a little girl, was awash in Ari as she danced to the driedel song, ripped open everyone’s presents and gobbled down latkes, gelt, and Hannukah cookies all night long!

As some might have noticed, we aren’t quite updating our website with the frequency as when we were on the road. Seeing as the content of our lives is a lot less climatic to the events of this year, it’s been difficult to muster it. BUT, I realize that often times it’s the simple things in life that are the most fulfilling -- the wonderful dinners with my grandparents, or movie night with Scott, or girls lunch with Amanda, and evening dinner with my in-laws, really are the things that are most important.

Our annual family trip to Maui is no doubt a highlight of the year. For almost 30 years my family has been coming to Kapalua, a resort area in the western most part of Maui. Although the weather here is usually a little more windy and rainy then more central sunny Lahaina, (only about 20 minutes away) the secluded nature of this location is so amazing. Being that this is now Jason’s 8^th year coming here with the family, it really feels like coming home for both of us each year we arrive here.

The crew this year includes my parents Judy and Steve, my brother Jake and his fiancé Aimee, my little brother Josh and his girlfriend Lauren, and my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Richie, and cousins Toby and Sofi. That basically means that a small intimate dinner with the gang is a reservation for 12!

We all have so much fun hanging out in different groups together. Jason and Toby have become quite the little Wii playing clique spending afternoons indulging in Tiger Woods golf, the girls like to go for morning walks up and around Pineapple Hill, my dad, Jake, Josh, Jason and I are the tennis playing crowd usually spending at least 2-3 hours a day on the court, and of course when it comes to meals we all take turns going out in groups. Two nights ago we had our annual “cousin’s night”, where we dined in Lahaina and followed the evening up with a round of dip and dots. NYE was also a blast as the older cousins indulged in sake bombs, and then followed the evening up with some intense Wii playing. I know, we really know how to party it up here!

Today sadly is our last day of being here this year. As Jason and I were taking a walk from the little Honolua store where we ate breakfast, the reality that our year on the road truly is coming to an end hit us both. We officially left our home on December 23^rd, 2006 and will finally move back in on January 7^th, 2008 – 380 days later! There is no doubt we feel a mix of emotions about this fact, ranging from relief, to utter sadness. BUT, we’re lucky enough to live in an amazing city as SF, where we have so many of our friends and family around us, as well the excitement and intrigue of this amazing place. So, get ready SF peops, the Wandering Walkers are returning.

Okay, Jason and I have never been as nervous as we were in that car ride going to rendezvous with Hank after 13 months of being apart. Was he going to remember us? May he was going to be angry and spiteful at us? Maybe he’d look skinny and emaciated, and we’d feel bad we left him with these strangers for the last 6 months of the year? There were so many things going through our head. It kind of felt like we were walking into our 10-year high school reunion, and we just didn’t know what to expect. I think the video clip speaks for itself that Hank certainly was an excited doggie to see his mommy and daddy.

It has now been a week of having him back in our lives, and we can’t believe we went as long as we did without him with us. He has fallen right back into his routine and of course that means lots of hanging out and cuddling on the bed. However, one concern is it seems like the bladder of steal he used to have, where he could go 12 hours easily without going, seems to have weakened. I learned this the hard way this morning when as soon as he ran out onto our indoors carpeted building hallway, he couldn’t help but begin to relieve himself. Thank god I had a plastic bag in hand that I could collect the rest of his lovely urine specimen in -- I've gotten realy good at that being pregnant and all. I guess that’s what happens when a dog goes from city living, to suburban living, to country/farm living where he could go to the bathroom as he pleased. The only other thing he needs to learn is to sit down when people are playing the Wii, since he almost got smacked in the head last night on more than one occassion – Hank seems to think the videogame controller is a toy, so when someone is swinging it around he wants to get it!

It feels like it’s been non-stop going since we got back home. I thought traveling around the world was exhausting, but I must have forgotten how tiring being back in our routine’s here at home were. I must say though, here we have the added bonus of living out of just one place -- the constant moving was so stressfull on the road. 

So, what exactly have we been doing!?!?! Well, many evenings have been devoted to catching up with friends and family, since it takes a lot of get togethers with people to recount the details of a year on the road. We had a wonderful reunion with a large group of friends at Madrone Lounge a couple weeks ago, where we got to connect with about 30 of our friends. It was so much fun not only seeing old friends, but also meeting some new, interesting people that night.

On the nights that we’re not out and about, we’ve managed to spend a disproportionate amount of time playing Wii Nintendo. In particular, both Jason and I have gotten really into Guitar Hero. I know this may sound juvenile, but I must say I’ve tapped into some musical talent I never knew I had. Of course, I have to temper Jason and my tandem jam sessions with the fact that Jason gets REALLY into the game, and kind of stresses me out sometimes. “Come on baby, stay on beat” is what I hear him uttering to me many a time.  We've even managed to convert quite a few friends to the Wii playing ways, as most after-dinner events end up back at our pad playing the game. You know there's something pretty unique to the Wii when even my mom and dad are planning on buying one!!!

Last week we did many fun things.  I had a lovely afternoon walk with Katie and Hank along the water looking out onto the Golden Gate.  Jason and I also went to see Mika at The Warfield, a musical sensation we got really into on our trip. The funny thing is most people abroad, and especially in Europe knows who Mika is, but almost no one here has any clue – anyway, the concert was really fun, and I think the little baby in my tummy was grooving to the tunes as well.

Tonight we’re hitting up our favorite music venue in the world, The Fillmore to see Sia (from Zero 7). Josh and Caroline are our dates tonight, which will be great fun in deed.