The Holy City (doesn't require boots)

Hello from Jerusalem.  Jerod and I successfully navigated the bus system to arrive in Jerusalem before things started to close down before Shabbat.  My friend Kristiana met us at the bust station and we made the hike back to her place.  A nice restful afternoon led to a nice Shabbat dinner prepared by Kristiana's Israeli roommate Ouriel.  Afterwords we sat around talking and drinking wine until bed time.

Today, after a delicious breakfast (again prepared by Ouriel) we set out for the old city of Jerusalem.  We knew the Jewish quarter would be mostly abandoned, but the Arab, Armenian, and Christian quarters were all bustling with market activity.  We passed the Jaffa gate and Damascus Gate as well as few of the stations of the cross.  After wandering through the twisting labyrinth of streets we arrived at a security checkpoint to enter the plaza with the Kotel (Wailing Wall/Western Wall).  We decided not to spend too much time there today, but we will return after Shabbat and take some photos and try to arrange to tour the tunnels leading under the Kotel.  A long walk brought us back to Kristiana's a few minutes ago, and we will probably grab some dinner soon.  Tomorrow will probably take us to a few more spots in the old city, back to the wall, and maybe some of Ben Yehuda street and Zion Square. 

Moving on up (without boots)

Sigh....still no boots. But, at least we are getting out of Tel Aviv today.  We were going to be visiting a friend of mine near Tel Aviv last night, but he had to work a double.  Instead, he came into the city on Wednesday night to have a few pints. 

Today we are catching a bus to Jerusalem where we will be staying with a friend of mine.  We just need to make sure we get there early enough, otherwise things start shutting down in observation of shabbat, which starts at sunset.  Sine today is the start of shabbat most Israelis are off from work, and last night was their equivalent of Friday.  Jerod and I hit a few bars to get a feel for the "scene" here.  It was definitely good for a few laughs. 

We are definitely both excited to be moving on.  Tel Aviv is an interesting city, but still a city, and somewhat lacking in the historical splendor of the rest of the country.  In the next week we will be reporting back having visited places like the Western Wall, Bethlehem, and Nazareth (no, not the 80's metal band), so I don't think Tel Aviv really compares. 

Everyone pray for my boots.   

Sleepless in Tel Aviv

It's the morning of 3 March and it seems that famous Goldstein jet lag has finally sunk in.  It's almost 7AM and I have been up since 3AM after going to sleep at 1AM.  Oh well.  Yesterday was nice relaxing day.  We started with some breakfast before heading over to the beach.  Beautiful weather, but not quite beach weather.  We walked the boardwalk into old seaport of Jaffa before heading back to the hostel.  We spent a while reorganizing our gear since El Al was gracious enough to get it pretty disheveled.  I then introduced Jerod to schwarma before heading back for a little siesta.  We chatted with our roommate for a bit.  He is Brazilian tattoo artist from Rio.  His grasp of English being slightly better than my Portoguese made for an interesting conversation, but was fun none-the-less.  I also had my first lost wallet scare, sending me running back to the store I had used it at last, only to return to the hostel empty-handed but to find Jerod waiting out front with my wallet which another guest had found on the floor and brought by the room.  The kindness of strangers prevails.  I then bought a caribiner and some cord to manufacture a lanyard.  I won't lose it again.

El Al has still not delivered my boots, and a quick stop at a hiking store proved that replacing them here will be far costlier than it would be almost anywhere else.  I plan on calling the claims number today to get an ETA or maybe expedite the process.  Also on the books for today is a stop at the Carmel Market and maybe a trip to Hayarkon Park and Gardens just outside the city limits.

Thanks for stopping in.  Until next time.............. 

Greetings From Tel Aviv

Hello from the capitol of Israel.  After 16 hours, two planes, a train, and two buses we are safe and sound at our youth hostel.  The biggest snafu of the day came when El Al security confiscated my hiking boots for further inspection.  They were very vague, but hopefully they will be able to put them on a flight tomorrow and deliver them to the hostel.  It's almost half past eleven here right now, and we left the house at 5PM on Sunday.  It's definitely been a long day.  I think we will grab a beer or two and hit the rack.

The Real Last Day

I decided to write one last entry before heading to the airport this evening.  My room at my sister's house is all cleared out, my bags are packed, and I watched all of the NCIS and Law and Order episodes that I had recorded on my sister's DVR.  It looks like there is nothing to do now but get on the plane.  I am super excited to be going, but now it has dawned on me that I am also more nervous than I thought I'd be.

I'm not nervous about the flying or the places we are going, but more so the unknown element and the lack of planning.  People might think that I am a daring and free-spirited and adventurous, and it is partly true, but looking back, the last 28 years of my life has been pretty much dictated by parents, college, and the Coast Guard.  Even the motorcycle trip I took was relatively well planned, and my route was predicated by the goal of hitting all of the states I could, and I had a finite time limit in which to accomplish it.

This trip, however, is absolutely boundless.  Other than two nights booked in a hostel in Tel Aviv for Monday and Tuesday, and a flight booked from Cairo to Istanbul on April 15th, there is pretty much no concrete plan for this trip.  We have planned out some of the big picture aspects of the trip, and have done a lot of research regarding the various countries we would like to visit, but the food, lodging, and transportation is completely up in the air (essentially the entire basis for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs).

So bottom line; I'm excited, I'm nervous, and I'm leaving tonight one way or the other.  Follow along here to see how it unfolds.  
 

Last Day

Well, today is our last full day here in the States.  Jerod got into Boston on Thursday night via Amtrak, and we spent Friday going over our gear, picking up some last minute items, and test-fitting everything in our packs.  Not much to do now.  I still have some last-minute chores to tidy up my stuff that is at my sister's house and get it ready to be sent home to my parents' house for storage in their basement.

I guess it's safe to say that I'm pretty excited.  I've been thinking about, and planning for this trip for a long time now, and I'm pretty tired of waiting.  I'm also tired of talking about it, and explaining it, and justifying it, and defending it, and assuring people of my safe return.

But, when we get on the plane tomorrow at 1930 all of that will just fade into the proverbial rear-view mirror.  I'm not very inspired to write now, so stay tuned for the next entry; From Israel.  

The count-down begins

Greetings.  There are only 16 days left until Jerod and I get on a plane for Israel (via England).  We leave February 28th and get into Tel Aviv mid-day on the 1st of March.  I'm definitely excited, but have a few reservations as well; specifically, financial concerns.  I am not quite where I was hoping to be at this point, and am still waiting on some tax and insurance documents to come through.  Talk about waiting until the last minute, huh?  I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, though, and  won't let a little thing like money stand in my way.  The good news is that our flights to the Middle East and from Egypt to Turkey are already paid for, so there shouldn't be much in the way of transportation costs or the first three months or so.

For those of you interested in our itinerary, I can give you a rough snapshot:
March 1 - March 15: Israel
March 15 - late March: Jordan
Late March: Back to Israel for Passover
Early April - April 15: Egypt
April 15 - early June: Turkey  (including 30 days hiking the Lycian Way)

After Turkey we will be heading to Greece to try and meet up with some friends that will be over there around the same time.  Once we are done in Greece our plan rapidly deteriorates.  Some likely destinations are Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, and the Carpathian mountains.  Depending on time and budget we may look into a trip on the trans-siberian railroad, and are definitely interested in Nepal and India.