Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Israel...20 years later

Back in May, 2014 I had the chance to go to Israel for an exercise with the Israel Defense Force (IDF). I lived in Egypt for a year back in the 90s and frequently went to Israel for weekend trips or for work purposes.  It was very interesting to get back after almost exactly 20 years.

We were living near Tel Aviv, so got up there a few times and it still reminded me of what Miami Beach must be like (Miami is one of the places I've not yet been).

Tel Aviv beach

Sunset in Tel Aviv

Goooooooal!

Pretty girl on cool electric skateboard

We also had some time off and the chance to go to Jerusalem.  The last trip was "Dave's Hardship Holy Land Tour, where I and 3 friends took a cab from the tip of the Sinai peninsula where we lived, got out at the border, crossed on foot, and rented a car to drive up to Jerusalem.  We used it as a base to wander around through the West Bank (throwing a Kiffeyah on the dash to keep from getting kidnapped), into Galilee, and up into the Golan Heights.

Jerusalem, at least the old part, hadn't changed visibly to my memory.  It is still an amazing place, full of photo ops, and history.  I tried to recreate some of the photos I'd done years ago when I just put my Canon 1000NF on the Green Box and mushed the shutter button.
Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations

Looking toward the wall separating Israel from the West Bank

Wailing Wall

Reflection

Souk

Really old grafitti

Lamps inside Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Tower of King David

Mount of the Beatitudes

Overlooking the Sea of Galilee

Part of the Synagogue in Capernum

Moi

Windsurfing on the Sea of Galilee

Flowerbox at the Jordan River

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