Our First Day!!

After an exhaustingly long flight, we finally made it to our destination-THE HOLY LAND!!!!! We landed around 7 in the morning and immediately proceeded onward with our day. We picked up our phones and exchanged money in the back of our bus (sketchy....perhaps??). We met our tour guide Gilad, who provided us with the best dried fruit in the land. We traveled to Jerusalem through a maze of twisty turney roads, filled with history and knowledge. After entering the city, we proceeded to the Haas Promenade to say the traditional shehechiyanu blessing. Again, our wonderful tour guide Gilad provided us with some sweet treats. We got on the bus and traveled to the Old City, entering the city through the Zion gate. Gilad led us on a detailed tour of the city's ruins and showed us the underground hidden treasures located in the city, itself. After that, we went on our own to find lunch, with most of us ending up in a small schwarma/falafel restaurant. We did a little shopping and met back up with Gilad to continue our tour of the Old City. Although we were all exhausted, we proceeded on to the Western Wall, or Kotel. We learned about the construction of the ancient temple, and the surrounding area, and saw various places in which ruins still exist even after 2000 years. Our tour guide led us on an imaginary tour of the city, describing. After spending some time there, we checked into our hotel, napped, and had dinner. Some notable highlights of our first day in Israel-the extraordinary amount of feral cats roaming around the city, the immense amount of archaelogical sites in the Old City, and "the spices of Israel at lunchtime" (Matt Mantell) We're all beat, and everyone is looking forward to a full night's rest before our very busy day tomorrow. Pictures coming soon! Be on the lookout! PEACE OUT CUBSCOUTS!
-Rachel Hodes 2011
-Julie Britton 2011
-Sharon Tompa 2011
-Matt Mantell 2008