1,2,3 ready for New Zealand

Wahoo we leave tomorrow!

Israeli Rememberance Holidays in April

Reverence.. Israel has three holidays in the month of Nissan when they honor the dead. They pay homage by sounding the air raid siren and all traffic/moment comes to a halt. Per, the info we received from our relocation team, "A couple of words about the sirens on these two days: both pedestrians and drivers will honor this silence and even drivers on roads and highways will pull over on the side of the road, get out of their car and stand silence. So if you are driving at the time, please be aware of this and pay attention to the cars around you. The sirens are long constant sirens for this purpose and should there be a need to sound an emergency siren at the same time, this will be an intermittent siren (up and down)."
 
I have been in three different settings for each of these remembrances.

Day of Remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism and Independence Day -  24-26 April:

On 24  April, the eve of the Day of Remembrance, from 6pm , all restaurants, places of recreation, supermarkets and shops will close until the next morning in remembrance of the soldiers of Israel soldiers killed in wars .

At 8pm there will be a  1 minute siren  indicating the beginning of memorial day  and on 25 April at 11am a 2 minute siren will be heard around the country and once again, the population stands for two minutes of solemn silence 

3)  25 April at 11am a 2 minute siren - I was walking down the street. So I observed the buses and taxis who had pulled off the road and seemed to just be waiting for the signal to sound. But then as the siren was going off a scooter zoomed down the road. As my hackles raised and I started to note that it wasn't following tradition. It stopped and in the middle of the street. Rider dismounted and removed helmet.

The feeling that I had twenty minutes after was one still of reverence.

The sound of the air raid siren is not easy to erase from your memory. It's not annoying like the testing of the emergency broadcast system at home.

2)  At 8pm there will be a  1 minute siren - We were at home and having dinner with the Ross Family.  All of us stood and payed tribute. 

Holocaust Memorial day - 19 April:

On the eve of 18 April, all restaurants places of recreation, supermarkets and shopping centers will close at 7pm and re open the next day. On the 19^th at 10am , there will be a 2 minute siren where the entire population stands in silence to commemorate the 6,000,000 Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazi’s .   

3) I was very touched by this siren too.  I was at my Pilates class.  It was very meaningful for me to be in class at this time.  One of my classmates shared with me that she had family that she lost during the Holocaust.  And she had family that successfully hid during the Holocaust underneath the ground in a friends barn.  The wife was pregnant when they went into hiding and had a child underground.  But sadly due to the cries of a newborn they had to kill their own child to not draw attention to their hiding place.  I can't even imagine! But the good news is they survived and therefore I had the opportunity to be touched by a very incredible Jewish woman who I consider myself blessed to know.   

My Jewish blessing Khaya (Hiya), amazing woman!

We had a lot of fun goofing around over the last six months!

Israel is sunny! Yeah!

Thankfully we have a break in the rain and storms. I am spending every minute I can at the beach as our Israeli clock is ticking!! Should be home first part of June. While I will miss living near the beach. Simple things at home are going to be so nice to get back to!
1) central heating and air- we have one unit source of heat or cooling in our apt.
2) hot water- here we have to flip a switch on a boiler and wait 30 min for the water to warm before showering. As I am not a fan of the cold shower. However in the summer the water heaters are solar so if there is sun u will have warm water.
3) Fred Meyer one stop shopping- I routinely have to go to two or three stores just to get stuff to cook meals..
4) cooking with a vent/fan - lacking here so we often share our love of eating bacon with our apt complex.. Guess what the non-Jews are eating pork.. Again!
5) walking on a sidewalk without scooters or cars- I routinely have to get out of the way or get ran over.. And cars are often parked on the sidewalks leaving pedestrians to navigate for themselves!

Relo has been wonderful but as you can see there are some things we take for granted at home in the good ole US!

Sorek Cave

Sorek Cave is the only showcave in Israel. It was discovered during quarry works. Around the cave numerous limestone quarries produce limestone for cement and for the typical natural stone faces of the Jerusalem houses. Several years ago the popular major of Jerusalem made a law, that all new buildings in Jerusalem must have a natural stone facade. Since then, the limestone industry in Israel booms. However, the quarry around Sorek Cave is now a nature preserve and mining is stopped.

 

 Sorek Cave is famous for its beautiful formations. Stalactites and stalagmites, but also many other forms of speleothems, especially calcite crystals, helictites and cave coral, make it well worth a visit.

The dripstone walls are very impressing. A dripstone wall is not a type of speleothem, but a specialty of Sorek Cave, how stalagmites formed here. Cracks in the ceiling were leads to the calcite rich water. Along those cracks, the water emerged at many points and formed stalagmites and stalactites. They grew together forming pillars, all lined up in one row, following the crack. Today those rows of pilars form massive flowstone walls, ten or fifteen meters high, 30 or 40 meters long and only half a metre thick. They cut the large hall into smaller chambers. 

The uniqueness of the cave made a very carefull development necessary. So it took nine years, until it was finally opened to the public. The light system of the cave and the wooden walkways are designed to save the beauty of the cave. The entrance and the exit have double doors to prevent warm air from outside to get into the cave. Because of the formations' delicacy, photography is only permitted one morning a week (Fridays).

The light system is computer controlled, the brightness is very low, just a sort of emergency lighting. But when the tour reaches a point, the guide starts a program and the light highlights the most impressing formations. This system, designed to reduce the needed light and the amount of heat it produces, is extraordinary. However, the temperature of the cave, which was 19°C when the cave was discovered, is now at 24°C. Without all those precautions it would be much higher, but still the temperature is much too high and the natural processes in the cave are disturbed.

Medical care center in Israel

Herzliya medical center (HMC) leading private medical center facility in Israel and the middle east. Every year patients come from 51 countries for treatment. We serve diplomats, UN forces personnel, tourists and others. The international dept has a multi lingual team speaking 11 languages to provide patients service in their mother tounge.

So I finally had to go to the doctor over here and it was really nice at the HMC.

There were Dried fruits and nuts on the waiting room coffee table. Everyone from reception, lab clerks and doctor spoke English.

It was a little crazy navigating the complex.
Step 1 register and wait at international center
Step 2 at appt time go to building next door third floor where u have another waiting area while u wait to be seen by the doctor
Step 3 drs exam room and office were combined. I instinctively walked into the room and sat down on the exam table. Where the dr told me no come over here and have a seat at my desk lets talk about what brings you here today. Then I went to the exam table. He gave me a prescription and requested lab work.
Step 4 return to the international dept step 1 where they review info from dr and give u additional paperwork. One document allowed me to go to the pharmacy down the street to get my medicine. The other was processing paperwork for the lab.
Step 5 went to the lab.. Someone was at the window so I sat down in one of the waiting room chairs. Then chica bean from Boston comes in and walks up to the window. I wanted to scream hey!! Remember HIPA! Sit your butt down I am next! But I learned my lesson and just stood up in line waiting for her to be done.. As I had to ward off additional people.. NOo fool me once but not again!! Get behind me!! ;)
Step 6
Went to the center of town in search of pharmacy.. Saw a pharmacy and hoped that was the right one. And it was.. Gave them my paperwork and they gave me my meds. No charge. I think they work with the medical center to bill to my insurance. We will see..

So all in all not that bad.. Much better than medical care in Mexico. (duh I know still it was the only out of us experience I could draw from)

Israeli Heating

Consists of one heater/airconditioning unit for our apartment.  Its located above the window about 6 inches from the ceiling in our living room.  So if you stand at the one small spot in our living room where the heat is concentrated its nice.. Otherwise we heat the ceiling and higher areas of our apt. 

I have found though that drying clothes in the dryer tends to warm more of the apartment than the "heater"..  Good news.. We have clean clothes! ;)

16 Ways You Know You're Addicted to Travel

From Independent Traveler newsletter dated

January 19, 2012

Travel is a bit like a drug. Once you start, it can be difficult to stop, and the more you do it, the more you want to keep doing it. Go without it for long enough, and you may just find yourself in a pawn shop with your significant other's fancy watch and a fistful of Great Aunt Gertrude's silver in an effort to plan your next escape.

What are the symptoms of addiction? Besides hoarding travel shampoo, packing a suitcase to go grocery shopping and dealing with "the shakes" when you're grounded for too long, we wanted to know what qualifies you as a travel addict. So we put out a call to our loyal readers to come up with common signs that someone may need to stage an intervention on your behalf. Here's how they filled in the following blank:

"You know you're addicted to travel when ___."

1. "... you have more miles in the air than you have on all your vehicles combined!" -- Janet K.

Helloooo, upgrades!

2. "... the projected period of your next big trip is slated to be longer than the amount of time you anticipate being retired." -- Mike

Holy cow! How long is his trip?

3. "... you sleep with your passport." -- @kasiainparis on Twitter

Does it have its own pillow?

4. "... you live out of your suitcase even when 'home.'" -- Judi E.

Closets are overrated ... and who needs hangers, anyway?

5. "... you can and have given tourists directions in London, Paris, Tokyo -- or any other places you don't live in." -- Bruce

Bonus points if you can do it in the official language.

6. "... you're planning one trip while on another!" -- @missyfarrenPR on Twitter

Overachiever.

7. "... you already know the airport codes for airports you've not yet visited." -- Jo Ann Slate

It helps to make flashcards.

10 Simple Tips for a Smoother Trip

8. "... you can pick up your luggage and guess, within a few ounces, the weight." -- Barbara Calder

Great news! She just saved a lot of money on her baggage fees.

9. "... you start collecting small, clear plastic bags for check-in." -- @MonicaSarkar on Twitter

Next week, on "Hoarders"...

10. "... you sit down at your desk and reach for the seatbelt." -- Alan G.

Imagine his confusion if he actually found it.

11. "... waking up at home feels strange." -- Jeff

Only if you went to sleep elsewhere.

12. "... your cubicle at work is covered in postcards." -- @DanielleRauch on Twitter

Because a little coworker jealousy never hurt anyone.

13. "... you think about getting a small airplane tattoo for your ankle." -- Diane

But did she go through with it?

14. "... you always have at least two bags at home: one in 'unpack' mode and one in 'packed and ready to go' mode." -- Bruce

Let's just hope he never accidentally grabs the wrong one.

15. "... you know which customs agents to avoid!" -- @MayDayTravel on Twitter

One too many Cuban cigars, eh?

16. "... the only reason you work is so you can afford to upgrade your next trip." -- Marvin

And cash in your "sick" time so you can actually go on it.

Jacob's Ladder Music Festival, Sea of Gailee, December 2011

WELCOME TO JACOB’S LADDER FESTIVAL

Israel’s friendliest musical and social event, a unique bluegrass, folk, country, blues, Irish jigs and world music extravaganza, appealing to thousands of both Anglos and Israelis, is held twice a year in two different formats on the grounds of Nof Ginosar Hotel on Lake Kinneret.

Photo of Sean Altman's performance

Holy Cow! Golan Heights, Israel

If you take a picture of a cow.. in the Holy Land doesn't it make it a "Holy Cow!" ;)