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| Day 4: Golan Heights | | Date Created: Jan 06, 2005, 12:32 PM |
 The Golan Heights, located in the far north of Israel, is a of lush vegetation and amazing scenery. Our day started early in the morning with a breakfast of eggs, some bread with green stuff on it (zataar I think), a lot of cheese and salad. I miss the bacon and ham with my eggs, but a kosher meal is part of the real Israel experience.
After we boarded the bus, it immediately started raining. It has not stopped since we landed in Tel Aviv on Sunday. I understand why Noah's Ark floated near this area-- we could have floated to each of the sites. We went to Gamla, an ancient city of 10,000 that fought bitterly against the Roman Legions in 67 AD. It also contained the oldest synagogue in Israel. Aviad gave us great explainations, although the winds were fierce and it was bitterly cold. I was surprised it was not snowing, although it was forcasted for later in the day. |
 Finally we were on our way to a MEAT lunch of my favorite food-- shawarma.. We were able to walk around in anticipation of our trip to the Golan winery, a favorite for young twentysomethings. It was still raining hard and we were starting to get soaked-- but the winery was warm and cozy. After a brief presentation by the nice wine lady, we went inside the factory to see how wine is bottled and fermented. To cap the tour, the group participated in a wine tasting. I was proud that this delicious wine was made in the state of Israel in a region that is optimal for growing grapes.
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 Later, we went to a Talmudic village-- old ruins that remain from over a thousand years ago. We saw a video presentation and walked into a home were Jews lived and prayed. The day's activities concluded about a mile from the Syrian border, in a museum that honored the soldiers that fought in the battle of the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur war. It was so amazing to be only 40 miles from Damascus-- a different life, world and religion. What was even more weird-- we were only 400 miles from Baghdad. The video was interesting to see-- many Israelis are proud of the valor and bravery shown by the soldiers-- who fought hard for two weeks to protect the land they had won in the 1967 war. |
 We got back to the hotel and relaxed for probably the first time since the trip began. We were treated with a great meat dinner of Schnitzel and Kebab. It was one of my favorite meals-- the kebab tasted like sausage, which I have been craving since leaving the states. |
 The evening capped off with a real treat-- hot springs. The Golan Heights has tons of volcanic rock that creates minerals and naturally hot water. This resort took the water and brought it to a pool. It was GREAT.. The sulfur from the water does smell like rotten eggs, but it is theraputic for the body and skin. We swam for about two hours and took a nice ride back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. It was a nice 6-7 hours of well needed rest for another day ahead of great adventure. |
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