The twins Kim and Amy came out to visit a few weeks ago. Even with the flare up in the country, they still decided to come. And after being here for 12 days, they loved it. Never would have come to visit if we weren't here. They toured much of the country but didn't make it everywhere. Here's a short recap of their itinerary for those who may also want to come visit us.
- Day 1: Arrive in Tel Aviv. Kim got held back at the immigration desk because she told them she wanted to visit other middle eastern countries like the West Bank. The officer promptly replied with, "The West Bank is in Israel."
- Day 2: Toured Tel Aviv. Walked through the Fashion District and then onto Sheinkin and the Carmel Market. Kim and Amy tried on 300 pairs of sunglasses and bought one.
- Day 3: Private guided tour to north Israel (Nazarath, Golan Heights, and more.) They left at 9 AM and didn't make it back till midnight. They met a cute old Arab cafe owner and wanted to marry him. And he was like, "American twins. What more can an Arab ask for."
- Day 4: Private guided tour of the Old City in Jerusalem. We went through 3000 years of history. So please excuse us if we don't have our historical events all in order. And had awesome hummus for lunch. Arab dessert not to great.
- Day 5: Visited Caesarea. Kim and Amy climbed some ruins they were not allowed to be on.
- Day 6: Mitzpe Ramon/Negev Desert. Kim and Amy saw camels up close for the first time. They originally imagined all of Israel to be a desert.
- Day 7: Hiking in Mitzpe Ramon. We hiked in the crater on a trail that the park ranger had recommended but not for that day. Due to the rain storms, flash floods could occur. We took the risk anyways and made the hike.
- Day 8: Camel rides and Jaffa at night. Amy originally wanted a long camel trek. Upon seeing the camel farm, the girls opted for a 5 minute ride around the holding pen.
- Day 9: Jerusalem. The twins went back to the old city and visited Jesus's tomb. They also paid 100 shekels for a taxi ride when it should have been only 20.
- Day 10: Guided tour through the West Bank. The twins saw Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. If you want to get into a heated debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, give Kim a call.
- Day 11: Barbecue in Tel Aviv. We hosted a barbeque, inviting some Israeli friends to eat lots of non-Kosher meat.
- Day 12: Flight back to the US. Wonder if Kim got stopped at the immigration desk again.
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| Kim and Amy at the end of the Caanite Tunnel in the City of David |
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| Hiking the lip of the Ramon Crater |
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Hummus and pita at a cafe in the
Muslim Quarter of the Old City |
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| Rooftop view in the Old City |
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| At the entrance of a wormhole taking them back to the future! |
Nice recap! You pretty much summed it all up:-). BTW- heading back to Seattle the security guy was a little skeptical of us b/c we said we were from Seattle; he said we were a bunch of left-wing hippies. I told him we weren't political before Kim could open her mouth.
ReplyDeletethat sounds like an awesome trip! loved the pics scott sent out.
ReplyDeleteVery jealous of the hummus and pita... looks super good.
ReplyDeleteJerusalem has the best hummus! You guys should take visit Messada in your next tourist advanture it's breath taking...
ReplyDeleteHeated debate... You guys need to learn eventually that we call that TALKING in Israel :)