Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Why is this night different to all other nights?

"Jerusalem.... If I forget you...." It really is amazing how at home I feel in Jerusalem! Before I share my Jerusalem adventures lets recap the last week......

There is not a lot to do on the Kibbutz so I decided to do a day trip to Tiberius, an ancient city banking the shores of the sea of Gallilee. The town contains the burial sites of two very famous rabbis - Maimonides and Rabbi Akiva. I went for a wander down to the waterfront and watched the many Christian tourists boating across the lake for their own personal "Jesus experience". I had a few errands that I needed to run including getting myself a sim card (my israeli number is +972 52 290 1728) and getting a haircut. I then grabbed some kosher McDonalds and then headed back to the Kibbutz.

I joined my family for Seder on Kibbutz Lavi (the kibbutz famous for making shule furniture). Hillel, my cousin Gatit's husband is from this Kibbutz so we joined his family for a lovely Seder. The Seder was really nice with dvrei Torah in Hebrew, English and Swedish! The food was divine, the company was amazing and we did not finish to after 2 in the morning!

After Yom Tov I jumped on a bus to Jerusalem. I met up with my good friend Michael, who has recently moved to live in Israel, and he helped me check into my accommodation. I am staying at a Yeshiva (a religious school) called Ohr Someach where I plan on studying for the next few months. The campus is nice and the people are really friendly with interesting stories to tell. Classes do not start here until a couple of weeks so I am lucky that I can sleep and eat there in the interim. The location of the Yeshiva is relatively central - 15 minutes walk to Geula/Mea Shearim (ultra orthodox neighborhood), 40 minutes walk to the old city (or a 10 min bus ride) and about 40 minutes walk to the downtown/ben yehuda area. Jerusalem have just recently installed a tram ride that stops outside the yeshiva and goes directly to downtown via the old city - however they are still testing it and it may be a while before we can actually use it!

That evening I was invited to an amateur production called Jewtopia. I managed to score free tickets because Michael knew one of the actors. The play was a hilarious parody of modern Jewish life, focusing primarily on the Jewish dating scene. After the play I headed to the old city to soak up some of the culture. The old city of Jerusalem is my most favorite place in world! With an intense blend of Jewish, Muslim and Christian culture, amazing souks, imperial walls and its feeling of ancientness - anyone who travels there is bound to be inspired.

Shabbat was a really nice experience, as I was invited to join my friend Suri with her good friends out in a place called Efrat. Eftat is a religious village in the Gush Etzion bloc and it was truly amazing to be able to walk around the town without seeing a single car! Shabbat was very chilled and peaceful - just what I needed!

Sunday night / Monday was the last day of Chag and Michael and I went to eat by a nice chabad family in the old city. We davened at the Kotel amidst the hundred of ultra-orthodox dudes wearing striemels and long black coats. It was nice to spend chag in the old city as you can really feel the atmosphere! It was also interesting to see the hundreds of Christians parading around for the Easter celebrations.

Yesterday afternoon was the last few hours of Pesach. I went along to a Seudat Mashiach which is a Chabad tradition of welcoming the Mashiach. It is said that the Jewish Messiah will come during Passover so in the last few hours the Chabadnicks make a crazy meal of Matzah and wine to welcome his arrival! Wow did i eat sooooo much Matza!!! It was a great experience with plenty of singing, dancing and words of wisdom!

Ok ... well that is about all that has happened recently! I will be spending the next few months in Jerusalem but I do plan on doing a few small side trips around Israel - there is so much to see here! I hope everyone is well!! Enjoy the Chametz!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Crossing Sheik Hussein

Shalom Aleichem!!

Arrival in Amman was the first time that I had to buy a visa on my whole trip. It only cost 20 Jordanian Dinars but just like everything in Jordan - it took time! Finally I got through immigration and jumped on a bus to downtown Amman where I checked into a 3 star hotel.

Jordan is an interesting country as it has an ancient history (the Greeks and Romans were here) however most of their cities are very new and industrial. Things are expensive too as the exchange rates are terrible with 1 euro buying 0.9 Jordanian Dinars. The money system here is confusing with three levels of currency. 1000 Fils = 1 Jordanian Dinar (usually referred to as a "JayDee") and 100 Fils = 1 Piastre. Prices can be advertised in any 1 of the 3 types! Some things are cheap like a Falafel sandwich will set you back 800 Fils max but a 3 star hotel will cost you 20 JD a night!

Amman is a pretty boring city to be honest and the downtown is not so exciting with mostly travel agencies and corporate offices. It feels like any other big city and is a little dirty. However if you take the time to explore you will find some hidden gems. On the first day I set out to see the ancient Citadel, propped up on one of the hills of the city. This site has been settled by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and in later times Muslims. There are some well preserved remains, although small, throughout the site including the temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church and a Muslim royal palace. Also on the site is Jordan's first archeological museum, a cute little collection of artifacts found around the Citadel site. I spent a good hour walking around the site and admiring the impressive view of Amman city. Down the west side you can see the ancient Roman Amphitheater (which I visited later) and in the distance a great flagpole (flag-less at that time because the King was not in the country) that used to be the tallest in the world.

On leaving the site I met a tour guide who tried to sell me a trip and tour of other nearby sites. After bargaining hard I managed to crack a good deal and so off we went! The first stop on the tour was a small village called Madaba (about 45 minutes outside Amman) which is known as the city of Mosaics, so-called because of the many ancient mosaics found in the city and the numerous mosaic factories working today. On the drive down the guide explained the history of the area including the biblical story of the many nations that resided in the area such as the Moabites.

We arrived in Madaba and went straight to the St George's Church which houses the most famous Mosaic. The Mosaic is an ancient map of the area showing Israel, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Although it is 1500 years old it is surprisingly accurate and is the oldest surviving map of its kind. In 1967, excavations in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem revealed the Nea Church and the Cardo Maximus in the very locations suggested by the Madaba Map - amazing!

Next stop was Har Nevo (Mount Nebo), the biblical location where Moses looked into Israel and passed away. At the top of the hill is a church dedicated to Moses where monks live and many pilgrims visit from all around the world. The view is quite amazing, the opposite to what I am used to! Looking into Israel you can see the dead sea as well as Jerusalem (the other side of the mount of olives. It was amazing how close I was to the holy land.... but I would have to wait a few more days before entering.....

That evening I went searching for a place to eat in downtown Amman.... surprisingly hard! I found a place down a little side street which only makes Felafel. It was a tiny little establishment with an Arab dude with a funky mustache making and cooking felafel balls at the speed of light! I dubbed him "The Felafel man" and attempted to order my sandwich (he didn't speak much English but at least he gives you free fresh felafels to try while you wait!) .

The next day I walked up King Hussein street to the King Abdullah bin al-Hussein mosque. This mosque is not some ancient wonder like you would find in Istanbul, however it is impressive with its stunning blue dome and fresh white minarets.

Next I was off to the Roman Amphitheater (the one which I could see from the Citadel). This theater is in very good nick and is still used today. It sits in the middle of downtown juxtaposed to an array of crappy, half complete apartment blocks. I sat at the top and watched the myriads of tourists from all over the world wandering through. Next to the theater is a museum called the "Museum of Popular traditions" and contains a small collection of traditional clothing and jewelery worn by different tribes from around the area. I found it disturbing to see signs of tribes from BeerSheva described as Palestine. (Later, I found it even more disturbing that there is a TV channel called Al-Quds dedicated to Israel bashing - although this may not be Jordanian in origin).

The only other thing to see in Amman is the vegetable souks (markets) behind the King Hussein Mosque in the heart of downtown. Unlike Israel or Egypt there are no great traditional Bazaars or Souks to explore. The vege market is the closest thing you will find - it is still fun to wander through and hear all the sellers shouting their latest deal to the crowd.

That evening I visited the Hashem restaurant (as recommended in Lonely Planet). This restaurant is a vegetarian (slash kosher) dream! There are no menus but I just asked for something of everything ... and was brought a selection of salads, pita, hummus, and tea. Yum!

The next day I left Amman and headed north. I managed to strike a deal with the tour guide from before to take me to Jaresh and Irbid (including a tour along the way). Jerash is probably one of the most impressive Roman ruins in the world. It was destroyed in the middle east earthquake of 749 CE but after extensive excavations has been revealed as remarkably well preserved. The most impressive stretch is the Cardo Maximus and the Oval forum at the south end. There are also two large temples (dedicated to Zeus and Artemis), a long hippodrome, two amphitheaters, a couple of Byzantine churches and much much more!!! The site is huge and with its many pillars an arches is truly an awesome site. The town used to be called Gerasa and was a major trade connection point between Jerusalem, Damascus, Baghdad and Philadelphia (the old name for Amman). I was guided around the main sections and was also allowed to explore on my own for 30 minutes before we had to head off. The site was packed with Jordanian school kids singing and drumming. I was approached by some 15 year old gilrs (with Hijab and all) and was asked if I had a girlfriend - when I answered no, they quickly retorted - "well why not - you are very good looking!" - what a crack up!!!

That afternoon we arrived at Irbid. There is nothing to see in this city, so I was only stopping here because it was close to the border with Israel. As there is no too much tourism here, I found it very hard finding a hotel (let alone of cheap one) and had to settle for a slightly more expensive, but luxurious, hotel. Oh well - 1 night in luxury is all good!

Irbid is a university town and is sprawling with young hip Jordanians students. The main drag of the downtown (called university street - funny that) is packed full of American fast food restaurants, Nargileh bars (known locally as Arguileh) and internet cafes (in fact Irbid has the Guinness world record for the most internet cafes!). I really preferred Irbid over Amman - it had more of a young vibe and great nightlife. The city is relatively clean and modern and the residents seem to be more western and connected to the world.

In the evening I popped into a local Arguileh bar (well technically not a bar, because no alcholol is served) and ordered an Arguileh to smoke and some mint tea to drink. That night was a big night as Real Madrid were playing Tottenham Hotspurs - so the place packed out pretty quick. The locals at the bar were very friendly and were interested to know about me and my travels. They were also kind and made sure I was comfortable the whole night and even recommended to me a new type of tea to try - tea with sage... yummmmm!

The next day I took a taxi down to the Sheik Hussein border crossing. I thought it would be a quick crossing but boy was I wrong!!! Firstly there are no signs in English or information people to assist you. I just attempted to follow the crowd (which was large and consisted mostly of arabs and a couple of israelis). I figured out that I needed to get a exit stamp - which I had to queue 45 minutes for! Next I had to pay tax (well I assumed we had to pay as everyone else was doing it) and I walked outside to attempt to cross. Carrying my heavy backpack in the hot sun I walked to the crossing only to be told that you cannot cross by walking - only by bus! So back I went to wait for the bus! The bus came, and on trying to get on was informed that I had to buy a ticket..... Finally I was on the bus. However the bus took almost 1 hour to drive about 50 meters!!!!! By this point I was quite pissed off, hungry (I had not eaten and it was like 3pm) and thirsty!!!

Finally crossed to Israel!!!! No buses - but luckily managed to hitch a ride with some kind Israelis to Beit Shean where I headed straight to the Kosher McDonalds!!! After I had re-energised I hitched a ride to the Kibbutz (Sde Eliyahu) where I will be staying for the next few days. My mother's cousin Arieh (originally from Wellington) lives on the Kibbutz with his family (4 out of 6 kids are currently on the Kibbutz) and mother. It was great to see them again after about 1.5 years. I spent a lovely Shabbos with them enjoying the last of the Chametz that the Kibbutz has to offer!

Pesach is soooo close! I am quite excited - I love Seder but am sad that I will not be spending it with my Family. I am also not looking forward to trying to find kosher l'Pesach food in Jerusalem that is not Kitniot - I remember it being quite difficult!!!

Anyways... my next update will be from Jerusalem. I wish everyone a Chag Pesach Sameach V'Kasher!!!!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Ottoman style

Salam Aleikum! I am currently in Amman, Jordan! Lets recap the last week or so....

I arrived in Thessalonki in the evening and checked into a cheap hotel in the city centre. I decided to go explore downtown and I quickly discovered Aristotelous street/square which is the main cafe/restaurant drag connecting the downtown to the waterfront.

The next morning I headed out to buy my bus ticket to Istanbul from Crazy Holidays travel agency. Then it was time to properly explore the city. I wandered around the many shopping streets until I arrived at the White Tower, an old strategic lookout tower perched on the waterfront. Historically it was part of the fortified ramparts than surrounded the city, but today only a section of the walls remain as well as this tower. The tower is an excellent museum that presents the history of Thessaloniki on 5 floors and the 6th floor is the lookout rooftop. The history of the city includes Byzantine, Ottoman Turks, as well as a significant Jewish story. The Jewish quarter used to be a large part of the city however the holocaust destroyed most of Jewish life here.

Just up from the White Tower is the International Fair tower and 2 museums. I wanted to visit the museums but for some strange reason they close at 3pm everyday and it was 3.30 when I arrived. So instead I continued deeper into the city until I arrived at the Arch of Galerios, a Roman creation built to celebrate the victory over the Persians. For some reason the area around the arch seems to be the hippy suburb with lots of funky alternative stores and cafes. Heading back towards my hotel I passed two more impressive areas. The first, on the edge of the hippy zone and just up from the Arch, lies the Rotonda - a idolotorous temple / church / mosque build over 1600 years ago. The second impressive area I passed is the Roman Agora which is an ancient Roman marketplace. At the east end lies an impressive intact ampitheatre.

That evening I jumped on the bus that would take me to Istanbul. I thought I would sleep for most of the ride however this did not work out! I got woken up plenty of times, including when we had to get out at the border to go through immagration and duty free! As the bus arrived in Istanbul I was impressed by the size of the city and the beautiful minarets popping out across the hills. The bus pulled into the Otagar bus station, a massive complex with endless buses on multiple levels. I was told that there are free transfer buses to different locations around the city however when I walked over to the bus transfer point I could not figure out which bus I needed to catch! Luckily I managed to find one guy who could speak english and he helped me figure out where I needed to go. I had to catch a bus to Aksaray and then transfer to the tram which would take me to Sultanahmet, the old city where I was planning on staying.

Getting off the tram (which was packed!!) I was quickly greeted by the two most iconic symbols of Istanbul - the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque. These two architectural wonders sit 400 metres opposite each other and are truly awe inspiring. I was lucky to find a good hostel 2 minutes away from the Aya Sofia - right in the heart of the old city.

After getting some rest I decided to go explore Sultanahmet. I started by visiting the Blue Mosque but was not allowed in at that time because prayer services had just begun. The mosque is huge and has many ellaborate domes and minerets. I entered the courtyard which houses the ablutions fountain and watched the worshippers washing their feet as they prepared to pray. After that I made my way down to the ferry terminal south of the Golden Horn (an inlet that runs off the Bosphorous between the continents and heads west) near the Galatta bridge. From here I caught the tram over the bridge all the way to the end of the line. From there I transferred to the underground Funicular that goes up to Taksim square.

Taksim square is the top of the shopping and nightlife district that runs down Istikil road. I arrived here after dark and was impressed with how the whole area is lit up with colourful street lights, fashion stores, american fast food joints and bars.

I had been warned before I arrived in Istanbul that single guys like myself are often targets of money scams. It works like this: Somone young Turk will approach you and start speaking to you in Turkish. Of course you say "sorry I do not speak Turkish". Then the guy will say "apologies, you look Turkish". After this he will attempt to befriend you and ask you if you want to join him for a drink. He will then take you to some dodgy place and then introduce you to his female "friends" (most likely prostitutes) and then you buy some drinks for everyone and you have a good time. At the end of the night, when it is time to pay you ask for the bill and discover that it is like 500 euro or something crazy. You ask to see the menu - he shows you a fake menu with crazy prices. You say you that you don't have the money, so they force you to withdraw from an ATM - often at knifepoint. Crazy huh!? Well thank G-d I was aware of this because I was approached 3 times in this manner. Each time I politely told them to piss off!

Anyways .... that evening I headed out to the local Couch Surfing meetup. It was a nice evening, however there were not many travellers who showed up but like 50ish locals. It was fun though meeting local Turks and enjoying the local brew Efes.

The next day I headed out to visit the Aya Sofia (also known as the Hagia Sofia). This impressive multi-dome complex was originally built as a cathedral in 360CE and has been added to and modified over the centuries, most notably in 1453 when the Ottamans converted it into a mosque. There are two levels inside, including an upper gallery. It is quite fascinating to see the blend of Christian and Muslim design elements throughout the layout of the building. Upstairs are some impressive examples of early Christian mosiacs as well as an excellent view of the main dome.

I returned to the Blue Mosque, this time I succeded in going inside. I was given a plastic bag to carry my shoes as one must remove their footwear on entering a mosque. Although outside the mosque is truly massive and ornate, the inside is mysteriously small and simple. The design work includes basic geometrical patterns on tiles as well as paintwork on the ceiling.

Side note... I found it interesting to see on different advertisments around the city the turkish months of "Nisan" and "Tammuz" which appear to coincide with the hebrew months by the same names.

Just past the Aya Sofia is the Topkapi palace, a grand royal construct built for the Sultans of the early Ottoman empire. The palace is quite stunning and houses many different rooms including lounges for the sultans to chillax in, ceremonial rooms such as the circumsicion complex, as well as a treasury and harem. The treasury contains a collection of priceless jewels, gifts, glassware that was owned by the sultans throughout their reign. The most interesting part of the treasury was the relic room that contained a fascinating collection of Muslim relics. These included the footprint of Muhammed, keys to the Kabbah in Mecca and Moses' staff. It appears that Muslims believe these to be genuine and hold them in high regard.

The most stunning part of the palace had to be the Harem. In the old times the Sultans would keep a collection of beautiful women to admire, be entertained and bear children with. They would have a sub collection of favourites who had special priveleges and whose children gained higher status. The rooms of the harem are beautifully decorated and contain low sofas. The harem was looked after typically by black eunichs.

That afternoon I visted the Grand Bazzar, Istanbul's equivalent of a Souk / Shuk. Although it houses 4000+ shops, an antique market and stretches for miles it was really quite a let down. The bazzar is completely under roof and does not have the charm of other souks that I have visited. It felt more like a shopping mall.... I got myself lost in the heart of the market and spent a total of 15 minutes inside as I did not plan on buying anything.

That evening I went out to a funky Nargileh / tea bar with an Aussie dude and 2 british chiks who were staying in my dorm. It was such a cool place, perched on the edge of a steep street, lit up by candles and with lots of cushions to plonk yourself on.

The Aussie dude, Nick, and the British girls from the night before joined me as I explored Istanbul the next morning. First stop - the spice market. This cute little market felt a bit more genuine with loud vendors shouting at you when you walk past, powerful aromas of fresh spices and cheap kebaps! Next to the market is another impressive mosque which we popped into briefly to have a look (one of many that we visited that day).

We walked across the Galatta bridge and explored the backstreets of the area north of the Golden Horn until we arrived at the Galatta tower (we passed a couple of synagogues on the way as this area is a large and historical Jewish area). We went up the lift to the top of the tower and were blown away by the impressive panorama of the city. The city appears to stretch for miles in all directions and is dotted with minarets and their accompanying mosques. You can also see across the bosphorous to the Asian side of Istanbul. For those who don't know - Istanbul is the only city in the world that is on two continents - Europe and Asia. It is seperated by the Bosphorous straight and is connected by two super-huge suspension bridges. The Galatta tower is an old lookout/lighthouse and today houses a restaurant and nightclub.

We walked a lot that day! We continued along Istikal road to Taksim square then down to the waterfront palace of Dolmabache (I visited this properly later), then all the way back to Sultanahmet (popping into a few mosques along the way). We took a quick break in a funky coffee shop for some genuine Turkish coffee and apple tea.

The next day I had planned to do a Gallipoli tour.... however the bus did not show up :( !! So instead I transferred the money to another tour which included exploring Istanbul. The first part of the tour was a cruise along the Bosphorous for about 1.5 hours. The tour guide pointed out areas of interest along the way including some palaces, mosques, impressive mansions, trendy parts of the city, old castles and the massive cross-continental bridges.

The next part of the tour took us to the top of the Pier Lotti hill (named after a French author) for a quick tea stop. The view from the hill is beautiful (and it was a beautiful day) as you can see right across the Golden Horn. We took the cable car down and then we were taken to the Dolmabache palace.

The palace was also built for the Sultans, however it is significantly newer with only 4 sultans being in residence during the Ottoman period. Designed by French architects, it was an attempt to appear European to the Western world. The reality of course was different, as it still contained a Harem just like in the old days. To enter the palace you have to put plastic bags on your feet to aovid damage (I guess) to the wooden floors. As you enter your jaw drops, and stays that way from room to room. Everything in the palace is stunning beyond belief. The 4+ tonne chandeliers, the exquisite sofas, pianos, rugs, panelwork, staircases, frescoes, decorations....... You knew that you were in the heart of royalty! We only got to see a selection of the rooms including the official meeting rooms for ambasadors, the harem and the Sultan throneroom. Truly stunning!

The final part of the tour took us across the Bosphorous suspension bridge to the Asian side. We stopped at a cafe with an awesome view looking back across to Europe. The asian side is more residential, and also contains some of the more trendy and wealthier parts of the city. It is weird to think that I visited Asia for 30 minutes!

Returning from my tour I knew that there was only 1 thing left to do in Turkey before I left - experience a Turkish Hammam (bath). I joined up with Nick (the aussie dude) and we went looking for a Hammam. We came across one, but decided against it as it was pricey and touristy - more like a day spa. So we returned to our hostel to book through them. It was a good decision as it turned out cheaper, was much more genuine and we got a free taxi ride there.

The Hammam was in some random, non touristy part of town and felt a bit historical. We were greeted by 2 fat old men who told us to change and wrap a towel around us waist. First stop - the sauna. After sweating it out for 10 minutes it was time for a scrub and soap massage. This was undertaken by the fat men! They didnt speak any english, and were a little bit eccentric with one guy making cat noises and the other guy tickling my feet! The scrub was really good - I dont think I have ever been cleaned that good! Next was the soap massage. We lay down on a large warm stone and was massaged with a creamy soap from head to toe. The men were pretty rough and clicked every part of my body! Finally you are rinsed off, your arms and torso are stretched and then back to the sauna before being dried. It was definately a cultural experience that I will never forget!

Finally that evening Nick and I accompanied by a couple of Austrian chiks went to smoke Nargileh and drink some beers over a game of never never! Always fun to play with randoms!

I really wanted to have a nice Shabbat experience in Istanbul however the shules are very difficult to get into due to security issues and the Chabad is temporarily closed because they had a baby! My advice is to contact the Jewish community at least 2 weeks before visiting if you want to visit a synagogue. There are quite a few shules around town including an Ashkenazi synagogue. On the tour our guide actually pointed out one of the historical Jewish areas but I do not know much of the history.

On Sunday I was off to my next location.... Amman, Jordan. The Istanbul airport is crazy - packed full of people trying to get through immagration. I have never had to queue so long in any airport! Even on the runway a strange thing occured. Due to some backlog there were plenty of planes waiting to take off. Looking out the window I could see a line of about 10 planes standing nose to tail waiting for their turn to enter the runway .... so weird!

Anyways... I have arrived now in Amman. I am safe and loving life!! But you will have to wait until the next update to hear all about my Jordanian adventures! B'Shalom!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Malakas!

Its all greek to me.... Indeed I am in Greece, and even though they have funny letters that I can not read I have truly had an amazing time here so far! But wait... I have to catch you up on the past two weeks of madness!

Think back to Friday morning, 2 weeks ago in Rome. I went to go check out one of the national museums housed in an ancient Roman bathhouse, just near the train station. The museum contains an interesting display of statues, bronzework (including an impressive bronze statue of a boxer that was almost 2000 years old and in pristine condition). The building itself is interesting - an ancient brick bathhouse used as a communal bathing place all those years ago! During lunchtime I met up with Gaia and her mate Bruna and we went to chill in the Villa Borghese park. Gaia took us to a beautiful area with luscious green grass and pastel blossoms sprouting from the trees. It was so good to relax in nature away from the bustling city.

That evening I went to the Great Synagogue for Kabbalat Shabbat. The shule is grand, however not as impressive as the Florence shule. The service was beautiful as the main songs were sung by a choir with perfect harmony and acoustics! I had shabbos dinner with Gaia's family which was lovely. The next morning I popped over to a local (and much closer) shule for Shacharit.

Saturday night ... time to experience true Roman nightlife. I met up with Gaia and her friends and we went out to Campo de Fiori for a few drinks and good times.

Sunday morning started with a Museum - this time the Palazzo Mussiomalle Terre which houses an impressive array of Roman statues, busts, mosaics and plasterwork as well as a cool collection of Roman coins (some dating over 2500 years olds). For lunch I popped over to explore the Jewish ghetto. On the street behind the Grand Synagogue are scores of kosher restaurants, cafes, judaica stores etc and is quite a funky place to hang out.

Monday was my last day in Rome and I had only 1 more place to visit.... The Vatican. I left early, as I wanted to avoid the queues, and I arrived just after 9am. It is weird to think that you are technically leaving Italy and entering a new state! It does not feel or look any different, and there is no passport control or anything life that - you just walk and bang... you are in Vatican city! I entered through St Peter's square which is a large eliptical arena surrounded by columns. This is where the pope addresses his audience every week - you can even see the balcony that the pontif stands on! At the top of the square stands the mighty St Peter's basilica - the world centre of Catholicism. After passing through security I entered into the basilica. It is huge inside, and surely is impressive. It was funny to see lots of nuns running around - I was so tempted to go and hug one! (someone left this advice on my facebook page lol)

On the eastern side of Vatican city is the entrance to the Vatican museums. These museums are so popular so I was lucky that I only had to wait 30 minutes in the queue. There were lots of Pakistani men trying to sell umbrellas (as it was lightly raining) and a few locals trying to promote the "skip the queue tour" in which by paying 10 times the price you can go straight in - I think I can wait!

The museums are massive - the biggest I have been in yet! There are many different sections, and a few were closed off for some reason. I spent approximately 5 hours inside wandering through the displays that included egyptology, ancient roman, and pre roman estrucan works. I am glad I invested in the audio guide as it not only helped me to understand what I was looking at, but also acts as a map around the vast complex. In the centre of the museum buildings is PineCone courtyard, and the connecting hallways all contain amazing and interesting artworks including tapestries, maps and stuccos. For the Renaissance lovers - there is the Raphael rooms with some very complex and symbolic fresco works by the art master and his students. And of course there is the highlight of the museum - the Sistine Chapel. The ceilings and walls of this small chapel contain the finest examples of Renaissance work by MichelAngelo. On the roof is the story of creation from Genisis and contains the famous Adam and G-d work where the two are almost touching fingers (http://arachnid.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/michelangelo-sistine-chapel-adam.jpg). On the front wall is the powerful display of Jesus, the redeemer.

I wanted to visit the Vatican library, but unfortunately it was closed, so instead I continued through the remaining galleries which included a modern and contemporary Christian art gallery. This gallery contained many cool works by my favourite, Dali. There was also plenty of older christian work including a unique tapestry with the famous "Last Supper" by Leonardo DaVinci based on the original painting on display in Milan.

My last evening in Italy..... By some random coincidence, a friend of both Gaia and I was in town - Jon from the US. So weird that I bumped into him in Rome!!! So anyways, we all went out to get Pizza and chillax. After saying thanks and bye to Gaia and her family I headed out to the airport. I had a 6.40am plane to catch so I figured I would just sleep in the airport to save the hassle. Besides being kicked out of the terminal at 12am (we could go to the next terminal which was 24 hours) and being harassed by some sicko lady it was actually a cool evening as I bumped into 2 Canadian chiks who were heading the same way as me!

I had managed to find a couchsurfing host in Athens so on arrival I headed straight out to their place via metro and tram! I was kind of half asleep because my original plan to sleep in the airport had been scrapped due to the fact that the Canadian chiks and I were chatting all night! My hosts were sisters, Nefeli and Idili who live together with their mum near the city centre. I quickly was introduced to George - their best friend, who practically lives at the girls place (well at least when I was there lol). I am just going to throw it out there - these 3 duuudes are amazing! I really had such an amazing time with them and I never felt so at home!!!!

Something cool that I learnt about my hosts is that they are involved in the film and media business. They have a recording studio in the basement in which they use to dubb films and series into Greek. Its kinda cool to know that their voices are on television throughout the Greek world! They also are involved with film production and are about to host a film course on a Greek island over the summer.

The first evening in Athens was fun as we all headed downtown to the Monastiraki district to smoke Shisha - there is like a whole street full of Shisha bars.... and smoking is still legal inside bars in Greece. Joining us was also the Canadian girls from the airport. Monastiraki is a funky nightspot filled with bars and classy coffeeshops. You can also see the Acropolis - which at night is all lit up.

The next day we were joined by another couch surfer, Sarah, who was surfing at the girls place (also from canada). George offered be our tour guide and the plan was to go visit the Acropolis. However, Greece being Greece - the site staff were on strike! So instead we wondered around the hills surrounding the Acropolis site which has stunning views looking out over the whole of Athens. From the top you can see the Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Hephaestus and many other archeological sites. You can also see out to the sea with some islands popping up over the horizon. That afternoon we visited the Acropolis museum which contains artefacts discovered on and around the Acropolis hill. The most interesting item is the collection of 5 maidens taken from one of the temples near the Parthenon. (The 6th maiden is in London and the Greeks want it back!) That evening we went to go eat some Greek food.... however the typical cuisine is anything but Kosher so I had to settle for a Greek salad (still good though).

The next day we tried round 2 at the Acropolis. Success - the strike was off and we could visit the site. George (for a bit), Sarah and I explored the site which included the Parthenon, the theatre of Dionysis and down the hill - the temple of Zeus and Hadrians Arch. Afterwards we wandered through the central city until we came to Syntagma square, the heart of downtown which houses the Parliament. The sisters met up with us and we all went out to grab a Greek coffee (not dissimilar to Turkish coffee) in the Neasmyrni district.

I wanted to cook something for my hosts to enjoy - so we made Falafel! It was very yum, even though I grossly overestimated how many chickpeas we needed! The evening ended with a crazy game of Circle of Death.... the first of many to come!

For Shabbos I headed down to the local Synagogue and then enjoyed dinner by Chabad. It was really interesting to chat to the Rabbi's wife about Athenian Jewish life. It turns out it is not so different than that of Wellington - and they do not even have a kosher store!!! I had told my hosts that I would be back around tenish - turned out to be more like 2am! They were freaking out so much that they even tried to call the Rabbi - of course to no avail! We spent the whole night chatting away about all sorts of random and funny stuff. So as you can imagine - I skipped shule the next day and had a great shabbos shluf!

Saturday night was party night - Greek style! Some of my hosts mates came down and it was time to crank the circle of death - round 2! We played 2 rounds that night and consumed lol! Then we headed off to the clubs... Greek clubs are popular so there was no chance we were going to get into one of the best! We went to a club called Candy Bar and danced the night away!

Sunday morning hangovers are never fun! Drinking water helps! Anyways... off to the Archeological museum of Athens. It was free on Sunday - yay! It has an interesting collection of impressive statues and artefacts but the most interesting items are the golden death masks. The most famous is the mask of Agamemnon which, like the other masks, shows the impression of his face still to this day - creepy!

In the afternoon we all went down to the Marina, a hip funky seaside hangout packed full of funky restaurants, bars and of course - super yachts.

I really had an amazing experience in Athens! It wasn't so much the place or the history or the museums (although these of course were very interesting) - it was more the people. In particular: George, Nefeli and Idili - with whom I hung out with every night 'til the wee hours. I had such a good time in Athens that I have now booked a flight back.... In August I will fly from Tel Aviv to Athens, party it up in the Greek Islands and then fly direct to Cairo.

I took a train this morning to Thessaloniki and hopefully tomorrow I jump on a bus to Istanbul.... so excited!!!!!

Until next time you Malakas!