Friday, August 12, 2011

Deep Sea Baby!

Γεια σου, κόσμε!

Well here I am chilling in the gorgeous Greek island of Spetses, about 2 hours from Piraeus, the Athens port. Its absolutely stunning here! Its the ultimate summer holiday! Before I get to the details of my Greek experience, let me fill you in with the past couple of weeks.....

Ok ... so the last few weeks in Jerusalem involved sleeping in late, missing classes, drinking lots of beer at Kings bar and losing games of poker at 1 shekel per buy-in! I honestly think I had reached the point of burn-out when it came to Jewish learning! Don't get me wrong - my Yeshiva experience has truly been amazing and I love the learning - however there comes a time when you reach overload! I do not understand how the serious learners spend 10 hours a day for 5 years plus?!?!?! I can barely manage 3.5 months! I really picked up a lot of good skills and knowledge, and bought lots of books (going to regret the fact that I have to shlep them around Egypt!).

I enjoy going out to downtown Jerusalem. Even though we always go to the same bars (either Zollies or Kings) in crack square (known as American square by the locals because of all the annoying loud birthright kids!), its always a fun night - smoking Nargileh (free when you buy drinks) and chatting to random Jews from all around the world!

2 weeks before I left Rabbi Gefen (head of our programme) organised a trip to the north of Israel. Our first stop on the way was a small village called Mitzpe Yericho which overlooks the ancient city of Jericho. Unfortunately Israelis are not allowed to enter Jericho itself so we had to look from afar. The view is stunning - with the dead sea glittering in the background under the desert sun! The famous Jericho casino clearly stands out on the edge of the city - once a hangout for PLO militia and Israelis wanting to gamble.

Next the bus headed north to the ancient fortress of Gamla. Overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Gallilee), perched on the edge of a pyramid-shaped hill protruding from a deep valley lies the ruins of Gamla. Gamla's story is not dissimilar to that of Matzada - where 1000s of Jews commited suicide in order to escape persecution from the approaching Roman legions. The walk down into the valley was easy - however the return trek in the blazing sun took it out of me!

Our journey continued up into the Golan heights - a controversial flat-top mountain range on Syria's border. This huge strategic piece of land once belonged to Syria, but was captured by Israel in the 6-day war and quickly annexed. It is easy to see why Israel won't give this mountain range up as it provides a protective shield against Syria who is not Israel's best friend at the moment!

From the top of the Golan is a stunning view of the Kinneret and its major port city of Tiberias. Looking out over the lake brings back memories of my crazy 7.5 hour bike ride around the perimeter! Good times!

We moved on further to the northern edge of the heights to a beautiful area known as the Nachal Jilabun. Along the ridge are hundreds of destroyed Syrian bunkers flanked by luscious Ecalyptus trees swaying in the gentle breeze. What's with the Ecalyptus trees you may ask? Well - that is an interesting story..... an Israeli spy by the name of Eli Cohen lived in Syria for many years prior to the 6 day war and became very close to the officials of the country. He once suggested that the Syrian army should plant Ecalyptus trees to shade the soldiers in the bunkers. Their agreement gave Israel a huge advantage in the war, as Eli Cohen secretly passed this information to Israel which ordered its airforce to bomb all areas with Ecalyptus trees.

The hike through the Jilabun was fun and consisted of two refreshing pitstops in tributary lakes. The first lake was cold and full of freshwater crabs! Some of the boys discovered a cliff to jump off into the lake - and after a little convincing I found myself following suit.... good times! The second pitstop was another small pool, this time with a waterfall cradling the cliff-face. The sun was low by the time we got there which created an artistic rainbow in front of the falls. We swam into the pool and found that we could swim behind the waterfall! It was like going into a watery bubble - not being able to see or hear anything beyond the falls and the cliff walls. The day trip ended with a BBQ in Tiberias and a visit to the grave of Rabbi Akiva.

My last night in Jerusalem. A sad day.... especially due to the fact that it was almost Tisha B'Av - the commeration of the destruction of ancient Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple. Jerusalem really has a special place in my heart and I have always felt at home in the holy city. I really wanted to see the old city and the Kotel one last time before I left so I rounded the troops and we all headed down. We took our usual route through Damascus gate and down the Arab market. Usually at that time of night its empty and quiet - but what we forgot is that Ramadan had just started and we were pleasantly suprised by thousands of Muslims feasting, drinking tea, smoking nargileh and enjoying life! The coloured lights strewn across the old city walls made the whole atmosphere feel something like Arab Christmas! Some of my friends felt quite uncomfortable in a place with so many Arabs - personally I love it! I find Arab culture to be extremely interesting and I just love Arab tea! Anyways - we eventually arrived at the Kotel where I said my last prayers. We then grabbed some icecream and hung out with the Aish kids (young guys who attend the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva) in the Jewish quarter.

At 3.30am a Sherut (service taxi) picked me and my friend Izzy (an American friend of mine who is also studying at Ohr Someyach) and off we went to Tel Aviv airport.

We arrived in Athens, not sure if we were supposed to be meeting my friends in the airport or at their place. So first stop was Syntagma square in downtown Athens - on a mission to find a sim card (because surprisingly they dont sell them in the airport!!!). After hooking up with Vodafone we headed out to meet my Greek family (technically we are not related - but I love them!). We were picked up by sisters Idili and Nefeli and we wen
t back to their place to chill.

We were lucky enough to spend a night in a sweet Greek apartment with a sick pool! So we spent the 2 days that we were there swimming, chilling, smoking nargile and just enjoying life! Oh - I forgot! Before we left for the pool apartment, Izzy and I went exploring Athens. We go off the subway at Monastiraki and got ourselves lost in the flea market on a mission to find Nargile (yes I know - I am addicted and am seeking help!) I quickly discovered that Greeks do not haggle - in fact they get offended when you offer them a lower price!!! It was cool exploring the funky restaurants and shops that snake their way around up to the base of the Acropolis. We actually ended up climbing the Acropolis hill to check out the stunning 360 degree view of the city.

For Shabbat we joined the Chabad who are now providing meals out of their brand new Kosher restaurant! Thanks Chabad - we love you!

Ok.... time to leave the mainland! Izzy, Nefeli, Idili and George (my Athenian brother from another mother!) joined me on the adventure of a lifetime! (Ok a little lame - whatever!!) We jumped on a "flying dolphin" ferry and set sail to the Island of Spetses. On Spetses we joined Petros (the number 1 radio DJ in Greece) and made our merry way up to the family villa where we stayed until now.

The villa is amaaaaaaazzzzziiinngg!! Perched up in the hills, it has the most incredible views of the Mediteranean waters. The villa has 3 levels with balconies to chill and take in the view. Its a ten minute walk down to the port and centre of town. Although small, the town has many bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs spread out along the rough coastline.

The weather here has been incredible. 35ish during the days and 20ish at night. Perfect weather to kick back and bronze up! With the exception of Tisha B'Av, our days here have consisted of swimming in the crystal clear waters (a different beach everyday), sun-tanning on the stony beaches, having a few beers at the beach bars, partying at the exclusive clubs, taking in the breathtaking views, riding on horse and carriages, staying up to the wee hours of the morning to watch the sun rise and a whole lotta chilling!!!

There are almost no cars on the island so everybody gets around on scooters and mopeds - I have almost been hit at least 20 times! The houses here are whitewashed with red roofs - it reminds me a lot of the south of spain. The main road around the island is serviced with with horse and carriage and there is a public bus. Alternatively one can catch a water taxi for an exorbitant price. Spetses, like many of the Greek islands is a hangout for the mega rich - as the many bays are lined with super-yachts. Life on the island is very chilled - a great way to end my intense trip around the world!

Anywho.... I have to go work on my tan! I'm getting pretty black - jealous much?

Lots of love..... :)

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