Volcanic ash issues - just another day at the office

I am back and forth to Boston about every 6 weeks or so but this week was a little bizarre.  A volcanic eruption in Iceland has spewed so much ash in the air that so far there have been 17,000 flights grounded across Europe.  I'm sitting right now at Zurich airport where we are reassured that our flight is going to take off just fine in about 2 hours.  Meanwhile the ash has come as far south as Paris closing airports there and in Amsterdam, Germany and everyplace else north of that.  My guess is that this same flight tomorrow won't be going.

Not only does this affect me but it creates a small work emergency as it is leaving au pairs stranded both in Europe heading to the US and those that have finished their year in the US and need to head home.

It seems slightly bizarre to me that today's major challenge for work involve a volcano in Iceland.  Go figure.

Jerusalem

I don't care who you are or what your beliefs are - Jerusalem should be on everyone's bucket list.  I don't think there is anyplace else on the planet where you can see as many different people co-mingling in one tiny space or as many amazing and meaningful sights that individually are worth their own trip.

Without intentionally doing so, we booked our trip on the rare year when Easter and Passover coincide.  Although Jerusalem was super crowded and opening hours were limited, it was an absolutely incredibly awesome time to be there.  I had no idea that there were this many different religious costumes.  It was surreal enough to feel like being on a movie set.  

 

 

 
The sites in Jerusalem are just awesome as well.  Old Jerusalem is a walled city that is only .35 square mile.  The wall has 11 gates of which 7 are open today.  The old city is divided into 4 quarters: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian.  Each is distinctly different from the others.  Within this tiny area are housed some of the most famous, interesting and holy sites in the world.

The Cardo Maximus is the excavated Roman "main street" of Jerusalem.  This used to be a large boulevard lined with shops and market stalls.  There are parts of the original road and columns here.

  

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre houses the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial (Golgotha, Calvary).  It is managed in a very carefully shared way between many different Christian sects: Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholics, Ethiopian Orthodox, Coptics and Syriac Orthodox all share some responsibilities of the site.  It's such a careful arrangement that one Coptic monk who moved his chair from its agreed site into the shade caused violence to break out.  They won't even agree to remove a ladder that has stood on the facade so it has to be replaced whenever it rots away (see under the right window):

Close by sits the famous Western Wall otherwise known as the Wailing Wall which is perhaps the holiest site in Judaism.  Jews from around the world come to pray here and leave notes in the wall's cracks.  The wall is all that remains of the destroyed Temple compound.

And sitting right above the Wall sits the Temple Mount where the Jewish Temple used to sit but now sits the Dome of the Rock - one of the holiest sites of Islam to mark the spot where Mohammed ascended to heaven.  Jews believe this rock is also the site of the "Holy of Holies" and where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Today the plaza is open to all people but only Muslims are allowed within the Dome of the Rock.  

It wasn't unusual to see people who were overcome by being so close to such sacred sites.  

 

Apart from its religious landmarks, Old Jerusalem itself is beautiful with winding streets and lots of stalls selling everything from wooden crosses to Jewish kippa to head scarves. 

 

There are plenty of soldiers around - barely out of their teens and packing machine guns.  Luckily when we were there they were relaxed and happy to pose for photos with pretty girls.

    

Across the Kidron Valley is the Mount of Olives, site of the oldest Jewish Cemetery in the world and many churches marking events like the Ascension, Mary's tomb, etc.

     

With only 3 days we saw a ton but I think even after a month we would still be discovering new treasures in this amazing city.  Between the people and the sites it must be one of the most fascinating places on earth.  

Tel Aviv

My friend Kjersti and I spent our first 3 vacation days in Tel Aviv and it turned out to be the perfect start Tel Aviv is a city on the beach like Waikiki.  We lucked out with a hotel one street in from an awesome beach and right around great restaurants.  Tel Aviv is truly a modern city and very cosmopolitan.  It feels kind of like a blend of Europe and the Middle East - a little rough around the edges but very alive.  Coming from snow (literally that morning) in Switzerland into the summer sunshine was amazing.  Everyone was out with friends and family walking along the beach promenade and cooking out in the parks along the ocean.

One of my favorite things about Tel Aviv (and in fact Israel) was the food.

We ate lovely fresh grilled seafood every day.  They do this awesome thing in Israel - before your main course they bring you little tasty bits of food called meze.  You might have a bit of hummus, a bit of grilled cauliflower, a bit of shaved carrots with mint, etc.  It is incredibly hard not to fill up before your main course.  Here are a few food shots for the foodies out there.





During the evenings the beaches are turned into ocean side bars.  People come and hang out with friends and family for a few drinks, something to eat and maybe a smoke on the hookah.  Kjersti and I just loved being able to sit outside with our beers and some cards for a little Spite and Malice.

When we weren't eating or drinking we did do a little sightseeing.  We did a walking tour checking out the typical "Bauhaus" style architecture for which Tel Aviv is now included as a world heritage site.

We also went to the market - I'm a big fan of markets :)

  

This is the Carmel Market and while most of it is composed of stalls selling cheap tshirts and jewelry some of it was really cool.

All the way down the beach from where we were staying is Jaffa.  This was known in Biblical times as the port of Jappo and it has a really lovely old town to wander through.

Since we were there during Passover, most shops were closed but Jaffa looks like it has a really cool artist presence.  Another reason to go back I guess!

After 3 days in Tel Aviv we were relaxed, tanned and well fed and ready to hit the ancient streets of Jerusalem.  I already miss the fabulous soft sand but I have a feeling I may be back.  It's only a 3 1/2 hr direct flight from Zurich after all!

Why Israel

On my week trip to Israel - Tel Aviv and Jerusalem - it became apparent that instead of one vacation I was getting two for the price of one.  Tel Aviv and Jerusalem couldn't be more different and each really cool in their own way so I have decided to do one post each to give them the attention they deserve.

But before I do that, I thought I'd answer the question pretty much everyone asked me - "Why Israel"?  Actually, it's not the first time I've been.  I went in the late 90s with my aunt, uncle and grandmother and was struck by the history and significance.  This time, the choice came about a little randomly.  In Switzerland we get off Good Friday and Easter Monday from work so it's common to go someplace fun for an extended long weekend.  My friend Kjersti and I looked at flights trying to find someplace with sun, someplace exotic and we saw that there are direct flights between Zurich and Tel Aviv and quicker than you can enter in a credit card number, our tickets were booked.

Israel is a pretty amazing place.  It has 7.5 million inhabitants and is only a tiny bit larger than the state of New Jersey.  Its official languages are Hebrew and Arabic and as anyone with a television can tell you, although it's a Jewish state they share their space with Arabs who have both Muslim and Christian backgrounds.

Israel has beaches, diving, deserts, great people watching, fabulous food, a Dead Sea, archaeological sites that will blow your mind, and a city with pulsing nightlife.  So, really, the "Why Israel" question is easy to answer - no matter what your interests are there is something to interest you in Israel.