SH-22-342's blog

We began Friday by hiking in the Golan Heights near the Syrian-Israeli border, where we enjoyed spectacular scenery while getting a good workout at the same time. We also learned about the significance of The Kinneret, or The Sea of Galilee as it is called in English. Israel is dependent upon The Kinneret for its fresh water supply, but recently The Kinneret has been several meters shallower than in years past.

So it has been pretty exciting here in Israel yay! Yesterday, was a long, but good day. First, we got a tour of where elderly immigrants make arts and crafts, such as silk sheets and painted china. A lot of us bought souvenirs at the gift shop. Then, we went to the Holocaust museum, which was an interesting, yet difficult, experience for the group. We were able to hear the story of a Holocaust survivor in a movie and discuss our thoughts of the museum. Later, we drove to Tel Aviv and spent the night "chillaxin" (according to Ariel, our tour guide) on the beach.

What an amazing couple of days! Our Birthright trip is off to an incredible start. After long flights, and sprinting from one gate to another so we would make our connection in Zurich, we arrived in Israel on Monday afternoon. We promptly made our way to Jerusalem, the city of gold. Along the way we stopped off at the Haas Prominade, an amazing view of the city. We took a few photos (see below) and then made our way to the hotel. After dinner at the hotel (it was delicious!) we got to know our group members a bit, went over some important logistical info and finally went to bed.