Olympia Tel Aviv

... arms? I can't see it.<br><br>Anyway, I had to decline a second round of drinks to return the bike in time to catch Capoeira class. That proved to be regrettable. Not because class wasn't great - it was all Angola, in which I have virtually no experience, and I needed to pay Mestre Surfirte for one of the classes I took the previous week and thank him and the others for talking me into going past Eilat to Sinai - but it went on til nearly 11, meaning I could only get ...

... We arrived on July 27th in the middle of the day and everyone else (for the most part) went home the night of August 4th, giving us approximately 9 days together doing all kinds of activities. In order (roughly): we visited the ancient Roman aqueducts at Caesaria and stayed at a kibbutz; drove to the northern border with Lebanon, met Taglit groups from Russia and Argentina, walked through the holy city of Tsfat, floated down the Jordan River on rafts, and ...

... a little.<br>Monday we spent the morning in Old Yaffo and the afternoon in Neveh Tsedek, a quaint area that reminds most of the village in New York<br><br>Yesterday, since the temperature has been rising, we enjoyed the coolness of The Diaspora museum, Beit Hatefutsot, which was a great condensed history of how we as jews can travel far to find a place we will feel comfortable in or ultimately kicked out of.<br><br>Off to few more museums, walking the beach and a few more of the sites.

... We knew exactly what Nurit meant when she said "It's good to have family here". <br><br>Our time in Modi'im was sweetened even further with a brief visit to the young family of a close friend of ours, who coincidentally also have three children and lived not too far away from Nurit and her family. These precious children and their parents were a treat to be savoured. Having enjoyed the kid's pictures and stories our friend Phil had shared with us over the years, we now got ...

... as long as we were willing to be gone by 8:45; as it was maybe 7:30, this was not a problem. (This is a pattern: while in the U.S. we might have to wait til 8:45 to be seated somewhere popular, here it doesn't get busy til then...and bars much later than that--all the gay parties for Pride start at 11:30 p.m. at the earliest). Our French waiter helped me translate some gaps in my vocabulary on the Hebrew-only menu (a rarity) and took great ...

... somewhere else to check it, and another woman proceeded to check my purse again (4th inspection). When they came back w/ my backpack, I was taken to a back room where they patted me down. When I came back from there, EVERYTHING in my backpack and purse was strewn across several tables. The lady looked at me and w/ some attitude said, "Sorry about the mess." (5th inspection)<br><br>They allowed me to pack up all of my belongings, and they ...

... For now, we spend the upcoming week in Jerusalem for a week that seems slightly touristy in nature, although I admit it will definitely feel strange to visit the Western Wall and Yad Vashem in soldier's attire. I also wonder about the reactions of the t-short salesmen in the Old City market who always recognize me. All in all, I love this. The commanders only allow us to take pictures at certain times, but I will see what I can do about sneaking in a couple more. After all, I am now well-trained in such maneuvers.

... global issues ranging from border conflicts to environmental issues.  Students form a delegation representing one of the world's countries and "play" that role as the country would perform it as it would be played out at actual United Nations conferences and meetings...  It is a great challenge that requires a high level of writing skills to draft specifically written resolutions,  enhanced speaking skills used to persuade and convey positional perspectives and an enormous amount ...

... some people around jogging, biking, working out, doing yoga... you get the idea. Nobody was just hanging out (except me, of course). Okay, you have to admit, the people here are all very beautiful: slim, trained bodies, no fat, just enough muscles to make it look good. Man and women alike. And everyone knows, you don't look like that just by lying at the beach, you have to work out - and they do. BUT they are so obsessed with their bodies and looks, it's ...

... it to our temporary address. We finally got them 3 days later. After all this we come out of the place to find my aunt &amp; uncle waiting for us, and my husband's uncle &amp; cousin waiting for us. It was kind of awkward, but nice. We introduced everyone. My aunt &amp; uncle gave us the stroller &amp; car seat they brought for us, which was a big help, as well as a new map of Israel they purchased for us. We proceeded to the rental car, Eldan. After much paperwork, they ...