Weekend

So, I'm back in Jerusalem after a real nice stay with my family. Saturday we got up late, ate breakfast, Yotam watched American cartoons in Hebrew, and Amy (my cousin) packed us a picnic lunch ad a lunch for my oldest cousin, Silvan who had duty in the army this weekend. Usually they have weekends off but she had to patrol this weekend so we went to visit. We were supposed to leave at 11:15 but we left at 12:00 because you know, Israeli time. Noa had been sleeping over her friend's house so we picked her up on the way to the base.

My cousin mentioned not many tourists get to see the army bases so that was kind of neat but it was pretty empty and dismal looking. I wouldn't want to be stuck there with no one else around wearing those uniforms in the heat. Though it was nice of my cousin to bring us to visit SIlvan and bring her some home cooked food. She took apart her gun randomly- or at least part of it, in fact Im not sure what she was doig but I dont think it was reloading...(btw I was informed it was an M-16) and put it back together but she's far off from the 30 seconds you're supposed to do it in. I half wonder if she was trying to impress me -after all, I was impressed at first (I mean my younger cousin with huge ass gun, what?!)- until her father mentioned you're supposed to be able to do it in 30 seconds, not two minutes. Haha. Something about teenagers (18/19) all armed with m-16s impresses me- I saw huge huge droves of them going back on the train from their weekends at home and really its crazy to see, such young kids with such discipline, able to handle being casual about having such powerful weapons on them at all times. Maybe it's my American sensibility though, here it's just a way of life. Noa was complaining about going into the army in four years. I cannot imagine her in the army, at all!

So we saw her office and the base and it was actually pretty uneventful. Then we set out for a trip! We drove about an hour and a half north to the sea of Galilee. There we found this trail, only its not an orindary trail, its a water trail. The whole thing is in a stream. It seems like no big deal BUT have you ever walked on a stream bed? All the stones are smooth and slippery ad different sizes, it's really difficult. Noa and I fell so many times splashing into the water.

Whats really cool is the lush green walls of plants on either side of you. There isnt even a bank and sometimes vines hang into the water. Many times there is a canopy of leaves above you and at times it opens up into deeper pools that go up to your chest or above your head and you have to swim across. There are groves of Eucalytus and grape vines alone the stream too, it's amazing, seems much more like the tropics than Israel. Some of the trees have roots exposed in the water or branches overhead you have to duck under- that sort of stuff. Most toursists dont get there so many times it was just us! It was SO COOL.

Then when we finished we were sopping wet. So we all changed into dry clothes and searched for a place to eat. We ended up in Tiberias, named after the ancient Roman, at some touristy place. For some reason the area was very touristy, lots of stalls selling junk and such. I thought the food was good but Yotam didnt like his dish so I shared my Shnitzl with him. Thats just like shake and bake chicken btw (and for the record: ketchup here SUCKS, its watery and too sweet and not like our ketchup at all! yuck!). The whole trip he didnt utter one word to me in english though he could sing along to the radio, he really was so shy- though not too shy to accept my chicken- he hadnt eaten lunch since he had thrown an absolute fit (not screaming and crying but being sulky and whiny about not liking anyting we had for lunch) and wouldnt eat what his mom packed, so he must have been ravenous. Btw, back to the radio comment- they have this really cool station here that just throws anything on, mixing Israeli with American and contemporary stuff like Black eyed peas with 80's hits and then israeli stuff I'm sure is just as varied. So fun to listen to!

Then we saw a pack of cats lurking by our table- we were eating outside, so of course the kids started to feed them even though we were sure we were going to get yelled at by the waitress if she saw us. One was rather fierce and swatted at Yotam who repeatedly baited it, and another with half an ear and looking better fed than the rest turned out to be rather nice.

Then my cousin gave us all money to go get gelato! It felt just like a family vacation, like I was one of the kids. It was really nice.

We didnt get home util 11 and I was so tired. Then this morning I got up and cuaght a 10:12 bus. I had to trasfer at 11:00 in tel Aviv and thank goodness I asked an older couple if I was getting on the right train, there was one quick announcement in hebrew that I barely caught and no one else was getting on! He assured me it was Jerusalem bound and I got on hoping he was right. It didnt stop for more than two minutes- if that- so I didnt have time to ask anyone else and had to jump right on. Well, he was right. He and his wife sat across the aisle and opened a huge container of assorted fruit. They offered me some and I tried to refuse since it was my first instinct but then he held out a nectarine and seemed determined so I took it. They even gave me a knife and napkin to cut it on. How sweet. Then he gave me grapes. Again I tried to politely decline, again he said "Please!" and held them out. They just felt the need to share I suppose. When the offered me water tho I def declined and they were okay with that. Though I couldnt help smiling. So strange, people dont share food with starngers for no reason back home. Maybe they dont here either. Oh well.

Then I caught a bus back to school, unfortunately I got on at the first stop and school is pretty much the last stop. Meaning it took another hour to get back!