Thursday, November 5, 2015

Pilgrimaging

Adam and I are leaving tomorrow for a trip to Israel.

We are flying into Tel Aviv, where we'll be spending a few days. Then, we are heading to Jerusalem, which will be our home base for the remainder of the trip. In addition to seeing Jerusalem itself, we'll be taking some side trips to Caesaria, Masada, and the Dead Sea. (We considered doing a day trip to Petra in Jordan. Ultimately we decided against it due to the massive amount of time it would involve.)

Admittedly, I am feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to see and do in Israel. I'm trying not to go crazy. A friend has invited us over for Shabbat dinner next Friday, which will be a great experience. I am also hoping to go to mass at some point. In addition to all the religious, archaeological, and natural sites, I want to just soak up the culture (and the food).
Shakshuka - basically eggs poached in a tomato sauce.
(I once tried to make this at home and it didn't turn out very well.)

(NOTE: A lot of folks have expressed concern over the safety of traveling to Israel. However, several friends/family who live in Israel and/or have visited said that despite the alarming news headlines, everyday life in Israel is normal, and security is very high.)

This trip has really snuck up on me. I've been scrambling to get everything in order prior to departing. Putting the mail on hold, notifying our banks/credit cards, trying to finish all the perishable food in the fridge, tying up loose ends in the office, the list goes on and on.

I strongly believe in traveling with minimal luggage. However, packing for this trip has been a challenge since we'll be experiencing a wide range of climates. There will be much layering and as many mix-and-match items as possible. I could really use a good Mary Poppins-type bag right about now!

On that note, I miss the days when we didn't have to worry about packing a zillion different types of chargers/cables for all the various electronics. This picture isn't mine, but it's pretty darned close to what I'm dealing with!

I am packing running gear, of course. However, I don't anticipate I'll be doing more than a few easy 3- or 4-milers while I am there. I've been struggling recently with a flare-up of knee and hip discomfort. (I blame this on doing less yoga. It's a topic for another day.)

As always, I have a ton of catching up to do from the past few weeks. If I can get my butt into gear, I am ambitiously hoping to schedule some posts for while I'm away. (!?!?!?!?)

Either way - more to come.

19 comments:

  1. Have a fantastic trip! I'm super jealous, and can't wait to see your posts recapping the adventure!

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    1. Thanks so much, Natalie! I'll try to be reasonably timely about sharing pictures. :-) How are you feeling these days, by the way?

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    2. Pretty good, actually. The morning sickness dropped off a few weeks ago, so now I'm feeling mostly normal. I'm 16 weeks today so ... I should be feeling the baby move any week now!

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    3. That is fantastic that your morning sickness has dropped off!!! I'm amazed you are already at 16 weeks - the time has gone by so quickly!

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  2. Have an awesome trip! And yes, enjoy the food!!! I have a recipe for shakshuka somewhere that actually turned out pretty well, but I'm pretty sure it'll be better there :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Anne! If you find that shakshuka recipe, please do share! I've always had great success with your selection of recipes. =D

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  3. Have a great time!! Safe travels!

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  4. Have a wonderful trip! I know you'll get to experience so many new and exciting things. Take lots of pics too!

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    1. Thank you so much, HoHo! I've already started cleaning out my iPhone memory so I'll have lots of room for more photos. =)

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  5. I hope you have an amazing trip! Take a TON of photos and share them when you can!! :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Alexandra! I'm bringing an actual digital camera in addition to my iPhone in preparation for lots of photos. =)

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  6. Have a great trip Emily! Israel will be such a cool adventure. We were there 15 years ago and the security even then was like nothing I'd ever seen. Being there will be surreal. Cannot wait to hear all about it.

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    1. Thanks Marcia! Gosh, I would love to hear about your adventures in Israel from 15 years ago! Next time we have a chance to catch up in person, please share more details!!! I can only imagine what the security will be like!

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  7. Thank you so much, Karen! Good call on compression on the plane - I've definitely experienced water retention (aka swollen feet and ankles) from long flights, so I am going to throw some compression socks into my carry-on. =D

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  8. I am so stoked for you guys! I can't wait to hear all about your trip! You're going to have a great (safe) time. I mean, come on, you visited the wall between North and South Korea... were those people freaked about that, too? ;) :P

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    1. Thanks so much, Kim! You have a really great memory! Yes, folks were nervous about North Korea, too. I blame the news media for making a lot of things sound much more terrifying than they really are!

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  9. Have fun! I'm so excited for you. And I have a lot of friends who travel to Israel, and they reassure me that it is very safe.

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    1. Thank you, Wendy! Glad to hear your friends who have traveled to Israel are also vouching for its safety. I blame the news media and their sensationalism for scaring a lot of folks!

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