Shabbat is a holy time for the Jewish people. It is a time to reflect on the past week and “live it up” for one night. Once the sun sets on the horizion, all of the Jewish stores close down and the entire country of Israel comes to a hault. It is forbidden to do any work on Shabbat (for those who follow Jewish law very strongly), so from Friday night to Sarurday night there are no open stores, no cars on the road; and very few people to be found.

I have seen small communities “slow down” for Shabbat, but I have never witnessed an entire country come to a hault. Today I had the amazing opportunity to spend my Shabbat celebrations at the Kotel, or the Western Wall, in Jerusalem. Visiting the Kotel twice, once during the day and once at night, brougt two differernt experiences. During the day, the Kotel was very open and I easially made it to the wall. I was amazed by the amount of paper stuck into every crack of the wall, one even folded into a tiny heart and placed deep into the rock. I said my prayers, took some pictures, and absorbed as much of the surroundings as I could.

That night (tonight) the exact same place took a completely different turn. The only way to explain it was one enormous singing Jewish mosh-pit with Jews of every demonination dancing in circles, singing with iron lungs, and smiling from ear to ear. It was certainly an experience that I’m sure will never be repeated back in the States.

My time at the Kotel, and experiencing Israeli Shabbat in general, was absolutely wonderful. What next? Oneg!

Being from from south Florida, I’m used to seing names such as Hilton, Double Tree, Mariot, and even Ritz, but in most of Israel these names are no where to be found. However, after this trip, I will no longer look to these “plush” hotels as the definitive place to stay. I learned early on this journey that small whole-in-the-wall places have water just as hot, beds just as comfortable, and people just as friendly. During this trip, I have slept in hostels (spelling?), motels, guest houses, a massive tent, and the occasional friendly shoulder. Any flat surface will do! At the beginnng of my trip in the north of Israel called the Golan Heights, I slept in a room roughly the size of a walk-in closet with a roommate. As the trip progressed, we (myself and my roommate) entered Jerusalem and stepped into a huge room fit for six people. In the end, the housing on this trip has been great and I’ll no longer be affraid to try someplace unfamiliar!

More posts from my trip to Israel are coming soon!

This blog post is proof that I cannot sleep on insanly long plane flights. I write to you, sleep deprived, from inside a pressurized tube sailing off the coast of Spain. In advance, I appologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes that will certainly cover this post. When I am awake for over 24 hours, words tend to get fuzzy….

As I promised, I want to give you a little info about my trip. I am going to Israel as a gift from Taglit-Birthright and the state of Israel. I will be spending the next 12 days all around the country from the shores to the desert and get a taste of what Israel has to offer. My itinerary covers riding camels, floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada, tasting wine (drinking age is 18), visiting countles memorals and holy land, and even, yes, just nothing at all! This is the biggest undertaking I have ever gone through in my young life, and I am eternally greatful to Taglit, Sachlav, and Hillel for this wonderful gift. I will attempt to blog whenever I can and upload everything once I have WiFi access (thank goodness for my iPod touch!).

There are several things I have learned from my trip so far:
1. Trans-Atlantic trips are not fun when you can’t sleep.
2. Airplane food can be decent.
3. There is no such thing as personal space.
4. French dubbed movies of plane crashes with Hebrew subtitles are hilarious when you’re tired.
5. Never trust domestic flights to be on time. Ever.
6. Always talk to random people on your flights. It makes the flight much more enjoyable.
and many more. Once I arrive in Tel Aviv airport in 4.5 more hours, I’m sure all of this will melt away and I’ll be running on a “Hebrew high” for the remainder of the trip.

Once you read this post, you’ll know that I have landed safely and reconnected with the digital world. Stay here for my new series: “Blogging From Israel” where I will not only talk about my trip, but also dive into the real Israel and see if it is just like the news makes it out to be. Also, follow my antics on Twitter: Right Here (@C_Dubbs). Until then, I think I will try another attempt at sleeping before they serve breakfast. Bon Voyage!

That’s right everyone, by the time you read this, I will be off on my way to Israel. I will try my very best to blog about my trip, but keep your eyes on my Twitter account for more up-to-date info. This is just a quick post to tell you that I will have a much more detailed entry after my trip. I want to take the time in advance to thank Taglit-Birthright for this wonderful trip, and to all of the people who made this happen. I will see you all at the end of the month!

Thank you and I'll see you soon!

Welcome to the first blog post to express my feelings in pictures rather than words. I’m too busy to write out a witty text entry, so I leave you with pictures. This is how I feel right now:

And lastly,

Wash, rinse, repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat …..

Anyone else feel this way right now?