Episode 08: "The Golan" (+)

Last Friday kicked off yet another action packed weekend. This time we hit the Golan, a region in northern Israel that was of course abundant with history and unrelentingly gorgeous. After a 6 a.m. wake-up and three-hour drive, we hit the ground running with a mountain hike. The scenery was fantastic: blue sky, trees, rocks, water, cacti. Plus I was in good company. I spent a good amount of the hike with my friends Nati, Nicolas (NEE-kol-AH) and Martin, and getting to know other people, too. After a little while we came upon our first waterfall and ate nearby the pool of water. We weren't allowed to go too deep in, Hebrew U rules. Sure was pretty, though.

My Canadian pal Nicolas versus the Golan sun.
Close call. That hat is gangsta.

Later on in our walk, we came upon another fall with another natural pool around it. That one was actually shallow enough to go into, so I took a dip. At one point Nicolas and I sat directly under the waterfall. Just before climbing the mossy rocks to sit under the water, Nicolas pointed out a small rainbow the water was making. It may be possible that Israel will never max out its "picture perfect" points. I find more and more beauty in it as I go.

A Golan waterfall,
looking much sexier than Martin and I.

The walk was pretty challenging overall. Lots of sweat and water swigging. At the end of it there was a perfectly placed ice cream shop by the buses. Nicolas, Martin and I treated each other to ice cream (which is "glida" in Hebrew, as I know you were wondering). Before going home, we drove out toward a military outpost. On the way, our tour guide told us a little bit about the road we were traveling on. We were on the easternmost road of Israel, skimming the border to Syria. In 1967 this place was a battlefield for the Six-Day War, which eventually saw Israel take the Golan from Syria. Since then, Israel has laid some provisions down--such as the piles of rocks set to explode from dynamite blasts and litter the roads in case Syrian tanks ever decide to get bold. Very cuddly.

We made it to the military outpost. You could see Syria from the top of it--which I believe is the highest point in Israel. The view was incredible, but for intelligence purposes, cameras weren't allowed there. But I'll paint you a picture with this hippie tidbit: It's absolutely ridiculous that anyone could ruin a landscape so gorgeous for war. It'd be like trading heaven for hot dogs. Burnt, war-torn hot dogs.

With mustard.

Anyway. We went to our hostel, roomed up, and had a Shabbat service before dinner (again, there was that incredible love for God in the room...as convincing as any church back home). The hostel was pretty fly, and the view of the Golan on the veranda was...how many synonyms are there for beautiful? While I was on the veranda, I asked Guy--the nice tour guide--about details regarding the war with Lebanon last year. He told me that everything I was looking at had been bombed by the Lebanese in 2006. It was then that the baggage of the place began to really weigh down on me. The Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped by the Lebanese were never freed, hundreds were killed altogether, the political landscape didn't change, etc., and happily ever after. There's a point at which you remember this should not be normal.

Skip forward a little. I ate dinner, played some Madrich (counselor) inspired games, and went to bed. The next morning I went with the first group on a bike ride, which was pretty difficult. More sun, more sweat, a couple times when I had to actually walk the bike. Pretty sad.

Nicolas vs. the Golan Sun, Round 2.
That helmet doesn't have the same "G" factor.

Let me hurry this up. Ping pong. A hike to Tel Hai, where we took in more local history, courtesy of Guy. Went to the pool, which was another ridiculous odyssey in more sun. The water was incredibly refreshing. The Rothberg School kids (that's my group) mostly stayed together, playing around in the water with chicken fights and underwater handstands, stuff like that. The pool was where the party was at.

Corina, Nicolas, Nati, and Yours Truly.
They call it "poolside pimpin'" in Israel.
Kinda. Not really.

Last big event I guess was the photography museum, which had amazing 3-D pictures of the Garden of Gethsemane, Abraham's tomb, the tombs of the prophets, Nazareth, and more, all from the 1800s, I believe. Too bad I was wearing the glasses inside out for the first twenty minutes. Making the last five minutes that much cooler once I figured it out.

You look really 3-D with these glasses.

Topped off the afternoon with a talking exercise about man's superiority versus nature's superiority according to Jewish scripture, which was interesting. It required a mini-version of public speaking on my part, which was it's own clunky adventure. After that we ate food, packed up, and left.

Whew. If you've read this far, you're a trooper. Here's a goofy picture of me, just for working that hard. My self-portraits are kind of hit-or-miss.


Shalom,
Eric