The Best of Visitors

So... My special visitors have arrived....

MY MOM AND JENI ARE HERE!!!!!! She and Jeni (my mom's friend that actually put me in touch with the Morris family) flew across the Atlantic Ocean to spend my last week in Israel with me. I could not be more excited!!

They arrived yesterday for Shabbat, and I led them through all of the religious rituals. I'm a Jewish genius now.

*flips hair* "it's no big"

Orit immediately warmed herself up to jeni and my mother and wasted no time asking Jeni for some of her candy (classic Orit). We napped for a few hours, then spent half the night chatting and laughing with Esther and Nava. It was a wonderful night.

We woke up early to head into Tel Aviv for the day. I do have to say, it is very different travelling Israel with job-holding, salary-earning adults as opposed to poor college student peers. Like we rented a car and I don't have to deal with public transportation anymore. AT. ALL.

And we booked private tour guides for MONEY.

And we ordered BREAKFAST like for real instead of just COFFEE.

And we are staying in a hotel in a few nights!!! Not a hostel. Not an airport Starbucks. A hotel.

I can barely breathe.

We spent the day walking around the city together, which reminded my mom and Jeni of Downtown LA for many reasons--not least of all the lace.

We then headed over to Old Jaffa for a more "ancient" feeling city. Tel Aviv feels like it could be in any country anywhere in the world (that speaks Hebrew, that is), so I wanted my mom and Jeni to get a feel for the unique personality and beauty of Israel on the first day. And boy, did they!

Look at that blue ocean!

My excitement spilling over!

We looked over the Mediterranean Sea and Tel Aviv, prayed in St. Peter's Church, and explored numerous little art galleries, jewelry shops, and one-of-a-kind designer stores. We definitely got in the Israeli mood.

It's exciting to have two people here whom I love so much and share an Orange County, California background with me. I find that they have similar perspectives and observations to my own, and it's been so enjoyable for me to explain my own experiences to them knowing that they'll understand what I mean. Talking with them about the history of Israel and the cities we've explored also opens my own eyes to the fascinating information I've learned and retained since my arrival. I'm spouting dates and facts like--

Go me, man.

From Jaffa, we drove about an hour and a half (due to traffic) to the city of Caesarea, an old Roman port that has the most fantastic view of the Mediterranean at sunset and unbelievable ruins.

How *wow* is that!?

We had a delicious dinner on the shore, then drove home in utter exhaustion. We are crawling into bed as tired as can be, because we have a packed day tomorrow--maybe my busiest since I've come to Israel!! Couldn't be more thrilled to spend my final week in Israel with two of the most amazing women in the world!

With so much joy,

Aubs (and Jeni and Sabrina!)

Most Amazing Weekend in the World--Day 2

I awoke to my alarm clock at 2:50 AM and almost sobbed. It was SO FREAKING EARLY. But as soon as I remembered my itinerary for the day, I practically hopped out of my skin. I was about to go on an adventure.

lol classic me.

It was time for a hike up a 350 meter mountain, which I guess is like .2 miles high. "Psh," I thought, "piece of CAKE."

Ha. No.

What I Expected:

After 1 minute:

I mean, look at this thing!!!!

HOLY CRAPOLA

It was ginormous! And it wasn't even a sloped path--it was a bunch of actual stairs! Talk about an intense stairmaster. But--it was absolutely worth it. PLUS--I was the first person of our tour group up the entire hike!! Wahoo, Aubs!!

Looking out over the Dead Sea about 20 minutes before sunrise

Exhausted and very proud Aubs

Only true Israelis bring pita and hummus for breakfast!

Look at that sunrise!!

And if that intense sunrise wasn't enough reason to make the trek--there were Roman ruins of Masada all over the hill!

Wowza

Look at those dwellings!

This was the final Jewish stronghold in their war against the Romans thousands and thousands of years ago. It was used as a settlement by the Romans after the Jews were defeated. I was freaking out. Of course, I'd been travelling with Kara and Kajsa for almost 24 hours already, so they were accustomed to my frequent bursts of exhilarated and probably abnormal emotion. I'm probably like the funnest person to travel with--simply because you get to laugh at me all the time. I mean, I'm basically Buddy the Elf when he thinks Santa is coming--but I'm like that all the time. 

"LOOK AT THIS TREE." "HOLY MOLY, WE ARE IN JERUSALEM." "TAKE MY PICTURE." "THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL!"  "I LOVE EVERYTHING."

From Masada, we rode on over to the natural oasis and springs of En Gedi, where King David took refuge in some caves. Of course, an Aubrey trip wouldn't be complete without me obsessing over some animals, so here are some adorable--and quite fearless--ibex and groundhog things that I want as a pet/want to be in my next life.

Hard to see, but they're there. A momma and her baby!

Groundhog chillin out, snufflin' for some grub. I wanna be him.

We hiked a little more (and our legs hated us) to get to some stunning waterfalls.

One of the little waterfalls

There are actually four waterfalls in this picture, and I make my way to the top one!

Accompanying my obsession with animals is a love for tunnels and caves. This is a cool natural grotto formed from overhanging palm fronds.

Terrible lighting, but I hope you get the idea!

And then... King David's Waterfall

OMG! It's out of Indiana Jones! Or Veggie Tales!

It was dangerous right in this area, because of the dangers of falling rocks.

Debbie Downer

So of course I followed the rules....

Yeah right.

YOLO

But seriously--I wasn't letting some signs stop me! Israel has a way different perspective than America on rules and the like. In America, you best believe there are secret cameras watching your every move and that there are dams that will block the waterfall if you step under it and an omnipresent NSA officer will call over a hidden speaker "EXIT THE WATER IMMEDIATELY."

"I just wanna--" "NO."

In Israel, it's kinda like "eh, you might die, you might not, do what you want." Fences are suggestions and warnings are careless afterthoughts tossed in the breeze. I mean, I think. Idk, maybe I just haven't been caught yet...

Anywho! Off to the Dead Sea!!!

Of course I exfoliated with some mud.

Got a nice tan.

My newest date look

The floating sensation in the Dead Sea is bizarre. It's not just buoyancy. The water is actively pushing you to the top! It's almost like laying on a barrel that's on its side. It's wobbly and takes a lot of balancing effort, but you don't have to kick or exert any upwards motion. I don't know scientifically why that is--I took Science and Cooking for physics in college, I'm not gonna give you any info.

Just keep floating

The tour was over around 1 or so, and we headed back to Jerusalem. It took me about three hours to get back to my street in Raanana--and now I'm EXHAUSTED. Shabbat is about to begin, so I'll be heading up for a family dinner shortly. But this weekend was one I'll never forget.

With all the love and joy and peace in the world,

Exploring the Great Outdoors Aubs