Posted 2014-1-18 by AGF
The only question I was asked when I arrived in Tel Aviv was ‘how long will you be staying?’ My return to Boston a bit more intense. ‘Why were you there? How long did you stay? Did you make friends? and any other question the customs officer could think of. It was also the first time a magnifying glass was used to view my passport. The only country the officer cared about was Israel and I’d visited two other countries on this journey.
When I returned to work after the first two questions were ‘Did I have a good time’ and Is it safe? Of course, Israel is safe and it is dangerous like every country on this planet. It is unfortunate the only time Israel gets the world’s attention is when an act of violence has taken place.
Israel is magical, Tel Aviv is alive, it’s exciting and thriving, it has a pulse and a heartbeat and it can stand side by side with any major city in the world and hold its own, it has a nightlife that surpasses Boston and rivals Manhattan’s, and the country has far more to do and see than country’s far bigger. It is unfortunate the only time Israel gets the world’s attention is when an act of violence has taken place.
When I exited the airport and started the drive to Tel Aviv, the feelings were overwhelming. Remembering the moment I finally set foot in the country I’d always wanted to visit and the multitude of emotions you felt, well that is what I was experiencing. For eight days I experienced this amazing country, I saw it up close, I got touch it, feel it and hear it. Israel is like no other country on the planet.
And then there is Jerusalem, words can not describe what it is like to enter the Old City it is something you must experience for yourself, to see it and be one with it and the wailing wall, what a moment. And what’s on the outside of the Old City is just as fascinating, from the ruins that surround it to the ancient cemetery that faces it, it is believed to be the place from which God will begin to redeem the dead when the Messiah comes. And to climb the Mountain of Olives and look out over this majestic land, well it is something you must experience for yourself.
Some countries we go to relax and enjoy time on a beautiful beach under a perfect blue sky, some countries give us that adventure we seek, and some take us on a journey and some countries take us back to the spiritual and it is the truly rare country that will give you all that and more, Israel is one such country. And for eight incredible days I was a part of it. For those of you on the fence, get off it book your trip and go.