Zoe in Israel: Micky-isms and Angry Israeli Men

Greetings from Netanya, Israel! It's currently 9:03pm, and I'm writing from the desk here in my hotel room on the 6th floor of the Blue Bay Hotel and Spa, the first of many hotels on our journey. It's a shame that we aren't staying here for more than one night though, as I scored the best room (or at least, better than Grandmother and Grandfathers). As I sit and relax after way too many hours of flying my balcony door is open and literally a stone's toss distance away is the Mediterranean Sea, crashing against the sandy shore far below with such power. The first flight, Toronto to London, went by quickly, yet I didn't get a chance to sleep on the 7 hour trip. After meeting a new friend, Laform, a girl who overheard me mention Tel Aviv and then introduced herself and mentioned that she lives just north of Tel Aviv, the four of us (Grandparents, Zoe and this new friend) rushed through Heathrow to make it on our connecting flight to Tel Aviv in time. The atmosphere on this flight was much different, as a majority of the passengers (myself included) took this time to sleep before landing in Israel. The first thing I noticed about Israel, other than the abundance and variety of traditionally dressed Jewish men, was the smell. It has such a particular smell, but I credit this mostly to the adjacent sea. We met with the tour group, and from the airport we took an hour bus ride to our first destination, here in Netanya. We have the most magnificent tour guide, Mickey, who is charismatic and knowledgeable about the country. I've started a list of "Things Mickey Says" in one of my notebooks, making sure to note down the interesting and quirky Mickey-isms. We arrived in Netanya, enjoyed dinner (which was surprisingly good, especially considering how picky of an eater I am!) and now have settled in for the night. Of course, what would any trip be without me and Grandfather jumping to take care of our electronics and consequently blowing their rooms fuse as soon as we got into the hotel. An angry Israeli man is already fed up with us.

In the morning we leave for Casearea bright and early, but I'm hoping to wake up around 6am Israel time to get in a walk on the beach with my camera and notebook. It feels like such a waste to lay in bed when I'm here on the other side of the world, when I could be exploring and learning as much as I can.

Here's a bit of knowledge as shared by Mickey: petroleum here is 8$ a gallon! Most of the cars you see driving in Israel are small, and the Mazda 3 is the most popular vehicle. Now you know!