Reno 911 Moment

So I was just walking the streets of Tel Aviv with some of the many groceries I need to recreate Thanksgiving in the Middle East, when I saw two police motorcycles on the sidewalk (that's ok here). The male cop was talking with a middle age man, looking over his identification papers and the female cop was inspecting her bike. As I prepared myself to go around the spectacle, the female cop swung around. I looked up from the sidewalk and saw her. She was about 5 11', hair tied back, policeman's hat on, but the kicker was, she was sporting the worst pair of faux Chanel sunglasses. With her hands behind her back, she asked (I assume this because is was in Hebrew) for my identification. I responded by plucking my earbuds (attached to my iPod) from my ears and then dropped my jaw and uttered, "huh?" This time, in English, she asked again for some ID. There was absolutely no way I was going to take her seriously, so I said sure, handed her my shopping bags, and my new Tel Aviv traveler's map while I fished around for my VA Driver's license. When handed it to her, she barely looked at and then handed it back (the Israelis I consulted said that she probably saw that it was in English and knew that she didn't want to struggle to actually examine it).

Oh Tel Aviv

Downtown Tel Aviv


The other night while alone in Barak's apartment while he's in the States, I heard police over their megaphone giving instructions to someone resisting arrest. After the third or fourth "announcement," a gun shot was fired. About 20 minutes later, traffic was normal on the street. This is the most exciting event I've experienced here. Too bad the Maoists aren't a threat anymore in Nepal. Where will I see some real action?!?!?

Me In J.C.'s Hometown

So the other weekend, Barak and I made it out of Tel Aviv and Netanya to Nazareth and Akko. We drove through several other places, but after a long night of drinking celebrating his upcoming interview at MIT, we didn't leave as early as we expected.

So here are some photos of Nazareth and Akko (north of Haifa, but also on the bay).


Market in Nazareth


Inside the Basilica - Built on the site of ruins of four churches


The Basilica from the Town Square


Barak and me in the Ancient Acre of Akko

Three Very Long Days in Athens

Don't get me wrong. Greece has some amazing sites, just not in Athens. The weather was pretty bad, so when I tried to leave, the agents at the bus station told me it was no use, anywhere I could get to and from in one day was experiencing the same crappy weather we were. So instead, I hung out a lot at the hostel with some serious partiers from Australia and New Zealand and met four people who either went to or are currently students at UCSD. Insane I know.

The Acropolis was about a 10 minute walk from my hostel. It was the most crowded site that I've been to since walking around the touristy part of Paris. I think there were over 500 people there the same time I was, hence all the folks in the photos below. It was cool to think about the power of one of the world's oldest civilizations while walking around the sites, but literally, once you've seen one column in Greece, you've seen them all.

I also tried to get to the Port of Piraeus, IPO people will appreciate this one, but once there, it was basically just another stinky fishing depot. Nothing too exciting there.

I have to applaud the Greeks on the metro system. It is quite amazing. Not only does it connect the huge metropolis that is Athens from end to end, but it is also the cleanest, most efficient and timely metro that I have ever experienced (Sorry Germany, they got you on this one).

Well, that's all. As you can see from the photos below there wasn't really much to it, but it was a trip that I had to take to get back on track with my RTW ticket, so I can't really complain too much. Next time I head to Greece, I'll be island hopping for sure.


Acropolis at night - from the roof of the hostel


Temple of Olympian Zeus