israel

after a short and pleasant 24 hour sail we arrived in israel just a day before their independence day. entrance into this country was a bit different from any other place we have visited before. they have strict security measures in place and the navy monitored our every movement as far as 40 miles from their shores. we maintained constant radio contact and they escorted us into the marina with a big navy ship loaded with a gun pointed at us; but we must admit they were at all times very polite and welcoming. once settled in the gorgeous marina at herzliya we joined in their 63rd independence day celebrations. we met our very special neighbors from s/v nirvana who gave us t-shirts from the regatta and flags. we blended right in and celebrated with them.



we also went around the entire complex with a shopping center, fancy stores and delicious restaurants and enjoyed the beautiful show of the regatta and the air show courtesy of the israeli air force acrobat planes flying over the mediterranean sea. it was a joyful and beautiful day, at least for some; as for the palestinians it is known as a date for mourning (they call the creation of israel the "naqba" which means catastrophe in arabic).



learning of the history of this country and the struggle of those who live here was very appealing to us. the conflicts of culture and religion are visible everywhere. the military planes fly constantly and there are security measures on land like check points in all public places, not to mention restrictions and walls between israel and their neighbor countries and palestine territories.

we learned a lot from visiting this wonderful place but still leave without understanding many of the intricacies of their problems. it is amazing how the israelis have managed to build such an amazing and developed country in the midst of all the conflicts and of course the dessert. i absolutely loved israel and was pleasantly impressed with everything i saw.