Israel 1

Israel was the first country I visited during my June overseas vacation. I spent almost 2 weeks there, and traveled all over the country from Tel-Aviv to Haifa to Jerusalem. I floated in the Dead Sea, swam in the Mediterranean, and ate some of the AMAZINGLY delicious food Israel had to offer.

Here I am at the Dead Sea, covered in the nutritious mud. It was so awesome to be in my element, naked, at the lowest point on Earth. I spent most of the day covered in mud, floating in the sea. There was a fresh spring close by that I could jump in to get out of the sun, and rinse off all the salt. It was the local's spot, there weren't any tourists there. I met some cool girls from New York there and ended up spending the night with them. ;)

Here's another photo at the Dead Sea. Behind me you can see the mountains of Jordan. Due to the fact that the Dead Sea's water level is reclining there are now giant sinkholes in some parts of the mud. This is one of the bigger ones that I found. The white stuff inside of it is all the conglomerated salt crystals.

Early morning in Tel-Aviv. This photo was taken the day after I arrived, so naturally I was jetlagged. Ended up waking up before the sun to take this wonderful photo. After wandering the quiet sleeping city I came across these gardens and had a bit of a mental rest. The colors were so vibrant and beautiful.

During my visit to Tel-Aviv I ate at a pretty well known restaurant called "The Old Man & The Sea". I was told there they brought out dish after dish of salads and hummus, but I failed to really understand what that meant until I was there. If a bowl was half-empty the waiter would take it away and give you a new fresh bowl. I was kinda overwhelmed by it all. This photo was taken BEFORE the giant fish came out! Everything was so fresh and delicious.

These are some of the ruins near the Wall in Jerusalem. I wish you were able to go down there, but it wasn't possible. This used to be a bath site where everyone would cleanse themselves before going into the Holy City.

In Jerusalem is the church where they laid Jesus' body after he was executed. There is a stone slab where he was laid that people pray over and worship. The art and frescos inside the church were very beautiful.