Leftover notes from an Israeli press trip

Back in March, I was invited on a press trip to Israel and wrote about the experience in the should-have-been-award-winning series Heathen in the Holy Land.” But the trip yielded more notes, quotes, and quips than I could ever hope to fit into a series of blog posts. After looking over my notes from the trip, I wanted to share a couple leftover gems with Gadling readers, whom, incidentally, I often refer to as my own Chosen People.

  • A quote from one of our new Israeli friends: “There are really no celebrities in Israel since we’re such a small country. Last week I went to the market and saw three contestants on Israel’s Amazing Race.
  • Our guide Ziv Cohen discussing the 2006 rocket attacks by Hezbollah on the Israeli town of Haifa: “We trust in God that it won’t happen again. And we trust in the Israeli army.
  • Ziv Cohen explaining the importance of tradition: “Sometimes ‘tradition’ is just a nice way of saying it’s bullshit.
  • The Mitzpe Hayamim in the Golan Heights region was one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed at. In an attempt to make my friends at home jealous, I tried to take a photo of myself enjoying a bubble bath. From my notes: “I just learned that it’s impossible for a man to take a picture of himself in a bubble bath without either looking extremely dainty or looking like he’s about to pleasure himself. There is no middle ground.
  • According to our guide, the town of Caesarea is a “new” place in that it’s only 2,000 years old.
  • From my journal: “Possible title for blog post — ‘Tel Aviv: The City That Never Schleps'”