February 9th – Golan Heights

It was to be an action packed long day in northern Israel. The first stop was a hill in the heart of the Golan. The Golan Heights is some of the most disputed land in Israel that you don't hear about much these days, but just a few short years ago the tiny strip of land just 7 miles across between Lebanon and Syria was front and center in the papers. The bulldozed, bombed out and bullet riddled buildings were a testimony to the recent conflict. One shell of a building had graffiti in Hebrew on its side, “The Golan is ours now and forever, 2003.”

It was quite a view from the top of the hill which also was the site of a former Syrian bunker still in place. Settlements of the Israelis, Syria, Lebanon and the UN all visible from the single location. it was a little sad for me, however, because I have wanted to go to Syria and Lebanon for some time and I realized this would be as close as I'd come for the foreseeable future.
After the hill we headed off for a nice hike, the closest thing we had to a real hike, but only about 1 and a half hours. We traveled along the river basin of a nice valley, up and over rocks and across small streams. There was nice vegetation and we chatted our way to the far side which had the “Niagara falls of Israel,” a measly fall that trickled over the edge and dropped about 40 meters I'd guess. By the time we finished, it was after lunch time and many were starving so we headed to a shopping plaza near our next stop, The Golan Heights Winery. We ate the usual fare, but the highlight was a grocery store with actual local prices. Everyone took advantage and I think we bought enough booze to kill a small elephant. The winery was just next door and we did the standard wine tour and all enjoyed the tasting.

The final stop of the day was in the town of Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. We went to a spa of hot springs that are supposed to be healthy, I'm not sure whats so healthy about sulfuric hot green water, but it was warm and pretty therapeutic for my tired muscles. There was also a normal pool there, where we held some chicken fights (naturally I dominated).

From there we rode back to our kibbutz/summer camp for dinner and then had a bit of rest. After dinner we were in for a special treat and we prepared potent drinks in water bottles for the occasion. We had a guest come to teach us Israeli folk dancing, the horah. Think a bar mitzvah, but taken more seriously and with actual steps. Luckily for the instructor, everyone participated to their best and the room was filled with laughter for the hour or so we danced. The dancing and the pre-gaming parlayed directly into full blown party, certainly the most wild of the trip. I'll spare you the details, but it was a fun mess.