Note from Israel
I have arrived safely after several fun “conversations” with immigration.  It would seem that they think my trip to Syria was as exciting as I did, but I was eventually cleared, and I am now in Israel.

I arrived on Thursday, the night before Shavuot, a Jewish holiday celebrating Spring, so virtually everything was closed.  Saturday was the Sabbath, so I have had the fortune of adjusting to Israeli culture slowly by taking it in at the beach in Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv is like a bohemian Miami Beach filled with sexy, health conscious, young people.  The food is exceptional.

Today, I trekked through the Yemenite Quarter, and then made my way a few miles south to explore the ancient harbor of Jaffa, one of the very oldest in the world.  Although the site has  been almost completely transformed by modern Israel, the harbor was plainly visible, and there were some interesting features visible.

Tomorrow I am making a day-trip to Jerusalem before heading up to Haifa for a meeting.

Unfortunately, I neglected to realize that my new netbook lacks the necessary connector for me to upload my camera's pictures, so it is rather unlikely that I will be able to flourish my entries with personal images until I return to New York.  I am sorry to disappoint anyone who likes my photos.