in the middle east

A few days ago we took our first trip out of Jerusalem. We live about a 15min walk from the city's central bus station, from which you can go anywhere in the country for a very reasonable price. We heard that the Mediterranian coast towns are nice, so we picked one and went off into undiscovered country: no map, no idea when we're supposed to get off the bus. A person sitting next to us happened to know English, and he told us where to get off to be close to the beach in Netanya. We ventured through town, found a map, and made our way to the beach. The sun was so hot (mid 90's), you could just feel the UV rays going into your skin. The Mediterranian sea wasn't much help in cooling off. In fact, it seemed just as warm (or hot!) as the air temperature. The only respite from the heat was the breeze that would occansionally come by. It seemed very much like southern California, except no one was speaking in English, and the large choppers that frequently flew by did not belong to the Coast Guard (see the pictures). After being kissed by the Mediterranian sun, we wandered around the boardwalk and found a great dinner of Falafal and Schwarma pitas, along with some form of ice cream called "Tony Ice." The day ended with a beautfiul sunset that reminded us of sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, and a long bus ride home. A fun day outside of Jerusalem, a nice break from our apartment, and a taste of life on the Mediterranian coast. For more pic's see this link:http://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tpmackie/web/pictures/netanya/...