In September of 2009, David was scheduled to speak in two conferences: one in Tel Aviv and one in Berlin. He asked me if I wanted to join him and I responded with jumping up and down shouting "ISRAEL ISRAEL ISRAEL!". Since he didn't have a lot of time, we went a few days before the conference to spend sometime together. Then after the conference, he went to Berlin and I stayed. A colleague of David's in Israel, Yoram Shapira, organized a trip to Jordan for me and a few other anesthesiologists and their spouses.
I had been to Israel only once before, and it was a very different trip. I visited mainly religious sites: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, etc. This trip was more about nature and archeology. It hit me just as hard as my first trip, but in a very different way. I think I must have lived in the Middle East in a past life. I took the desert so happily. Sure, I was ready for a week of rain by the time I got home, but my time in the desert was food for the soul.
I took 657 photos. It's taking me a long time to go through them all. So please come back every week or so to see the updates. Don't stop checking until you see the dramatic conclusion to my trip in Jerusalem!
