David In Israel . דוד בישראל . داوود في اسرائيل 

I decided to take advantage of my time in Europe, and conquer another country.  SO - Slovakia was  the victim.  I took the train from Krakow and arrived at 5 in the morning - My train left at 10 to Warsaw, but I got in a few hours of sight-seeing and I actually got to enter the President's Mansion.  I got kicked-out, but I still wandered inside.  That was cool!  I wanted a traditional Slovakian breakfast, but the city of Bratislava doesn't wake-up until about 10, so I resorted to a panini at Coffee & Co (about the only place that was open).  It was still lots of fun.

The cheapest flight to Israel this time was with LOT, the polish airline.  I decided to make a holiday out of it, and I took the train down to Krakow to meet-up with my friend Katarzyna who lives there.  While in Krakow, I was able to have Shabbat dinner at the Jewish Community Center that Prince Charles and World Jewish Relief built.  I ate, drank alot of Polish hot chocolate (it is amazing), and toured Krakow's beautiful streets and buildings.  I even slayed the dragon of the Castel of Krakow.  On Sunday, I decided to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau - where the German Nazi's executed/tortured over 1,500,000 people.  1.5 MILLION PEOPLE, mainly Jews.  It was hard, but I am glad I have experienced it.  While there, I slipped on the ice and fell pretty hard.  My camera was smashed - and is now broken, but I was able to get some photos with my iphone (thankfully).  
Here are some of the photos I took there.

Semester at Sea Spring 2005.  I'm so thankful for God's hand of protection on me!

So, I'm super thankful right now!!! I was pricing flights to get from California to Tel aviv at the end of February.  Needless to say, everything was coming up between $710 and $900 one way.  Well, I was thinking to myself "I've never been to Ireland!" I remembered that my friend Scott Brady flew from Indianapolis to Dublin for next to nothing, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try... Here's what ended up happening...
I found a flight from San Francisco (DIRECT) to Dublin for $242!!! Then I found a flight from Manchester England to TLV on special for $130!!! Then I found a flight from Dublin to Manchester for $27!!! Add all that up: $399!!!


I'm flying back to Israel - stopping in Ireland and England, and the flights are only costing me $399!  WOW!!! HALLELUIAH

Here are a couple video's from my time in Istanbul Turkey.

So... This is the first chance I have had to blog a little since I've been back in Israel.  I wanted to tell you all about the wonderful day I spent in Warsaw... Now, one could certainly complain about a 10 hour layover, or if adventurous (even slightly), one could go through customs, hop on a city bus, and enjoy the scenery.  I chose the latter, of course!  (Thankfully, though it is a hard language to read, Polish is rather easy for us to read).
Until Sunday, I had never been to Poland, and I have to admit that with my WWII -heavy education and Judeo-Christian worldview (like most Americans), I was under the impression that Poland was a depressed country, full of hatred and closed-mindedness.  I'm sure that is the case somewhere in Poland, but definitely not in Warsaw.  Warsaw was, to my surprise, HAPPY! 
The old city, where I spent most of my time, was full of life.  Food, Art, Music, Sports... It was all there.  The city was vibrant!
One of the things that impressed me the most was the Catholic church in the main square of the city.  The bells rang for Sunday-evening mass, and there was a crowd of people surrounding the entrance to the church.  They weren't old people either... they were students.  The university is nearby and the majority of those that attend the church are christian students.  Catholicism seems to be very much alive in Warsaw. 
After having a lovely walking tour of the city, I got hungry... I found a fantastic Pirogi place in the old city.  I was planning on eating Pirogi's but when I saw that they were served with Pork-fat, I lost my appetite for them, and I ordered a very filling Potato Pancake topped with Goulash.  The restaurant, which could only hold about 25 people, was lit by candles and the waitresses were dressed in traditional polish outfits.  It reminded me of something in a holiday film. 
Once finished, I walked around and it seemed that everywhere I walked were lovers strolling around arm-in-arm.  The only adjective I have to describe it is "cute."  The people in Warsaw are extremely affectionate - publicly; something else I wasn't expecting.
Warsaw has terrific hot chocolate too, just perfect for a cold October night.  So I took the subway to the new part of town, and walked passed the mall, through a little alleyway, and found an amazing hot chocolate place.  When it was served to me, I was, again, surprised... It looked like hot chocolate pudding more than hot chocolate.  BUT, it was a pleasant surprise... I loved every savory slurp!
I know that Poland has a dark past, but I'm glad I was able to experience the lighter side of the country this visit, because I will certainly get a taste of the other in February when I visit the sites of the Holocaust.  But for now, my impression of the country is fantastic... I can't wait to go back for longer.