I’ve been sitting here at the corner of Ben Gurion and Dizengoff for the last few hours catching up on mail, uploading photos, and writing a spate of blog posts (I’ve delayed posting to drag out my content, so you’re probably reading this a few days after I’ve written it).

Ben Gurion is a two way street but sub-divided by a wide boulevard running down the middle. On one side of the boulevard sits a fantastic sandwich stand and across the intersection sits a colorful fresh juice bar. The four corners of the intersection are occupied by a mini-mart, clothing boutique, a small restaurant, and an upscale cafe called espresso d’zengoff. What else could you possible ask for? I’m sitting outdoors at the cafe, where the weather is in the mid-to-upper 70s, I’m a 3 minute walk from the beach, and my writing supplied by a constant stream of fantastic espresso. Is this the promised land, or what?

I love Tel Aviv. It’s easily joined the ranks of Budapest, Shanghai, Chengdu, and San Francisco, that feel great to hang out in. I wish I could spend more time here. The Israelis are infamous for their community and it shows…everyone is incredibly inviting, warm, and friendly. The Microsoft sub here has been the best of hosts and tons of fun both in the office and around the dinner table. We’ve even made friends with a couple of people that work at Widelink, one of our partners here.

And the walking–Bram, Annamarie, and Sarah W–you guys would love this place, the walks are fantastic. Cafes everywhere, beaches, tourquise blue water, and beautiful skies. Tons of people, trendy fashion, all wrapped into a city that’s very down to earth.

Highly recommended. I have to come back here. As Meirav keeps telling me, I have a home in Israel now.

More photos from Tel Aviv

I arrived in Israel last Sunday, after flying a red-eye from Dubai that took me through Istanbul. I have never blogged about an airport before, but the person next to me on the plane claimed that Ben Gurion was the best airport in Europe, and I can see why…it’s small, beautiful, and spacious.

Yes, that is a waterfall from ceiling to ground in the middle of the airport.

Though I was jetlagged, I felt good about being here in Israel. As a traveler, sometimes you show up in a place and it just feels good to be there…something to do with the pulse of the city. As we drove out, the highway signs read things like "Nazereth", "Bethlahem", and "Jerusalem." It blew me away, I never knew these places in the Bible still existed. As Rob, the CRM SSP here, said to me, "yeah man, the Sea of Galiliee, the place where Jesus walked on water. I go and have BBQs there twice a month." Wow. Who knew.

The office here had arranged for Karen, Kevin, and I to take a super-brief afternoon tour of the Jerusalem. Now, I can only take so much sightseeing–all the people, cameras, tourists, souvineer shops, and hawkers…I can’t handle more than a few hours. But despite my jetlag, I’d make an exception for Jerusalem.

I saw the site of the original Temple of Solomon. The path that led to Golgotha where Jesus carried the cross up to be crucified. The Wailing Wall. Where they took down the body and prepared him to be entombed until he rose again. Two thousand years later, here it still is.

But I have to admit, I feel like there’s no spirit left in the place. As much as I wanted to be spiritually struck by being in Jerusalem, I felt empty. Tons of tourists didn’t help. I believe God is embodied in people, not in places. A place without any people has no soul. Hence you will find me hanging out with the locals in Tel Aviv, which is the subject of my next post.

More photos of Jerusalem