You know, I have travelled a bit in my life - England, Wales, Rome, Florence, even India. But this is the first time I have ever felt such a strong pull to return somewhere - to Israel. Granted I wouldn't mind re-visiting any of these places, but there is something different about the Holy Land.
Yes, we visited a lot of places in just one week. But it's not about wanting to see places I didn't get to; nor is it about merely re-visiting the same site. This trip was a spiritual, emotional, physically-demanding, social adventure. And, in a lot of ways, I feel like I have only just scratched the surface of the experience. It's like an onion and I have only just peeled off the first layer. Often, when we visit a place for the first time, we are overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the experience - the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, St. Peter's Square. That certainly happened for me, especially at the Wailing Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. But when I returned, there experience became much more individual, more personal. I was able to focus on the people and the emotions going through my head and the experience became a much deeper one.
The pull to return to Israel is almost palpable; I am not sure if it's "want" or "need" or a little of both. But I've been waking up lately just literally missing the place, longing to touch the Wailing Wall again, to walk through the market and, yes, sample a few more rugellachs, hee hee.
Its nice to hear that you have traveled the most of the world famous countries and cities like England, Wales, Rome, Florence.
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