TOP 10 MOMENTS OF MY SUMMER

10.The London Eye- Yes this is ferris wheel. But it is a tremendous ferris wheel. And being that we had to greatly change our London itinerary (though I still think it went pretty well), as those unfortunate bombings happened 2 days before we got there, this was a light and pleasant activity that all seemed to enjoy. We also had a very clear day so were able to fully enjoy the view (it was also very cool seeing the Globe on a boat ride later in the day- we were originally going to have the option of going in, but because of the bombings....)
9. Shabbos in Edinburgh- To be honest the davening and zmirot were so-so, and some of the Scottish Jewish community was a bit ...uptight. However, we got to walk through the city, which was the most pristine, clean and well-kept city I've ever been to. No litter, no graffiti, no homeless. Just pleasant folk, comfortable weather (for summer), and interesting bits of history at every turn.
8. Yotvata Restaurant in RRRRRROME- OH.... MY.... G-DDDDDD!! SOOOOO GOODDDDDD! We were privlidged to 3 meals here- all great, one unbelievable. This latter meal consisted of 3 courses: the first was these fried rise cheeseballs- frickin great!- the next was fried mozzarella/Muenster cheese puffs- heavenly!And then everyone got their own personal 10 inch pizza- can I get an Amen and a Halleluyah?! The best camp eating and Italian dining I've ever had (Sorry my beloved Raleigh, rest in peace Prima Vera).
7. DAVID (the statue, not the king....well technically the statue of the king...but not Elvis...the Jewish king...riggghttttt)- Though I find it interesting, I am in no way a scholar on art from the renaissance (and earlier), but seeing all the marvelous (and from a Jewish p.o.v, sacrilegious) art in the Accademia was wonderful. I was pleasantly shocked to have enjoyed Michelangelo's David as much as I did. I never realized how tremendous the piece was (around 25-30 feet tall), and how perfect (though slightly exaggerated) the details were. I'm not so into nude art (although I hear my goofy buddy from Florida is), but after a while you don't even realize David's dingle is dangling and get lost in the exquisite grandeur of the statue.
6. The Synagogue of Florence- Simply put: The most beautiful Shul I have ever seen (and it's Orthodox!). It is only 120 years old (which is young compared to the nearly 500 year-old Shul's in Venice), but was simply breath-taking. Florence, all in all, with the Belvedere and the Ponti Vechio was amazing, but this was what made it great for me. The Shul architecture is Moorish (aka Moopish) which made it unusual, but ultimately awe-inspiring. And I don't think we even got to experience the full effect of its splendor as they were cleaning and renevating it for a wedding the next day when we were there. The ceiling was, high, domed, and golden. The bima was prestigous, yet humble. The balcony matched those of an opera house. The windows were stained glass with magnificent designs, and yet small but powerful rays of light squeeked through into the dimly lit Shul. All this is from memory as they don't allow video or pictures. It was so nice to see a Synagogue that matched all the churches we saw (on the outside of course- but the outside of this shul was incredible as well- kind of looked like that temple at the end of "...Last Crusade"). But if you're ever in Italy you must see this magnificent building.
5. The William Wallace Monument in Sterling- Being a huge fan of "Braveheart" (though not so much any more of Mel Gibson) this was a really cool activity. There's a little hike up to this tower (which is the monument). One then walks up floor by floor (which takes a lil while as the there's only 1 staircase which is quite tight- but hey the buildings hundreds of years old so...). Each floor has cool historic relics (e.g. William Wallaces actual sword!) and displays that tell his story, as well as those of other heroes of Scotland. When you finally reach the top there's an incredible view. This activity was the perfect mix of education, physical activity, and sight-seeing. And for fans of the film a cool way of learning more about the real William Wallace (he was in fact quite tall- 6'5- but never had an affair with that Princess).
4. The Sfat Mikva Experience- The Aree's mikvah is probably the most famous one in the world, and being that teenage boy's are well, teenage boys, I thought it would be a good idea for them to join me on this optional purifying ritual erev shabbos. Me and my good friend who likes "Corn" convinced (in the most positive of ways) 25 of the boys to come along...willingly (that's out of 42 boys on the trip, which was a great percentage)! The problem was they didn't really know what they were getting into. This mikvah is little more than a cave in a mountain (almost literally) with no changing rooms, and many of the men there don't give off the most inviting aroma. So when the guys got there many of them double-backed at the strong smell, and clothless view that greeted them (fortunately they didn't know how shockingly cold the water is till they actually got in :). We spoke to them once more and most of them were able to get over the odor and nudity, especially when the first ones just sucked it up and went on in. I was incredibly proud of the 21 out of 25 boys that dunked themselves in the end. It was good for the trips rep, inspired me (and led into #2 below) and most importantly was an unforgettable (in the positive sense) experience for the boys.
3. Parasailing in Elat- This was just a blast. The boat goes fast, you soar high. The boat then slows down and you fall into the water, and then it goes fast again, and high you are once more. Do this if you ever have a chance.
2. Shabbos in Sfat- Well really just Friday night (though it was nice having lunch and later listening to the music of Chaim Dovid). We walked to the old quarter, for a Carlbach minyan (I beleive it was at the Breslav shul). I was feeling physically, emotionally and spiritually low at this point of the trip. Half the minyan was on the inside of the shul where it was simply packed, and the other half poured out to the street and davened/listened in. I was part of the latter, though I was quite proud of the boys who were into the davening inside. Right before "Mizmor LeDavid" one of the boys came out and said that I should be inside singing and dancing- he gave me the ol' "C'mon it's awesome inside, why you just sitting here?", but with more suprise in his tone as I had been giving off a more religous presence during the trip. I said I wasn't feeling well, but a minute later let my Neshama overcome my ill body, conflicted mind and sad heart. I went in and had one of the most moving spiritual moments of my life. I was incredibly inspired by my guys who were in there singing and dancing, just absorbing the incredible achdus, and holiness of the atmosphere. Though at 16 they may not be so frum in certain areas, in Sfat I saw what I already knew: that these guys are just going to be tremendous baali mitzvot, tzaddikim, and overall mench's. I was both proud and humbled, and will forever be in debt of that young man who I had spend tried weeks trying to inspire, but in the end inspired me.
1. Shabbos in RRRRRRROME- While Shabbos got off to a rocky start, as me and my most trusted companion on the trip (He Who Ruins the Space Time Continuem) had to deal with an emergency luggage situation, this ultimately proved to be a wondrous Sabbath in one of Europes most ancient city. The Great Roman Synagogue was magnificent (though none of us were prepared for the sfardi cantorial davening), the old Jewish quarter was intriguing, but what made this shabbos so special for me was Mincha, Shalosh Seudos, and Maariv with a nice, but small Sfardi Shul. The Rabbi there is also the cantor and baal korei, and is treated like The Godfather (no joke, they kissed his hand, and lightly bowed to him during the meal). I had a few pleasant chats with members of the community there (I tried using my wickedly poor Italian at first, but found it was best just to talk in English), and was truly moved as we all sang Zmirot together. They taught me a few of there interesting minhagim (e.g. letting the Rav bench for the whole congregation, marching out of shul in a line to say Kidush Lavana), and though a few felt that the congregation didn't give women enough equality (which I disagree with passionately), I thought it was a truly incredible way to experience Shabbos.

Honorable mention: Jamming at Lake Bolsena, the Venice Ghetto, The Nachal Yehudiyah Hike, The Tower of London, Snorkeing in Elat, Paintball, Hindi and...MARK GINSBERG (!!!) joining us for Shabbos and his Shocksiness laining Aycha, Paddle boats in Tuscany- all of this was quite good, but above are the things I did that were great.

Sorry I haven't been writing as much. Hopefully in the next few weeks my thoughts will be more composed and I'll write more on ther personal side. Scwaaaaaaa~~~~~