What are memorable moments?

I received an email from the tour company for Israel requesting a review and one of the questions was "What are your most memorable moments?" - really gets you thinking and for me it is often silly things. I must admit that every day now I think about how each day of our trip started with Matt the tour director saying "This is a great day - the best day yet" - that made each day memorable.

I got little journals from Amy for Christmas and each day of travels I have always taken little notes - I filled this one. Tidbits that I highlighted:

• 
  
  It costs $2800 to have in vitro fertilization in Israel - in the US it is $15-25,000; medical travel to many countries has become big business because it costs so much in the US. Israel has the world's best medical system.


• Safety: The tour company has taken 54 tours to Israel and Jordan - no problems!


• Matt's weekly water supply is 250 gallons delivered Saturday at midnight and coming from the Sea of Galilee, put in a rooftop barrel and warmed only by the sun - no water heaters.


• Defense Budgets: US #1, Israel #2. I would take 3 of Israel to fit in California. US aid to Israel is 3.5 billion$, to Jordan 1.5 billion - I'm assuming annually. So for that we do not have to pay duty on purchases from Israel or Jordan!


• The olive oil used in the Vatican is from the Gardens of Gethsemane.


• An Israeli astronaut was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 2003.


• Oscar Schindler (the story in Schindler's List movie) is buried on Mount Zion.


• Our guide Shelley in Jordan: "When we move our shoulder it makes international news"


• In order to not insult shopkeepers when bargaining if Matt said "good" it meant the price was bad and if he said "excellent" it was good.


• Adolf Eichmann was executed in Israel in 1962 after being captured in Argentina hiding out for years. He is thought to have designed the Holocaust - what a horrible man.


• In 2009 on the West Bank of Israel there were 533 road blocks and 93 military checkpoints - not sure how many there are now but we went through a lot of them!

Memorable moments: Yesterday we watched little Alex on another ski lesson at Buck Hill - he's really good and the little guy gets on the chairlift by himself with another little girl student . I think this picture of Amy, Chris, Lucy and Alex is great.

2009 - the "Eaglettes" as Peggy calls us - class of 1964 - Lafayette High School, Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. Friday Peggy and I are embarking on a little adventure to Phoenix to visit Beth (on the left). Beth and her husband sold their house their today and have bid on another - good place to buy, fix up and sell! I'll just be glad to have a bed and be able to leave my piles of junk all over her house just like at home......NOT - she is Mrs. Neat and I Mrs. Messy.