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Re: Israel Master Thread: Things To Do, Places To Eat
Great restaurant in Kiryat Ata. Cafe Gregg.rabanut mehadrin Service is phenomenal Food was great minus chips I've had fettuccine/pad thai/different salads Desserts out of this world Cost for 2 mains plus desert around 200ils December 28, 2016, 04:41:27 PM |
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Re: Israel & Bali: around the world in 17 days
The highlight of my morning is reading this TR. Thank you!
July 21, 2017, 02:22:25 AM |
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Re: Israel & Bali: around the world in 17 days
What happened to the final installment? My morning was not the same! 
July 27, 2017, 06:47:23 AM |
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Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
It all started with a small trip I arranged for my wife and her sisters to Cyprus for 4 days....one of my Brothers-in-law said "hey we should get away too" I could not agree more though was not sure he was the exact person I was looking to get away with....soon enough the trip went from me and him to include my wife's Father-Brother-Sister-Her Husband-Her Uncle and Aunt (No the wife did not come). Given my travels in the past I was voted to be the tour guide and arrange this trip for them. After much deliberation my final trip was going to be as follows for them: 11/5-TLV-CDG-LAX Air France $690 11/6 LAX-SJC Southwest $55 11/7 OAK-PHX Southwest $48 11/15 LAS-LAX Southwest $40 11/15 LAX-FCO-TLV Alitalia (Included in the 690) For my ticket it was more interesting. I had bought a United flight round trip on 12/16 I flew one way and then cancelled the return to earn credit for half the flight as I decided to book LX Business for the return. When I checked my credit to see what I had to go to LAX I found they had credit me the full flight back so right away I booked a round trip non-stop into Newark. After that I booked an economy award (12.5k) into SFO and for the return I booked a flight with Spirit LAS-EWR (paid to upgrade to the Big Seat $70) and then the United flight back. However I decided to spend some time in my old stomping grounds of Jersey and just booked a return with LX again in business back to TLV. Thank God my in-laws managed well into Los Angeles without issues. I had them booked in the Hyatt Regency at the airport for I believe 190 per room. I had told them to rent a car for a couple of hours to check out the city but they decided on crashing in the hotel and walking to Starbucks (or Coffee Bean). The next morning at around 4 they got up to go to the airport for the SouthWest flight into San Jose. I had arrived in San Francisco the night before and stayed at the Courtyard Marriott at the Airport. They were "officially fully booked" for any upgrades. The hotel was very nice and definitely comfortable for a nights sleep. The one thing to note is there is no shuttle late night. In the early morning around 715 I got picked up by Extranomical tours for my tour to Yosemite, we left to San Jose airport to go pick up the In-Laws in our private 15 passenger coach bus. After picking them up we left to Pars Kosher Market to pick up some Bread/Dips/Cold Cuts and the like for Lunch/Breakfast. The trip to Yosemite took around 3.5 hours from the Market in San Jose.  20171106_154250 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_153816_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_153748_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_141303-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBelow you can see the waterfall flowing even though the winter rains have not started yet:  20171106_135828 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_134622 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_133609 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_133229_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_114732 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_170257_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_160440 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThis is a small picture of the comfortable coach bus with excellent drivers!!  20171106_155843 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThere was a little mix up at the end of the trip as we had booked a night at the Crowne Plaza in Concord, however there is no kosher food in that area. Extranomical worked with us and hired an extra driver to drive us back to the hotel after supper at Sabra Grill in Downtown. Drivers can only drive for 10 hours, they have a timer attached to the car and he cannot legally go one minute past that time. Here is a really bad picture of the outside of Sabra  20171106_200942 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrSome pics of the Crowne Plaza hotel room:  20171106_220537 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_220540 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe had paid USD $2,200 for the tour for 8 people. It also included a guided tour of San Francisco the next day. November 16, 2017, 01:22:17 PM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 2: San Fran city Tour The started with some of the men in the pool:  IMG-20171107-WA0017 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr IMG-20171107-WA0016 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr IMG-20171107-WA0015 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter swimming the tour met us at around 9 to leave to the kosher bakery/breakfast place Frena Bakery. This place was absolutely AMAZING!!! The bakery items though steep in price were absolutely delicious!! Their Paninis were a huge hit for all of us as well as the pre packaged salads.  20171107_112211 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_112205 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrOnce we finished eating the tour guide took us to all the famous spots. We did not have a full day as our flight to Phoenix was at 545 in the evening. We went to all the main locations to see including the City Hall/Golden Gate/Twin Peaks/Observation tower/Trolleys....Here are some of the pictures from the days adventures:  20171107_102802 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_115619 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_115631 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_115833 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_121901-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNot me but you can get a nice shot here:  20171107_122612 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAlcatraz:  20171107_133005 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrMore famous then the Brooklyn Bridge?  20171107_133807 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_134035 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBuildings left from the world fair:  20171107_135923 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_140300_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrHilly San Fran:  20171107_143558 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_144146 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_144204 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter finishing the tour we got dropped at the BART given that they are not allowed into Oaklands Airport for dropoffs:  20171107_154701 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe took Southwest into Phoenix where I rented a car from Thrifty and Dollar from Tuesday night into Wednesday night, a week later. We went to check in at the Town Place Suites which was a very nice place with a nice breakfast in the morning as well for around 160 a night.  20171108_061725 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_061708 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_061704_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_061700 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNovember 16, 2017, 01:53:33 PM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 3: Phoenix Sedona and Grand Canyon village After waking up davening at Chabad, I went to the hotel to check what we can eat from the nice breakfast spread they had, all bread/bagels/dips were kosher, interestingly the eggs were all kosher as well but they warmed them together with bacon. After breakfast we headed to Jerome for some beautiful views and a nice scenic road (Jerome is around 40 minutes round trip off the way to Sedona from Phoenix. I enjoyed it and so did the rest of the family). We then headed to Sedona for our sunset Jeeping tours with Pink Jeep Tours (cost was around 80 per person) we tipped before and the guide really gave us a great time!! We lucked out with a witty/adventurous guide. After that we headed to the Holiday Inn at the Grand Canyon with a pittstop at Flagstaffs WalMart for supplies. Townplace Suites Breakfast:  20171108_083950 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_082757 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_063217 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_063212 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr  20171108_063209 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_063158_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrJerome:  20171108_143802 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_142903 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_142901 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr8 Seater Pink Jeep:  20171108_160630 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_162345 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_163703 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_163708 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_164033_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_164633_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_172036_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_172048_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_173149 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_173240 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_173412_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_174231 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNovember 17, 2017, 12:18:51 PM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 4: Grand Canyon Day started off normal, after waking up and Davening we headed down to breakfast and man what a breakfast it was, Pancakes/waffles/eggs/bacon/bagels/Cereals/Oatmeals etc....Most of the cold items were all Kosher and we all ate our fill (Big negative the coffee was horrible). After breakfast we finished packing and headed to the cars. My FIL tried starting his car but to no avail. I asked the hotel for a jump and they quickly obliged sending their maintenance guy to jump the car successfully. We got the cars packed and headed to the Grand Canyon. After driving for a while to get the battery's charged sufficiently, after parking and shutting the car we decided to try it again but to no avail. Apparently we had an issue with the alternator. I told the family to go enjoy the canyon while I went to the Info Center to place a call to Thrifty. They told me that I can wait 4 hours until someone from Vegas comes to get me, then take me back to Vegas ALONE, pick up a new car and drive it back to the GC to get the rest of the party. I told them they were nuts to propose that but they would not give me another option. I decided we would jump the car and drive straight back without shutting the engine. We did the tram tours (Yellow I think) to a few locations. Hiked down a little and then headed back to the car to jump it and head to Vegas to the AirBnb. With a massive amount of Siyata Dishmya within 5 minutes I found a guy in an RV who had a portable jumper to give us a jump and get us started. As we were pulling out he came running back and gave us his older portable jumper and told us to pass on the favor to another person in need. I had wanted to stop at the GC Caverns but the last tour was at 4 and we were passing it at 4:15...we drove to the Hoover Dam around sunset for a few pics and then got into Vegas to our AirBnb. We got the absolute jackpot when it came to AirBnb, When I booked I had searched specifically in the area of Chabad so we can walk to shul on shabbos. The place I found had 4 bedrooms with a pool I booked immediately. After I booked I looked closer at the picture of the owner and she was definitely wearing a Sheitl! I reached out to her and she was from Chabad. She gave us her daughters number who lives 3 doors down for any help we would need. They brought us over a grill so we can have a BBQ Thursday night....they brought us pans so we can cook for shabbos and they invited us for the meal Friday night!! It was awesome. The AirBnb cost $180 a night which was a no-brainer as it was split between everybody ($35 a night per person). We went to Smiths to pick up the meat for the BBQ as well as meat for the Cholent and the rest of the shopping for shabbos. Seems to be Sushi and a take out at the Smiths for those who are interested. At night I took the crew to see the Belaggio fountains and a little shopping in the hotels.  20171109_094143_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_094147 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_094156 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120619 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120631_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120634 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120941_Pano by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_121558 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_122003 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThis Picture is taken from the hike down looking up.  20171109_130849 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_130852 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_131038 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThese Elk are everywhere:  20171109_133535 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_173105 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_173611 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_180123 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThe AirBnB house: Bedroom 1:  20171109_183909 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBathroom 1  20171109_183911 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBedroom 2 (With Connecting Bathroom)  20171109_183918 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrConnected bathroom:  20171109_183922 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBedroom 3:  20171109_183931 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrLiving room:  20171109_183940 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrDining Room  20171109_184002 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBedroom 4 with connecting Bathroom+Jacuzzi:  20171109_184013 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr  20171109_184029 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_233038 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNovember 22, 2017, 09:18:30 AM |
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Re: Calling all large families
Any cap to 10k per kid per year? Seems like there is no limit....Pretty sure we can get elected to the BOE pretty quickly there as well. November 24, 2017, 01:24:33 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 5: Lake Mead Started the day with a nice breakfast and quickly left to the lake. We had called ahead to make sure there were Jet Skis available as it is a nice trip to get there (45-60 minutes). After we pulled into the parking lot and went to check in, the lady told us they had to pull the jet skis due to a Fire Extinguisher recall.....We ended up renting a Jet Boat that fit 8 people for $95 for an hour (split 8 ways $15 a steal!) There is a $500 deposit as well. We had a blast heading to the Hoover Dam for some pictures. It was really windy and the waters were rough!! We got back to the house with only a couple of hours to shabbos so finished what needed to be done. Day 6: Shabbos night we ate by the hosts daughter who lives a couple of doors down the block. Food was excellent as was the company! Shabbos day we davened before the Zman then headed to shul at 10 to get Kaddish and Borichu plus Kriat Hatorah... On Moitzei Shabbos they wanted to go shopping so we headed to the Vegas North Premium Outlets they were in 7th heaven....  20171110_134756 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171110_132132 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171110_132129_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171110_130927 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr
November 26, 2017, 08:26:11 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 7: Bryce and Zion National Park We woke at around 7 quickly ate breakfast and we were on the road by 9 heading to Bryce. The drive was around 4.5 hours to get there we did it pretty much straight without any side stops. Difference between Bryce and Grand Canyon is The Grand Canyon is Grand it is too big to take all in at one time. On the other hand Bryce is smaller and you can appreciate the beauty standing from the top looking down. There is also a huge height difference. The Grand canyon main area is around 6500 feet as opposed to Bryce which gets up to over 9000 Feet. We drove to a couple of the scenic outlooks did a short hike (very hard with the thin air and it was freezing!!). After finishing there we headed to Zion around 1.5-2 hours for the scenic drive down and through the tunnels. At the end of the day they all said Zion was the nicest of the entire trip! I highly recommend doing this in 2 days as opposed to the round trip we did it in.  20171112_152757_Pano by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_152629 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_151217 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_144835 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_143738 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_141322 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrZION:  20171112_174011 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_174004 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_172911 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_172807 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_172804 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr20171112_152757_Pano by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr
November 26, 2017, 08:45:57 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 8: Shopping A WHOLE DAY Nothing to be said but wow they just went on and on all day long at the malls/marshalls/walmart.....For Supper we ate at Ace of Steaks which was very decent food though I did feel it was way too expensive for the portions. They have some claims to being 1 of 2 kosher restaurants that serve some type of USDA grade beef but still pricing was expensive. Day 9: Vegas Hotel walk around and shopping We started the day with 2 of the group heading to more shopping and the rest of us walking to the Linq for a ride on the "Big Wheel" ($25 per person) Supposedly bigger then the any other in the world. You can fit over 40 people in each Caboose...once we finished that we headed to the Gondolas at the Venetian. The Gondolas are expensive!!! $30 per person for 13 minutes we decided on the indoor tour as the outdoor looked lame. The gondola was nice and then became epic as my FIL and Uncle broke out in song in middle of the mall. People were loving it!! After that 3 more of the group left to shop and I took the remaining 2 for a walk through the Caesars Forum shops and then the NY NY for the Roller Coaster ride. Overall it was a great day finished with supper at Jerusalem Grill.  20171114_162614 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_160329 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_160313-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_134914 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_133839 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_133132-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_133054 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_115202 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_114111 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_114106 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171114_103913 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr
November 26, 2017, 09:24:28 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Link for my FIL and Uncle singing through the Gondola: https://youtu.be/jLgK0_2LtWo November 26, 2017, 10:06:59 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 10: Travel home...They had a afternoon flight with Southwest into Los Angeles to catch Alitalia back to Israel via Rome. My flight was at night with Spirit to Newark. I know...I know Spirit  but I did pay to upgrade to a big seat and took seat 1A It was plenty comfy to sleep most of the trip. Based on my memory this flight should take 5+ hours we ended up doing it in under 4 hours we landed an hour+ early! Usually that would be amazing but my ride was just waking up to get me when we landed so there was a nice wait until they showed up  . Day 11-12-13 Spent shabbos with my family...check out all the new building in crazy Lakewood. For my flight home I booked Swiss Business via Zurich. I thought it would be cool to take an 11 hour layover to see the spots. I landed and davened in the prayer room with a couple other people...in the middle w e started feeling back in Israel as a few cousins came in to pray as well. BH there was a mechitzah . I decided to partner up with someone to check out the city. We left the Airport took the train downtown (12 minute ride) Started to walk to Fein und Shein which was fantastic!! Pricing was surprisingly decent and portions were nice sizes as well. I thoroughly enjoyed both the walk there from the main station (Around 30 minute walk). After that I just took the trams all over the city to take in the sights before heading back to the airport to enjoy the lounge in Terminal E for a couple of hours. My main mistake (and the reason I cut short to go back to the airport) was the COLD, I was coming from the warm southwest and did not bring a coat. I survived with the Scarf-Head Cover you get from the Swiss Amenity kit. I did have one hiccup with Swiss Kosher Meal (besides the taste) As I was eating my greens there was hidden glass in the food and when I crunched on it shattered in my mouth...They did write a report about it but I am still waiting to hear about some kind of compensation from them. Thank you for reading!! Pic of the tunnel between terminals in ZRH  20171120_182117 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_182114 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrYou can make out the Alps in the background here:  20171120_155752 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr20171120_155752 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_155114 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_155012 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_154904 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_143103 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrFood from the restaurant  20171120_140341 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_140331 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_135858 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_133410 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrSurprisingly we did not get a gate on arrival from Newark and we needed to take the bus transfer to the Terminal:  20171120_055119(1) by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171120_052915 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171119_214123 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171119_214122 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrDecember 01, 2017, 03:18:57 AM |
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Re: Kosher Meals - Can we do better?
Here you go, someone get Jared Kushner and Ivanka to retweet this https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/kosher-food-airplanes March 06, 2018, 03:49:48 AM |
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Re: Ramada Resort Hadera Israel
Darn on the "499"!! The rate was unbeatable and the breakfast was amazing there. I stayed there Chanuka and we had a sefer torah and a nice size minyan as well. I thought for the price of under USD $100 it was awesome!
March 27, 2018, 05:01:38 AM |
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Re: How hard is it financially to make it in Israel?
how long to learn the language? how did your kids adapt? I moved here with 4 kids ages 6-4 month old, within 3 weeks they were talking a better hebrew then I was. Granted I moved to Haifa so they had almost no interaction with the English language at all. They all loved their Gan and Schools here without one day of tears about their old school. I thank Hashem for this because I have heard the horror stories. Butwe made aliya with the idea we would not live in an "Americanized" area in Israel, we wanted all hebrew with a few american families. We lucked out BH!! April 26, 2018, 01:36:55 AM |
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Re: How hard is it financially to make it in Israel?
Go to Sloane Kettering and see all the Israeli kids there nebech because in Israel if you give the nurse a hard time they dont give the kid treatment. You havent seen these patients. I have. So please dont lecture me about negativity. I cannot speak for hospitals in the center of the country but I can tell you that Rambam hospital in Haifa has the nicest nurses and doctors that I have met. We were there for an extended period of time and from the top surgeons/head of departments we got all their whatsapp numbers to contact whenever we need to. The nurses brought us whatever we needed. Yes they are very very overworked and understaffed. They get on edge much quicker but they care! Arab/Jew/Druze the nurses in Haifa are amazing. May 01, 2018, 04:24:18 AM |
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Pro-Israel Vienna-Prague TR
Decided on a last minute trip to central Europe. The basic plan was to land in Budapest Sunday Afternoon get some food and head off to Vienna by train(little under 3 hours) stay in Vienna until Monday late afternoon and take a train to Prague until Wednesday afternoon where I would go back to Budapest for the flight home. Found myself some relatively cheap tickets with Wizz Air got permission from DW and asked a cousin of mine if he would like to go away for a few days. Flight was into and out of Budapest for around 130$ I paid for priority and an extra hand bag (Tallis Tiffilin take up too much room). Left by train to the Airport for my morning flight. Arrived no problem bus to terminal 1 and through security pretty quick. No check in luggage so smooth sailing. After landing in Budapest we got introduced to the horrible security situation in Europe. We waited over 90 minutes to clear passport control. The place was a zoo. People had waited for 90 minutes and the decided to change the lane to EU passports and they forced everyone to the back of the lanes. Due to this delay we decided to go straight to the train station as there was no time for food. Budapest has 2 main stations Keleti and Nyugati. Trains to Vienna leave from Keleti. It is a huge old station with a ton of unsavory people and unsanitary bathrooms but it has such a unique feeling to it that it's a must see.  20180506_153214 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180506_153218 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180506_153348 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter getting on the train we settled in economy for the 3 hour journey to Vienna. Seats were really not so comfortable and I swore the next trains were all going to be first class. This picture is one good reason to go First:  20180506_164539 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrGetting into Vienna we walked from the station to Aleph Aleph for some food. Now I do not know if it was because I was so hungry but I thought the food was absolutely amazing. We started with the hummos mushroom and falafal plate and then we each had the veal cutlet which I highly recommend!!!! Being in Vienna we had to taste the Strudel which my cousin thought was good but i am not a fan of them in general so no opinion from me. (4/5)  20180506_200032 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180506_203300 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180506_210948 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter Dinner we went to get our AirBnB for the night. We paid 65$ and got a one bedroom 2 bed apartment. It was very clean and worked amazing for us as it was a quick 3-4 minute walk to the main Shul there and Aleph Aleph.  20180507_070021 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrIn the morning we went to daven at the Stadttempl which is officially the oldest continuous shul, in operation, in Europe. It was a little interesting going through security to daven with 3 soldiers posted outside and security inside. They daven shachris in the small room not the main Shul. After davening we asked if we can get a little private tour along with a few other guests and they gave us no problem. The Shul was absolutely amazing! It is Grand and beautiful and takes your breath away. Outside the main entrance they have the names of all the Jews who dies in the Holocaust engraved on tablets. It is very moving and helps put things in perspective.  20180507_080415 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_080430 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrVery odd yet beautiful skylight  20180507_080439 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrEach of these lines have hundreds of names on them.  20180507_080705 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_080712 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter davening we walked about 20 minutes to the other Jewish area for breakfast at the kosher bakery. We both got coffee and an egg sandwich plus some pastries for the day.(3/5)  20180507_082904 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_082915 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAs a side note I was always terrified to go to Europe after hearing all the stories. But walking through Vienna and seeing the Chasidim and more Dati people all walking with hats or kippa seruga I definitely felt more comfortable. I wore a cap all the time but my cousin walked with his kippa most of the time. We then walked back to our apartment, walking along the waterfront which is very nice, to go check out of the AirBnB. After getting our stuff we took an Uber to the Schonbron Palace. When we got to the desk they only had openings for the tour in an hour's time so we explored the grounds. It was mind blowing. We walked the gardens and the fields with statues everywhere.  20180507_085819 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_091957-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe paid for the 44 room tour of the palace. I guess the best way to say it, is it's a must do but never something I would pay to see again. Half the rooms see like duplicates (how many bedrooms and tearooms can someone have??). They are extremely strict about no pictures so sadly all I have is a small video with my phone in my pocket which came out as bad as it sounds.  20180507_112028 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThe grounds of the palace:  20180507_114105 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_120312 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_121056 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_121104 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter the Palace we went back to Vienna to check out the Jewish museum which turned out to be all about the Jews and communism (not much to be proud of) but they did have an amazing artifact collection on the 4th floor. Canes they gave the Jews to use in Nazi Germany:  20180507_142508 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter the tour we went to eat at Novellino but they were closing and shut the kitchen already. They mentioned to us there is another place called Mean Shearim that opened around 6 months ago. After going inside they told us that they did not have all options available that day but they had sushi available if we wanted. Boy what an amazing place!!!! The Sushi was absolutely the best and freshest sushi I ever ate. We got the combination platter and each and every type was delicious! We were going to order pizza at the pizza store for supper in Prague but they told us they could make schnitzel if we wanted. We decided on the schnitzel instead of running to the pizza store. (Rating 5/5)  20180507_152306 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_152310 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_152323 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrSmall portion of the big menu  20180507_153357 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_154854 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_154902 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180507_154918 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe took another Uber to the train station and got on the 4 hour train to Prague.  20180507_164110 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrFirst class is an absolute must when traveling! Seats are spacious they move back usually empty and you get free water  . The ride passed really quick BH, with only some slight issues with a mentally disturbed individual taking drugs in the bathroom....hey it's Europe.  20180507_171013 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrArriving in Prague we walked again to the apartment we rented with AirBnB. This time it was a disaster. We had messaged the host the day before what time we would be there and she told us to give her a 10 minute warning. We gave her a 30 minute warning a 20 minute warning and 10 minute warning. Of course they showed up 30 minutes late. The apartment was a disaster. Garbage left on the floor toilet seat broken floor caving in....it was too late to change and because it was Europe day everything was very expensive. ( I have since received a 50% refund) Prague Train station  20180507_211351 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrIn the morning I walked over to a shul a saw on Go Daven but apparently they closed years ago...I walked past the Spanish Synagogue  20180508_073702-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickrand the Old-New Shul  20180508_074404 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrJewish City Hall  20180508_074410 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickrbefore finally heading to chabad for shachris. After davening I went back to the apartment to put the tefillin back and then went to eat breakfast at the chabad milchig restaurant. Food was ok, we had the omelette and Coffee and split a tuna melt. (Rated 2.75/5) We had decided to take a river tour or rent a boat. As we were walking along the waterfront we passed this sign about walking on water. After checking it out I decided my cousin was going to be the guinea pig to check it out. The idea is you go into this massive balloon that they blew up with Air. After it's full (you are already inside) they seal it up completely. The only air you have is in the balloon. Then they push you into the water and you need to try to walk on the water. They set a timer for 10 minutes before they pull you back in. My cousin loved it. I was too chicken to try. Charles Bridge:  20180508_111700 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_112319 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrTorture museum (I feel most are torture) 20180508_111700 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWalking on water:  20180508_115218 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_120257 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_120309 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrSo we left and took an Uber to the Kings Palace known as Prague Palace. The Uber drops you off at the bottom and you need to walk, what looks like a million steps, up the mountain to the castle. View from the top of the steps:  20180508_123416 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrEntrance to the Castle. If someone can explain the statue...  20180508_123650 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_123701 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter getting to the top we entered but decided against paying for anything as most of what there is to do is churches and cathedrals. As we were walking through the grounds we passed a sign for a matenee for some classical music. Being in Prague we had to do this. The musical took place in the palace which was really cool. The musical was absolutely amazing. They had someone playing the Piano,flute and violin. It was for one hour and it was amazing. They played from some of the most famous pieces of Mozart and Beethoven who may have played in the same room hundreds of years before for the king and palace.  20180508_130117 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_130736 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrMore views:  20180508_140338 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNot sure why there was smoke...tried to google it but google failed me ;(  20180508_140343 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter the Palace we headed over to the Tv Tower 2 which is where the Noda Beyehuda is buried. We decided to go up the observation tower before heading to the Kever. The views are amazing from up there and it cost about $10 so if you like views it is worth it otherwise skip. Alien like tower:  20180508_143125 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_143602 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20180508_143643 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrCemetery of the Noda Beyhuda below:  20180508_143928 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrGoing into the cemetery was an amazing experience, now living in Israel and having har hazeisim and all the other cemeteries you would think its no big deal but these cemeteries just have such an old look to it and the history is just felt so much more here then in Israel.  20180508_145123 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrMay 13, 2018, 03:21:11 AM |
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Re: RIP John McCain
Shameful they didnt invite Palin. All the hate they denounce in their speeches is Ok when its against Trump or others they dont agree with. September 01, 2018, 03:55:30 PM |
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Re: Hurricane Michael
...but if it does, then what? It's only Florida.... October 10, 2018, 09:41:07 AM |
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Yona Yahav is GONE
After 15 years of hate towards the religious in Haifa this hater is on his way out. The new mayor has already signed an agreement with the charedim to join her and promised many things to them that Yahav refused! This is a great day!! https://www.timesofisrael.com/exit-poll-shows-3-term-haifa-mayor-trounced-by-female-rival-in-major-upset/ October 31, 2018, 05:27:30 AM |
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Upgraded seat by asking
I was booked on the lowest class for a Cathay flight from the Philippines to Israel through Hong Kong. I have absolutely no status with Cathay or One World. When I got to check in I politely asked the cost to upgrade to Prem Economy (I assumed she realized for the HKG-TLV flight). She told me to wait a minute went to talk to someone and came back and said I have a seat in J would you like it? I said "Do you really need to ask me " And just like that I got upgraded to Business Class for the flight to Hong Kong. Has this ever happened to you? November 26, 2018, 08:07:30 AM |
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Re: Elal airlines
Good question I cant see an airline like DL block for one route that they have on one flight a day from the hottest market in the US. January 30, 2019, 12:46:13 AM |
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Re: Business Class from Milan, Italy to New York, USA for $1,246 roundtrip (lie-flat seats)
Alitalia Pay a drop more and fly Emirates on the A380 for $1900 February 20, 2019, 10:42:30 AM |
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Pro-Israel flight TR
Not much in the way of destinations but figured some might like the Doha part. I booked with 40k AA from TLV-AMM-DOH-CRK (J) My return was 63k AC for CRK-ICN-IST-TLV (J) Flight to Amman: Flying RJ I got lucky with the 787 with mostly lie flat seats for all 20 minutes of flight! I did ask why they fly the 787 to Israel on such a short hop and was told its all for the cargo (Trade is doing well I guess). Service was absolutely fine and the flight attendants (local to Jordan) were all very nice. What I found interesting is the fact they do a remote stand for this flight (You would think a 787 would get a gate) Going through security I had no issue with my Tefillin (as some wrote they had), they did take them out to feel inside but nothing else. For the first time and sub-sequentially at each security check, my laptop got swabbed. The lounge for RJ/QR is absolutely huge, one of the biggest I have seen (outside of QR in Qatar), ton of seating/drinks/fruits. Flight to Qatar: Again I got lucky flying the A350 as opposed to the A330 the normally operate. Service was outstanding seat was very comfortable. The only negative I feel is the lack of privacy given that the seat is right up against the aisle and there is absolutely no partition at all. When you do lay flat your head is only slightly blocked from the aisle. Once we landed we again had a remote stand but Qatar has a nice bus for business class passengers so no big deal. I was slightly worried when I landed as I have a huge Visa (Aliya Visa) attached to my Passport from Israel. I exited through the Business Class lounge so I feel I had a more relaxed guard. He barely glanced at my passport and didn't ask one question. I was planning on taking a day tour from the airport but misunderstood the agent thinking I can get it after immigration, however it is BEFORE immigration and once outside you cannot book any longer! So I went to information and they told me that I can take a bus into the city and then walk around myself. I was way to tired so just headed for the bus terminal got on a bus that drives all the way around Doha and Pearl-Qatar (the cost is 10 Rial or USD $3). There was no one else on the bus so I got a private tour from the Nepal Bus driver . The bus I took was the 777 and is like a coach bus, very comfortable. What I realized from my trip is that probably 70% of the population that you see in the main areas are foreign workers. I did not walk around with a Yarmulka but I feel that if I went again I do not think I would be nervous at all. People are all nice and helpful.I went back to the airport and headed for straight for the business class check in and security. Given that my ticket was from RJ they switched for the Qatar background. This time when I went through security the lady did flip through my passport and when she reached my Israeli Visa she stopped for about 2 minutes reading the page carefully. She did not ask me any questions, just read it then stamped me through! Again I had no issues with Tfillin at all (here they didnt even take them out). The lounge for Qatar Business Class is absolutely huge!! Probably the size of TLV airport alone (  ). They have a huge dining room in a "fancy restaurant" style seating with menus on the tables and waitered service. I headed straight for the quiet rooms to rest/sleep as it had been a long long day/night for me. The rest areas are very private, almost like a hotel room, with couches and a lounge chair, they have hangars and a small table if you want to eat/drink. You have your own TV as well. When you go to "Check in" they will bring you any type of drink you request and a big bottle of Water/Seltzer and Ice. I scheduled a time for the showers, that were located in this area. Showers here are great with a spacious area and good pressure (Unlike UA showers in HKG or Austrian in Vienna)!! I slept for a little and headed off to my gate which was again a remote stand, Due to the lack of a Business Class bus they made us all wait until the rest of the plane was boarded then we got our bus...they didnt want to mix us with the common folk .The flight was great, we all got Pajamas which were great just not as great as Eva Air (only other time I got). Seat again has a lack of privacy and very hard to look out the window. Given the blockade we did have a slight flight plan that put us over Iran then Pakistan which I was not too comfortable about (What would happen if we had an emergency there?) I do believe we were one of the last flights that flew over Pakistan before they shut the airspace. Landing in Clark was a breeze there is nothing like landing at a small airport in a country where they hire a million more people then needed . Bags came out super quick no line in security/immigration. Return flight to be continued.... March 01, 2019, 02:35:25 AM |
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Re: 2019 Israeli election
serious question, what is his platform besides legalized weed? I've only heard his give vague ideas about more freedom. Here is his link: https://zehut.org.il/zehut-platform/?lang=en March 11, 2019, 07:07:48 AM |
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Re: Israeli Shows on Netflix, Prime, Hulu
Which ones? I watched Hashoter Hatov recently. Ramzur is absolutely hilarious I loved it!! Parliment and there are a bunch of others I do not recall April 05, 2019, 02:47:11 AM |
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Re: Lakewood Forest Fire
Letter sent to the Police by a 12 year old boy... This letter is a bigger chillul hashem then the whole protest.....My 8 year old spells better. April 16, 2019, 04:14:45 AM |
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Re: What Is The Greatest Travel Hack You Did?
Booked a seat on JetBlue they "upgraded" me to the exit row aisle. Unfortunately the gentlemen sitting in the middle was not Large he was super sized large with a BO that could kill a Rhino. My whole body was in the aisle and this was not going to work for me. (It was hot and he was sweaty and wearing very short sleeves). Then the Jewish brain clicked into hyper-drive.....When they came to ask if we were willing to help in case of an emergency, I said absolutely not!! Needless to say some other gentlemen who did not see how I was sitting jumped at the offer to get the exit row......The look he gave me on the way out was priceless..
April 16, 2019, 08:39:44 AM |
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Re: Re: Lakewood NJ Master Thread
The Anti-Charedi Govt in Israel has given more money to bnei yeshiva then all of Lakewood combined 100 times over. The Anti-Charedi Govt has had deals with Chareidi parties in the Knesset for the last 10 years. The Anti Charedi Govt will have almost a 30% representation by Chaeredim. Lakewood over the past few years have become more anti-zionist thanks to a certain segment of Judaism that is moving in. So glad that Lakewood is aligning itself with the Left wing Democrats that they have come to love. Maybe soon Lakewood will have the Pride flags flown from the Yeshiva when Bernie Sanders comes to give a shiur. May 10, 2019, 01:03:03 AM |
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Re: Geting To Meron
The only train from Navon.No Navon-TLV-HAIFA (any stop, though Kiryat Motzkin would be only one stop to Karmiel) then Karmiel. May 21, 2019, 08:19:50 AM |
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Re: Next Vacation - Ideas
Can anyone think of a place that has all 3. Sightseeing, water and vibrant nightlife? Would like to go for 4 days from NYC. Not over shabes. Tel Aviv definitely fits all 3 of those.... July 09, 2019, 03:51:08 AM |
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Re: Seen now on every boro park street
This wasn't a riot in response to guilty cops getting off. It wasn't a riot at all. There are times I wonder whether when Bernie Sanders looks to his left if he will even see you.... July 23, 2019, 08:23:09 AM |
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Re: Do you wash your chicken?
Thanks for this thread...finally a learning experience in JS
September 11, 2019, 12:41:15 AM |
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Re: RIP/BDE Master Thread
truly heartbreaking and devastating. Especially to those who turned to him. Check out the comments on this link. One of the most special rabonim in all of America. Whoever saw him could feel it, let alone someone who had the chance to talk to him (which was never hard as he made himself available ALL the time). So sad I will miss the Levaya being in Israel September 13, 2019, 03:38:32 AM |
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Re: US Politics/2016 Election Pick Your Poison Master Thread
Nine times the coward mentions BO in his cabinet meeting. He is obsessed with him because he can never measure up to him. What world do you live in? Trump will be reelected by a landslide in the Electoral College and taking out CA and Southern NY he will butcher the popular vote as well. The country is rocking! Markets are back up again, trade deals will be done, and he is keeping Turkey in check. BO was exactly that BO!! October 22, 2019, 03:39:42 AM |
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Re: Cancelled flight from Tel Aviv with a twist
Thanks, I found one firm and filled out a form on their site. If you (or anyone else for that matter) know of any legal firm that might be interested in the case, pls let me know. If you have Facebook there is a group called "Ask an Israeli lawyer" you should ask on there. You will get responses from actual Israeli lawyers and you may even have a few people take the case. November 24, 2019, 08:18:41 AM |
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Re: Its Open Season on Jews
Starting to understand more and more why Jews in Germany/Poland/Austria never actually tried leaving. People have always questioned their actions, but based on the past year and the amount of attacks on Jews and the lack of any bump of Aliya shows we just sadly dont learn the lessons of the past.
December 29, 2019, 02:56:24 AM |
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Re: Its Open Season on Jews
There's no reason to leave a place where Jews have equal protection under the law, actual and enforced. Hate starts from the local populace then mitigates to the govt....and as we can see in plenty of Congress and local Govts it already has... December 29, 2019, 09:13:22 AM |
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Re: Irans military leader assassinated
Absolutely fantastic watching the Dem candidates trying to make Trump look bad for taking out a top terror leader. Liberalism is a sincere mental disorder, now on full display.
January 03, 2020, 02:55:49 AM |
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Re: Iran's Top Terrorist Taken Out By The U.S.
This isn't about being afraid. It is about what is best for the US. A legit question is does this make the US safer? To a lesser extent does this make our allies safer, especially Israel? I am curious would the question have been the same with Hitler? Why drag the US into a war they did not need? January 07, 2020, 07:07:24 AM |
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Re: Iran's Top Terrorist Taken Out By The U.S.
Do you really believe firing missiles at a US army base isn't warlike? If it was just a random attack it would definitely be warlike but after what we did to them I think its just allowing the children to fight back a little and then say enough. January 09, 2020, 12:40:26 AM |
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Re: Iran's Top Terrorist Taken Out By The U.S.
Tit for tat doesn't make it less warlike. Warlike means we go to war over what happens. Tit for Tat is letting them tell their constituents (like @CountValentine ) that they have harmed/killed/destroyed US forces, even though its a lie. Dictators need these type of victories in order to impress and quiet down the people.....It really is quite simple to understand. January 09, 2020, 02:18:13 AM |
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Trip to Vienna and Prague
There are truly amazing fares from Israel to Europe in winter. I had found flights for friends of mine for $75 round trip on Wizz Air. After my wife found out I was quickly finding myself at the computer to purchase flights for ourselves. I did not tell her where we were flying to and all details of the trip were kept hidden. Here are the details broken down as best I could. Spent M"S in the Criwne Plaza city center it deserves ever single star (5 of them) that they have. Fantastic all around!!  20200125_231639 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrSunday Morning we took the train to the airport (2 stops), I bought Wizz Priority (101 Sheqel) that includes priority boarding and one carry on, as well as a front seat X leg room seat (160 sheqel) Yes that is more then the ticket cost but boy for someone who has gotten used to flying business this was the only way I was gonna last.  20200126_103541 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNext time this might be my seat......  20200126_140407 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThere are no lounges in Terminal one but I found a place to charge my phone and pass the time until we started boarding. The flight was completely full with multiple Ski tours for frum people which was quiete nice. The flight was enjoyable and soon enough we were landing into Vienna. 20200126_103541 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrI booked us 2 nights in "Der Wilhelhof" which was located a 5-10 minute walk from most of the kosher locations as well as the Stadtempl (12 minutes). I was looking for a 4+ hotel in the jewish area that was not gonna break the bank and this was perfect. It was in the $125 range and had fantastic reviews.  20200126_155838 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrArriving in the afternoon gave us some time to get to the hotel, go to Meah Shearim to eat and then I booked a night ride on the ferris wheel which was iabout 5 minutes from the hotel. Meah Shearim is still every bit as good as I remember from the last few times I was there. The Chicken soup was 5/5 the Sushi as always is out of this world. I got 2 chinese dishes which were also amazing and their fries are great as well!!  20200126_175701 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200126_173748 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200126_173745 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThe Ferris Wheel was nice but it was so cold even in the closed carts that it was hard to enjoy fully and I would recommend doing this by day as the views at night where not that great (though there was no wait so that is nice.  20200126_192947 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200126_192918 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrIn the morning we davened at Stadtempl for Shachris, they used the only Torah that survived the war (in Vienna) for Krias Hatora (Rosh Chodesh), I got an aliya and it was such a powerful moment in my life. The thought of who donated it and who leined from it in the past is just powerful!! After davening they showed us around the shul and the small memorial they have.  20200127_081643 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter davening we went to Ohel Moshe for some Heimishe eggs and bagels and bought milk for future coffees. The food there is ok for breakfast and it definitely did the job. After eating we went to the Imperial Treasury/Hofbburg Palace it was a very nice tour inside to see the treasures and clothes they wore 800-900 years ago. There is definitely a Christian presence that is felt there but I walked through those rooms quickly.  20200127_104103 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200127_103841 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe walked back from there to Novellino strolling through most of the old city. We ordered a salad and a pizza there both were decent though it is more expensive then I liked. We then rested until Mincha/Maariv at the Stadtempl, and then headed to Aleph Aleph for supper. We got the soup (chicken and vegetable) and ordered a Shnitzel which came huge and big enough for both of us. For dessert of course we got the Strudel. After supper we walked to the opera house for a Vienna Orchestra performance which was out of this world. It was about $45 each and lasted a little over 90 minutes. Was worth every penny I spent. I Ubered back to the hotel as it was just freezing outside and it would have been over 30 minutes to walk back.  20200127_214545 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200127_195812 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrTuesday we woke up headed out early to breakfast at Shefa which was about 3 minute walk from the hotel. Shefa is fantastic in terms of a full grocer that would make many small stores in Israel be ashamed. They had a butcher section, a fish section, roasted nuts section, bakery items and of course regular shopping as well. probably 5-6 aisles of stuff outside teh Fish/meat stuff.  20200128_082554 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_075301(0) by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_075259 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_075256 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter breakfast we headed out on the Hop on and off bus to go see the sights around the city. Eventually making our way to the Schonbrun Palace. I had done this tour in the past and felt it was a real waste of time and money so I convinced my wife to take pictures on the outside and do a little tour of the grounds. As we were leaving a sign caught my eye with pictures in full costume. Definitely a unique activity and the backgrounds and costumes were superb. The cost was 29 EUR for 10 minutes of ictures using your phone. IF you wanted professional it was $60.  20200128_114729 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_110552 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_110246 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter the tour we headed back to the hotel for our luggage ran to shefa for lunch (food was much much better then breakfast), we had Pizza and a Tuna sandwhich. From there I surprised my wife with a trip to Prague. I bought 2 business class seats on the express train into Prague. We got the closed 4 seat compartment to ourselves for about 2 hours before the other passengers showed up. It was absolutely worth the little extra money for the upgrade. I believe I paid $78 total for both of us.  20200128_141759 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_143000 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_142956 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrOnce in Prague we walked to our hotel which was in the old city right outside the jewish quarter, at a place called "The Dominican" this is a great place that really lived up to the European style hotels and beds. The staff definitely had looks when I walked with my Yarmulke but too bad on them!!  20200128_192527 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_192518 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrFor supper we went to Dinitz we had the Steak Sandwhich and teh Chicken Sandwich. The servings definitely shrank from the last time I was there but the food was still fantastic!! We walked the square back to the hotel and headed too sleep.  20200128_203348 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200128_203341 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrIn the morning we headed out to Charles Bridge and pictures of the Prague Castle. It was ice cold and we could not spend too much time outside.  IMG-20200129-WA0028 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_090300 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr IMG-20200129-WA0026 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr IMG-20200129-WA0039 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_091748(2) by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_091049 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrOnce the cold got too much we headed to Chabad Shelanu for Breakfast. We got the Tuna melt and the pancakes both were very good!!  20200129_100229 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_095644 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrI then booked a tour of the jewish quarter which was supposed to be a one hour tour but we were the only ones that signed up so we got about an hour and half in depth explanation of the cities Jews that lived there. It was fascinating and I highly reccomend it. One thing which I never heard before was that the cemetery which looks like it is on a hill compared to the rest of the area. Is actually a hill because when they ran out of room to bury yidden who were niftar they had to bury them one on top of the other. There are over 6 levels of bodies one on top of the other!!!  20200129_125810 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter the tour I paid (like a sucker) to go daven at the maharal/klei yakor, went to the different shuls and jewish sights there are to see.  20200129_135834 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_140311 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_133313 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_131214 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_123631(0) by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrOne new thing that has happened over the past month is a new kosher store that sells this out of this world dessert that you see EVERYWHERE in Prague. This place got a hechsher and the desert is freaking amazing. It is a cinnamin twist hallowed out with nutella chocalate and vanilla ice cream with strawberries. There are other types to choose from as well. This place is located across the street from the Maharal shul.  20200129_141158 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_141202 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_141228 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200129_141206 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter we finished all the touring we went to Chabad for mincha/maariv and ate supper at "The Grill" we got a steak skewer and shnitzel both were fantastic. After Supper we grabbed an uber to the airport where I took my wife on her first "business class" flight to Zurich where we had a 13 hour layover heading to Israel.  20200129_182023 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrI stayed in the Radisson Hotel Airport which was fine but we did not get the room I paid for but I was too late to fight about it.  20200130_071043 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200130_071034 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThe next day (today) my wife got to enjoy the real J class of Swiss Air on the A330-300 to Israel, I might be in trouble now for future flights but hey it was definitely worth it!! Thank you for reading!!  20200130_093633 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200130_084837 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20200130_084351 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThere is still a lot of hate when people find out you are jewish and I really debate with myself each time I travel to Europe but sometimes you need to get that kick in the gut every once in awhile to remember we are in Galus.  20200127_093059 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr
January 30, 2020, 02:17:01 PM |
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Re: Israel Hotels Master Thread
I am traveling to Israel for the first time in August with my wife. I just finished a stay at the Crowne Plaza center city and it was absolutely amazing. They do have a shuttle to the beach for free. It is located right next to the Azreili mall and the Hashalom train station. February 02, 2020, 06:56:30 AM |
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Re: 2019-2020 Israeli Election (See Also: Definition Of Insanity)
Does the peace plan announced help Bibi? Problem is those who did not vote for Bibi wont vote for him this round regardless of what he accomplishes. They have a full blown hate agenda against him. What this does help him is in his negotiations with YB when the time comes. I do not think there will be an election in the next 5years with a clear victory for the right (remember the left have zero chance of forming a govt given they have max 45 seats). But Lieberman cannot turn down Netanyahu offer if he is offering annexation as it will make Lieberman look very weak in any further elections. The part that surprises me is the Shas/Gimmel vs YB, I thought it would simmer down so there would be a hope for a coalition. February 03, 2020, 01:10:26 PM |
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Re: 2019-2020 Israeli Election (See Also: Definition Of Insanity)
Does Trump carry any weight or a non-issue? Trump has a 95% approval in Israel and still has not helped him in the past. February 03, 2020, 01:16:40 PM |
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Re: RIP/BDE Master Thread
I am absolutely blown away by all the wishes from everybody. May all the berachos be mekaim and may כלל ישראל never know again from צרות.
February 15, 2020, 02:45:38 PM |
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Re: COVID-19 (Wuhan Novel Coronavirus) Pandemic Master Thread
Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say the coronavirus poses an imminent threat to the United States, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this week. Democrats are all about hysterics. Save the whales. Save the penguins. Save the Arctic. Global Warming. Racist!! Republicans have better things to do with their lives. March 11, 2020, 05:09:25 AM |
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Re: What grade do you give Trump so far for his handling of COVID-19?
We are now a full month into the US getting affected. There are under 2000 known cases. How can anyone complain about the job Trump is doing? There are more tourist that travel into the US then practically any other country and yet we have managed to keep numbers to .001% of the country. The graph in the US is a lot better then almost every other country. March 15, 2020, 08:33:59 AM |
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