March of the Living 1999 Diary

April 22, 11:20 AM

We just finished a nature walk at Tel Dan Nature Reserve, and the name is woefully inadequate to the experience. If yesterday's hike was good because it was exciting and challenging (for me at least), today's was good because it was laid-back and the scenery was stunning.

I don't think I'm lying when I say that this was one of the most beautiful places I have even seen, comparable in my experiences only to some parts of the Rockies. Here, the trees, huge trees, formed a green canopy overhead, letting a little sunlight trickle down. The sun was just enough to make things pretty, but not enough to be the scorching heat I'm becoming accustomed to. And the trees! There were fig trees, and even grape vines!

But the best part was the streams. This is one of the very few streams in Israel, and it's so pretty. I can sit normally for hours on end watching a stream of flowing water, and I would have loved to do that here. The water was clear and cold and I don't think I would ever get tired of it.

Another thing is the tree. There was a giant, and I'm not kidding when I say giant, pistachio tree. Not only was it huge and pretty, it was also an amazing climbing tree. I would kill (maybe) for a climbing tree like this.

We went to the ancient city of Dan, which was also neat, but my favorite part was definitely the nature.

Still stunned,
Julie