I have fond recollections of my trip to Egypt and Israel with my family in 1980. This was my first trip abroad and my first visit to a foreign country outside of Canada. We traveled with a group of 26 people, mainly old women from Hadassah and their husbands. Our Rabbi, Marty Weiner, organized the trip. We were able to visit Egypt due to the improved Arab-Israeli relations at the time, following the 1978 Camp David Treaty.

We took four flights from San Francisco to Cairo, which took a total of 30 hours, including stopovers in New York, Paris, and Athens. I recall the breathtaking view of the fertile Nile Valley in the otherwise barren Sahara Desert. By the time we arrived, we were dead tired! We went to a nighttime show at the Pyramids, but I kept dozing off during the show, despite it being quite spectacular.

We loved Egypt. In fact, I'd say it was the highlight of the trip for most of us. We took a day trip up to the Pyramids, which were awesome. We rode camels up to the Pyramids and were confronted by numerous beggars along the way. Another thing we loved in Egypt was the tomb of Rameses VI, which went on for a half a mile or so.

We weren't as impressed with Israel, despite being Jewish. To me, most of Israel doesn't look too much different from the United States. We also found the Israelis quite rude. I loved Jerusalem, however, including the Wailing Wall and the Arab Mosque. Jerusalem is a truly beautiful city. Although I'm not at all religious, I couldn't help but feeling awed by its mystique.