I'm back!

Dear esteemed readers,

Happy Summer! I hope everyone's enjoying the heat/beach/random vacations. My sincerest apologies for the lack of blog entries over the last 6 weeks or so. It's been a very stressful, busy, crazy, annoying, frustrating, exhilarating, and hot summer here in Israel. Between anchoring TV coverage of the IBL, going to France for two weeks to relax and visit family, writing papers for school, and Hebrew ulpan, I've been deterred from my usual blog updates. Not that that has stopped anyone from not going to my site. But I digress...

I have quite a few stories/observations about life in Israel that I want to share with everyone. But for now, here are a few pictures from the summer so far. And now that I've officially lived here a year, I'm not pullin' any more punches.* Hope all's good wherever you're reading this from...

L'hitraot,
Erik

*please make sure to refer to the next blog entry for the hidden significance of that line. Trust me it'll be worth it.

Israel

Naty and Ilan going back to France... :(


...but not before a group photo our Crocs.


My buddy Dany visiting from New York. He brought me
life-size cutout of Borat. Niiiiiice!


Afternoon beers on the beach in Tel Aviv.


Ma' Dukes visiting me in Jerusalem...on our way to dinner.
Naty...appreciative of the free meal.


Post-dinner satisfaction at Olive in Emek Refaim
neighborhood of Jeru.


Me and my buddy Jacob at an IBL game.


France-Marseille

Marseille, my second hometown.


Le Vieux Port.


View of Notre Dame de la Garde
from middle of the Vieux Port.


The famous View Port fish market.


French people buying fish.


French mackerel. You might not believe this, but they
speak English with a French accent.


Just in case these guys forget where they live,
it's written on their boat.


Just off the Vieux Port is the greatest store in the world,
dedicated to the greatest football/soccer team in the world.


France-St. Cannat

French flowers in the village of St. Cannat. Prrrrrrtty.


Typical street in a typical small
French village (St. Cannat) on a
typically beautiful Provencal summer day.


The fam in St. Cannat.


Me and Tata Dominique, one of the single coolest
people walking this planet.


Post-Chinese food restaurant in St. Cannat.


Family reunion.


This is what "relaxing" looks like.


My little cousins. Insanely adorable.


More cousins. And winner for cutest picture of the summer.

France-Aix-en-Provence

Center of Aix-en-Provence, one
of the coolest towns in the south of France.


You do NOT go to France without stopping in a "patisserie"...


...'cause you'd be missing out on these tarts. Trust me, I ate like 3 of them.


Typical Aix bookstore.


Artists selling art to people who like art. Simple French logic.


It would not be an "Adventure with Erik" without me
doing something completely bizarre. Here, we met up
with some dudes on a bachelor party. I joined in. C'est la vie...