לפני הכל הערה - אני הולך לכתוב באנגלית. למה? כי אני רוצה שגם חברים מחו"ל יוכלו לקרוא ולהנות. בגלל שאני נחמד, בצד שמאל יש לכם כפתור לתרגום הבלוג, ובעזרתו האדיבה של גוגל תוכלו לקרוא הכל בעברית, גם אם רצוצה משהו.

And so starts my journey.

I'm sitting here at Ben Gurion Airport and my mind is soaring through all the possibilities, all the places I might see, all the things that I might experience, it is almost overwhelming.

Let's relax and take it step by step. What am I doing here?

Long ago I decided that travelling is one of my major goals in life. I've always wanted to explore the world, be a modern day Ibn Battuta. So, naturally, after I finished my military service, like many of my friends, I wanted to start exploring right away. At first I thought the destination would be Japan, but as it became clear that I would be travelling by myself, I thought I should take it easy on myself and change course to Europe.

Wait, why ARE you travelling by yourself? You're asking.

Well, apparently all my friends are either too busy or too poor to travel, and besides, nobody seems to share my enthusiasm with European history, so it became apparent that I'm on my own. And I'm fine with it. I think

To be honest, it is scary. Probably the scariest thing I've ever done. Anyone who knows me for some time, know that I'm terrible at navigating, and I tend to forget things and be unorganized. Very bad set of skills for a traveler. But it had to be done.

I am now 23 years old. Soon I'll begin studying at Tel Aviv University, and then, before I know it, life begins. I will never have the time and money to do this. Also, and more importantly, this is my Odyssey, my rite of passage, my gateway. I need to overcome this to be independent, to be an adult. It's scary, sure, but it's also empowering and thrilling. for once in my life I have complete control of all my actions and decisions, and now I will finally know what I'm made of.

So, first stop is London, and who knows what will be next. Expect updates, at least weekly.

Take care and see you in a few months,

Lior