Every year, many students take trips all across the world during school breaks and come back with interesting stories to tell.

The Ordyna family recently took one of the more unique trips trip to Israel, a Middle-Eastern country established in 1948 following the conclusion of World War II. Senior twins Benson and Brigham joined the rest of their family on the vacation.

According to the Bible, ancient Israel was composed of two prosperous kingdoms that were constantly attacked by neighboring nations. Israel was invaded by major Middle-Eastern powers, such as Persia, Egypt, and Babylon. They were eventually overtaken by the Ottoman Empire in 1517, though the British empire took over in 1917 and retained control of Israel and Palestine until World War II ended. Millions of Jews were displaced by the horrifying acts that happened during the war, and were left with nowhere to go. To solve this problem, Great Britain decided to give Israel to the unsettled Jews as a way of restoring them with their ancient homeland. Good idea, right? Well, it’s actually way more complicated than that. The Palestinian people believed that Israel should belong to them, and claimed that the British had no right to give Israel away; a conflict quickly arose between Palestine and Israel. In recent years, this disagreement between the two nations has calmed down somewhat, though there is still a lot of tension between them.

So what is Israel like for a tourist? Benson rated the overall experience 10/10. When arriving at the airport, the twins were shocked to see many armed soldiers in that area, but  they said everyone they talked to was really nice.

The family visited numerous historical sites such as the Garden of Gethsemane, the alleged tomb that Christ was placed in, and even the Dead Sea.

Benson said that going into the Dead Sea was a really trippy experience “because you’re phasing out.”

The family also visited one of the largest cities in Israel, Tel Aviv-Yafo, the country’s center of commerce and culture, and even the Dome of the Rock. They tried many Israeli foods, including falafel, though every dish “eventually ended up tasting the same.”

The twin travelers talked about seeing children standing on street corners selling salt for $5 and trying to barter with passing tourists. 

The boys said that the entire trip was amazing and definitely worth taking for anyone thinking about going.