I'm exhausted but otherwise quite thrilled to report that I've made it to Israel safely, and am now sitting in my hotel in Haifa, the third largest city in the country, which is about an hour and a half north of Tel Aviv. I flew in via El Al airlines, and the experience was in keeping with everything I'd heard and read about the airline: They were very thorough during check-in, and the flight itself was, to quote my guidebook, "rambunctious." It was a double-decker plane and everyone rushed to get onboard, and the plane was teeming with children, who thankfully for me and my neighbors were very well-behaved during the nine-hour flight. A middle seat is my least-favorite place to try and get some sleep, but I managed and arrived without a huge neck cramp, which was an added bonus. At the airport, I met up with my group, all of whom are also bloggers (I assume I'll be linking to their posts as the days go by), and we then drove north to Haifa. Driving along Road 6, the major thoroughfare that splices the country, you begin to get your bearings in Israel. Avocado, mango, and olive trees line the highway. The Mediterranean is on your left, the green lights of the minarets on the mosques glow to the right, and then suddenly, patches of the wall that divides the Palestinian Authority from the rest of Israel appear along the roadside. Our driver said that 94 percent of the "Wall," as it's known here, is actually not concrete but fencing. But seeing a concrete section was a jarring reminder of the ongoing strife in the region.
Haifa is a young city in comparison with the others in Israel, and it's
also one of the most secular and progressive. Our host at dinner
tonight, the Minister of Tourism for Haifa, explained that her favorite
aspect here is that, unlike in other cities in the country, the members of all of
the major religions, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druse, Bahá'i and
Ahmedians, get along and co-exist in ways that they don't elsewhere.
She cited one of the events held during the winter as an example:
called the "Festival of Festivals," it celebrates Hannukah, Ramadan,
and the secular new year concurrently. Tonight the Jewish community,
which is the majority in the city, is celebrating Purim, and I caught a
glimpse of a young girl dressed as a princess running through the
streets.
We ate dinner in the the German Colony neighborhood this evening, which was established in 1896 by German Christians who came to the region in the hopes of finding salvation from the Messiah. Today it's a lovely street filled with outdoor restaurants and dance halls, perched at the foot of the Bahá'i Gardens, for which the city is most famous (we'll be getting a tour of the gardens tomorrow). It was a lovely evening, ending with a fabulous cheesecake in my stomach, and the scent of night jasmine in the air.
Photo by Janelle Nanos
We ate dinner in the the German Colony neighborhood this evening, which was established in 1896 by German Christians who came to the region in the hopes of finding salvation from the Messiah. Today it's a lovely street filled with outdoor restaurants and dance halls, perched at the foot of the Bahá'i Gardens, for which the city is most famous (we'll be getting a tour of the gardens tomorrow). It was a lovely evening, ending with a fabulous cheesecake in my stomach, and the scent of night jasmine in the air.
Photo by Janelle Nanos
Subscribe to RSS feed
Subscribe to RSS feed
Saw the report on your visit on Channel One TV news tonight. Have fun.
For your family trip to Israel, check out leading tour guide David Schoenfeld at http://tourisrael.co.il/family-travel-israel.php
The "Golan Trail" is a brilliant new trail crossing the Golan heights, through Druze villages, great parks and many more. a great trek for 4-6 days or just enjoy parts of it with the family.
If you need some pics, travel logs and more contact www.yowyowyow.com
also tips for visiting Israel
Enjoy
For those planning a visit to Israel in these difficult economic times ,it helps to get some local advice.
At http://www.israeltravelcompany.com the Israel Travel Company offers a personal itinerary planning service based on building customized programs that meet a range of budgets.
We make our living based on the service fee we charge you for developing an itinerary ,on a per day basis , and then offer the various activities at the best price we can.Try it out .
We believe we can save you our daily service fee , so in a way it's free!!