Travel with me to...Israel

december20, 2003 – january04, 2004

My second trip to Israel, this time a bit more extended than last year.

This time’s itinerary:

21^{st of December: arrival at Tel-Aviv Ben Gurion Airport ( 1:25 am )}

21st of December: Egged Bus from Tel-Aviv Central Bus Station to Eilat

28th of December: Egged Bus from Eilat to Jerusalem

1st of January: to Tel-Aviv

3rd of January: Petah Tikvah

4th of January: departure at 6:10 am to Geneva

After arrival in Tel-Aviv I took a taxi to the AVIA HOTEL YEHUD I’ve reserved for a just couple of hours, a hotel which is nearby the airport. They gave me a discount as I did not stay the whole night, but I really can recommend this hotel only for emergency cases. It has a night club inside, which made my room quite noisy, and, worse, inside the cupboard of the room I found bird-dirt, there were quite a lot of pidgeons on the balcony. Only thing I can say, expensive for what it offers ( I paid US$ 60 for the couple of hours ). And they managed to charge my credit card twice !

At about noon time I took a taxi to the frightening Central Bus Station of Tel-Aviv. Of course, security guards and police all over the place, the guard checked my luggage on a small, unstable table at one of the entries. Not easy to manage ! Then, once inside, I needed to hurry to the 6th floor to get my bus to Eilat. In fact, inside the station there’s also a shopping center, quite crowded. I finally found my bus, and was happy to get out of this place.

The bus trip to Eilat takes about 5 hours, passing by Be’er Sheva, Dimona and crossing the beautyful desert of Neguev.

In Eilat I stayed as last year at Zamy’s Tower, a bed & breadfast where you really feel at home. All my best regards and a bug hug to Zamy, his wife Pensi and their wonderful little son Shaunli.

As it was period of Hanukka, there were more guests than last year in the house and every evening Zamy would play the Hanukka songs on the piano while the fathers of the families would light the candles of Hanukka. Everybody sang together, I was happy to be able to assist every evening.

From last year I knew Avi, who staid at Zamy’s place during his military service and who made me practice a little bit my Hebrew.

This first week of holiday was for relaxing, so I went almost every day to the beach. I went to Dolphin Reef, a private beach where I have been to often last year.

The guardian at the entrance even remembered me !

The special things about this place are:

You swim and dive with the dolphins and they offer "Relaxation Baths", a feature you must reserve in advance and pay an extra fee but you get the entrance free.

In the Relaxation Bath you’ll find a quiet atmosphere, get tea, coffee, freshly prepared fruit juice, wine, fruits and biscuits and cosy places to sit or lye down.

The main thing are three pools, one filled with highly salted water ( as in the Dead Sea ), the second with soft rain water and the third with normal ocean water.

The pools have underwater-music. While you float the monitors will do a massage of your feet and make you float around. A wonderful feeling ! A session is one and a half hours and you are really relaxed after this treatment.

Another day, the weather wasn’t sooo good, I went on horse ride in a Wadi with Michaela, from Kvar Saba, who spent a couple of days at Zamy’s place. After the horse ride we walked to the Camel Ranch and bought some goat cheese which is produced in a nearby Kibboutz. Then we walked all the way back to Eilat and had something to eat at the RED SEA STAR Restaurant: it’s a restaurant situated 6 meters under the water and you can watch the corals and many colored types of fish while eating. The food is ok, but a bit expensive.

On Thursday a big group of Israelis arrived at Zamy’s, they invited me to come with them the next day to Timna Park.

We had a wonderfuld day, Udi is professional guide and explained the rocks and geologie of what we were seeing. He also organized a lot of activities for the kids, like sliding down a dune, collecting mud to make Hanukkia once back in Eilat.

At the end of the day we went to HAI BAR, a kind of zoo where you can see all the animals who used to live in the Neguev desert and who are mentioned in the bible. At sundown you can assist at the feeding of the animals.

After what we returned to Eilat, had a big barbecue at Zamy’s, lots of discussions, excellent Israeli wines and of course…a lot fun together !

Many thanks to Shaul and Udi !!

The last evening I decided to offer myself a good dinner so I went out to try the new restaurant in the Meridien Hotel, RETRO.

This restaurant offers a well-styled and calme atmosphere and excellent food, style ‘new middle-east food’. I really enjoyed my meal, as entry "three colored peppers", then a "filet of sea brim" which was extra-ordinary. Of course, it’s more expensive but really worth it ! ( For entry, main course, wine, water and coffee I paid NIS 142.- ).

On Sunday 28 I took the bus early in the morning to go to Jerusalem. Again crossing the Neguev, passing by En Gedi along the Dead Sea, and by the Judean Desert.

In Jerusalem I staid in a kosher bed& breadfast in the neighborhood of Katamon, at Pnina and Chaim’s place called "Pninat Katamon" ( perl of Katamon ).

A nice, clean and well situated place in a quiet neighborhood, near Emek Refaim Street ( German Colony ).

I had some very interesting discussions with Chaim about Judaism.

On Monday I have booked an organized bus tour with Egged around the major attractions of Jerusalem, to get an idea.

The tour took us to:

Mount Zion ( wonderful view on the old city of Jerusalem )

Yad Va’shem ( the Holocaust museum )

Lunch in the Kibboutz of Ramat Rachel

The old city:

YAD VA’SHEM is something you must see by yourself, the most impressive and touching memorial within this site is certainly the Childrens Memorial, so simple but expressive. I ( and not only me ) came out crying. It is a dark, round room with mirrors all over and in the middle only four candles lit. The light of the candles is reflecting to all directions, multiplying itself for millions of times. Two voices are reading the names, ages and origins of all the children killed during the Holocaust. Since the museum opened they still not have finished to read all the names…..

Also the other parts of the museum cannot leave you indifferent to the Holocaust. I cannot say more as I believe everybody needs to go there by himself, see, and feel. I was still crying afterwards on the bus, and even by writing these lines, tears are in my eyes.

Another highlight of the tour, certainly THE highlight was the WAILING WALL.

On the bus I met a girl from France, Emma. She was so kind to lend me her book of prayers ( in French ). Thank you, Emma !

Men and women pray in separated sections. It is most impressive and touching to be in front of the Wailing Wall and to pray. And to put your little piece of paper on which you note a wish between the bricks of the Wall.

Seeing all these deeply believing people, making their prayers, seeing them close to God, is something I’ve never seen, I don’t think we have this kind of faith in Europe, I guess it got lost during the time. Here you see all kinds of people, young girls with their foreheads either pressed against the Wall or diving into their book of prayers.

I’ve been praying, too, and I also put my wish between the bricks. This will be a moment I’ll never forget, and I deeply hope I will be able to return there.

( A little note: you can send your wishes by fax or email and they will put between the bricks ! )

Together with Emma we left the bus at the Wailing Wall and walked around the jewish quarter of the old city on our own. Of course we got a bit lost when we tried to get to Jaffa Gate again….

We had dinner together in a libanese restaurant, but do not remember neither the adresse nor the name, it was a lot of food but very good.

The next day a friend, Dany, came from Tel-Aviv and took to the outskirts fof Jerusalem, to a battle place of the war of Independence (1948), called the Castel. Wonderful view on Jerusalem and the hills surrounding the city.

Then we had a 8 km walk in a natural reserve nearby, "Sataf".

The whole next day I passed at the Israel Museum. The exhibitions there are very various, from the archeological section over a big section about Judaism and the Garden of Billy Rose where modern sculptures are exhibited. And even in one day I haven’t seen everything.

A particular interesting exhibition is the Shrine of the Books, which was unfortunately closed for renovation, well, gives me another reason to return to Jerusalem.

One exhibition was about the scrolls found at the Dead Sea and which are one of the oldest writings of the bible.

In the evening I met Emma, and we had dinner at the ELDAD VEZEHOO restaurant. A nice,cosy restaurant,situated in a backcourt and serving French inspired food.

We had a good dinner and went to the youth hostel she was staying at afterwards to discuss, and to celebrate the New Year with a lovely view on the old city. I must say that there were only five firecrackers in the Old City at midnight… new year in Israel is Rosh Ha’Shana in September.

My last day in this magic city I went once again to the Old City, visiting one of the small museums, The Isaac Kaplan OLD YISHUV COURT MUSEUM showing the way the different kinds of jews used to live and furniture their homes.

An arab guy, Zack, was with me almost all the time, impossible to get rid of him. So he showed me the Souk in the arab quarter, the part of the Via Dolorosa in the arab quarters and took me drink tea at his ‘cousins’ shop, where I bought some souvenirs. Then he took me to another shop and there I got quite anoid as the shop owner tried to sell me a lot stuff I don’t need. After that I lfet th Old City, walked back via Emek Refaim Street to the bed&breakfast in order to leave Jerusalem towards Tel-Aviv.

I went actually every day to Emek Refaim Street, which is a sympathic place, with lots of little cafés, restaurants and shops. I had my "café ha’fouk" every afternoon there, writing down in my travel-notebook what I’ve seen the day.

To resume my visit to Jerusalem:

This is a wonderful city with a very special, magic atmosphere ! It is sure that I will return, because there are so many things to see and to experience, that you have to do it inseveral times, as it might be too much to understand and to capture in one time. This city has an indiscribtible atmosphere, you need to feel and experience it by yourself.

A recommendation I must give is to read about the historical background before visiting Jerusalem. Being informed is necessary to profit of the visit ( this applies actually to the whole country, so read, read the bible, get informed ).

This city has been developing itself since the war of Six Days in 1967 from about 30000 inhabitants to about 700000 today. In fact, until 1967 Jerusalem was only the Old city, the first settlements outside the walls started to be built only after this war.

Nowadays, the majority of population are religious Jews, so from Friday evening sundown until Saturday evening at sundown ( Shabbat ) there is no public transports, and everything is closed.

Thanks to my Hebrew teacher Shoshana for giving me informations about what to see in Jerusalem.

And, as the diaspora jews like to say:

See you next year in Jerusalem !

My last two days I passed in Tel-Aviv. I stayed at HOTEL ADIV, a hotel situated at five minutes walk from the beach, very central and clean. The prices are more than reasonable ( reservation via Internet, US$ 44 per night, breakfast included ).

Dany took me at the Hotel on Friday morning and we had a walk to old port of Jaffa. On the way back, we had some coffe at the beach and tehn went to Newe Tsedek, one of the oldest quarters of Tel-Aviv, where there are now artists and the Dance Center Suzanne Dellal.

We had lunch at CAFÉ SUZANNA, nice "in"-café with good food and reasonable prices ( about NIS 25 to 35 for a main course ).

The evening I went to another nice restaurant, which I choose by simply walking by: PICASSO.

Good service, good food and wine, I enjoyed my dinner a lot. I ha d ‘crispy bream’ ( fish ), delicious! And for desert a Turkish pudding called "Malabi" which tastes also extraordinary.

On Saturday, Michaela took to Herzliya, where we walked around a beautiful shopping mall and had a coffee. Then she took me to her place in Kfar Saba to pick up two of her children. One of her daughters works in a restaurant which is in a Moshav, in a plant grow-house, called after an Israeli poet, HA’THOR HA’SCHIVAI ( I’m not very sure about this, the card is only in Hebrew, and I’m not far enough with my Hebrew-studies…). Anyway, this is for sure my favourite place !

In the afternoon, we had a walk in the public park of Ra’Anana, a town next to Kfar Saba, and, of course, we sat down in a café to talk and drink a Tea Nana ( mint leafs ).

In the evening her son Kfir took me to Petah Tikvah, where I stayed at a friends place before leaving early in the morning for Ben Gurion Airport.

I msut say that I cried when I was seated in the airplane, I had the most wonderful in Israel, I met wonderful people with whom I’m still in touch, I’ve seen beautiful landscapes, and learned again a lot about this country.

My travel resume is just a small part of what I have seen, felt, expierenced. I could fill easily more pages but for the moment I’ll keep up with this and might post updates in the future.

I admit that these days Israelis not a common destination, that there is always a little fear concerning the actual situation of the country and about the risk of terror attacks. But the image we have in Europe , an image which is created by the media, is not really corresponding to the reality. Even with the daily risk of attacks, the people continue living their lives, as normal as possible.

Israelis definitely worth a visit !

Here are listed the addresses of this trip:

AVIA Hotel Yehud

4 Hachoresh Street, Yehud

T: + 972-3-539 33 33

F: + 972-3-539 33 19

@:hotel@aviahotel.co.il

****

Dolphin Reef

3 km from Eilat on the road to Tabah

T: + 972-8-637 18 46

F: + 972-8-637 59 21

@ : reef@netvision.net.il

****

Red Sea Star Restaurant

( between the Shopping Mall and the Meridien Hotel )

T: + 972-7-634 77 77

F: + 972-7-634 71 71

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Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve

Near kibboutz Sammar, 37 km north of Eilat

T: + 972-7-637 30 57 / 637 60 18

Israel Nature and parks authority: www.parks.org.il

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RETRO Restaurant

Hotel Meridien Eilat

T: + 972-8-634 00 44

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Pninat Katamon Bed&Breakfast Kosher

Pnina & Chaim Averbuch

7 Aba Hilkia Street

Jerusalem 93183

T: + 972-2-678 08 56 / 679 05 58

F: + 972-2-678 92 46

@: pkjh@barak-online.net

****

Egged Tours

Main office ( Information & Operation center )

59 Ben Yehuda Street

Tel-Aviv

T: + 972-3-527 22 16

F: + 972-3-527 20 20

www.eggedtours.co.il

****

Eldad Vesehoo Restaurant

31 Jaffa Street

Jerusalem

T: + 972-2-625 40 07 / 624 70 33

F: + 972-2-625 16 77

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The Isaac Kaplan Old Yishuv Court Museum

6 Or Hachaim Street, The Jewish Quarter

Old City of Jerusalem

Jerusalem 91016

T: + 972-2-627 63 19

F: + 972-2-628 46 36

****

Hotel Adiv

5 Mendele Street

63907 Tel-Aviv

T: + 972-3-522 91 41

F : + 972-3-522 91 44

@ : iladiv01@attglobal.net

****

Café Suzanna

9 rehov Shabazi

Newe Tsedek, Tel-Aviv

T: + 972-3-517 75 80

****

Picasso Restaurant

88 rehov Ha’Yarkon

Tel-Aviv

T: + 972-3-510 27 84 / 5

F : + 972-3-517 54 86

****

Ha’Ator Ha’Schivai Restaurant

Moshav Gan Chaim

T: + 972-9-746 21 02

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