Israel Faith, Fate or Falafel
It is hard to know where to start when writing about Israel. The one thing it is not what you expect. Let me highlight Israel with the words of my daughter’s 27 year old partner as they accompanied me there recently.
We had the best time. About to head to happy hour at Tel Aviv hotel (Nadine/Sonia: that means champers and bikkies…for free!), a brief summary: only smashed the car once (ok 1.5 times), lots of culture and religion (conclusion: the world is messed up!), had heaps of great food (despite the fact that the hummus got too much for us), bartered hard at a market, heard fighter planes come over, drove through west-bank, saw the Dead Sea, Nazareth, Jerusalem, saw a crusader castle that I already sieged before in a computer game called Age of Empires, biked more than I would in NL, Brielle got scratched by a feral cat, Trevor’s limping yet speedy walk, working out late at night in a park, a church that has holy spots for five ways of believing within one religion (still follow? I’m lost), Tel Aviv’s “Kitchen market restaurant” was amazing, it’s raining cats and everyone is breading dogs, roman hippodrome, followed Steve’s crazy yet interesting adventures, awesome guides, one who even invited us to his home in a kibbutz, sucking on bitter fresh olives is not a good idea, Allah was watching, God was chilling, Israeli Chardonnay very good, beautiful weather, delicious whole fish for tea, falafel and shawarma galore, Jesus walked with us, no clean clothes left, kicked TJ’s ass in table soccer but B and I lost miserably playing pool, hostel life awesome (thanks Tony Wheeler), all in all, awesome. What a country, what s trip. Trev: it was a business doing pleasure with you!
Religion and ideology abound, it’s not called the Holy land for nothing. Scores of faithful go and are overwhelmed by what they see and hear. Being a hatched, matched and dispatched church goer I am totally unqualified to give an opinion but I will and it’s a theological mess. Which is another reason why it’s so interesting. Can the Arabs, Jews and Christians get on and live in harmony? Well not in over 2,000 years have they managed it. Jerusalem is the Holy Grail for so many and having been there it’s easier to see why there is no easy fix. And the Jews are not going to give it up anytime soon.
Safety. Like most things in Israel, it is a complex issue. Worth bearing in mind that less than 1% of the world’s population is Jewish and they have not enjoyed being beaten up from the Old Testament until the present day. On the other side of the coin, Palestinians’ are treated as second class citizens. Even though the Jewish people now control Jerusalem they are still denied access to their most holy site, the Temple Mount on which now sits a Muslim temple better known as the Dome of the Rock. It is very common in Jerusalem to see army personnel with automatic weapons over their shoulders. What seems a little strange is to see a young couple in casual clothes embracing and kissing in public (French style) and he has a machine gun over his shoulder, which did seem to get in the way at times. If you are doing national service which is mandatory for all unless you are Orthodox or Arab your weapon goes with you everywhere. Yes even to the bedroom. As Mae West once said “Is that a gun in your pocket or ….” Never mind I digress. As strange as these guns may seem we felt very safe. In Nazareth there are virtually no Jewish residence, instead 80% Muslim and 20% Christian. Again safety didn’t concern us and there were no soldiers or police to be seen.
What is sad is the building of walls to stop clashes between Palestinians and Jews. I don’t see this being a fix, as the Palestinian areas go back to being a 3rdworld settlement and poverty in my opinion hatches terrorism.
Where you are likely to get killed or injured is on the roads. They drive fast, are aggressive and give no warning about pulling up or turning. Then you have to park the car if you can find a spot. We drove and fortunately Willem lives in the Netherlands so is better equipped than me for this type of sport. We did have one minor accident, well actually it was 1.5 accidents. Make sure you take the full insurance offered if it’s not in your travel insurance. Note: GPS is absolutely critical as the traffic jams can be horrendous. If you rent from Hertz look at the smiley button on the uniform as nothing else has a smile on it, which made the whole pick up and drop off process quite amusing.
Now where to stay? American Colony Hotel or Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem. It was a tough decision and for the first time in my spoilt travel life I chose the hostel and was so pleased I did. We had a ball, so many people from so many places in Jerusalem for so many reasons. To work, to play, for love and to pray. The best story was of an American chap in his mid-50’s from Colorado who met this Israeli lady on a chat line quite some time ago. He decided that he had to follow his heart to Israel where he was to discover she was married. This was Day 2 of his two week trip and we met him on Day 3.
In Nazareth we stayed at a convent for one night where we joined a Canadian church group on a short tour of the religious site. They were in awe from the experience and broke into hymns after reading passages from the scriptures. Had they actually walked in the footsteps of Christ?
Our second night was at the Fauzi Arur Inn, located in the heart of the old town. This is a place where you wished the GPS did not recognise, as we attempted to follow what were alleyways and impossible inclines with no way of turning back. We were relived to come across an open gate where the owner had made a particularly unpleasant front yard of rough concrete with an excess of unused building material still to be removed. Under the cover of darkness we were also relived in another way. Not even having time to gather our thoughts or get back in the car, headlights enter the courtyard with a horn not far behind. We were grateful for the owners directions and after a five or seven point turn we headed back the way we came, thinking he may not be as helpful if he had seen a couple of damp spots amongst the rubbish. At this point I had a brainwave and maybe, just maybe there were directions on the hostel confirmation. There were indeed and it said “Do not follow your GPS”. Whilst I was unpopular for a short time, it was to change when we checked in. Situated in the centre of the medina, the Fauzi Azur is just ambience personified. I rate it as one of my top 10 stays. Don’t get too excited if you want luxury and bell hops because this is an old family mansion turned into a hostel.
Just to mix it up our last stay was at the beautiful boutique Shalom & Relax Hotel in Tel Aviv. A lovely well run hotel just across from the beach and close to many good restaurants.
And kosher they are not. 85% of Jewish people do not require or want kosher. However bacon with your eggs in the morning ain’t gonna happen. I will put Israeli food up there with the best. When it comes to salads they are the best. Fresh, imaginative and wonderful flavours enhanced even more by the locally grown herbs. Try restaurants like Kitchen Market near the Marina and Bicicletta, Nahalat Binyamin Street, Tel Aviv-Yafo. There is a fantastic hidden bar in Jerusalem. The door has nothing on it and you actually walk through a bookcase to get too a small cosy bar. Then after a cocktail or two as its Happy Hour make your way to the Mahane Yehuda Market where casual food is in abundance with portions to make a footballer happy. Quaff some Israeli wine as it has improved so much over the years and whilst they are often more expensive than the French or Spanish being offered, they were our choice.
Our sightseeing was done on foot or cycling with a guide in each case. Guides are all freelance in Israel and are critical to a successful itinerary. Do not even contemplate doing it without. We also had a guide for our time around places close to the Sea of Galilee. We drove he navigated and filled us in with information and stories. We dropped him off at his home in a Kibbutz which was another great experience when he invited us in for coffee. We did cycling tours of Jerusalem which included a few hills for free and a fantastic cycling tour of Tel Aviv all guided. With bicycles you can get to places buses can’t and you feel you deserve that beer at the end of the day. There is a good train service throughout Israel however check timetables particularly on the weekend, which is Friday & Saturday. Sunday is a working day. I didn’t and had to get a taxi between Jerusalem & Tel Aviv. My Travel advisor told me not to attempt the train. A quick note that a high speed train link between Jerusalem & Tel Aviv has just started in September 2018 but not all the lines are quite complete. The trip will take 28 minutes which is one hour shorter than the current journey. Ask your agent for details.
Israel is not cheap and prices relate well to those in Australia. It’s more than the Holy land, its home for many people who have made it a fascinating place to visit. It’s topography of mountains, deserts and the lowest place on Earth at the Dead Sea. Ooh the beaches and nightlife are good in Haifa and Tel Aviv. If it’s not on your ‘must see’ list then put it on.
Shalom, shalom.
Trevor
