22 replies to this topic

[Flibbertigibbet]

In 2009 our school trip was to Israel, and I can still remember it vividly. We flew from Manchester to Ben Gurion airport, passing directly over Delphi on the way, which was pointed out at the time. The first thing that hit me, after leaving the airport, was a massive rush of hot air. Though it was January and freezing cold in England, it was hotter in Israel than any outdoor temperature I've ever experienced (especially down south). For the first 2 nights we stayed in Tel Aviv, a beautiful city, spacious, clean, and well layed out. We spent a lot of time on the boardwalk watching the distant ships in the Mediterranean. After that the real advnture began, and we travelled by bus to the southern resort of Eilat on the Red Sea, going through Beersheba which had recently been hit by Palestinian rockets. Then we entered the Negev Destert which made my ears pop, it was so low down. Hot, empty and dry, we eventually stopped at a McDonald's right in the middle of nowhere, whose sign had been visible for miles like a true oasis, and guzzled ice cold coke. Later in the journey, after it got dark, we passed the salt processing plant at Sodom, looming huge and sinister in the distance like an alien city. Eventually we got to Eilat, on the outskirts of which two soldiers got on the bus carrying machine guns. They were perfectly friendly though, and only searched a few people, not us.

Eilat is a massive tourist resort, with huge multi-story hotels and miles of extremely crowded beaches. Lots and lots of fancy restaurants too, but nothing was very expensive by British standards, once you had converted it back into pounds. I tried my very first blintz at a seafront place called the Spring Onion, which was delicious. The shopping mall was something else, though unnerving getting stopped by security guards with machine guns at the entrance. Armed soldiers were all over the place, but always perfect gentlemen. On another occasion we took a chartered yacht down the Red Sea coast as far as the Egyptian border, which isn't very far at all, just a mile or so. Right up to the border were hotels and beach houses with pools, lush gardens and trees, then a very tall fence, then more fences, then a small hill, then barren desert as far as you could see. On top of the hill was a hut with Egyptian soldiers in it who eyed us suspiciously. On the sea itself the border was marked by a string of bouys, near which we moored the boat and ate our dinner in the afternoon sun, a lavish help-yourself affair full of seafood and other goodies, before turning round and heading back. At one point the wind blew us to within an arm's length of the line of bouys, and I often wonder if the Egyptians would have shot us had we accidentally drifted over. Probably not, but you never know. On a different day we visited Dolphin Reef, where a family of dolphins live in a huge artifical enclosure sticking right out into the Red Sea, with wooden walkways were you can go and almost touch them.

We spent a fortnight in Israel altogether, 2 nights in Tel Aviv, 10 in Eilat, and the last 2 in Jerusalem (on the way to which the bus broke down in the middle of the desert, and we had to stand outside in the sweltering sun for an hour till they sent a replacement). Jerusalem coudn't be more different to both Tel Aviv and Eilat, and it is here that you can really sense the weight of history, especially in the Old City. Our hotel, once owned by the Knights Templar, was perched high on the top of the Mount of Olives, right by the Church of the Ascension. Nearby was a taxi firm run by Palestinians with a huge framed photo of Yasser Arafat in the waiting room. To get to the Old City you had to walk down an incredibly steep road, from which you could see the Dome of the Rock glinting in the sunlight and the entire city layed before you, and I realised that almost all the photos you see of Jerusalem must be taken from this very spot. To the right as you walk down is the entrance to the Garden of Gethsemane, which I was astonished to discover still exists, full of incredibly ancient gnarled old trees in neat square plots. Much, much smaller that I had imagined it. The Old City itself was a claustrophobic place, and I was very pleased after hours of wandering through very thin and crowded streets to come across a Pizza Hut right in the centre.

A truly fascinating experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

[and then]

Flibbertigibbet, on 30 April 2012 - 09:52 AM, said:

In 2009 our school trip was to Israel, and I can still remember it vividly. We flew from Manchester to Ben Gurion airport, passing directly over Delphi on the way, which was pointed out at the time. The first thing that hit me, after leaving the airport, was a massive rush of hot air. Though it was January and freezing cold in England, it was hotter in Israel than any outdoor temperature I've ever experienced (especially down south). For the first 2 nights we stayed in Tel Aviv, a beautiful city, spacious, clean, and well layed out. We spent a lot of time on the boardwalk watching the distant ships in the Mediterranean. After that the real advnture began, and we travelled by bus to the southern resort of Eilat on the Red Sea, going through Beersheba which had recently been hit by Palestinian rockets. Then we entered the Negev Destert which made my ears pop, it was so low down. Hot, empty and dry, we eventually stopped at a McDonald's right in the middle of nowhere, whose sign had been visible for miles like a true oasis, and guzzled ice cold coke. Later in the journey, after it got dark, we passed the salt processing plant at Sodom, looming huge and sinister in the distance like an alien city. Eventually we got to Eilat, on the outskirts of which two soldiers got on the bus carrying machine guns. They were perfectly friendly though, and only searched a few people, not us.

Eilat is a massive tourist resort, with huge multi-story hotels and miles of extremely crowded beaches. Lots and lots of fancy restaurants too, but nothing was very expensive by British standards, once you had converted it back into pounds. I tried my very first blintz at a seafront place called the Spring Onion, which was delicious. The shopping mall was something else, though unnerving getting stopped by security guards with machine guns at the entrance. Armed soldiers were all over the place, but always perfect gentlemen. On another occasion we took a chartered yacht down the Red Sea coast as far as the Egyptian border, which isn't very far at all, just a mile or so. Right up to the border were hotels and beach houses with pools, lush gardens and trees, then a very tall fence, then more fences, then a small hill, then barren desert as far as you could see. On top of the hill was a hut with Egyptian soldiers in it who eyed us suspiciously. On the sea itself the border was marked by a string of bouys, near which we moored the boat and ate our dinner in the afternoon sun, a lavish help-yourself affair full of seafood and other goodies, before turning round and heading back. At one point the wind blew us to within an arm's length of the line of bouys, and I often wonder if the Egyptians would have shot us had we accidentally drifted over. Probably not, but you never know. On a different day we visited Dolphin Reef, where a family of dolphins live in a huge artifical enclosure sticking right out into the Red Sea, with wooden walkways were you can go and almost touch them.

We spent a fortnight in Israel altogether, 2 nights in Tel Aviv, 10 in Eilat, and the last 2 in Jerusalem (on the way to which the bus broke down in the middle of the desert, and we had to stand outside in the sweltering sun for an hour till they sent a replacement). Jerusalem coudn't be more different to both Tel Aviv and Eilat, and it is here that you can really sense the weight of history, especially in the Old City. Our hotel, once owned by the Knights Templar, was perched high on the top of the Mount of Olives, right by the Church of the Ascension. Nearby was a taxi firm run by Palestinians with a huge framed photo of Yasser Arafat in the waiting room. To get to the Old City you had to walk down an incredibly steep road, from which you could see the Dome of the Rock glinting in the sunlight and the entire city layed before you, and I realised that almost all the photos you see of Jerusalem must be taken from this very spot. To the right as you walk down is the entrance to the Garden of Gethsemane, which I was astonished to discover still exists, full of incredibly ancient gnarled old trees in neat square plots. Much, much smaller that I had imagined it. The Old City itself was a claustrophobic place, and I was very pleased after hours of wandering through very thin and crowded streets to come across a Pizza Hut right in the centre.

A truly fascinating experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

I would dearly love to see Jerusalem some day.  Thank you for sharing (quite vividly) your memories of the experience.

[Flibbertigibbet]

and then, on 30 April 2012 - 10:16 AM, said:

I would dearly love to see Jerusalem some day.  Thank you for sharing (quite vividly) your memories of the experience.

Thanks

[Eluveit]

A really good post Flibbe... You should consider a career in some sort of traveling journalism.. Or even about writing books for tourists

[Parsip]

Sounds like a beautiful experience.

[Flibbertigibbet]

Eluveit, on 30 April 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

A really good post Flibbe... You should consider a career in some sort of traveling journalism.. Or even about writing books for tourists

Lol thanks, maybe I will, archaeological tours or something like that.

Parsip, on 30 April 2012 - 11:29 AM, said:

Sounds like a beautiful experience.

It was, I'd go back again if I got the chance.

[Knight Of Shadows]

glad that you had fun
and egyptian soliders were just worried .. israel killed some egyptian soliders on boreders not long ago not the otherway around

[Flibbertigibbet]

Knight Of Shadows, on 30 April 2012 - 12:23 PM, said:

glad that you had fun
and egyptian soliders were just worried .. israel killed some egyptian soliders on boreders not long ago not the otherway around

I didn't think we were likely to be in any real danger from the Egyptian soldiers but I found the contrast between the two sides of the border, luxury hotels and affluence on one side and desert on the other to be quite striking.

Edited by Flibbertigibbet, 30 April 2012 - 12:27 PM.

[Eldorado]

What was the heat like?  Is it ever "cool"?
I'd love to tour the middle east but I struggle in temps over 22C.  

[Flibbertigibbet]

Eldorado, on 30 April 2012 - 01:03 PM, said:

What was the heat like?  Is it ever "cool"?
I'd love to tour the middle east but I struggle in temps over 22C.  

It was tolerable in Jerusalem in the evening, even a bit breezy at times. In the south, at Eilat, it was almost unbearable for parts of the day, but not humid though, a kind of dry heat.

[Eldorado]

Flibbertigibbet, on 30 April 2012 - 01:07 PM, said:

It was tolerable in Jerusalem in the evening, even a bit breezy at times. In the south, at Eilat, it was almost unbearable for parts of the day, but not humid though, a kind of dry heat.

Thanks.   I'll need to visit in winter methinks.  I'd be awestruck looking around Jerusalem. In dreamland at the history of it all but still half-expecting Monty Python characters to pop up here and there.  (I've got that kinda mind)

[Flibbertigibbet]

Eldorado, on 30 April 2012 - 01:16 PM, said:

Thanks.   I'll need to visit in winter methinks.  I'd be awestruck looking around Jerusalem. In dreamland at the history of it all but still half-expecting Monty Python characters to pop up here and there.  (I've got that kinda mind)

It was winter, lol. January.

[Eldorado]

Flibbertigibbet, on 30 April 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

It was winter, lol. January.

Doh!

I'll go on a December's night!

lol

[Flibbertigibbet]

Eldorado, on 30 April 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

Doh!

I'll go on a December's night!

lol

I think 25 December is quite a popular date to go to Israel on.

[Knight Of Shadows]

middle east is pretty cold in winter .. it's only hot in summer people tend to think middle east is desert it's not