Israel Travelogue—Preface to the Vignettes
The Church of the Beatitudes has traditionally been the spot where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Within the acoustically superb sanctuary, we heard a group of Asian tourists chanting sacred melodies. Their singing, plus the shimmering church itself, was uplifting. When a group from America later began their chorale, one of the nuns told them to stop. They did so reluctantly. That broke the spell for us.
Later, we walked over the mostly unadorned Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. It reminded me of an ancient, isolated cloister.
Jordan River & Hammat Tiberias National Park:
We visited the Jordan River Baptismal site at Yardenit, near Tiberias. Various groups of people from America to Asia, mostly middle-aged women, got baptized in the small sectioned-off area in the vicinity where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. All of the initiates were beaming
after the ceremony.
At the national park, we marveled at the well-preserved walls of a 4th century B.C.E. synagogue that included an elaborate mosaic zodiac calendar floor. An adjacent museum had many well-preserved ritual baths (mikvahs) for purification. At the top of the park, hot springs sluiced downstream. Marie put her feet into the water: it was still close to scalding after these many centuries.
Bet She’an National Park:
Bet She’an has a mammoth display of Roman antiquity: Massive colonnades along a walkway and surrounding the ruins of a temple; public bath houses that contain toilet pits; a well-preserved amphitheater that seated thousands of spectators; large thick-walled archways, a diversity of stairways, extensive mosaics, and a cistern or two. We spent hours touring this ancient archaeological treasure trove.
Nazareth
We visited the main Nazareth churches: the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Church of St. Joseph, and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. Each church was splendidly arrayed with vivid paintings and sculptures and highly stylized pillars. The vast recesses of the Basilica of the Nativity were an unexpected awesome spectacle.
Yigdal Alon Museum of the Galilee
March 23—The Yigdal Alon Museum of the Galilee houses a partially resurrected fishing boat during the time of Jesus’s ministry. The Museum contains the incredibly intact wooden frame of the oldest fishing boat in the world, dating from the 1st century A.D.
A video amply shows how the boat was discovered, unearthed, decontaminated, lifted to the Museum, put on supports, and kept in a permanently temperature-controlled stage.
March 24—Orchard Park north of Netanya has an incredibly varied selection of flowers in its mammoth three-story greenhouse. The spurting fountains outside accompanied by Israeli martial music are another treat.
Two Nature Reserves:
The two nature reserves at the southern tip of Netanya (Iris and Nahal Peleg) are along the Mediterranean Sea. At the foot of huge sand dunes and craggy cliffs are fields of wildflowers. The Irises were not in bloom (that was a disappointment), but we enjoyed viewing the particularly bright red anemones.
Mts. Arbel and Betel:
Early in the morning, we went back to Yigdal Museum to finish our tour. We were happy to find some Hebraic artifacts tucked away in the far corners of the building.
The next attraction was the Arbel Nature Reserve just outside of Tiberias with it sheer cliffs filled with man-made caves. Even though we couldn't locate the peak's entrance, and we didn't climb up or down the extremely steep mountain paths, we had astounding views of Arbel's extensive cubbyholes from the roadside.
That afternoon, we traveled to Mt. Betel, the scene of decisive battles the Israelis won against the Syrians. We saw lots of barbed wire and discarded Syrian tanks plus expansive views of the Golan Heights.
Hermon Nature Reserve and the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes:
Before getting to the prime attraction at Banais Falls in the Hermon Nature Reserve, we just by accident noticed a delightful but unheralded waterfall (Sa'ar) on the way to the Reserve. The celebrated Banais Falls, the highest one in Israel, was impressive but we had a hard time getting to it because of rowdy groups of teenagers blocking our way, and by their equally obstreperous adult guides made a lot of the walk unpleasant.
Later on the day, we sought refuge in a well-known nut and dried fruit store in Tiberias. After stocking up on some of these delectable items, we headed for the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. The exterior was fairly austere, even ascetic, but the interior was much more colorful with its pastel paintings of saints.
March 27, Sefad or Sefat or Zefat:
We drove to Zefat’s artists’ quarter. There were dozens of shops containing exceptionally well-conceived and well-produced sculptures, paintings, and jewelry. The ride up was just as illuminating. The hillsides leading to Zefat are studded with mammoth rows of various sized and contoured rocks, an artistic landscape in its own right.
The Hula Valley Nature Reserve and Tel Dan National Park
We didn't any migrating birds at The Hula Valley Nature Reserve, but we did see some spectacular sights in the water. Beneath one of the large bridges, masses of catfish were swimming under masses of turtles, each group oblivious of the other.
At Tel Dan National Park, there were abundant archaeological remains, but the most fascinating were the Israelite fortifications and the Canaanite arches, caves, and mounds.
The Spa at Hammat Gadar:
The alligators and the mountainous setting were spectacular, but nothing was as awesome and amazing as the massage that Peter gave Marie.
Off to Haifa with Michael:
Elijah's Cave, the oldest synagogue in continuous use, was a relic Jews have cherished for centuries--reverence incorporated.
For lunch, he wanted us to eat at Maxim’s, a restaurant that had been bombed a couple of times during Palestinian uprisings. With some misgivings, we agreed to go there. The odds were that we’d be safe, and in Israel, you have to go with the odds or you’d go nowhere.
Chorazim or Korazim National Park, the Doma Galilee, Capernaum National Park, and Jethro’s Tomb: March 31
First we went to the Doma Galilee, an ultra-modern monastery. Then off to Korazim National Park to see the extensive remains of a 4th- to 5th-century synagogue constructed out of black basalt. In Capernaum, we saw a better preserved 3rd-century synagogue made out of white limestone. Next to it is a small, secluded area traditionally denoted as St. Peter’s Home. At nearby Capernaum National Park, there is a highly ornate Greek Orthodox Church with brilliantly colorful paintings covering every crevice—from the dome to the floor. Our last visit was to Jethro’s Tomb in the Druze mosque near Kefar Zeitim. The mosque grounds serve as a communal gathering place for picnickers—we can still smell the kabobs.
April 1 & 2 Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve
April 1: Our main objective today was to hike through parts of the Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve. We started on a walk to one of the waterfalls, but there was so little shade in such a desolate area that we turned back after going halfway. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the view of distant but distinct Mt. Hermon and the sprawling semi-wilderness. But what made the trip truly memorable was the spectacle of at least a hundred off-duty IDF soldiers in T-shirts and shorts and carrying their omnipresent Uzis. Marie found out from one of the recruits (a 20-year old named Omri) that his whole Golan Heights battalion had a day off—with pay—as long as they stayed close to their base. And the Reserve is nearby. Marie couldn’t help herself: she enticed the young man to let me take a picture of both of them: Marie leaned in, as close to an Uzi as she will ever get.
April 2: Today was an easy day before our five-day jaunt to the Dead Sea and Petra. Marie bought some sandals from the Israeli shoe outlet Naot (right next to the shoe factory) in Neot Mordechai. As we backtracked into Tiberias, we saw some military vehicles on the road. The soldiers were in full combat gear. That you would expect. But what startled us was a covered armament jutting out of the top of the trucks. It was shaped like a large assault weapon.
In downtown Tiberias, we located the unpretentious Tomb of Maimonides (Rambam) flanked by the reddish gird irons of a modernistic tower. Typically, men were praying on the right side of the monument; women, on the left. Our last venture was to buy a sampling of the ripest fruit at the outdoor food market (the Shuk) in Tiberias.
Qumran and the Dead Sea
April 3: On the way to the Dead Sea, we passed desolate mountains randomly streaked ash-white or in pastels. That was impressive. But even more awesome (perhaps because it was so unexpected), we saw areas of lush tropical trees in the desert; and nearby were shrubs and seedlings covered with immense netting to enhance their growth.
North of the Dead Sea, we visited Qumran, where the Essenes composed and secreted the Dead Sea Scrolls. We viewed the extensive but modest living quarters of these sequestered scribes. Above us, we saw the various caves carved out of mountain rock that housed these invaluable biblical documents.
Just before twilight, we arrived at the Oasis Spa across from the Dead Sea. Marie and I gingerly waded in the water, making sure not to get the high concentration of salt in our eyes. Not a problem: no waves, no frolicking youngsters, and no commotion at all—just a lot of old folks like ourselves effortlessly and serenely floating in the restorative (if slimy) sea.
Masada
April 5: Yesterday, we were too busy at the indoor salt pool and other spa areas to take pictures. Today at Masada was different. Although we couldn’t take pictures in the museum, we put the camera in overdrive as we ventured into Masada itself. It is an archeological supersite, from its strategically built palaces to its cavernous cisterns. But throughout our self-tour, we could never forget the saga of the mass suicides of the Zealots who preferred death to slavery. The last artifacts at the Masada Museum were pottery shards with the names of the Jewish fighters who were chosen to kill their comrades rather than surrender to the Romans. Looking at those decipherable Hebrew names gave me a few shudders, but I managed to stifle any tears.
The rest of the day was an anticlimax as we drove to Eilat before venturing April 6 and 7th to our main attraction in Jordan, Petra.
Petra, Jordan: April 6 and 7
On the 6th, we were with a small tour group as we crossed over to Jordan from Eilat to Petra. On the way, whenever we stopped, we took some pictures of the scenery, especially the mist-enveloped “Grand Canyon” of Jordan. At Petra, we walked through a maze of canyons until we saw the so-called Treasury, the most elaborate and monumental building of the ancient Nabateans.
We couldn’t take as many pictures as we wanted to because of the tour guide’s time restrictions, but the next day, we headed out on own at our own pace (until, of course, we had to be back at 3:00 to depart for Eilat).
In our six hours in Petra, we savored every feature of its archeological grandeur—from the at times surrealistically sculptured cliffs, the chiseled (by nature and by the Nabateans) canyon walls, and the natural and man-made dams. Nor can be forget the caravans of tourists riding camels, donkeys, horses, and horse-drawn carriages. Our camera covered it all, plus a few unrehearsed shots of traditionally dressed Arabs.
While I was riding in a tour bus from Aqaba to Petra, Jordan, two solitary camels were traveling side by side along the shoulder of the superhighway, the only paved road for hundreds of miles. And then on the way back, I noticed a camel comfortably standing in the back of a pickup truck going at least 50 miles per hour.
At noon in the Petra canyons, I wanted to sit down while my wife sent to the WC. There was one vacant spot next to an Arab woman. I took it for a minute until I heard a growl. In front of me was an indignant Arab man. He thrust his hands out and motioned for me to get off the seat. I did so immediately. I don’t know what—if any—relationship he had with the woman. Perhaps I had committed some sort of taboo. In any case, I was happy to stand up until my wife rejoined me.
The Rosh Hanikra Grottoes near the Lebanese Border
April 11: The tour books say that the best time to visit this site is during stormy weather. The seas were indeed churned up when we arrived: rain clouds were pelting the off-shore waters. Accordingly, as we ventured through the grottoes, the ocean smacked against the rocks so forcefully that huge waves boomed into the caves (the explosive sounds were as loud as cannon fire) and soaked a few spectators. But what was really eerie was that the grotto openings would get extremely dark just before an onslaught of waves.
April 12: The Old City of Acre (or Akko)
Ancient walls still surround this city within a city. We marveled at the massive remains of Crusader fortifications, halls, tunnels, and underground prison works. Nearby were a well-preserved Turkish bathhouse and the Al Jazeer Mosque with its dazzling colors and ornate contours.
April 13: Jaffa
We spent most of our time in the old port city of Jaffa, at the southern tip of Tel Aviv. Some of the sights included clock towers, mosques, steep cobblestone stairways, Muslim and Jewish monuments, court yards and winding terraces. Before eating at a downtown Tel Aviv restaurant, Marie took pictures of some of the distinctive buildings there.
April 14th: Last Day in Tiberius: Megiddo
Our last day in Tiberius was spent primarily in Megiddo, named Armageddon in the Book of Revelation because so many pivotal battles were fought there for millennia. But before we got to the national park there, Stan stopped at Afula (very near the West Bank) to see a monument commemorating the Israeli soldiers who died in the wars (from Israel’s inception in 1948 until isolated skirmishes in 2011). Stan got a bit choked up when he saw that one of the soldiers had the same Hebrew first name as he has.
At Tel Megiddo, we toured the site with some ad- libbed commentary from a woman (with her three children in tow) who just happened to be a travel guide in Jerusalem. We saw ruins of numerous civilizations since the Iron Age—granaries, water tunnels, horse stables, temples, and cubbyholes next to the main gate, areas most likely used for collecting miscellaneous commercial fees. Just outside of the park, Stan took a picture of a lone, forlorn looking headstone.
As we drove back to Tiberias, we took final pics of the countryside, some more headstones, and shots from our rental condo.