The Land of Milk and Honey

We spent a week in Israel, and finally realised at the end of it that it was too short a visit. This country is tiny, but it’s packed so full of sights that you’d go crazy trying to fit them all into a week-long vacation. Anyway, my top recommendations would be: the hill fortress of Masada; the Dead Sea (there’s something almost creepy about the viscosity of the water); the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

As Christian pilgrims, we were keen on churches- Jerusalem, even otherwise a wonderful city, has plenty of them, along with tombs and other interesting places. The must-not-miss ones include the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of All Nations, the Garden Tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane- all in Jerusalem; the Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem; and Lazarus’ Tomb in Bethany (worth a visit!- a very narrow staircase cut through solid rock takes you underground, through a metre-high doorway, and into a square chamber which really makes you feel you’re back in Biblical times). Also spectacular is the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth- a brilliant combination of stained glass, mosaic and painting.

Quick Tips:

Israel’s tumultuous past (and present) means that it isn’t a particularly safe place to choose for a holiday. What’s worse, many of the top destinations- including the Dead Sea, Jericho and Bethlehem- lie in areas which have seen a fair deal of violence over the past. With a little bit of care, however, you can manage a very satisfying- and safe- holiday. Check with your embassy whether it’s safe to travel, and once you’re in Israel, advertise your status as a tourist- it helps! We found most people, whether Jewish or Palestinian, to be very friendly- they may not like each other much, but they’re usually nice when it comes to foreigners.

Fortunately for those who know nothing but English, nearly all across Israel (and at least in larger and more touristy towns) you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding someone who knows enough English to help you out.

Best Way To Get Around:

Israel’s so tiny that getting around isn’t a problem- and not too expensive either. Easily the best way is to use the Egged bus service- the buses are fast, efficient and clean. Timetables are invariably available only in Hebrew, though- not in English. The other alternative to buses are trains- we used one to take us from Haifa to Tel Aviv- also clean, and relatively uncrowded. Tickets for trains can be bought at the station itself; there’s no need to book in advance.

Other options include `sherud’ taxis- point-to-point shared vans, where you pay for a seat. I’ve never seen them too clean or in prime condition, but they’re convenient over short distances- and cheaper than private cabs, at any rate.

If you’re staying in Jerusalem (as we were) it makes a lot of sense to do day trips to places like Bethany, Bethlehem, Jericho and the Dead Sea- all of them are close enough to be covered in a day trip. Bus tours to the Dead Sea area, Masada and Jericho start daily from Damascus Gate or Jaffa Gate, and you can visit places like Bethany or Bethlehem by taxi, sherud or bus.

Our room at Nazareth was reserved by our travel agent back home in New Delhi, who told us that he’d booked us a room at the `Casanova Pilgrim Centre’. Casanova? That didn’t seem to fit with `Pilgrim Centre’ and we wondered whether religion or romance was the name of the game here- until we reached it on a hot, dusty afternoon. The road on which the Casa Nova (yes, that’s what it turned out to be) Hospice stands makes its way up a very steep road running up a hill, and the hospice is pretty high up the hill, almost directly opposite the imposing Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth’s most important Christian sight.

Other than the fact that the hospice is so conveniently located, it’s also a beautifully quiet, tranquil place. Cool, welcoming and somehow very soothing is what the hospice is all about. It’s run by Italians- Franciscans, actually- and the entire hospice has a no-frills charm about it which manages to be comfortable without being austere. On the way up to the rooms, a corridor leads away into a small chapel, and on the ground floor near the reception counter, is a large wall map of Israel, showing major Christian churches and monasteries- all of it made on painted tiles.

The room we got had an uncarpeted wooden floor, three beds, a huge window with green-painted wooden shutters, cool white linen and a plain wooden cross on the wall. No TV, no minibar, none of the other amenities you’d expect in a posh hotel. Meals are table d’hôte, and like the accommodation, very basic but good- a clear vegetable soup, roast chicken with vegetables, freshly baked bread and the most luscious oranges I have ever had!

The tariff, if you’re going as an individual, is US$35 per person, inclusive of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Groups pay US$30 per person for full board. Bed and breakfast is US$25 and 20 respectively for individuals and groups.

Stretching for miles around Jerusalem is a land of golden rock, harsh mountains, scraggy grey-green olive trees- and loads of history. The good news is that it can be seen in a day trip from Jerusalem, and lots of local tour operators have mini-buses which can take you around. Don’t expect a high-falutin’ guided tour; what we got was a van (fortunately pretty clean) and a taciturn driver who drove like he was on a Grand Prix course. At each stop, he’d tell us where we’d reached and how much time we had to look around. Despite all that, though, we had a good time- and it was fairly economical too.

Our tour began at the ungodly hour of 3.30 in the morning- the bus tour began at Damascus Gate, but a telephone call the previous evening had paved the way for a little generosity on the part of the driver, who agreed to pick us up at the place we were staying, which happened to be on the way.

A two-hour drive down a dark, deserted desert highway brought us to the first of our halts: the hill fortress of Masada, Israel’s most historic fort- once Herod’s citadel, and later the site of mass suicide by Jewish revels who preferred death to submission to the Romans. We reached the hill on which Masada stands at 5.30, and began the climb (there’s a cable car too, but it runs only after 8). The climb’s fairly strenuous and took about 45 minutes- but the fortress is worth a look, and the view- of the sunrise over the Dead Sea- is fantastic.

The next stop after Masada was the Dead Sea itself. I’d always being slightly sceptical of all those stories about how you couldn’t drown in it, but it’s true- the water is bizarrely viscous (it actually clings to you- and leaves ugly white deposits of salt when it dries!), and it literally pushes you up if you try to lie down in it. Quite an amazing experience, on the whole.

After the Dead Sea, we were taken to Ein Gedi, which was rather a wash-out: it’s supposed to be a wildlife sanctuary, but the only wildlife we managed to see was a sickly-looking hyrax: unimpressive, to say the least. From Ein Gedi, the bus went on, past the city of ancient Jericho (clinging so precariously to the mountainside, one can easily understand why its walls were constantly falling!), and to modern Jericho, which lies in the valley, surrounded by orchards of oranges and bananas. A delicious lunch at a local restaurant, and we then headed back towards Jerusalem- past the caves of Qumran (where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in the 1940s); the blue-domed Monastery of St George, supposed to have been built at the spot where Elijah was fed by the ravens; and the Mount of Olives, from where the view of Jerusalem is splendid.

On the whole, a great trip- and well worth the 60 shekels (per person) we paid for it.

"And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."- Luke 1:28

The most visible structure in Nazareth is the Basilica of the Annunciation- a two-storied cathedral, topped with a conical black-tiled roof and marking the spot where the angel Gabriel is supposed to have first appeared to Mary. Historians say that the first shrine at the spot dated back to the 4th century, and by the 11th century, a huge church- the largest of those built by the Crusaders- had been constructed at the spot by the Norman knight Tancred, the prince of Galilee. The present building is much newer, though- it was designed by Giovanni Muzio and built in 1955, to be consecrated sometime in 1969. It’s the largest Christian sanctuary in the Middle East, and its imposing bulk, atop a hill, can be seen from all across Nazareth.

The basilica’s richly decorated- all across it are statues, exquisite stained glass windows, beautiful paintings of Mary and the infant Jesus, and wonderful mosaics. What I liked best of all were the many depictions of the Mother and Child which decorate the inside of the main wall which encloses the church. Each depiction- whether it’s a painting or a mosaic- has been donated by a different country, and the nicest part of it all is that each nation’s Madonna and Child looks very ethnic- the Japanese Madonna has distinctly Mongoloid features, and so on. Very human!

Inside the basilica two different levels separate the two parts of the church: the upper part is the more modern one, while the lower half enshrines the remains of a Byzantine grotto- supposed to have once been Mary’s home- which had stood on the spot.

Next to the Basilica of the Annunciation is another church, the Church of St Joseph, supposed to stand on the place where Joseph had his carpentry shop. It’s a comparatively small and modest church, but has some nice mosaics, a portrayal of the life of the Holy Family, and some beautiful statues carved from white marble.

Way back in 1536, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built the walls of Old Jerusalem (in a record three years)- and those walls stand today, still solid, still intact- and among the oldest, best-preserved standing medieval walls anywhere in the world. Walking along the ramparts is a great way of seeing the walls and the city itself. Three entrances lead up to the walls: one’s at Damascus Gate, the second’s at Jaffa Gate and the third’s at Zion Gate.

We began our walk at Jaffa Gate- where, after buying tickets at the counter, we walked through a small room carved out of stone- a room which had been, in previous centuries, a Roman guard room and an olive oil press- the press, a huge stone structure, still lies in the room. A look around, and then we climbed up to the ramparts- a stone walkway, varying in width but generally about three-four feet wide- runs along the top. It’s got a high stone parapet towards the outer side (with loopholes all along), and an iron railing- very sturdy- all along the inner side. At intervals along the way are towers and platforms which offer a great view of the city, both inside (Old Jerusalem) and outside- the newer city. From the walls, you’ll be able to see the cobbled streets of the walled city; an old quarry which is believed to date from Biblical times; and- on the outside- busy, bustling, modern Jerusalem- an interesting Peddler’s Market, crowded with everything from fruit and vegetable to souvenirs, is one of the highlights. All in all, a great walk- and do take a few minutes to have a look at the small but interesting museum at the foot of the wall at Damascus Gate- it’s a neat little insight into the history of the city and more specifically the ramparts.

The Ramparts Walk is about 2.5 miles long, if you do the entire length. The walls are open to walkers from 10 to 4 everyday between Saturday and Thursday, and from 9 to 2 on Friday. Tickets cost 14 shekels per adult (students pay 8 shekels, kids pay 7).