Andrew's Israel Vacation
Monday July 21, 1997
I check in at JFK's International TWA terminal B for my
TWA Flight 884 leaving at 11:35pm. I get seat 8-8 right behind the first class
seats, so I've got plenty of leg room for the long flight of
4,554 miles. I actually got some sleep on the plane ride.
The flight goes quickly and takes only 9 1/2 hours
and arrives at 2:50pm. I adjust my watch for the 7 hour time difference.
Shalom! My first day in Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.
Tuesday July 22, 1997
After getting off the plane I go through a relatively painless
security checkpoint. (I would later find out that it would not be
so easy on the return trip). I cash in some U.S. dollars for Israeli
sheckels, so I would have enough money to get me into Jerusalem.
Several Israeli's yell "sherut" "sherut" asking me if I want to
take a shared taxi, but I preferred to use the bus system.
I eventually cross the street and find the bus stop with
signs in Hebrew on one side and English on the other, so
I knew I was at the right bus stop for Jerusalem. Bus 423
eventually pulls up and I give the driver a 20 sheckel note and get
a receipt and some sheckel coins back in change and I am told to
store my luggage on the bus undercarriage. The 50 minute ride
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is wonderful, as the ride on the highway
goes through green fields and mountain
sides. So many Israeli's have cellular phones, it seemed like whenever I was on a bus someones cellular phone would ring and they would
engage in a conversation. At around 4:30pm I arrive
in Jerusalem at the Jerusalem Central Bus station as the bus driver announces "Tachna Mercazit"
After checking with information I find the direction to my hotel and
begin walking down Jaffa Street and eventually find the intersection to Agrippas
Street and my bed and breakfast hotel location. There are so many young Israeli men and women soldiers in the streets and
in the buses with their large Uzi type guns in hand. It took me a while to get used to this site, but then I never gave it
another thought. After checking in, I immediately begin with map in
hand in search of the Old City and the Western Wall (Ha kotel).
Lots of small shops
along the way but after a 20 minute walk I arrive at the Old City and enter the
Jaffa Gate. I proceed past the Tower of David, through the Armenian Quarters and then
onto the Jewish Quarters. It is confusing at first, but I eventually find my way through
Cardo and then to the right stairway where I can see the Western Wall and the Dome of The
Rock from a distance. Proceeding closer it is clear that this is a site revered by the
Jewish faith. Hundreds of men line the left side of the wall in prayer, separated by a
fence where on the right side the women line the wall in prayer. More people continue
to head towards the Western Wall from the Dung Gate entrance. I stayed until 7 pm and then
decided to head back to the hotel and pick up some tour information along the way and get an early nights sleep.
I have survived my first day in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Central Bus Station
Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City
Israeli soldiers in the Old City
Roman ruins in the Cardo
The Western Wall
Wednesday July 23, 1997
Boker Tov! I wake up early at 6am and have a nice Israeli breakfast consisting of
sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, hard boiled eggs, toast, jam, cereal, orange juice, tea and watermelon.
Today I am on my way to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.
By 7:30am I then make my way down Jaffa Street past Mahane Yehuda Street to the Jerusalem Bus Station where
I purchase my ticket for Rehovot. The bus ride goes through Tel Aviv and onto Rehovot and I find my way into a vast
complex of buildings surrounded by a beautiful green lawn. One of the monuments I pass is a
huge Solar Tower- it is unfortunately clsoed for renovations though. After asking several people for
directions I find my way to the Weizmann Institute of Science where I meet Malki Cymbalista, one
of the systems people at the Computing Center who I contacted via email. She made arrangments for me to
use the facilities to access my email back home. After a tour of the facilities, I have a chance to
email everyone back home. Then I went to the Wix Auditorium and watched a short film describing the
activities of the Weizmann Institute. Then I met Malki and had lunch together at a cafeteria on
the facilities. By midafternoon I was fatigued and caught the bus back to Tel Aviv, and got another bus back to Jerusalem and took a long nap when I got back to the hotel.
Later on I went back to the Old City and saw a 45 minute Sound and Light presentation at the
Tower of David at 9:30pm. Afterwards I had a light dinner and went back to the hotel and went to sleep for the night.
Solar Tower Photo at Weizmann Institute
Thursday July 24, 1997
I woke up early for the 6 am breakfast and then went to catch a bus to the Tel Aviv Bus Terminal.
The Bus Terminal is huge covering 6 floor levels which not only has buses on all levels but
shopping malls as well. It took me a while to locate
the Dan Bus Company on the 4th floor where I caught a bus that took me to Ramat Aviv.
In Ramat Aviv I had a chance
to visit the Tel Aviv University and get a tour of the computing facilities.
Then I went to the
Diaspora Museum and spent 2 hours there through the interactive exhibits focusing on Jewish culture
and life.
I then took the bus back to the Tel Aviv Bus Terminal, and eventually I found the exit to the street
level on the 3rd floor. I wandered around the streets of Tel Aviv and it took me about 45 minutes to
locate where I was on the city map. Then I headed down Rothschild Street and went to the Shalom Tower,
one of the tallest buildings in Tel Aviv, where I paid an admission fee to go to the Observation Deck and get some
panoramic photos of the Tel Aviv beach shore line. Then I walked some more and passed by the Independence
Hall and Hagganah Musuem. I proceeded down Allenby street when it suddenly turned into a totally different named street. I
felt a bit lost in this cosmopolitan city so I decided to head back to the Bus Terminal and go back to
Jerusalem. I spent some time walking through the Mahane Yehuda market place which is quite active
with people buying food in preparation for the Sabbath.
Here you can sense that Shabbat is in the air.
Shoppers look for the nicest and freshest in honor of the Sabbath such as challot, wine,
fruit, fish, and aromatic leaves to be used in the Havdala ceremony at the end of Shabbat. Luckily I was not here a week later
when 2 suicide bombs exploded at this very market place. I had enough time to go back to the Old City and explore the Tower of David Museum and then
wandered through the Christian Quarters for a while before heading back to have a nice dinner at
a restaurant called Ima's (Mom's) where I had a mixed grill plate along with a Maccabee beer. I got back to the hotel and booked a tour for
later in the week.
Tel Aviv University
Diaspora Museum
View of Tel Aviv beaches from Shalom Tower
Friday July 25, 1997
I got up early for breakfast and walked about 2 miles until I reached Giv'at Ram and the Hebrew University. This campus
is huge- each department has its own building. I found the computing center but it was closed for
maintenance.
I then walked to the Israel Museum. You could easily spend an entire day there looking
at all the artifacts and reading about the history behind them.
The highlights were the Dead Sea Scrolls contained within the Shrine of the Book building, Judaica Collection and
the partial synagogues that were reconstructed inside the building. I took the bus back to the Jerusalem City Center and
I cashed in some more dollars for sheckels. It seems like I'm always running out of sheckels. I then watched the Shabbat ceremonies
taking place at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall).
Photos:
Shrine Of The Book
Western Wall
Saturday July 26, 1997
The local bus service has stopped about an hour before Sabbath on Friday evening
through Saturday evening.
Just about every thing is closed today, so I took a stroll to the YMCA hotel, King David's Hotel and walked through the park to an old Windmill.
I relaxed the rest of the day and then walked through the busy Ben Yehuda street at night and found the Surfers Paradise
Internet Cafe where I could catch up on my email. I had a felafel for dinner and poured
on lots of white sauce in between bites
YMCA Hotel
Old Windmill
Sunday July 27, 1997
I had to get up early and get to the Egged Tour Company for a tour I booked that departs at 6:30am. I was able to see Haifa (a great view of Carmel Bay),
Haifa University Tower and the Baha'i Gardens and Shrine. The underground Carmelit
subway is still closed for repairs, as it has been for several years.
I also went to the crusader cities of Akko and Caesarea where I saw ancient Roman ruins, Netanya where I saw the National Diamond Center,
and Rosh Hanikra where I took a cable car ride down to the grotto caves.
Akko Clock Tower Photo
Roman Ruins in Caeserea
Roman Amphitheatre in Caeserea
Grotto Caves of Rosh Hanikra
Beirut Border
Andrew at Lebanon border
Monday July 28, 1997
I saw Bar Mitzvah celebrations taking place at the Western Wall. It is amazing how many small pieces of papers with prayers written are
inserted into the small crevises in the wall. Then I went to see the Hurva Synagogue and
Burnt House both located in the Jewish Quarters of the Old City. Then I went to the Holy Sepulchre where I crawled into a
small room where I saw the Tomb of Christ. Cashed in some more dollars for sheckels.
I find the best rate in town at the Petra Youth Hostel inside the Old City at 3.50 sheckels
per U.S. dollar. I used that money to buy my roundtrip bus ticket to Eilat for Friday
at a cost of 93 NIS (about $25). I spent the remainder of my time just relaxing in
Zion Square (Kikar Zion) watching all the people go by.
The Wailing Wall up close
The Tomb of Christ
Tuesday July 29, 1997
This was a busy day. I walked to the Damascus Gate and boarded an Arab bus to the Mount of Olives. The fare was only 1.5 sheckels or the equivalent of about 40 cents.
I saw several Christian Sites including the Church of the Ascension, the tomb of the Virgin, and the
Pater Noster church which had mosaic tiles with the Lords prayer in over 60 different languages.
I walked all the way back down the hillside to the Old City and walked the entire remainder of the perimeter of the Old City Wall
all the way back to the Jaffa gate. I then went to the Jerusalem Bus Station and boarded a bus for
Masada to see the remains of King Herod's fortress. It took an hour and 30 minutes to get there. There was construction
taking place so once could not take the Snake Path to walk up to the fortress (about 45 minutes), so instead I took the cable car ride to the top.
You can see all along the Dead Sea from the top of this fortress. It was extremely hot in this area, so I drank lots of fluids so as
not to dehydrate.
The Damascus Gate
Church of the Ascension-Mount of Olives
Andrew on Mount of Olives
Cable car leading up to Masada
King Herod's Fortress atop Masada
Wednesday July 30, 1997
I took a bus trip to Nazareth (where I saw the Basillica of the Annunciation), Tiberias, Capernaum, Tabgha, the Jordan River and took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
I had St. Peter's fish for lunch at a restaurant on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
While in Galilee I hear about the Jerusalem suicide bombing
attack in the Mahane Yehuda Market place at 1:15pm today, which is 5 blocks (about a 2 minute walk from my hotel). I pass by
this market place every day on the way to the bus and I actually strolled through the market place where the bombing occurred just a few days before.
The news was all over the Israeli TV stations.I emailed everyone back home to let them know I was OK.
Jerusalem Post story on Suicide Bombing today
Jordan River
Synagogue ruins at Capernaum
Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee
Thursday July 31, 1997
I bought the Jerusalem Post newspaper so I could read about the previous days bombing incident.
The bus tour I had scheduled to Bethlehem was cancelled as all Palestinian cities have been closed off due to the
bombing that took place the day before. I return to the Old City and walk through the Lion's Gate to the Via Delarosa (Stations of the Cross)
Also went to Mount Zio to see the Tomb of David, the Cenacle, which is the site of The Last Supper,
and Dormition Abbey. Then I went to get a close up view of the Dome of the Rock. I cashed in some more
U.S. dollars for sheckels.
Tomb of David
Dome of The Holy Rock
Friday August 1, 1997
I woke up late and just made it to the bus station in time for my 7 am bus ride to Eilat.
The bus ride went along the highway past the Judean desert, where small Bedouin settlements, camels and donkeys can be seen occasionally.
The ride had two 15 minute stops along the way and took 5 hours and I arrived in Eilat by 12 noon. I took a taxi to the Sheraton
Four Points Hotel. After checking in I took a walk to the beach and relaxed there for a while, and
then spent some time back at the swimming pool back at the hotel. Eilat is very different from all
the other cities that I've seen in Israel so far. It is an exclusive beach resort area with lots of
young Israeli teens and Israeli families on vacation. I saw very few Israeli army soldiers here. The hotel I stayed at
is a luxury hotel with swimming pool and included breakfast and dinner.
Eilat Beach and The Red Sea
Saturday August 2, 1997
Eilat is situtated at the southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea, where its borders meet those of Egypt and Jordan
There is much to see and do in Eilat, especially if you enjoy water sports. There is plenty of
swimming, snorkeling, water skiing, para-sailing and sunbathing.
I spent some time at the pool in the morning and then took the bus to the Underwater Observatory
where a spiral staircase in the
round observatory takes you 3 meters (15 feet) below the water surface
allowing you to comfortably observe actual life along the coral reef. The
thousands of multi-colored exotic fish and variety of coral are breathtaking. I also went to Oceanarium,
which was a motion picture ride/film about underwater life in Eilat.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool working on my tan.
Underwater Observatory in Eilat
Sunday August 3, 1997
I spent the morning at the pool before taking the 2 pm bus back to Jerusalem. Got back at 7 pm and had dinner and
I checked my email at the Surfers Paradise Internet Cafe. I had 2 slices of Israeli pizza for dinner.
Monday August 4, 1997
I took the bus from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi (46.80 NIS roundtrip) where I floated on the Dead Sea waters. Later I went to the Nahal David National Park
where I hiked through the park to the Natural Spring Water Falls. Back in Jerusalem I have another felafel for dinner.
Go to float on the Dead Sea Waters
Go to see the famous Dead Sea Mud Bathers
Tuesday August 5, 1997
I took the bus to the Hadasah Hospital where I got a tour of the Synagogue and the 12
Chagall Window
panes representing the 12 sons of Jacob.
Then I took the bus to the Yad Vashem Memorial and spent a good 3 hours going through the various exhibits depicting
the events of the Holocaust.
Then I walked about 2 miles to the Knesset Parliament building where
I saw a heated debate taking place in the Parliament Building forum area. Then I walked another 2 miles back to the Old City
where I went through the Zion Gate to the Chamber of The Holocaust Museum.
Then I went back to the hotel and packed my bags and got
the bus to the airport. I arrived early and the counters were not yet opened so I decided to sit on the bench
outide the airport. Shortly thereafter I was questioned by one of the airport security personnel. After that I decided to
go wait inside, and just before getting to the door I was questioned by another security officer, who
checked my passport, asked me a number of questions and called another security official who
asked me some more questions before allowing me to proceed. Waiting on the line for the ticket counter
each person was asked whether they spoke Hebrew, or English etc. Israelis were asked just
few questions before proceeding to the ticket counter, otherwise in my case I was called off to the side where I was questioned for about 20 minutes by 2 security personnel,
asking me where I've been, what I've seen, why did I come to Israel, requesting copies of my hotel bills, tour tickets, passport, Work identification, airline tickets, books I've read, the diary log I kept, maps, etc..
After they were completed they called 2 more security officials who asked me similar questions, and then
I was allowed to proceed to the ticket counter where I got my boarding passes and boarded my plane back home.
Knesset Parliament Building
Holocaust Memorial
Wednesday August 6, 1997
I arrive at 6 am back in NY-JFK and get back home and rest before heading to work for the rest of the day.
Israel is a wonderful place with so much to offer. The transportation system is great and enabled me to get to
virtually any city in Israel. I was able to see deserts, mountains, rivers, parks, museums, churches, synagogues, mosques, archeological and historical sites,
and much more. I look forward to returning one day soon
Israel Related Links:
Interactive Israel Tourism Guide
The Internet Center for Information on Israel
Jerusalem Post Daily Internet Edition
The Latest News from Israel
Israel on the Internet
Israel National Radio
Virtual Jerusalem Tour
Virtual Tour of Israel
Daniel Lakier's Israel Photo Album
How To Read Hebrew On The Web
LEARN HEBREW ON THE NET
The Hebrew
Alphabet
Useful Words
Useful Question
Words
Finding Your
Way Around
Traditional
phrases
Contemporary
phrases
New
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A Short (hypertextual)
Hebrew Story
1,2,3: Counting
and Numbers
Reading
in Hebrew