An unforgettable independent trip to Israel and Jordan

Israel is like nowhere I have ever travelled before. It is a vast mix of religions, traditions and customs, and therefore hardly suprising that the tensions in parts of the country are so prominent. Three of the world's major religions all come back to this Holy Land, and they still all strive today to claim their own part and history within it.

Having visited Israel during this summer, I want to share 8 essential things to do or see in Israel.

1. Buy a falafel. These are available everywhere as they are one of Israel's staple foods. A falafel consists of deep fried balls of chickpeas along with israeli salads, sauces etc. and pushed into a pitta. Be warned however, these are hugely filling, so do NOT purchase one if you are not hungry, as you will not even get a quarter of the way through it. A falafel is a meal in itself, so you'd be wise not to buy any side order with this, and you are probably wasting your money. The other great things about falafels is that they are quite cheap - the equivalent almost of getting fish and chips/ a burger etc. So these are a really filling low cost meal that will keep you going for most of the day.

2. Visit the Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts market. Every Tuesday and Friday, and absolutely wonderful craft market comes to Tel Aviv, in the streets of Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall. Even if you are not interested in arts and crafts, there is somethign for everyone - with street performers, and freshly baked bread. You couuld also relax on one of the side street cafe's and watch the huge crowds of people swarm through the market. This is the place to get all your souvenirs, and avoid all those tacky gift shops. Some of the handcrafted pottery it simply to die for, and we spent a small fortune at this market. Even better, you could do your entire Christmas shopping at this market, and you would be sure, that nobody already has it!

3. Visit the beach at Tel Aviv, and observe the separate bathing days for Jewish men and women. Depending on the day you go, you may witness droves of Jewish men and their sons, getting off buses and heading for the beach - inflatable rubber rings in hands whilst covered up in their white shirts, buttoned to the neck and long black trousers. On others you may witness the women's turn, as they take themselves to the beach with their daughters. The Jewish beach is also separate from the rest of the Tel Aviv bathers, even though they lie almost side by side in the mediterranean waters as they take a float. Very interesting to witness, as it is something that is so alien to westerners.

4. Hire a car and travel up the Golan Heights. You will need a good engine in the car to scale the roads to get to the Golan Heights, but you will be rewarded with lush green fields - tractors and agriculture aplenty. Stop off at some of the beautiful viewpoints - such as the Shalom Peace view, which overlooks the Sea of Galillee, and gives you a first hand look at why the israeli's do not want to give the Golan Heights back to Syria.

5. Drive into the Negev Desert to see what the wilderness is like. Sit out when it gets dark and watch for shooting stars in the clear skies, free from the pollution of the cities. I have hardly ever been able to see so many of the constellations so clearly, as when I was in the Negev, and if you sit long enough you are very likely to see a shooting star. We did, and it was worth sitting out for.

6. Stay with the bedouin people in one of their open campsites in the Negev. The bedouin people are arabs that move around a lot with their animals and put up encampments, however some are now making their living for tourism, and have set up special campsites for tourists, some offering communal tents, some offering private tents. A world away from some of the plush hotels that Israel offers.

7. Take a mud bath in the Dead Sea. Everyone is familiar with floating in the Dead Sea, but you can also relax by covering yourself with the mud that lies underneath the shore line in places. Apart from cooling you down and relaxing you, it is also great for your skin, leaving it really soft and smooth.

8. Visit the suqs/souks in the arab/muslim quarter of Jerusalem in the Old City. This was our first experience of walking amongst these suqs, and it really is unique. Market holders try to call out and bargain with you, flattering you endlessly in attempts to sell you something. The streets and narrow and full of hustle and bustle, and if you are prepared to bargain, you could pick up some great items. Neither my husband or me are good at bartering so we didn't attempt to buy anything along the suqs, but it really is a fascinating place to visit.

All these places and things to do all added to making our trip to Israel really really special, and memorable.

The Coenaculum, also known as the room of the last supper is located on Mount Zion, just outside the old city of Jerusalem. If you are travelling independently, like us, you may find it somewhat difficult to locate, with little signage around. However, do stop off at the tourist information office in the armenian quarter and ask for a map of the Old City. You should receive a very colourful, well laid out map of the Old City, clearly showing the four quarters, and most importantly, the location of some central religious sites - including The Room of the Last Supper. This place is actually located outside the old city walls, outside the armenian quarter. Use the map to locate the Zion Gate, and you are not too far from the Coenaculum - then walk the lane up to Mount Zion.

The Room of the Last supper is part of a 2 storey small building, so you will have to go up an exterior flight of steps and through a small security room, to get to the main room. The room itself is located directly over the Tomb of David (however it is widely acknowlegded that this is not likely to be the true site of David's tomb)

The room itself was built by the Franciscans in the 14th century, and therefore no one can say that this is the true location of the Room of the Last Supper. Rather, it is thought to have been the traditional site on the room, and the location on which the franciscans built upon. It is also thought to be the location where the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost. However, what is actually the present day 'Room of the Last Supper' was rebuilt by the Crusaders, but later again transformed into a mosque in the 16th Century.

It is now a sight visited by many pilgrims each year and in fact Pope John Paul II conducted prayers at this site. The room itself is relatively plain, however beautifully carved pillars have been added and are gothic in style. Elements of the muslim influence also remain.

One of the things that I liked most about visiting the Coenaculum, was how quiet and peaceful it was. There are relatively few visitors to this site, one of the reasons being that it is probably quite difficult to find, and it is of no interest to those visiting Israel wanting to find out more about their Jewish history.

If you have, walk back out towards the courtyard and take the steps leading to the roof. From here, you will be rewarded with beautiful views of the Mount of Olives, and again you will have peace and quiet, giving you time to reflect and consider the history of this location.

I would highly recommend finding this site, and even if you aren't interested in its history, it is a beautiful, though plain room, offering a sense of peace and calmness, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

A popular spot for many bus tours, with Christian pilgrims on board, to visit is the Garden of Gethsemane, well known as the place where Jesus went with his disciples before he died, as chronicled in the New Testament. Yet, although the garden is mainly filled with visitors of the Christian faith, it is a place worth visiting even if you are not religious - simply for its sheer beauty and peace and quiet.


The site of Gethsemane is at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Gethsemane is actually derived from a Aramaic word meaning 'olive press' and it is not hard to see why, when in front of you in the garden of olive trees that are dated as at least 2000 years old.

There is no admission fee to this garden, and the actual garden is closed off so visitors cannot walk through it, (only around it) which is actually a nice idea, since no one would want to see such a lovely place ruined with people continually treading through it. The garden itself is keep in beautiful condition, and it lush looking, despite the heat.

We visited late afternoon, and found that although there were a few tour groups, it was still possible to simply sit in the shade and enjoy the peace and quiet that the garden offers. It really is a serene place to come and reflect or just to get away from the hustle bustle of the city.

On the other side of the actual garden is the Church of All Nations, a beautiful building that houses The Rock of Agony, the bedrock beside which Jesus is said to have prayed on the night of his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Again, the Church itself, which has signs up, asking visitors to be quiet as they walk around it, allowing others time to sit down and pray or reflect in quietness, is a peaceful place to be, Yes, it is rather dark, with not much natural light filtering through, but it has a calmess which is enjoyable.

We very much enjoyed our visit to the Garden of Gethsemane, for not only is it an important Christian religious site, it is a wonderfully peaceful and beautiful site, for those who are not religious to visit, and get away from noisy, crowded city life. I always expected this place, because it is linked to such a sorrowful time in Jesus' life, to be rather dark and dismal, but it was the opposite - a place of beauty and serenity.

Jersualem is a city of enormous value to at least 3 major religions in the world - Jews, Muslims and Christians. Many Christian pilgrims coming to Jerusalem are surprised to find little mention of Jesus, who they believe was crucificed in this ancient city. However, with a trusty guide book and a decent map of the Old City of Jerusalem, Christian pilgrims can find some of the supposed religious sites mentioned in the Bible.

One of these sites, over which there is a huge amount of speculation as to its authenticity is the Garden Tomb. This particular garden/site is actually located in an muslim area of Jerusalem outside of the city walls, not far from the Damascus gate. A good map of the Old City picked up from the tourist information office will be particularly useful.

The reason for so many pilgrimages to the Garden Tomb is due to the fact that is one of the possible sites of Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, in which the body of Jesus was placed after he was crucified, and from which the Bible says he rose again. it is also the place in which the angel is said to have appeared to the women to tell them that Jesus had risen.

The Garden Tomb is run by an independent British charity based Organisation called the Garden Tomb Association. It is open to visitors from Monday to Saturday, but does shut at lunchtime, so plan your visit carefully. There is no admission fee into the Garden Tomb, and instead it is able to run solely on the voluntary donations of visitors and supporters of the charity. If you are travelling as part of a group, it is advisable that you pre book your tour at the Garden, however, if you are travelling independently, like us, you are free to simply walk in, although it is a wise idea to wait until the next available tour guide who wil give you a more detailed explanation of the tomb and garden.

We decided it was best to wait for a tour guide, as so had a little time to look around the nice little gift shop on site. This shop was remarkably less 'tacky' than some of the others that we had seen whilst travelling around Israel.

It wasn't long before the next tour guide became available, and he spoke with wonderful english, and was extremely knowledgable about the site and about the scriptures.

As the name suggests this is the site of a beautifully kept garden, which also offers some welcome shade from the intense summer heat. There are also little seating areas with covered shade allowing visitors to relax and enjoy the beauty of the lush garden, away from the bustling streets outside. This garden holds frequent worship services during the year, particularly around Easter time, for obvious reasons.

Our first stop along our short tour was near 'Skull Hill'. The actual hill is outside the boundaries of the garden, but you can clearly see the shape of two eyes, a nose and mouth in the rock, eerily looking like a human skull in the rock. This used to be part of an ancient quarry, and is said to be a place where Jews executed people by stoning them. Our guide did however tell us, that it was unlikely to be the place of Jesus' execution on the cross, as the Romans would have most likely carried this out by the roadside as a deterrent to others, as opposed to on a hillside. Due to the fact that the Bible states that Jesus was crucificied at the 'place of the skull' or Golgotha, it is easy to see why some speculate that this is the actual place of the crucifixion.

We then moved on to look at the ancient cistern which is the third largest water cistern in Jerusalem. This can be dated back to the 1st century AD, and suggests that this garden was once part of a working garden possible housing an olive grove or orchard. The garden site also holds an ancient wine press.

The final part of our tour finished with the most important part of the garden - the tomb itself. Due to the findings of the cistern and winepress, archaeologists have confirmed that this would once have been the garden of a wealthy man. This tomb was only discovered in 1867, but has been slightly damaged probably due to an earthquake, and some of the front of it has been repaired by stone. Although not all are in agreement, most archaelogists support the idea that this was a typical tomb of the 1st century AD. At the front of this tomb, which has been cut out of solid rock, is a channel for a large rolling stone.

Visitors are able to enter the tomb, and inside will see a large chamber for mourners to stand, and then the actual burial place. The burial chamber itself is blocked off by metal bars, but visitors can see what a typical burial chamber would have looked like at the time of Jesus' death.

There are many reasons for visitors long believing that this is the actual tomb that Jesus was laid in, as it belonged to a rich man, it was cut out of stone, it has a channel for a rolling stone, and it has a weeping chamber inside the tomb for mourners - all of these are recorded in the Bible. However, this site will always be in competition with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the true site of the execution and burial place of Jesus, and it is worth visiting both to compare and contrast the two, before making your own mind up. Certainly this garden tomb, is a beautiful tranquil spot, and most Christian pilgrims would prefer the true site to be here, rather than the more overt Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but regardless of this, it is an excellent place to visit, in a wonderful setting with a great tour guide.

The City of David tour was one of the highlights of our visit to Jerusalem, during our summer holiday to Israel and Jordan in the summer. The city of David tour group actually round various tour around parts of Jerusalem including the Mount of Olives, Armon HaNatziv, however it the City of David National Park that we opted to visit during our trip.

The city of David tour is run in both Hebrew and English, so it is important to check out the times of these tours to tie it in with your schedule, especially if you travelling independently like us, and due to the fact, that on certain days there may be only a few english tours.

The City of David tour office is situated outside the old walls, not far from the Western Wall. Don't even attempt to take a hire car anywhere near this area, as it is crammed full of tour buses loading and unloading visitors to the old city of Jerusalem.

At the ticket office, you will be asked if you would like to purchase a ticket that includes a short 3D movie about the old city of david (well worth it) and also if you would like to walk through King Hezekiah's water tunnel (extra). If you choose to do the latter option, you will have to purchase a 4 NIS flashlight for the tunnel, but this is worth it, as these little flashlights actually give out a lot of light, and you can keep them afterwards.

Once you have bought your tickets, you are given a coloured band to put around your wrist to indicate the group you are in, and for your guide to be aware of who is in the group.

As this tour lasts between 2 to 2 1/2 hours, it is worth stopping at the little snack shop beside the ticket office as there is no food elsewhere on the tour. Also, if you are visiting in the summer months, come armed with a lot of water, as a lot of the tour is outdoors, and even the parts that are inside are not air conditioned (obviously).

After meeting your guide, you will then be ushered into the 3D movie about the City of David. We found this short film very interesting, and was a great starter to the tour.

The tour guide waits outside, before starting the main part of the tour, taking you past the excavations that have been carried out revealing what archaelogists think is King David's palace. The guide, who spoke wonderful english, led us at times to covered shaded outdoor seating areas where you could explain some of the excavations in more detail. The guide refers a lot to Jewish history and the Jewish bible in an attempt to help visitors understand better the significance of some of the sites uncovered. One of the things we found fascinating was the guides tales of ancient scroll fasteners which the names of some of the people from the Biblical book of Jeremiah on them.

The guide also showed visitors more about the history of the city itself, and the layout that it would have had during King David's reign. This was illustrated extremely well with colourful illustrations drawn to resemble what it could have looked like back then.

The tour also allows visitors to walk through Warren's Shaft, all of which was chiselled out by hand thousands of years ago, and gently drops down to the Gihon Spring. Our guide also suggested that this was the tunnel in which King David's men captured the city in 1000BC.

From here, it is not far to the main highlight of the tour - King Hezekiah's water tunnel. This water tunnel, which at times can be filled with water to knee height is competely dark, and therefore you will need your flashlight as you wade through it. For those who do not wish to go through the tunnel, or do not have appropriate clothing or footwear (as waterproof shoes are necessary) there is an exit point just before you enter the tunnel. The guide leaves you at this point, and meets you at the other end of the tunnel. For those who are claustrophobic, the tunnel is quite narrow in places, and at times it is necessary to bend over becuase of the low ceiling, so it is worth noting. Walking though the tunnel can take between 30 minutes to 45 minutes, although for the most part the water is only ankle deep. We found it really exciting, as did the others in the group walking through it, and it was of real excitement to some of the children in the tour. At the end of the tunnel you are brought out to the Pool of Siloam, which is widely believed the be the New Testament pool referred to in the Bible, where the blind man got his sight back.

Just before the City of David tour ends you are taken to the Herodian Road excavations. This ancient road, was the road that the Jewish people would have walked on to reach the Jewish temple, two thousand years ago. One side of the original stones on the streeet are broken, and this confirms historical tales recorded of Jews hiding in the drains under one side of the street during the Roman Revolt.

The tour ends just after this, and in order to return to the visitor entrance area, you can either walk up the steep hill back to the entrance, or take a shuttle bus for 5NIS (the guide will show you where to get this). Due to the intense summer heat, we opted for the shuttle bus, as did the rest of our tour group.

All in all, this was a superb tour. Our guide was so knowledgable about the excavations and relating them to historical records in both the bible and the writings of Josephus Flavious, the famous historian. Seeing this ancient city of David, really brought some of the bible to life, and it is also ideal for families as well, particularly King Hezekiah's water tunnel. It really is a tour worth taking in whilst in Jerusalem.

One of the many educational and interesting places we visited in Israel this summer was the Israel Museum located in Jerusalem, not far from the parliament building. There are various buses that will stop at the museum, but it is a very popular spot for bus tours, so do be aware that if you are visiting independently, you would be advised to visit early.

The current prices are 36 NIS per adult (around £6) and 18 NIS for a child (around £3). Do note however that children are allowed free admission on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Family passes are also available. It is also worth checking before you go, the opening hours on that particular day as these vary greatly, and also to ensure that your visit does not clash with any of the special holiday dates. This can be checked by telephone or website.

After purchasing your tickets, and walking through the entrance pavilion, you will then be presented with the wonderful model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period. This vast stretching model was originally housed in the Jerusalem Holyland Hotel, and shows in great deatil the architecture and layout of the city before the Great Revolt in 66AD. The model also includes a replica of Herod's Temple. It is true to say, that you need to see this model to appreciate the work that has went into it, as well as the detail. Every 2 centimetres on the model, represents 1 metre of the old Jerusalem. You can walk the entire way around the model, and there is even a raised viewpoint, where you can overlookthe entire model.

To the left of the model of Jerusalem, you cannot miss the beautiful Shrine of the Book, which comprises of 2 outward parts. The white dome shaped building has been specially designed to resemble the shape of the lid of the jars in which the dead sea scrolls where found. Water flows down over this white dome and it is a wonderful architectural design. Opposite the white dome is a black wall, which symbolises the 'Sons of darkness' which the Essene community (the Jewish sect who lived in Qumran - where the scrolls where found) believed where their enemies. The whiteness of the dome in contrast reflects the 'Sons of Light' which is what the Essenes thought themselves to be.

One of the most special things about this museum, is that although the white dome looks beautiful on the outside, the actual museum housing information on the dead sea scrolls and Qumran, are in fact underneath the white dome and black wall, and therefore a welcoming air conditioned rooms, allowing yiou to escape the summer heat.

Before you enter the Shrine of the Book however, it is worth going into the Shrine of the Book Auditorium and catching the short films about the discovery of the dead sea scrolls and about the community which lived in Qumran. The ticket office will usually advise you of the times of these showing, which are fairly frequent. Take note however, that rather than there just being one film, there are actually two films, one after the other. We would not have found this out had we not lingered chatting and in fact most people had vacated the auditorium before seeing the second film. These films are conducted in english as well as hebrew, and again check the times for the film to be in your own language.

Inside the Shrine of the Book museum, you will then have the chance to learn more about Qumran, and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and well as the ancient Jewish sect that lived at Qumran, and some of their beliefs and customs. The museum is stunningly laid out, and because of its easy lay out, it is difficult to miss out anything. Photograpy inside the museum is forbidden, and this is strictly enforced. As you make your way through the musuem, stopping at the various information points along the route, you will then come to a fabulous room, directly under the Shrine dome. This is a circular room, of two floors. The main floor houses both original and replica scrolls found at Qumran. In the centre of the room, shaped like a torah rod, is a circular glass case, home to a replica of the 'Great Isaiah Scroll'. Unfortunately the replica is not housed in the Israel Museum. On the lower floor of this circular building, you can see more displays on the Aleppo Codex etc.

There are other attractions and places to visit within the Israel museum walls, including the Ruth Youth Wing, and th Billy Rose Art Garden, however most people, like ourselves came specifically to see both the model of Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Book. The extremely hot weather also makes enjoying the garden difficult in the summer season. Those visiting at a cooler time of the year, may get to enjoy relaxing and exploring the gardens. There is also a nice cafe and gift shop near the entrance pavilion which are definitely worth stopping at!

We were extremely glad to have visited the Israel museum. The model of Jerusalem, helped us in our understanding of the history of the city, and the location of some majoy historical sites around the time of the second temple. The Shrine of the Book provided an immense amount of information about Qumran and the Essenes people who lived there as a community. If you are interested in Jewish history it really is a wonderful place to visit.

On our trip around Israel and Jordan this summer, one of the attractions that we stopped at was Caesarea National Park, which stands on the mediterranean coastline, about an hour north of Tel Aviv.

Caesarea is known to many due to its reference in the New Testament concerning Paul, but is home to one of King Herod's grand palaces, looking out over the sea, as well as being once a great Roman city.

The park itself has three main entrances - one near the theatre (where we parked on a stony car park), one south of the Crusader city wall, and one near the eastern gate of the Crusader city.

Entrance to the national park carries a fee, however, if like us, you plan to visit other national parks in Israel, it is better value for money to purchase a pass for 90 shekels (approx £15) which allows you into 6 of the national parks in the country. As long as you visit 4 or 5 of these, you will easily recoup your money.

Should you decide not to buy the 6 park pass, entrance into Caesarea alone for an adult costs 36 shekels (approx £6). Children enter for a reduced rate of 22 shekels ( approx £4).

The park is open all year round, although in the summer season between April and September the park opens between 8am and 6pm. It closes at 4pm the remainder of the year, and an hour earlier on Fridays.

There are also several walking routes, ranging in length that are available throughout the site. We had limited time, so we simply tried to see as much of the site as possible, whilst also taking time to rest in the shade in the draining summer heat.

The first site we came across was the huge roman theatre that stands on the south end of the site, and is in fact, the oldest of the roman theatres found in Israel. It was built during King Herod's reign, and was able to seat up to 4000 people. The theatre is frequently used nowadays for concerts.

A short walk from the theatre takes you to the ruins of Herod's palace, jutting into the sea, and you can appreciate the magnificient views that he would have enjoyed from here.

Just beside the palace is the Hippodrome, housing a vast arena with seating, most likely used for horse racing and other sporting events. This huge area resembles a modern day stadium, and could seat up to 10 0000 spectators.

Behind the hippodrome stands the remains of the public bathhouse. This area is worth visiting along simply to see some of the beautfiul and original (as far as I know) floor mosaics.

Unfortunately we did not have the time to visit some of the other sites in Caesarea including the aqueduct, which is off the main sea front site, the crusader city or the harbour.

We did however cool off in the some of the air conditioned artist/gallery shops, selling original art work and hand crafted jewellery etc.

There is also a fabulous ice cream shop near the crusader gate entrance, which sells a vast array of refreshing ice cream flavours. If you are lucky enough like us, the owner will even give you free samples of some of his new creations, such as those ice creams made with yogurt. If you are visiting Caesarea in the peak of the summer heat like we did, a cooling ice cream is essential.

Overall, although from an aerial view, Caesarea may not look enormous, it does take quite a while to look around all the excavations, especially if you are visiting in the summer time, when with the extreme heat, walking at any fast pace is really out of the question. We were disappointed not to have had the chance to watch a short film about the national park, as part of the 'Time trek audio visual display', near the harbour area, but we simply did not have the time to do so.

Even if you are not interested in these Roman excavations, the beautiful mediterranean sea front location of Caesarea alone should attract you. It really is a great place to visit, but ensure you leave plenty of time, and do try and avoid the midday sun, if you want to really appreciate what there is to see in the park.

During our visit to Israel this summer, we spent a weekend in the Negev Desert, with one of our main stops along route begin the Ramon Crater or Makhtesh Ramon, as it is also known. The crater itself is located south of the city of Beersheba, however it is worth pointing out that this is not a crater created from a meteor impacting the earth, but rather it is a crater formed by geological factors over millions of years.

Our first point of call in visiting the Ramon Crater was to stop at the visitor centre, which is located in the town of Mizpe Ramon, which in fact is the only settlement of an proportion near the crater. The Ramon Crater is part of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and you can purchase a ticket like we did for 90 NIS each which allowed us to visit 6 sites under the this national parks authority. If you are visiting a lot of well known sites such as Qumran, Tel Megiddo, Nimrod's Fortress, Caesarea or even En Gedi, it is probably worth purchasing such a pass, as you will most certainly get your money's worth out of it!

At the visitor centre, which is open every day from 8 am (although it closes earlier on a Friday and on holidays), there is a short film that you can watch that lasts approx 5 minutes, and tells you a little more about history of the crater, and some of the sites to be seen within it. There is also a small exhibition inside the visitor centre, and if you follow it the whole way round, you will eventually reach the roof top of the centre, and be presented with breathtaking views of the crater - in fact, you get such a panoramic view, it is hard to take it in, and certainly no camera can certainly do justice to the vastness of this crater. In fact the crater is approx 40km long and 9km at its widest point. On the rooftop there is also an accurate sundial, which we fould very interesting.

Not far from the visitor centre there are other spectacular viewpoints, however with the summer heat burning us, we headed back for our air conditioned car and decided to drive down into the crater. From the visitor centre, you can follow a road with a few hairpin bends until you get the base of the crater.

To explore the crater fully, you really need to take a few days, however we were limited to an afternoon, so we chose two of the closest sites inside the crater to explore - the Carpentry and the Ammonite Wall. If however, you visit in the winter or spring, there are some terrific hikes, with marked trails to follow and this would allow you to spend more time exploring the crater.

One of the first sites you come to as you drive down into the crater from the visitor centre is the Carpentry or The Prism, as it is also known. There is a car park at the base of this hill to leave your car, before you follow the boardwalk that gradually takes you to the top of this hill. This carpentry is a hill covered in sandstone, that after being baked in the extreme heat of the desert, has then cooled and crystallized to form prism like shapes. It is easy to see why it is called the carpentry, as the hill is literally covered in these amazing prism shaped sandstone pieces, like resemeble chunks of wood thrown in a heap by a carpenter as he works. The carefully constructed boardwalk ensures that you don't step on these amazing roack formations. The descent however is a little trickier, and good sturdy shoes are required as there is only a light but sandy trodden path to take you down to the car park. This round loop of the carpentry takes approx half an hour, but if you arrive in the summer, be sure of having plenty of water and a good sunhat, as the heat is extreme. and there is little shade!!

Following the map that we were given in the visitor centre, it wasn't long before we found the Ammonite Wall. The lady in the visitor centre did however advise us that there was no proper car park for this site, and that cars left at the side of the road have been broken into before - which we found quite strange, as we saw few other vehicles around in the crater, but we took her advice, and took it turn about to go and explore the ammonite wall. Both of us were slightly disappointed as there were no information boards around to tell you more about the site, and we couldn't really see much evidence of ammonite fossils, but we were glad that we had visited nonetheless.

Although that was the only two sites we had time to visit, if you have more time, and I would recommend that you do take longer to explore the crater than we did, there are many other sites to be seen including Lotz cisterns and the Ramon tooth, as well as numerous trails and hikes to follow. There are also a couple of campsites on either side of the main road through the crater, and you can also see the ancient incense route used by the Nabateans.

All in all, you do not need to be interested in geology to appreciate the vastness and beauty of this huge crater i nteh Negev Desert. Yes, you will probably come away with a better understanding of some geological terms, but when you can see it in front of you with your own eyes, you begin to appreciate the geology of the earth better, especially when you see those amazing rock formations at the Carpentry. This is a terrific place to visit whilst in the Negev, but probably best to visit in the autumn or spring, when it is cooler and you can take up some of the numerous trails and hikes on offer. A great attraction in Israel.

Whilst touring some of the Negev Desert and the sights that is has to offer, we decided to try out a new style of accommodation - bedouin style. The Bedouin arab people live in the desert and although originally most lived a nomadic lifestyle, most bedouin people have settled in particular places, and you are able to see some of these encampments as you drive through the Negev.

Since we would be spending the day exploring the Ramon Crator, we wanted to stay somewhere close ot Mizpe Ramon, where the visitor centre from the Ramon Crater is. One of the places recommended in the lonely planet guide book was a Bedouin Campsite called 'Silent Arrow' not far from the visitor centre and with both communal and private accommodation. We were told that in order to find the accommodation you drive through Mizpe Ramon, and then listen for the silence - when you hear it, you are at the right place. It turns out, this guidance wasn't too far wrong as when we reached the campsite, there was a stillness and quietness in the air - away from the hustle of Mizpe Ramon.

Silent Arrow offers several 'dome' tents, which house a double bed, as well as 'windows' which can be opened to allow some of the breeze to cool down the tent in a hot afternoon in the desert, or can be used for some serious star gazing at night, when you may even see a shooting star like we did, since the sky is clear and free from the pollutants that can cloud it in more urban areas.
As mentioned earlier, the campsite, also offers a communal tent which can sleep up to 40 people, and would be ideal for families. You do need to bring your own sleeping bag however, and this is particuarly useful as it really cools down at night in the desert. There is also a communal tent for relaxing and eating, with a small basic kitchen at the back, where you can make an easy meal, or simply go into Mizpe Ramon for something to eat. If you stay there at the weekend however, particularly on the Sabbath, do be warned - you need to bring your own food, as most places will be closed. Also even if you are sleeping in one of the private dome tents, it is also worth packing some spare sheets as the double bed has only a very light quilt, and as I said, it does get pretty chilly at night.

Although the accommodation, as you would expect for a campsite in the middle of the desert, was basic, there was a clean toilet block with private rooms housing showers, toilets and wash hand basins. We found this to be a great job - our only problem was that at night, since there is no electricity at the campsite, going to the toilet was difficult, as the dome tent we were staying in was actually just outside the campsite boundary, and finding your way in the dark was tricky, although the bedouin have put up some lanterns in the toilets and within the campsite to give some limited light. It is best to bring a good head torch too though for your own safety and ease.

Just behind the campsite, it is possible to climb up some rocky terrain where you can enjoy the beautiful sunsets on show in the Negev desert - the sunsets don't last long however, and the sun seems to drop like a stone. So you need to be there early to catch it.

My only major complaint about the accommodation was that in the morning when we opened back the 'windows' of our dome tent, we found some tiny ants on the bed. Now I suppose this is hardly surprising as we were staying in a hot climate in the desert, with the bare ground under our feet, however, I don't think I would have had such a good night's sleep if I had been aware of this beforehand.

Although we only stayed one night at this bedouin campsite, (which cost us £40 for the dome tent, although communal tents are cheaper), if you are able to stay for longer, you can take advantage of some of the workshops offered by the bedouin campsite, such as desert archery. and maybe even sample some desert coffee, which unfortunately we never got to try.

All in all, if you are looking for a different style of accommodation, and are prepared to 'rough it' with basic accommodation, no electricity, and a few little ants to share a bed with, then this is the place for you. If you like the finer things in life then this is one to avoid. Apart from the ants, we enjoyed our star at Silent Arrow very much, and particuarly loved gazing at the stars in the clear sky, and well as watching the beautiful sunsets in the Negev Desert, all whilst experiencing the Bedouin way of life.

Most people who visit Israel, will try to take a trip to the Dead Sea, to experience the unique floating sensation that this site, the lowest point on Earth, offers. There are several places where you can stop, park and take a dip, and most of these are in the vicinity of hotels and spa treatment centres.

We travelled closer to the Northern end of the Dead Sea, not far from Ein Gedi, to take a dip in the salty waters at Mineral Beach. We visited at the weekend, and although we weren't the only ones around, we were able to get a car park space (in the shade thankfully!!) and take a dip without it being overly busy.

Mineral beach is signposted off the main road running alongside the western side of the Dead Sea. It does not seem to be frequented by tourists/bus tours as much as some other locations, and therefore is an ideal place to enjoy.

There is a small entrance fee and you can also opt for a ticket to include some treatments, including massages. On this occasion, we did not opt for any of these treatments, so I cannot comment on how good/relaxing they are, but certainly if we visit again, and have more time, we would love to try some of these treatments.

Mineral beach offers reasonably sized changing facilites, with showers and bathrooms. A friend, who had previously been on a bus tour in Israel, had warned me in advance that some of the other locations to float in the dead sea, only offered literally 2 changing rooms, so mineral beach seems to be one of the better options in terms of facilties. There is also a small cafe and shop. Within the shop, you can purchase jelly style sandals, which can be worn in the dead sea. We did not buy these, but I would advise that unless you come with such sandals, it would be a good idea to purchase a pair in the shop, as the ground in and around the waters are extremely stony, and in the summer heat, are unwalkable on, due to the extreme heat. We had to leave our normal sandals at the waters edge, but still had to suffer the harsh stones underneath, before we could get to our shoes.

Although we were simply wanting a quick dip in the sea, if you have more time, or have a family with young children, mineral beach also offers a fresh water pool for children and also a warm sulphur pool.

On the shores of the Dead Sea, at mineral beach, there are plenty of seats and shading umbrella's, and you would be wise to grab one of these near the shore line, so you can keep you towel and bags handy. Most people want to have a photo to remember their experience, and it is worth noting that the changing facilities are a a little walk away from the shore line, so it is better if you take it in turns to go into the water, always leaving someone with the valuables, because although we felt very safe, you cannot be too careful.

Floating in the sea is a funny, but terrific experience, and it feels like you are relaxing with a life jacket on, as you struggle to keep your feet on the ground. At mineral beach, the deeper water is marked off with buoys, to encourage visitors to stay within the shallower boundaries. There are strict rules up on boards, warning that you should not jump in the water, keep it out of your eyes, and you are most definitely not allowed to splash. You should instead walk backwards into the water, and sit down as if you are on a seat.

At mineral beach, there is some natural black mud, which you can freely take and cover yourself in. My husband tried this out, and he enjoyed it as a means of cooling down, but also, it left his skin extremely soft. This mud is available to purchase in the shop as part of some of the dead sea cosmetic treatments.

Do not however, that should you visit in the peak of the summer, like we did, the waters will not cool you down, in fact they are very very hot, and this is something we hadn't expected.

You are advised not to stay in the waters for too long, but you are free to come out, rest and then venture in again. Mineral beach offers plenty of outdoor showers right next to the seats at the shore, so you can wash off the salt when you get out of the sea, and it is important to do so.

All in all, if you are wanting to visit the Dead Sea and take a relaxing float in it, you should consider going to Mineral Beach, away from the maddening crowds, and with everything you could want. A great location to enjoy this amazing world wonder.

One place that I was very interested in visiting this summer, whilst on holiday in the Middle East, was Qumran, the place where the famous dead sea scrolls were found.

Years ago, I had read an interesting book about the Essenes, an extremely religious Jewish sect, living as a community at Qumran, located at the north western side of the Dead Sea, and so was keen to see it for myself.

Unfortunately on the day we went, in the heat of the summer, the temperature was somewhere between 45C and 50C, and that was late afternoon, and I have to admit, that it was almost unbearable, and it made enjoying the site of Qumran difficult, as all the caves and excavations are, naturally outside.

Earlier in our trip, we had purchased a Israel Nature Reserves and National Park pass, which cost us 90NIS shekels each (approx £15) which allowed us entrance into 6 sites under the israel park authority - one of these being Qumran. This pass really is good value for money if you are planning to visit sites such as Qumran, Ein Gedi, Tel Megiddo, Caesarea etc A basic entrance to Qumran alone costs 20 NIS per person (adult ticket)

There is a large visitor centre, gift shop and restaurant at Qumran, with some terrific value meals (although I cannot say what quality these are - as we only stopped for a refreshing drink in the eatery). The gift shop includes a branch of the Avaha dead sea cosmetic products, and although these are costly, they are great products of top quality,

Thankfully, the excavations are not at all far from the visitor centre, so you are literally a stone's throw from the first of these excavations. The various excavations are well marked with some good information boards informing visitors about what some of the rooms/buildings would have been used for. You can walk around and look at the ancient cistern, kitchen, tower, reservoir, pottery workshop, cattle pen, kiln, assembly hall, and scriptorium, all thought to be used by the Essenes. Information provided at Qumran informs visitors about the ritual cleansing that was so important to the Essenes, and allows visitors to get a feel for the communal way of life that the Essenes sect lived.

At various points around the excavations you will see information boards about the caves dotted around the landscape, and of particular interest, are obviously those in the which the Dead Sea scrolls where found. We were not able to get near these caves, and I am unsure whether visitors are generally allowed to explore the caves or not, although some of these caves are not easily reached. We were able to walk around Qumran by ourselves, and using the information provided by the visitor centre, explore it as we wished.

For me, seeing the caves was the interesting site. Qumran itself and the excavations would, I feel, be easier to really see from above. It is difficult to visualise the layout of the settlement just by walking around it, and I don't think you would really appreciate its layout and location until you were to see it from for example a helicopters' view. That is not to say however, that We didn't enjoy visiting Qumran. The weather was extremely hot and very draining, and we found it difficult to stay out and walk around the excavations for very long, before diving back into the air conditioned visitor centre and shop. On a cooler day you would have much more time to walk around and explore.

We had visited the Israel museum prior to seeing Qumran, and I feel that this helped us understand better the Essenes community, and so it definitely worthwhile including both in your itinery if you are interested in this site.

All in all, however, we enjoyed Qumran, and were glad that we had stopped along route to see it for ourselves. It brought things that I had read before about it and the Essenes to life, and although you could not access the caves, it was interesting to see their location and their closeness to the actual community settlement. If you are interested in the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Essenes sect, then this is a worthwhile place to visit. if you have no interest in Jewish history or the Dead sea scrolls, then if is probably one that could be missed, if time is short.

Of all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we have visited throughout our travels, this site - Megiddo or Tel Megiddo as it is also known, holds the prize for the most history in terms of its background.

Megiddo is part of the Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves, and you can enter this place using the 6 site park pass, which you can purchase for 90 NIS (approx £15). If you don't have a pass, you can purchase a single ticket for 25 NIS per person (adult). At the entrance, there is a small car park, a very small souvenir shop, and a restaurant.

One of the historical significances of Megiddo, was and still is, its location, overlooking the Jezreel valley, situated at the head of a mountain pass. It has been a strategic site throughout history and in fact, many major battles have been fought here, including one in World War 1. Other famous battles occurring here date back to 609 BC. It also holds a significant place in biblical terms, as this is the place the book of Revelation refers to as the site of the final batter- the battle of Armageddon (translation of the Hebrew 'Har Megiddo').

We were visiting in the intense summer heat, and it is difficult to linger too long at the excavations at Megiddo. We spent quite a while in the air conditioned visitor centre, which is full of information about the various ancient settlements and battles at this Megiddo site. There is also an excellent interactive model of Megiddo in the visitor centre, showing you the various locations of important buildings at different historical times.

Thankfully, the actual site of Megiddo and the excavations are not far from the visitor centre, and a short walk will take you to teh first of these. According to the literature given at the visitor centre, they state that there is no need for a guide to take you around Megiddo, and we found that to be true to some extent, however, I think to really understand the different layers of historical settlements, a guide would have been extremely useful. Yes, there were some information boards around, but the literature given to us at the beginning was very basic, and not terribly helpful, if I am to be honest.

Some of the excavations that you can see at Megiddo, include some of the cities gates, built at various times, by King Solomon and others. The remains of a temple of the Chalcolithic period ccan be seen, as well as a building from the period of King David's reign. One of the most interesting ruins was the fortified 'chariot city; built by King Solomon, and beside this is the entrance to the city water system. Visitors are able to walk through part of this water tunnel, the end of which brings you to the outside of the park confines, and then it is a 10 minute walk back to the car park. If you visit on a tour bus, the bus will likely pick you up at this location at the end of the tunnel.

One of the things we enjoyed most about Megiddo, was the views over the Jezreel Valley, and it really is easy to see why so many battles have taken place there, and why Megiddo was of such value in terms of a strategic city. We did find however, that we didn't get the most out of visiting this site, for 2 reasons. Firstly, we feel that guide would have been very useful, in explaining the history of some of the excavations. If you come as part of a tour, you will probably have your own guide, but as we went independently, we had to rely simply on the basic information sheet given and a few information boards. Archaeologists were working at the site whilst we visited, so it would have been nice to hear about the more recent excavations, but again, a guide would have been necessary for this. The second reason we didn't get the most out of Megiddo, was the summer heat. All the excavations are, hardly surprisingly, outside. So, if you do wish to spend a long time at this location, either visit early in the morning, or at a time other than the summer season, when it is cooler.

All in all, we did enjoy our visit, but there are a few things that the israel national parks authority could do with improving to make it a really special place.

During our summer holiday around Israel and Jordan this year, we hired a car to tour around the Sea of Galilee. One of the many places that we were interested in stopping at was the 'Jesus boat' as if is often referred to, in the little village of Ginosar, along the north western shores of the Galilee.

This ancient Galilee boat was found by two fishermen from the Kibbutz Ginosar during 1986 when a severe drought lowered the waters of the Galilee, and along with archaelogists, they very carefully managed to transfer it from the sea bed, where it had been protected, to study it further and conclude that this boat could be dated back to the 1st century AD, the time of Jesus.

It is made very clear however, that no one claims that this is the boat that Jesus would have sailed in, however, it brings to life the type of boat that Jesus and his disciples would have crossed the waters of the Galilee in.

The boat itself is now housed in the grounds of the Kibbutz Ginosar, in the Yigal Alon Centre, and this is easily found just off the main road which runs around the Galilee.

There is a small entrance fee to see the boat itself and visitors are given a short visual presentation on the excavation and difficult and time consuming moving of the boat from the sea bed by archaelogists and many local volunteers. Within the room in which the boat is housed, there are several displays presenting more information about the boat and its construction, as well as scripture quotations related to the fishermen of the Galilee.

All that remains of the boat itself is the main body, but behind the boat are images of what it would have looked like in all its grandeur, with mast and sail. The boat itself is made up of twelve different types of wood, which are listed inside the boat room.

The boat is almost 9m long, 2.5m wide and 1.25 metres high. Visitors find out that this boat would have had a long life, since there is evidence of many repairs and reuse of timbers.

Although my husband and I really enjoyed seeing the short film about the boat, as well as the boat itself, I wouldn't suggest driving the entire way to the Galilee simply to see this boat, however if yo uare in the area, then visiting the Kibbutz in Ginosar to see this boat is worthwhile. It really does give visitors a better understanding of the type of boat that Jesus and his disciples would have sailed in, even though it is unlikely to be the exact boat they would have used.

A good place to visit if you are in the vicinity, and enjoy a little snack in the cafe afterwards.

One of the places we were interested to visit whilst driving around the Galilee area was the town of Capernaum. This is often referred to as the Town of Jesus, although I was suggest that this a ploy to attract pilgrims, rather than there being much to show for this.

If you approach, as we did, from the Golan Heights towards the north of the Sea of Galilee, where the ruined town of Capernaum now lies, be warned - there are in fact 2 turn offs for Capernaum. We unfortunately took the first one which led to nowhere. In fact, we were totally confused as to why there was no signage of any nature about the site, until we eventually came across some offices where a helpful man directed us back to the main road, where not much further is the real town of Capernaum entrance. We still to this day, have no idea was the other Capernaum turn off was for. If you are approaching from the Tiberias side of the lake then you will come to the actual town first.

For a place that we suspected would be continually visited by Christian pilgrims on tour buses, we found the car park to be extremely quiet, albeit that we were there fairly early to avoid the worst of the summer heat. The car park is merely a large area of rough ground, however a smaller car park lies closer to the site, although on the day we visited, a barrier was down without anyone manning it, thus preventing visitors from parking there.

As you approach the entrance you will see a large sign on the gate stating 'Capharnaum - The Town of Jesus'. Beyond this is the small ticket office. Tickets are priced at 3 NIS each, which is very little. I was told at the ticket counter, that I needed to have something to cover my shoulders with. I found this very odd, since apart from the Franciscan Church (which we weren't allowed into anyway as there was a service going on) there was only archaelogical ruins to be seen, so I cannot quite understand the need to cover shoulders in this instance. Nonetheless, I kept a cardigan loosely covered over my shoulders as we walked around the town, so as not to offend. There were also signs up that men were not allowed to wear shorts - however in this instance, no one said anything to my husband who was wearing shorts, and there were lots of men dressed in shorts walking around the town. There was a somewhat lack of consistency.

Past the ticket office, you are greeted with a huge metallic carved statue of Christ. Beyond that, the town of Capernaum, consists entirely of ruins. Most of these ruins are of houses made of Black basalt which can be seen at the base of the remaining synagogue. The synagogue that remains today is constructed of white limestone, which centuries ago, would have stood out against the black stone of the houses surrounding it. The black basalt base of the synagogue however is part of the synagogue that is believed to have been there when Jesus would have visited and stayed in Capernaum. It is interesting simply to walk around these ruinded houses and synagogue and you realise just how small and tightly packed these houses would have been.

The main interest to most pilgrims however is the house of St Peter. It is unfortunate, like a lot of Christian sites, that the original has been built upon time and time again, and thus it is impossible to actual see the real ruin of the house. According to archaelogical findings, it is highly likely that this is the site of St Peter's house, however what now stand there are the ruins of an ocatagonal stone church built over the original site, and in fact a new church stands over the entire site of the house. The francsicans have built a church over the house of St Peter, with a glass floor viewing area to look down upon the original site of the house. Unfortunately we didn't get the opportunity to see this view from inside the church, but you can see the octagonal shaped ruins of the old church from the side.

One of the things we loved most about Capernaum, was not the ruins themselves, but if you walk beyond the Franciscan church you come to the shores of the Galilee, where there are large trees offering shade from the summer sun. Some of the franciscan monks can be seen sitting on the rock stumps under the shady trees, It is a place of totally relaxation and peace, with the waters of the Galilee right in front of you. In this place it is easy to imaging how this could have once been an important fishing town. If it hadn't been for the intense heat, even in the earlier part of the day, it would have been easy to sit and enjoy the views over the lake in peac and quiet.

If you are not interested in the ruins of the houses or synagogue, coming to Capernaum for the views over the Galilee alone are worth it. Being at the shores of the Galilee was one of the most special points of our trip - as it was so tranquil and still, away from the hustle and bustle of tour buses etc

A great place to visit for Christian Pilgrims interested in the site of St Peter's house, or for the views and peaceful setting at the shores of the Galilee.

As we travelled around the Galilee area of Israel this summer, one of the hotels that we were recommended to stay in was the Auberge Shulamit, in the little town of Rosh Pina, just north of the Sea of Galillee.

I say hotel, but the Auberge Shulamit is really an inn, since it only holds 4 rooms, as well as a beautiful restaurant, offering top notch cuisine at an affordable price.

We stayed at this inn midweek, and paid over 600 shekels for a room, which included breakfast, and a 15% discount on the restaurant menu.

The inn was reasonably easy to find in Rosh Pina, and was at a particularly quiet end of town, thus offering virtually unspoilt views of the Hula Valley, as well as the Golan Heights. We were even able to see Mount Hermon from the restaurant window that evening.

Free parking is available at the foot of the hotel. A few steep steps then take you to the small reception area, where we were greeted by the extremely welcoming manager. His english was very good, and he told us to simply leave our bags at the reception desk and go and enjoy a refreshing drink in their restaurant (complimentary). We enjoyed some cooling lemonade with mint, quite the speciality in Israel, or so we found.

The manager then came in to welcome us again, and to inform us that we had been upgraded to the suite for the evening, without additional charge, and that the jacuzzi outside our room would be available within a short time after it had been cleaned.

We were impressed right from the start with this inn, and things just got better and better.

Our room was simply lovely. The suite consisted of a beautiful 4 poster bed, as well as a large tv and fridge, and a enormous bathroom, which was bigger than some of the rooms in our house at home.

Auberge shulamit has decorated all of the rooms in a european style with high ceilings, and our room certainly created an ambiance of romance and charm, that a lot of other hotels are lacking. As far as I am aware, all four rooms have been decorated differently.

Before heading to dinner, we decided that we try out the jacuzzi on our private terrace. The views from the bubbling jacuzzi were excellent, and we could sit back and relax taking in some of the views on offer, without disturbance.

That evening, we decided to take up the 15% discount offer of eating in the hotel restaurant. Again, the manager was extremely charming and explained some of the specialities of the menu, including their renowned home smoked meats. We both decided to try this home smoked speciality, in the smoked goose breast and the smoked trout.

As we awaited our meal, we could enjoy the views of the Golan Heights from the huge windows at the front of the restaurant. Service in the restaurant was also excellent and the waitress was very efficient and professional.

The food itself was simply delicious, and alongside our meal we enjoyed some seasonal vegetables. The restaurant certainly don't scrimp on their servings, but at the same time keeping the air of a upmarket restaurant serving fine cuisine.

We had a wonderful refreshing nights sleep, and the bed was extremely comfortable.

Breakfast in the morning was also of the highest quality. We were presented with an israeli style breakfast, with salad, omelette and fresh bread, alongside little bowls offering various foods such as sundried tomatoes, tuna and pepper which could be eaten with some toasted bread. It was delicious, just like our dinner.

All in all, we were overwhelmed by the service on offer at this inn. The manager was soe warm and welcoming, and we truly could not have asked for any better. The food was of the highest standard, and staff were always extremely professional and attentive, ready to meet guests needs at any time.

There is a beautiful ambiance in the hotel, and it really it a wonderful place to stay whilst exploring the Galilee, particularly if you are looking for a romantic get away, full of charm, romance and relaxation. I couldn't recommend this inn enough - it is simply an excellent place to stay.

Most people, whether religious or not, will have heard of the Mount of Beatitudes, where in the Bible, Jesus is said to have given the Sermon on the Mount. Well, a trip around the Sea of Galilee in Israel, would hardly be complete without seeing the supposed site of this famous sermon.

At the northern edge of the beautfiul Sea of Galilee, lies Tabgha, and not far from this, on the climbing road to Rosh Pina, is the supposed site known as the Mount of Beatitudes. With a lot of religious sites in Israel, questions remain over whether or not this truly is the site where Jesus gave His famous sermon, however due to its close location to Capernaum, and the fact that pilgrims have been coming to this site since the 4th century in commemoration of this sermon, it is hardly surprising that some claim that this is the actual site.

In order to get to this site, as I mentioned previously, you follow the northernly road to Rosh Pina, and as you ascend the steep and twisty road, you will eventually see signs pointing you towards the site of the Mount of Beatitudes. You then proceed down a rough stony path which runs between banana plantations, and be wanred that you will probably meet a lot of tour buses, who have no mercy for the oncoming car - you will need to get out of their way, as they are unlikely to slow down for you!

There is a small fee for the car park of 5 NIS (less than £1) which is collected as you enter the site. The large car park, which on the morning we visited was already swamped by tour buses, is beside a small pavilion, with washroom facilities and a decent gift shop.

You will immediately notice as you walk towards the main attraction at this site, the church of the Beatitudes, the beautiful landscape gardens, immaculately kept by the Franciscan monks. There is a paved walkway leading you to the Catholic Chapel inside the Church of the Beatitudes. What is particularly nice about this site, is that the gardens and the trees offer some much needed shade for the summer heat, and it a wonderful place to simply relax and enjoy the breathtaking views over the Sea of Galilee.

The Church itself was built in 1939 by Franciscan sisters and a lot of detail has went into its design, much of which would go unnoticed if you didn't have a good trusty guidebook. From the outside, the church is a beautiful building with wonderful architecture. The chapel itself has been designed in an octagonal shape, with each of the eight sides representing a beatitude that Jesus spoke of eg Blessed be the poor in spirit......' and in fact near the roof of the main chapel, there are eight stained glass windows with the beatitudes inscribed on them in latin. The dome itself is supposed to represent a further beatitude that of Jesus himself.

Visitors are free to come inside the church or even sit and reflect quietly. Although our guide book suggested that suitable clothing be worn to this site ie no bare shoulders or arms and no shorts, nothing was enforced on the day, and although in the summer heat, we came armed, me with a cardigan, and my husband with light trousers, there were many visitors walking around not adhering to these suggestions that we had followed.

You may not be in any way religious and not interested in the religious aspect of this important pilgrim site, but it is worth visiting for the views over the Sea of Galill alone, as well as the peace and tranquility offered in thte beautiful gardens. The Church too is a wonderful feat of architecture, and something to be admired. We very much enjoyed our visit to this site, and feel that for any visitor to the Sea of Galilee, it is a worthwhile stopoff.

On route around the Sea of Galilee this summer during our holiday in Israel, we stopped off at Tabgha, where the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes is located. This church is also known as the Church of the Multiplication, and is situated on the Northern shores of the Sea of Galilee.

This Church has been built on the supposed site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes performed by Jesus according to the Bible. The turnoff to the church is well signposted, and there is a small carpark at the entrance to the church.

Like a lot of religious sites in Israel, this is promoted as the actual site where Jesus broke the small amount of loaves and fishes, and performed a miracle of being able to feed thousands of people with them, however, there is little evidence to support this as being the actual site, yet for pilgrims, it remians an important witness to this miracle.

The Church itself is situated in beautiful surroundings, with lovely shady palm trees sorrounding the building, and arched walkways around the main courtyard. If it weren't for the intense summer heat, it would have been extremely pleasant to have enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere in the shade.

A church was first built on this particular site in the 4th century AD. By that time the stone of which Jesus was supposed to have broke the bread and fish and performed the miracle was now used as an altar. The church building was then erected around this altar or stone. Despite being destroyed at one point, the stone still remains as the altar in the present day church, which is now run by the Catholic Church.

Visitors are asked to cover their arms and shoulders whilst in the church, however again, we witnessed many strolling in disregarding this request.

The main interest in visiting this church for most people is the stone and also the beautiful mosaics on the floor of the church, some dating back to the 5th century. Such mosaics include the wonderful 'ducks in love' as well as the very famous symbol of the fish and loaves, which you will encounter painted or printed on many souvenirs around Israel. In fact, a gift shop in the courtyard of the church offers many souvenirs with the mosaic fish and loaves symbol on them.

We found the church to be very peaceful, and it manages to create an atmosphere of reflection and quietness. It is a beautiful church on both the inside and outside, and getting a close up look at the 5th century mosaics is worth a visit alone, as these are in excellent condition.

On the doors of the church are carved pictures of some of the stories from the Bible involving Jesus and his miracles, and it is worth taking a look at these on your way out.

All in all, although this is a popular site for many pilgrims and accompanying bus tours, if you have an appreciation for mosaics and the incredible work that goes into them, then it is worth visiting this church. Yes, it is interesting to see the stone on which some suggest that Jesus performed this miracle, but we enjoyed the peacefulness of the church and the mosaics even more.

A nice place to stop at on your way around the Galilee.

As we were heading back to Tel Aviv, near the end of our summer trip around Israel, we stopped off at Nazareth with the intent of finding and visiting the Nazareth village. Nazareth today is not a particularly pictoresque place to visit, and in fact as you drive through its bustling streets, you realise it is quite a grotty dirty place, which can be somewhat disappointing for many pilgrims, visiting Nazareth, the home town of Jesus.

Armed with poor directions from the Nazareth village website, we thankfully found this visitor attraction, which in truth is really only of interest to the Christian pilgrim and is probably why there is absolutely no signage up pointing to its location as you drive through Nazareth. It was actually through our wonderful Frommers guidebook that we first heard about this attraction in Nazareth.

The nazareth village is just that - a village. It has taken the hard work of archaelogists and historians to recreate a first century Nazareth village, making it as accurate and life like as possible to reflect the village that Jesus grew up in. In fact, the village itself is still being added to as more excavations are carried out and more information is gathered about the Nazareth that Jesus would have known.

Although our guide book recommended that we book ahead, we decided against this, as we were worried that time may not permit us to visit. Thankfully we did have the time, and the Nazareth village welcome walk ins as well. To ensure you get the best out of the village tour, large groups should ensure that they book in advance. The Nazareth village is opened Monday to Saturday, and closed on Sundays, preferring to follow to western calendar, rather than the Jewish calendar of closing on Saturday. Like a lot of places in Israel, it is worth checking beforehand the public closures of this attraction. Adult prices are 50 NIS each, but there is also a group rate, and discounted rate for senior citizens amd students. Children under 7 gain free admission.

One of the best things about the Nazareth village is that you could visit at different times during the year, and get to see a totally different side of the village. This is a working village, in that there are farmers who work the land, carpenters who create their crafts, weavers to design nd plenty of animals wondering around. With each new season comes different fruit on the trees, different farming seasons and different activities to watch the villagers get on with.

On the afternoon we visited, the Nazareth village was quiet, probably due to the overwhelming heat in the summer time. There were only a few of us on the tour that afternoon, and our guide spoke wonderful english. The tour began inside, where you can make the most of the air conditioning! There are 4 main rooms with information displays that you can leisurely look at. These include information about the creation of the village using excavations and historical information, information about the old original town of Nazareth (now a sprawling city of 70 000) and a look at what Joseph carpentry shop would have been like, and the surroundings Jesus would have known as a young boy.

The tour guide then beings the Parable Walk, taking visitors outside around the working village. Our first stop along the tour was to witness the farmer using the donkey to thresh the hay. We walked along the dusty paths that resemble those that Jesus would have used in the village he grew up in. One of the things we found most interesting, that it wasn't until the tour was over that we realised just how dirty our feet had become simply by walking along those dusty paths. It made us realise the significance of people having their feet washed in Biblical times.


The village itself has been built upon the last natural farm land in Nazareth. For this reason, the designers wanted to make the most out of it, recreating a 1st century style farming village, built upon terraces. and tehy have done this incredibly well.

As we walked along the path, the tour guide informing us of some of the sites in view, we could also see the farmers and other village workers getting on with their daily work and again this made the village seem real and bring to the life the 1st century village of Nazareth. We met a farmer along route with his donkey. He was enjoying the shade, as was the donkey, and encouraged us to try out some of the figs that he had picked from the surrounding trees. Having never tried figs before, we were both pleasantly surprised how nice they were. There are also pomegranates growing on the surrouding trees. We then visited the weaver's house, and watched a young girl at work weaving in traditional 1st century style. Some of our tour group took the oppportunity of trying it out themselves with varying success. Our tour guide also helped us to better understand some of the parables that Jesus told, when we could see first hand that type of environment that would have been before Him. We visited a replica of Joseph's workshop and found 'Joseph' hard at work with his wood. Our tour guide informed us about the style of houses that would have been built in the 1st century, and the archaelogical evidence that helped the Nazareth village recreate such homes in the same style.

Our tour guide also took us to a replica synagogue, that would have been like that Jesus would have frequented in Nazareth. We were informed that in those days the synagogue was like a community centre, were people can to talk to each other and meet. No sacrifices were carried out in the synagogue, but the scriptures were read from, as Jesus did in his home town of Nazareth.

We then returned to the much welcomes air conditoned building, where we were given a small oil lamp as a little momento of our trip, and then we were ushered out through the large gift shop, where you can purchase some of the beautiful crafts that have been made by the villagers themselves.

The village has been so well designed and had such great success with visitors that it is frequently used as a backdrop for media crews, filming religious shows or retelling of the scriptures.

All in all, the Nazareth village is a terrific place to visit if you are interested in the early life of Jesus. It would be a wonderful place to visit with children, and they will love the interactive nature of the tour, and getting to grips with life in 1st century Nazareth. The work that has went into this village is astounding, and it is a refreshing place to visit for Christian pilgrims, when there is so little mention of Jesus in most of Israel, something that a lot of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land find strange and are unprepared for.

If you are visiting the ancient city of Petra during the summer months in Jordan, you need to follow some basic advice, if you want to have a safe, comfortable, healthy trip and appreciate this wonderful new wonder of the world at its best.

1. Each person in your group should carry at least 2 large bottles of water with them to be drunk in a day. The climate in Jordan and Petra is a dry heat, and thus you don't feel the sweat dripping down your back the same, and you don't feel as thirsty, so to keep healthy and well you must drink at least 2 large bottles of water a day. If like us you are from a colder climate like the UK, drinking 2 large bottles of water ina day seems unthinkable, and certainly something I would never comtemplate at home, however, even with me drinking lots and lots of water over our holiday in the Middle East, I still got dehydrated at times, and suffered with some mild tummy cramps. Make sure you bring your own water, and the Jordanian water is not safe to drink. We found it easier to have pre purchased our water before entering Petra, so we wouldn't be forced to pay a potentially higher price within the park. So even if you don't feel that you are thirsty, keep drinking.

2. Bring your own food/snacks. There is only a couple of main restaurants in Petra for lunch, but there are clumped together at one end of the park. There are smaller Bedouin run cafe's offering some rather costly fruit and chocolate, as well as cold drinks, which you can enjoy in the shade, but if you are trying to keep costs down, and more importantly get as much our of Petra as possible in the cooler parts of the day, it would be a wise move to have some of your own snacks with you. We brought some energy boosting nuts with us to munch a long the way. However we did find in the extreme height, your body yearns more for water rather than food. Nonetheless Petra is a big place, and to see the main sights you have to walk quite a bit, so little energy snacks are very useful.

3. Aim to see the furthest places in Petra in the early morning when it is coolest. Plan your route. It is very tempting after walking the 45 minutes to the Treasury through the siq, to stop and admire the wonderous building, however you would be far better, if times allows, to walk on to the far end of Petra. If you are wanting to see the Monastery or the High Place of Sacrifice, visiting in the early morning or late evening would be advisable, plus these sights will be at their quietest and most pleasant at this time. So try and set out early to Petra (we were walking into Petra about 7.30 in the morning) and if you really want to reach some of the higher and harder climbs like the monastery, avoid delaying at the Tresaury or tombs, and head straight there, when it is coolest and there is more shade. You can stop and appreciate the Treasury and the tombs on your way back.

4. If you are on a budget and trying to save where possible without missing out, purchase beforehand a good travel guide, such as the lonely planet guide to Jordan, which offers an excellent guide to Petra. If you follow such a guide, you will not need to pay for a personal guide to take you round and show you some of the sights. These self guides offer excellent information about each of the sights, their locations and eveything else that you need to no. We relied on our own travel guide, as well as the little Petra pamplet that you can pick up for free inside the entrance gate at Petra, near where the washrooms are located. We saw many visitors touring Petra with a guide, but we felt we saw and learnt just as much from our guide book, and also we could take our time and enjoy Petra rather than keeping up with a guide and his agenda for the day.

5. This last piece of advice applies to female travellers. Do remember that Jordan is a muslim country and you will stand out a mile when you dress as a westerner. Unfortunately in the extreme heat of the summer, it is difficult to dress in anything other than shorts and t shirt if you want to stay cool, and within Petra you will see nearly all western travellers dressing like this. However once you leave the gates of Petra, a woman showing any bare flesh, without it being in any way revealing, will be a target for ogling men who sit at the front of restaurants all day long, or shout out of taxi's. I was with my husband at all times, but still felt very uncomfortable and uneasy when I wore shorts and t shirt. There were many western women who simply didn't let it worry them, however it is worth noting that you may want to think about your attire when you venture out of Petra into Wadi Musa for eating or for the night. It is worth carrying some light trousers or long sleeve tops just to make yourself feel more comfortable.

The most important of these tips is to drink and drink and drink water and you then should have an enjoyable visit around Petra and marvel at its wonderful sandstone carvings.

One of the many places we visited whilst in the Middle East this summer was the wonderous site of Petra in Jordan. Many people will already be familiar with some of the sights of Petra due to it featuring in one of the indiana jones films, however, it was our guide book that drew our attention to this place, with now claims a place as one of the new wonders of the world.

Petra is located about 4 hours drive from the Jordanian capital of Amman, and there are plenty of lodgings and eateries in Wadi Musa, the little town beside the entrance to Petra.

Petra is a Nabataen dead city, showcasing this ancient civilisation and their skillful impressive labour in the monuments that remain carved into the sandstone rock within Petra.

Arriving at the entrance gate to Petra, you have the option of tickets, depending on how many days you have. We arrived late afternoon and were staying until the following day, so it was necessary to purchase a 2 day pass. Passes up to 4 days are available. Our 2 day pass cost us 26 Jordanian Dinar each (around £25 per person). The park closes around 7pm - 7.30pm in the summer season, so we didn't feel we got our money's worth the first day since we arrived at 4.30 in the afternoon, however we made up for lost time the following day.

On our first trip into Petra we hadn't realised just how lengthy the initial trek in to the siq and beyond was. It took us approximately 45 minutes to reach the first main sight - the Treasury, at the end of the siq, but it was worth it. The afternoon, and early morning are the best times to see Petra due to way the shadow falls on the sandstone rock, and we were certainly impressed.

The siq is the ancient main entrance to the site, and is 1200m in length. It takes you through a narrow sandstone cliffs, and if like my husband you are interested in geology, you will be in your element admiring the formations and water channels cut into the cliffs. Horse drawn carriages are available from near the entrance gate of Petra to the Treasury for a fee, and we were pleased to see that the Brooke charity had a base inside Petra to give the horse being used shade, rest and water throughout the day.

As you approach the end of the siq, you start to get a glimpse of the famous Treasury, one of the best preserved carved structures in Petra. This wonderful structure was carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb for one of the Nabataen kings, however it served other purposes in later years. Although the outside decor of the treasury is breath taking, the inside is rather plain, with little carvings, and only the beautiful natural colours of hte sandstone to look at. We only managed to see this on our first visit before the park closed.

We did get another different look at the Treasury when we opted to take the 'Petra by night' excursion, which runs on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 8.30. The walk into the Treasury, including the siq are lit only by candlelight. It is a very peaceful and romantic thing to do when you visit Petra, and you are rewarded when you arrive at the treasury with some Jordian music and tea by candlelight. Highly recommended!!

The following day we went back for a better look and to go beyond the treasury. The park opens early about 6.30 (I think!) and we were entering Petra by about 7.30 that morning. Ideal because there were less crowds, nice shadows on the rocks, and most importantly a little cooler (if that is possible in the summer months in Jordan).

Beyond the treasury we then walked through the outer siq, much shorter in length, before approaching the Street of Facades, and then the theatre. The Street of Facades is simply rows of Nabataean tombs, some with intricate carvings. The theatre is more impressive, and resembles that of those built by the romans, a factor influencing of Nabataeans in the 1st century AD.

Beyond the theatre you will by inspired by the array of Royal Tombs carved into the cliff rock face. Again, it is the outside of these tombs that are the must see. Inside, the tombs are plain with nothing much to see. Some of the most impressive tombs are the Urn Tomb, which is the largest and holds its own courtyard, and the palace tomb, which unfortunately has been badly eroded over the years.

The last of the main sights that we had time to see on our 2 day visit, was the colonnaded street, which led to the main city centre at one time. The street was once home to shops, houses and even a temple, which you can still walk around today.

If you have more time in Petra, and can endure the intense dry summer heat, you can take a donkey ride (or climb!) the 800 steps to the monastery or even the high place of sacrifice.

We felt however that we got to see as much of Petra as we could and were able to come away with a greater understanding of this ancient civilisation and an appreciation for thier craftmanship and practical skills.

Petra really is a wonderful place to visit, and like no other I have seen. It is hard to really understand its beauty until it is right before you. I would suggest that if you are visiting in the summer months like us, you take at least 2 big bottles of water with you (believe me you will drink it all), a protective sun hat, sun cream, and some food, and there are only a few eating places in the site. Be aware also that the Bedouin people that offer the donkey rides as well as having jewellery stalls etc inside Petra will hound you throughout your visit. We found the best approach was to simply to shake your head 'no' when you weren't interested, and then they didn't know if you spoke english, and those left you somewhat more alone. It is sad however to watch children as young as 3 or 4 trying to sell things to you, or hit donkeys with metal rods. I found this particularly hard to take, but the further side of Petra appears to be run by the Bedouin, and the animals are not cared for by the Brooke charity, like the horses at the entrance.

However, all in all Petra deserves its title as a new wonder of the world, and is certainly worth visiting Jordan alone for, as I doubt you will see anything like it again!

Whilst visiting the wonderful site of Petra in Jordan this summer, we opted to stay in the Petra Moon hotel which is only a stone's throw from the actual entrance to Petra.

Although it is called the Petra Moon hotel, it is actually in the little town of Wadi Musa, which is the town beside the entrance to Petra. Petra is a dead city.

One of the reasons we chose this hotel was the fact that is was in our lonely planet travel guide and recommended to those on a budget, which we were.

The Petra Moon is a two star 'family' hotel, which offers a small breakfast in the morning, as well as free parking for guests. It will also store your luggage, should you be checking out of the hotel before departing from Petra itself, like we were.

We arrived in the late afternoon, and wanted to head straight for the entrance gate to Petra. The front desk was manned by a young man who spoke reasonable english and was very friendly, giving us (or so he claimed) a 'nice room', though I am not quite sure that our room varied much from all the others in the hotel.

From the hotel reception desk we were also able to purchase 'Petra by night' tickets, allowing us to go on a candlelight guided walk to the Treasury in Petra after the sun had set. Other tours were also available for booking at the reception desk.

Although we usually like to have hotels booked in advance, on this occasion we had only booked about a week prior to arriving in Petra, over the phone. The hotel does appear to take bookings through email as well.

The reception area of the hotel is quite nice, with large comfortable arm chairs, although staff didn't always have the air conditioning on, leaving us feeling that we still sweltering in the heat when we entered the hotel.

Our room however was air conditioned which was extremely necessary in the heat of the summer in Jordan, and had its own ensuite shower.

Our double room which cost us 40 dinar for the night, including breakfast, was a little dated and tired, and in need of modernising. When we entered the room, staff had made up the guest towels on the bed into the shape of 2 swans, which we thought was a nice touch. The room consisted on a double bed, a TV and a few other bits of furnishings, and was perfectly adequate for the short duration of time we actually spent in the room.

The bathroom however was disappointing. Jordan does appear to have problems with water, and the bathroom toilet did not flush very well at all. You cannot drink the tap water in Jordan so we had to be very careful when washing our faces/teeth at night, not to swallow any. The shower however was in dire need of renovation and neither of us particularly looked forward to showering in it that evening. It is also worth noting that the hotel turns off the hot water at 11pm in the evening, and it does not come on again to 6am.

As I said we spent very little time in our hotel room, but we had a comfortable nights sleep, and were glad of the air conditioning to keep us cool at night.

We were disappointed with the breakfast in the morning, although on one hand we were grateful that we didn't have to go looking for food in some of the nearby restaurants, and therefore could get to Petra early before it got too hot or the crowds gathered. Breakfast consisted of cereal (with lukewarm milk - not too nice), processed cheese slices, some strangely coloured meat (we didn't see any other guests try this either) and some bread that could be toasted in a rather dangerous looking toaster. We opted simply to have a little cereal, and a couple of slices of bread with butter and jam. We wouldn't say we felt well fed that morning, but it was enough to give us an energy boost for the day visiting Petra.

Guests must check out by 12 o'clock, however we had checked out after our early breakfast. We asked to leave out bags behind the desk, and the receptionist was happy for us to do so. We paid for our room for the night (paying by visa also means a 3% charge) and left. We returned later for our bags, and were happy to find that they had been kept safe and secure for that time.

All in all, the Petra moon is an ideal base if you are simply looking for somewhere to rest your head for the night after exploring Petra. The rooms are comfortable and clean, although the bathroom leaves a lot to be desired. There are more expensive options in Wadi Musa and it entirely depends upon your budget and what you need out of a hotel. We were happy with what we got for 40 dinar for the night, and would recommend it for anyone on a budget wanting to explore Petra rather than stay in their hotel room.