FUN-travel: Holy Land – Tel Aviv, Israel to San Diego – Day 18
May 20, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Tel Aviv, Israel to San Diego – Day 18
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Trip Day 72 – Thursday, April 11 – Tel Aviv, Israel to Vienna, Austria to Washington, DC to San Diego
Jerusalem
- B – have to get up @ 2 am
- B – no wakeup call – fly out of bed @ 2:30
- A – 3:00 – taxi to airport right on time
- C – 3:30 – arrive & have tour guide to help us get our tickets & check bags!
- A – breeze through screening – Dead Sea mud packs & steel toed boots cause suspicion but once confirmed by us, not a problem
- B – now it’s hurry up & wait
- B – biz class lounge pretty so-so (after Emirates everything will look so-so I suspect)
- C – 6:20 am – plane takes off on time!
- 1st time flying Austrian Air
- B – 22 hrs to go before we get home
- 1st flight 4 hrs – turn clock back 1 hr
- 9:15 – arrive
- B – have to back thru security rescreening – so stupid!
- 9:35 – arrive gate
- A – 10:00 – start boarding
- A – 10:30 – plane takes off
- 2nd flight – 9 hrs
- A – nice sleeper beds & wonderful crew!
- C – Duval-Leroy French Champagne & Australian Norwood Shiraz Cabernet
- 1st course – serving cart choices – Mediterranean crayfish salad – prosciutto/parmesan/asparagus – Austrian style sushi/fresh horse radish – creamy celeriac salad/caramelized pears – chicken breast/oriental couscous – crispy crab cakes/avocado mango salad
Lebanese Border at Rosh Hanikra Grotto
- 2nd course – creamy cauliflower soup
- 3rd course – traditional cheese dumplings
- 4th course – serving cart assorted cheese & exotic fruit
- 5th course – Viennese apple strudel
Jerusalem
- B – have seen most of the movies
- A – get some sleep
- 2:25 pm – arrive Washington Dulles
- A – breeze through customs
- C – God Bless America!
Wadi Rum Tented Camp
- B – United lounge just so-so
- 5:15 – board plane
- A – 5:45 take off – plane is on time
- C – 8:00 pm – arrive San Diego
- C – our bags are off first!
- 8:30 – arrive home!
Wadi Mojib Tea Stop, Jordan
FF – (FUN-fact) – The service and the food on Austrian Air were like flying in 1st class in the 90’s!
Yuval
- Holy Land Recap: We were really impressed with Jordan. The sights, experiences, and the people were great. Israel was very progressive and modern with wonderful food.
- Hotels were all over the board from Beresheet Isrotel being the best, closely followed by Movenpiick. Blue Hotel (more like a hostel with tiny rooms) & Isrotel Gamin (room not bad, just the service) being the worst. Boutique hotels included Arthur and the Rothschild.
- We had Ali as our driver (not a guide) the whole time in Jordan. While he did not speak fluent English he was very professional and competent. We felt very safe with him. We had Colin the first four days in Israel. Frankly, we could have shortened that to two days. The Dead Sea is a must but not during Passover! Yuval was one of the best guides we have ever had. He had a Master’s degree and was very knowledgeable on history and religion. He was also very objective.
FUN-travel: Holy Land – Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 2
May 14, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 2
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Jaffa
Trip Day 71 – Wednesday, April 10 – Haifa to Tel Aviv, Israel –sunny, not – high, 80’s
Tel Aviv
- 7:15 – wake up
- B – more lukewarm cappuccino – what is with these machines?
- :00 – breakfast included @ Cantina restaurant next door
- A – spicy egg/tomato skillet w/bread, cheese, Israeli salad – more of too much food
- A – HOT cappuccino – yeah!
- 10:00 – tour starts by walking to…
- 1st stop – 10:30 – Independence Hall – residence of first mayor – now a museum w/original microphones used when Ben Gurion declared the independence of Israel on May 14, 1948
- 2nd stop – 11: 15 – Old Jaffa City walking tour – dates to 20th century BC making it one of the world’s oldest ports
- 3rd stop – lunch of schwarma – meats on a spit roasted all day – shaved off into pita w/salads & sauces – VG!
- 1:00 – back to hotel to pack
- 7:00 – dinner @ Cantina – pizza
FF – (FUN-fact) – Independence Day is celebrated in April with parades and concerts. This year it was on April 15th and in the Jewish calendar a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day.
Not so FF – Just realized that we saw no parks in Jerusalem, jammed full of people & buildings.
Tel Aviv
FUN-travel: Holy Land – Haifa To Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 16
May 13, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Haifa To Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 16
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Caesarea
Trip Day 70 – Tuesday, April 9 – Haifa to Tel Aviv, Israel – cool, windy, cloudy turns to sunny, breezy – low 70’s
Baha’i Gardens
- 6:30 – wake up
- 7:00 – warm machine cappuccino – typical breakfast buffet – make sandwiches for later
- 9:00 – take off for Tel Aviv
- 1st stop – view Baha’i Gardens from bottom
- 2nd stop – view Baha’i Gardens from top (can’t go in unless you have a group but don’t need to)
- 9:45 – drive to …
- 3rd stop – 10:15 – Caesarea – port city built by Herod the great between 29 – 22 BC – once seat of Roman rule
- A – impressive Roman aqueduct & excavated fortress
- 11:45 – head on to Tel Aviv
- 4th stop – 12:30 – Nachalat Binyamin Market – only on Tuesday & Friday – several blocks of art vendors including jewelry, clothing, paintings, etc
- 2:00 – arrive Rothschild Hotel
- C – get upgraded to suite w/huge living room
- 2:30 – walk back to market – wanted to let Yuval our guide go home & want more exercise
- 2:45 – burger break @ Agadir – Angus beef, fries, drink, salad – $18 – enough for 2!
- 4:30 – back to hotel for room R & R
Nachalat Binyamin Market
- 7:15 – walk to Herbert Samuel – restaurant recommended by Yuval – fusion food
- 1st course – salmon sashimi w/habanera sauce
- 2nd course – tomato salad everyone’s trying to copy – homemade bread basket
- 3rd course – shrimp & calamari on homemade pasta w/artichokes
- Wine – Yarden Syrah from special vineyard I can’t remember – really good!
- C – so ready for a change of food & this was wonderful! – most expensive meal and worth!
- 9:30 – nice stroll back to hotel
Caesarea
FF – (FUN-fact) – The Baha’i Gardens are splendidly manicured and tiered up the hill surrounding the impressive golden-domed Baha’i Shrine.
More FF – Haifa lies on the Mediterranean coast at the foot of Mount Carmel
FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee to Haifa, Israel – Day 15
May 10, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee to Haifa, Israel – Day 15
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
El-Jazzar Mosque
Trip Day 69 – Monday, April 8 – Galilee to Haifa, Israel – hazy sun – high, 70’s – National Holocaust Day
Safed Mosque
- B – wake-up 3:30 – 5:30 – 6:30 (ready for my own bed & pillow)
- 7:00 – machine cappuccino
- 8:00 – pack up to check out
- 9:00 – pick up – drive to …
- 1st stop – 9:30 – Safed – highest town in Israel – one of the Four Holy Cities according to tradition and Kabalistic studies (birthplace of Kabbalah) – see oldest synagogue
- 10:00 – 11:00 – walk around artist colony – narrow streets & alleys filled w/sculptures, paintings, jewelry
- B – another sand storm coming in
- 2nd stop – 11:45 – Beit Jann for Druze Hospitality w/local residents
- A – top of hill can see Lebanon (on a clear day) & huge flocks of migrating storks
- 12:30 – lunch – huge spread of food – 10 different salads/dips/olives w/pita – 3 hot dishes – lentils w/bulgur, chicken, liver & onions – VG! – couldn’t possibly eat it all!
- 1:15 – drive to east coast of Israel
- 3rd stop – 2:00 to 3:00 – Rosh Hanikra – grottos are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on soft chalk rock – total length 200 meters – branching off in various directions w/some interconnecting segments – tiny cable car takes us down – in past only access was from sea by experienced divers
Rosh Hanikra Grotto
- 4th stop – 3:30 to 4:45 – Akko (historic Acre) – most complete, charming, old walled, port city in Holy Land – Ottomans, Crusaders, Romans, Phoenicians all ruled here – get to go in Mosque of El-Jazzar – Turkish style w/recycled columns from Roman ruins
Crusader City in Akko
- 5:30 – arrive Haifa – Colony Hotel – cute little boutique right in center of town w/view of Baha’I Temple & gardens
- A – happy hour – nice cold beer in lobby fridge
- A – lots of trees & clean streets
- 8:00 – dinner across street – huge salad is enough for us – service just so-so
- A – good wine from winery tour yesterday
FF – (FUN-fact) – The Ottoman’s rebuilt on top of the ruins of the Crusader city. The original streets lie 25 ft below and include a network of underground passageways along with many well-preserved buildings.
More FF – We are really impressed with how good Israeli wine is. Our favorite so far is the Yarden Syrah and they have a distributor in New York.
FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee, Israel – Day 14
May 6, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee, Israel – Day 14
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Trip Day 68 – Sunday, April 7 – Sea of Galilee, Israel –sunny, not – high, 80’s
African Catfish
- 7:00 – machine cappuccino – not bad
- 9:00 – start tour
- 1st stop – 9:15 – Tabgha – one of most important Jesus sites in Galilee – where he fed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread & 2 fish – up hill to Mount of Beatitudes – location of Sermon on the Mount
- 2nd stop – 10:00 – Hula Valley Nature Reserve – 800 acres – home to 1000’s of birds & animals – planked walkways over wetlands – see African Catfish – turtles – Nutria – home to 500,000 migrating birds as well – flocks of storks flying overhead
- 3rd stop – 11:30 – Gamla National Park – center of Golan Heights – features include 150 ft waterfall – highest in Israel – ancient walled city built on slope of very steep hill surrounded by cliffs – raptor observatory is home to largest nesting colony
Mount of Beatitudes
- 4th stop – 1:15 – Talmudic Village of Qatzerin – ancient village replica
- 5th stop – 1:30 – lunch – Falafel sandwich w/the works – VG!
- 6th stop – 2:00 – Olive Press Mill – tour w/talk on how it’s made & store to get you to buy stuff
Gamla National Park
- 7th stop – 3:00 – Golan Heights Winery – 8 different owners – 5.5 million bottles per year – taste 3 types
- 4:45 – cold beer @ Kibbutz overlooking gardens & Sea of Galilee
- A – good thing we got here when we did – tomorrow is National Holocaust Day – so no alcohol after 5 pm until tomorrow night
- 7:30 – dinner again just so-so – typical buffet
- 8:00 – wine on the balcony!
FF – (FUN-fact) – The Sea of Galilee is actually a fresh water lake.
More FF – A Kibbutz is basically a co-op, where everyone works for the common good. They are socialists but need to be capitalists to make it work.
Talmudic Village