Israel - Heading North

After leaving Tel Aviv we headed north and our first stop is along the Mediterranean Coast. Israel is a small country so we were never on the road for more than two hours. I like that we didn't have to fly and deal with the hassle of an airport and luggage.  Israel's infrastructure is great.  The roads are paved throughout and the highways are medium sized.  I would say easy to navigate because we had a driver and the signs are in Hebrew, Arabic & sometimes English alphabet.

Bonnie, Amir, Ja'Vonne

Our first stop at 9:00am is to the Binyamina Winery.  That's right 9:00am.  Somewhere in the world it was 5pm.  This is a Kosher winery, which means that everything from the vines to the bottle must be handled by a sabbath Jewish person.  The ingredients of wine are not non-kosher so it's deemed kosher by who handles the wine making process.  Israel wine is quite good and I purchased a couple of bottles for myself.  A blend of Cabernet sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot.

Israel fascinates me every step of the way.  Our next stop is Nazareth.  Nazareth is the largest Arab town in Israel and the start of the Gospel Trail and Christian Pilgrimage.  I forget that it is Arabic and say thank you to a merchant in Hebrew.  He replies in English and then it hits me....I should have said shukran and when I remember and correct myself he smiles and replies afwan (you're welcome in Arabic).  We visit the Basilica of the Annunciation.  It's a Catholic church that is built on top of Byzantine and Crusader churches and it's the site where Mary was told by Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus.  There is a shrine to Mary here and the site is beautiful.

We were introduced to another faith and culture in this area. Druze.  In the Carmel National Park we met with and had lunch at a Druze village.  The Druze culture and religion are very interesting.  They are people without a land. Druze theology believes that God was incarnated and as a whole in reincarnation of the human spirit.

Continuing on to Haifa, Israel's third largest city and as we are told the place where many cultures co-exist.  We're in the mountains and it's a bit colder than Tel Aviv and Nazareth.  I can't complain though because we're told that the week before was in the low 30's, rainy and windy.  For our visit it's in the upper 50's in this part.  One of the most beautiful & impressive attractions in Haifa is the Bahia Faith World Center.  It's sits high atop the city and it's gardens are absolutely breathtaking.  Irregardless of your faith you can come here connect spiritually just with the shear beauty of the surroundings.  Nature has a way of equalizing us all.  The Bahai Faith is among the newest independent world faiths and believe in a peaceful and unified world.

Next stop Akko and Galilee...we're getting serious folks.

Ja'Vonne Harley, Co-Host - The Traveling Eye
Photos by Howard Little, Video Twist Productions

Israel is Unexpected

I could not get into my blog from Israel so I was unable to blog each day.  I will start as if I am starting my trip so you can journey with me.

I never really thought about Israel because I saw it only as the Holyland.  Nothing against the Holyland but I wanted more from the destination.  When we were contacted by the Israeli Office of Tourism I started researching what Israel had to offer and found that Israel is a very diverse country and has a lot to offer for leisure tourism.  I also thought that I would find heightened security and wasn't sure if that would set the tone for the trip.

Bonnie $ Ja'Vonne at Airport

Starting with my arrival at the Ben Gurion airport that's located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem I was surprised that the security was no more or less obvious than at any other airport.  The people were friendly and accommodating.  I was tired upon arrival but this observation relaxed me.

At d

Driving to Tel Aviv I couldn't help but notice that Tel Aviv is a very modern city and I felt like I was in any major city.  Great infrastructure!  We checked into our hotel, freshened up and went for dinner.  I'm going to do a separate blog on "The Flavors of Israel" so I won't go into the restaurant at this time and will only say that it was a fantastic introduction to Israel and it's cuisine

After a good nights rest we awoke the next morning to begin our day and tour of Tel Aviv.  We headed to Abrasha, a vantage point high above the city to get a birds eye view. Tel Aviv is located on the west coast of Israel and has a nice shoreline.  Don't know if you can see in our photo (it was a hazy day) there are surfers below.  I always head for a highpoint to see what the city looks like from above and for photos.

We did something a little different in Tel Aviv.  Instead of focusing on the history we focused on the neighborhoods, arts and culture scene of Tel Aviv.  We felt that we would get so much history throughout the rest of Israel that we wanted to see what the people and social scene was all about.  After all Tel Aviv is only 100 years old.  Our guide for the day, Doron Ozer, took us to on a walking tour through Old Jaffa, the ancient seaport, Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv's oldest neighborhood whose historic homes and alleyways have been restored.  We met the people along the way.  I don't have her name but one lady we met was the first to restore in her neighborhood and others soon followed.  We met a fabulous artist, who is dyslexic.  Ms. Llana Goor is world renowned and because she did not fair well in school because of her learning disability, focused her energy on art and sculpting.  Her museum is in her home.  It's three floors with a roof top and might I add, one of the best views in the city or as she says, the best in Israel.

We also walked through the Carmel Open-Air market and Doron treated us to Israeli fast or street food, which ever you like to call it.  One stand only sold hummus.  Hummus so many ways it left you repeating it over and over again...hummus, hummus, hummus.  One stand only did Shawarma, a pita pocket filled with chicken, lamb or beef and different sauces.  You could get a mini or a regular sized one.  Since we were on a tasting tour we went for the mini.  Hmmmm delish. We were then serenaded by a singing barista.  His shop only serves coffee and he usually does concerts on Tuesdays and Fridays.  We were there on Monday so this was a special treat.  I almost forgot about the falalel shop.  I don't know how because the tastes were unforgettable and some of the best falalel I've ever had and the variety... A stop at a fruit stand I couldn't pass up fresh squeezed pommergranite juice. A big ole pommergranite pressed on an old fashined lemon juicer. OMG, so fresh!

That night we hit the bar scene.  Some were quiet and others were loud.  Unfortunately we were party poopers and only hit two.  We were so tired from the traveling to Israel and the full day of touring we couldn;t do any more.  I wish I could have done more.  The first bar we went to was just for socializing and drinks.  Several tables looked to be ladies night out.  The second bars music greeted us a block away with dancehall reggae.  We danced a bit and then called it a night.  We pooped out.

I must say this was a nice way to see the city, walking through neighborhoods, meeting people and tasting street food.

Thank you Donor!


Bonnie, Donor, Ja'Vonne

Photos by Howard Little, Video Twist Productions