the final day

We are finishing our trip to Israel today - bitter sweet.

We spent the morning at Caesarea National Park in Caesarea, about an hour north of Tel Aviv. Here are the remains of Roman city built by King Herod in the time of Jesus. Herod built 8 palaces throughout Israel but this one was built on the water and was the largest man-made port in the world used for trade in ancient times.

We also saw the remains of a theatre which is still used today for outdoor concerts from June to October.

Also we saw a hippodrome used for chariot races with stadium seating and a box seat for the king himself.

After we enjoyed a wonderful lunch made by a world-renowned chef from Austria. Bon appetit!

We will be boarding for home soon and saying goodbye to Israel. It is truly an amazing country so I hope you will decide to join Ben Davy next November for the trip of a lifetime.

If you want to ask me any details you can email me at janice@lifeonline.fm and I will be happy to assist you. Shalom!

At the sea

Today we spent in Tel Aviv/Jaffa or Jaffa/Tel Aviv whichever way you want to say it. In all likelihood this is where you will land in Israel when you come to visit next November.

Tel Aviv is a big modern city like Toronto. It is the centre of finance in Israel. It is situated on a very beautiful beach which extends from Lebanon to Gaza. This city was only built in 1908.

On the other hand Jaffa is around 5,000 years old and is now a suburb of Tel Aviv. Jaffa is named after Noah's son Japheth. The ruins of the old city were a prime area for drugs and loitering and problems so they made a law that in that part of the city now are only art galleries and studios. In fact you have to be an artist to buy or rent a place there.

It was a beautiful sunny day here, around 26 degrees, so we spent some free time at the beach. A nice way to wind down near the end of our trip.

It's a long way to Tel Aviv

If you know the song "It's a long way to Tiperary" then you know the tune to which our tour guide was singing "It's a long way to Tel Aviv" today.

We left Eilat in the south and traveled through the Negev desert region northwest. In total it is about 5 hours but we made a few stops along the way.

I still find it funny after almost a week when I see a camel crossing sign. You see them drinking from troughs not far from the sides of the road.

On our journey today we saw gazelles and ibex (mountain goats) in the wild. We also passed through the valley of Ha Ela where David slayed Goliath. We had some amazing views of Canaan and the Ramon Crater. To the east we could see Petra in the distance and to the west Mount Sinai.

As we arrived in Tel Aviv we were told by our guide that this city has many cyclists and the most outdoor restaurants and cafes in all of Israel. I hope to enjoy both while I'm here as well as a walk along the beach on the Mediterranean Sea.

In Eilat

I have spent the weekend in Eilat in the south of Israel. It is actually located where Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt meet.

There is a good possibility that Eilat will not be on the intinerary for those of you that choose to go to Israel with Ben next November. But I will mention it for two reasons:

1) In Jerusalem the last two days it has been rainy and cold. Here in Eilat it has been 27 and sunny. It is a resort destination so you may want to add a few extra days onto your trip and visit Eilat just to enjoy the warm temperatures and sunshine.

2) I have seen some things that pertain to Christianity. I was in the Negev desert where Abraham was. In that desert is the plant from which they made the crown of thorns that Jesus was forced to wear which I saw. Also we are situated on the Red Sea and near Mount Sinai which are both important in Moses' stories in the Bible.

Until next time, stay warm.

a fun day

If you have been following my blog at all you will know that I have seen many amazing things like David's tomb and the Western Wall and I have been to incredible places like the Holocaust Museum and the Mount of Olives.

Although our travels today did take us by the Garden of Gethsemane and Bethany (which are certainly not visits to be taken likely), for me this was my fun day.

For the first time in my life I got to sit on a camel. I have talked about doing this with my husband for many years. The other media representatives that I am on tour with said they had never seen someone so overcome with joy. It was a very cool experience (I am a huge animal lover).

Another fun thing we did today was to visit the Dead Sea and float in it. Some of you may have done this and you know there is nothing quite like it. There is no sand or mud or algae on the bottom of the sea just salt - white lumps of salt. A very unique and unforgettable experience.

Now we are heading to the south part of Israel where apparently it is 26 degrees - I'll take it!

Words cannot describe

Today I was in Jerusalem - the Old City. I was carried back in time to the days when Jesus walked on earth. Magnificent is all I can say.

Specifically we saw Mount Moriah where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him. We saw the Mount of Olives where Jesus first saw the City of David. And we visited the Western (Wailing) Wall. It was amazing to see some of the original stones that were laid by Herod when the temple was built and to walk on some of the original roads that existed 2,000 years ago.

We also saw King David's tomb and the room that is built over the place where the Last Supper was supposed to have occurred. It gives me chills to think that the people in the Bible that I read about and study lived here and I get to be here too.

Later we also went to the Holocaust Museum. This is a memorial to the millions of Jews who lost their lives to the Hitler regime. It is very well done and grips your heart and makes you think about humanity, its depravity at times and how we can make a difference (for the better) in the world.

Finally we went to the Israel Museum and saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and the original jars they were found in when discovered in Qumran.

All in all a very exciting day in the Holy City. Tomorrow it is off to the Dead Sea.

Landed!

We made it! A small group of 5 of us left Pearson International Airport at 13:10 on Tuesday, November 15th and arrived in Tel Aviv at 7:40am (Israel time) the next morning after 10 3/4 hours in the air. We were tired but hit the ground running.

We were greeted by our rep who took us through customs with ease and helped us find our guide. Then we were off to Ein Karem for breakfast. We had pancakes, almond bread, omelletes and "shakshuka", a dish made with eggs,
eggplant, tomatoes and onions. Then we even had cake for dessert!

Ein Karem is the hometown of Elizabeth, Zacharias and the birth place of John the Baptist. Because Mary and Joseph traveled through this town to visit their relatives the church there is called the Church of the Visitation.

We're staying at a beautiful hotel at the corner where New Jerusalem and Old Jerusalem meet. Looking forward to a nice dinner this evening then early to bed.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my feedback about visiting Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.