backpacker33

Tel Aviv (Day2) I’m down in reception checking my flights before 9am and I can see by the Jet2go site that the next scheduled flight leaving Tel Aviv for Manchester is on the 29th of April. If that’s the case I’ll have to head for Cyprus and then mainland Europe, as Israel’s too dear to spend another week here. The Kiwis come down and find that they’re flight to Turkey is not affected by the volcano. The five of us head off for the beach. It’s around 24° and the water is freezing. Tel Aviv has a nice golden beach with gentle sloping gradient out to the deep. I regret not bringing my mask and snorkel. It’s 2pm and we head for a tuna sandwich and stock up with bottles of beer from the supermarket for ... read more

It’s going to be a long day, but I’m in no hurry to start. I’m delaying things. I go hunting for a cycle to hire although the hostel rents bikes, but they are charging 60 Shekels for the day finishing at 6pm. I waste an hour searching, and then return to my hostel to pay the 60 Shekels. It’s 10:30am as I head out of Tiberias. It’s Memorial Day and people are marching again. I immediately take the wrong road and I’m climbing . This shouldn’t happen when you’re cycling around a lake. An air raid siren begins to wail. I’m unconcerned. I’m not convinced there’s any incoming rockets coming in from Syria or Jordan. It’s more likely a dry run. A white van stops and two men jump out and stand vertical with heads bowed. ... read more

It’s a late start and down to Damascus Gate to find the No 21 bus to Bethlehem, The bus is parked underneath Skull Hill and off I go. The 25 foot high segregation wall is clear to see today but we’re waved through the checkpoint. A sign reminds Israelis that it is illegal for them to enter the West Bank. I walk up from the bus terminus into the heart of Bethlehem. Through the vibrant market that sells everything from clothes to meat to fruit, refrigerators, mobile phones and tv’s. There’s even a small pet stall. Mickey Mouse is handing out leaflets in Arabic. The market ends in Manger Square and before you, is the Church of the Nativity and the Grotto of the Nativity where Jesus is said to have been born. Again, this Church ... read more

I’m quite glad I’m leaving my room this morning as I’m getting bitten at night and there’s no mosquitoes around. There must be something chomping away at me inside my mattress. I leave my large rucksack in the hallway, and off I go out of Jaffa gate and down the hill to the bus stop. It’s 8am, and the No 20 bus comes by quickly. I’m travelling on the bus with elderly women pushing shopping trolleys, young soldiers , ultra Orthodox Jews with curly locks and large black hats and University students. I get told when to get off the bus and a young University student gets off with me. The Museum is in a forestry, high up on the side of a valley, commanding fantastic views of the valley below. It’s a one kilometre walk ... read more

Today will be a religious and political search through the heart of Jerusalem. I’m aware of the old Biblical stories concerning Jerusalem but my in-depth knowledge is poor. I also don’t recognise any English place names or occurrences as all my religious stories have been told in Welsh. What I do understand is that three important World Faiths converge or collide in Jerusalem. The basis of the three religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the same and at their core is the Bible. The Faiths all idolise the same one God. The cast are the same from Abraham, Isaac, Aaron, Noah, Jesus and Archangel Gabriel etc. Where they differ is from the teachings and interpretations after the Bible. Judaism follow the teachings of the Talmud, while Christians have added the teachings of the New Testament while ... read more