Blogs from Israel, Middle East

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Middle East » Israel » South District » Ashdod August 18th 2023

The Museum of Philistine Culture is an archaeological museum in Ashdod by the southern coast in Israel. The museum is dedicated to the culture of the Philistines, the ancient people who inhabited the maritime part of Israel from the 12th century BC. It is the only museum in the world completely dedicated to the Philistine people. it held our for a few hours and were impressed by the exhibits and clear explanations. Using our own smartphones we followed a free self-guided online tour in audio and text. Several languages are available and we chose English, as did the couple who accompanied us. The Philistine people dominated the Mediterranean middle east for 6 centuries from From the 12th to 7th century BCE. Their kingdom centered in ancient Caanan with its seat of power on the southeastern Mediterranean ... read more
Philistine empire collapsing
Philistine archeology
Philistine religious artifacts

Middle East » Israel » South District » Eilat June 20th 2023

Eilat is the southernmost city in Israel, next to the Red Sea. It's a city people visit for diving, snorkeling and lovely hikes. It's also the tax free zone in Israel, so people come here to shop. I spent the first day at Coral Beach Nature Reserve. It's an absolute heaven for snorkeling, clearest waters I have seen in a long time and marine life just next to the beach (just put your head inside the water). I also visited Timna Park, a 6,500+ year old Copper Mine which was mined from everyone including King Solomon to the Egyptians to Romans. The mine was shut in the 1970 after Chile became the dominant player in Copper mining and Israel found it hard to compete. The landscapes at Timna Park are beautiful. I also visited the Red ... read more
Coral Beach Nature Reserve
Timna Park
Timna Park

Middle East » Israel » Tel Aviv District » Jaffa June 15th 2023

All good things must come to an end. The Israel portion is about to join the fond memory books. Today is the last day of our Israel portion of the tour. We got up a little later today, almost like we were on vacation, and prepared for our final 1/2 day of touring. We traveled around Tel Aviv and came to the site where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was fatally shot by an assassin in the center of the city. Politicians in Israel, like politicians everywhere, have their lovers and haters. Rabin was loved by many but a radical few felt he had sold out Israel in favor of a peace accord and, for this reason, a radical hater ended his life during - of all things - a peace rally. It is a chilling experience ... read more

Middle East » Israel » Tel Aviv District » Tel Aviv June 14th 2023

Before we get on with touring, let's discuss money. On many of our family trips, we have always found that using local currency was the best option for general purchases, especially in the local markets, small restaurants, and gift stores. Not so here in Israel. This country craves the US dollar and I found that US Dollars were the preferred currency for everything. The small and large shops, markets, and restaurants (basically everywhere), they priced everything in dollars. This presents a conundrum. Do I or don't I change dollars to shekels? My thoughts. Use a credit card. Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere, American Express in less than 1/2 the locations, and Discover in no place that I found. If you use a credit card, there are many advantages. You have a record of what you ... read more

Middle East » Israel June 13th 2023

Middle East » Israel » Jerusalem District » Jerusalem June 13th 2023

Jerusalem, an hour by train from Tel Aviv, is not only the holiest cities in Israel but the city with the most complex history. I spent a good amount of time in the Old City. This 1 Square Kilometre space, with three religions intertwined and intense political history is a fascinating place of faith and human beliefs. It is difficult to explain the magic of the Old City, you got to be here to experience it. Broadly, the Old City has four quarters (Armenian, Jewish, Christian and Muslim). For those who wonder why Armenian, well they were the first country to convert to Christianity and managed to get a space in the Old City. I prayed at the Western Wall (called Kotel locally, part of the Second Temple), went to the Church of Holy Sepulchre (where ... read more
Church of Holy Sepulchre
Western Wall
Jerusalem Old City

Middle East » Israel » Jerusalem District » Jerusalem June 12th 2023

Today we began our day visiting the two most important museums in all of Israel. The first one is called Yad Vashem and is the Holocaust Remembrance Museum and the second is the Israel Museum. Both were spectacular and serve completely different purposes. The Yad Yashem is devoted to remembering the victims of the Holocaust. As we all know this was a terrible time in world history where a madman tried to wipe out an entire race of people. We all know and are appalled by the history of these events, but this fascinating museum is devoted to remembering the victims and those who committed these atrocities. The museum is a series of interconnected exhibits devoted to memorializing the memories of those who survived. There are photos, movies, and very emotional video testimonials of what people ... read more

Middle East » Israel » North District » Lavi June 12th 2023

Before we tour this morning, a little story about taking a shower in Israel. If you open your day with the thought, "We are not in Kansas anymore," that will help! Many hotels in Europe do not have a washcloth. If you are desperate to use one, pack your own. You may need it 50% of the time. In Isreal the Dan Panorama had them, but the Kibbutz Lavi does not. Also, there are no shower curtains, If you are lucky there will be a 1/2 to a 1/4 glass wall on the side closest to the shower head that MAY prevent you from completely flooding the floor. Another fun thing is the shower head or lack thereof. You see, in most European bathrooms, showering is not like we do at home: the big shower head, ... read more

Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Bethlehem June 10th 2023

Before we talk about the 12,000 steps taken on today's tour, I want to comment on hydration and tipping. No matter where you travel or at what time of the year you travel, hydration is critical to having a safe and healthy trip. As part of your planning phase, you need to understand what climate you are going to, and how hot it will be. This will help you in packing the right clothes as well. If you are on any form or religious journey, you must also consider church rules, such as men and women must have their shoulders and knees covered. For men, this means long pants and a modest shirt. For women, you can use a shawl or other cover for your shoulders or to wrap around your waist to cover your knees. ... read more




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