A Taste of Hummus !!

 Tossed by the waves, but does not sink – goes apt  for Israel, the land of Jews and many contradictions!!!Incredibly beautiful, undoubtedly daring, complex and conflicted is what makes it more fascinating and was also the reason to mark it as my next destination of travel

Tel Aviv, standing tall by the side of Mediterranean Sea

Part of me gallivanting the South Israel included a trip to Eilat, a port resort town on the red sea surrounded by the Negev Desert. It was easy to explore the entire city in few hours on a bicycle. Experienced the desert wilderness on a 4X4 jeep . It roved us through the dramatic mountains carved in colorful red stone- breathtakingly beautiful with each dip and turn.

The country boasts on impressive art work by some of the world famous Graffiti  artists. It was indeed a very unique experience to walk through the streets of Florentin, a hipster area in the modern city of Tel Aviv, surrounded by colorful and artistic walls. The walls were illicitly scribbled and sprayed showcasing the underlying social and political messages- some controversial and some humorous

The Golden Dome of the Rock 

Jerusalem- my favorite of all the destinations in Israel !!

The ancientness of the city is not just in its centuries old holy sites but in the complex histories of war, religion and politics which also makes the place feel timeless.
The city of impossible contradictions is the origin of 3 prominent religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and during its long history has been attacked 52 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, besieged 23 times and destroyed twice.
You can lose yourself for hours in the lanes of Old City (just 0.9 square kilometer of walled area with four uneven quarters - Armenian, Islamic, Christian and Jews) which has holy sites, significant to each religion.

The Western Wall

The Temple Mount compound in the walled city is a paradox of multiple beliefs. In the compound is The Dome of the Rock, an Islamic Shrine, from where Muhammad ascended to Heaven. The Jews believe this to be the site of their First Temple, from where the world was created. Surrounding the Temple Mount is The Western Wall, holiest site of Jews. Significantly known as the Wailing Wall with close proximity to the Heaven and the First Temple. The compound is under the surveillance with strong presence of the army. Tourists are allowed to wander around the compound post scrutiny at the security check point, however the entrance to the Shrine is prohibited.

In the Christian quarter is the Church of Holy Sepulcher. It is one of the major Christian Pilgrimage and is believed that the Jesus was crucified and resurrected here.

It is compelling to stop every few steps and absorb the stories of religious conflicts fermenting over the centuries in this tiny little space of the walled city.   

The West Bank Tour

West Bank is a disputed territory, earlier designated as part of State of Arab, captured by Israel in a six day war in 1967 along with eastern Jerusalem. It has strong military presence and entry for Israelis is forbidden in the West Bank, also known as Palestine

The Jewish tour guide got down the bus at the border and the narrative tour was further led by a Palestinian guide once we crossed the border. Conversations with him were interesting  as we got the  insight on the Palestine view of the territorial conflicts. Palestinian public opposes Israeli military and settler presence and  views as a violation of their right to statehood and sovereignty.

    

It was a day long tour with visits to the town of Ramallah, Jericho- the oldest city in the world and also the lowest place on earth 1300 feet below sea level and Bethlehem- the city of David as per Hebrew Bible and biblical birth place of Jesus as per Christians.  

The mosaics in these sites were intricate and incredibly old.
The harshness of the never ending conflicts in no way has dampened the warmth and hospitable nature of the people whom we met in the streets and restaurants here.

Beyond Jerusalem- Masada and The Dead Sea

Looking forward was the climb to ancient fortress, Masada, to watch the sun rising over the Jordanian Mountains and emerge over the Dead Sea. This is where thousand  Jewish Rebels committed suicide instead of  accepting defeat at the hands of the Romans in a war in 73AD.

After the  most spectacular sunrise, was awaited another adventure - the Dead Sea. Nothing amusing than floating on the Dead Sea, the lowest possible level on the planet, soaking the afternoon sun

Sun Rise View from Masada & The Dead Sea

Haifa
Up North has some of the most iconic sites. It was fascinating to visit the immaculately landscaped terraces of the Bahai Gardens in the city of Haifa. Halfway along the coast, between Haifa and Tel Aviv, is Caesarea which is home to ancient structures overlooking the beach with calm water.

My travel experience in Israel has proved that “Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see”. Ten days of back to back travel was undoubtedly the most exhilarating experience in the country which exhibits multifaceted faiths and ethos in its long history. I met some incredible people  and drooled on the appetizing hummus with warm pita breads, taste of which still stands fresh.