ISRAEL

TEL AVIV

Tel Aviv is the largest commercial city inside Israel. Being on the coast it is, in summer, very hot and humid. And that's what slapped us in the face: heat and high humidity, even from around 8.30am when we arrived off our flight from Amman. We stopped for a light breakfast, having been picked up by tour guide, Madi, and wandered through the old port of Jaffa to a waterfront restaurant which charged a lot for very little and very slowly. Not a great way to experience a country's hospitality - but it did get a lot better from there on. Perhaps we were overpaying for the waterfront view.

Port area of Ancient [and modern] Jaffa

When we were finally able to get into our hotel. the air-con was so welcoming. But true to form we up and walked to the Art Museum through some leafy backstreets rather than take the [probably easier - and hotter!] more straight forward route. Again some Masterpieces: Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens - amongst others! Back to the hotel, dripping wet for an early shower and then a walk down to the pool for a dip which was very refreshing and backed up by a free ice-block. Post pool we walked down to the beach to bathe our feet [nothing more] in the Mediterranean and sit on the beach amongst the phalanx of beach umbrellas to watch the sunset.

Tel Aviv - hot property beach front

On dusk we walked the streets around the hotel to find a local restaurant - not a good idea as it turned out the next day! That's another story.

TEL AVIV TO SEA OF GALILEE

A long day starting early with our first stop at Caesarea the city built by Herod the Great in 20 BC and which for around 600 years was the capital of the Roman province of Judea - Pontius Pilate presided over the region from this city. It is also the place where the Jewish revolt against the Romans began in 66 AD and after it's demise it was rebuilt by the Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem.

Caesarea built by Herod the Great in 20 BC - the bathing pools

From Caesaria we drove north along the coast to the Port City of Haifa with some magnificent views over the city and Bahai Mausoleum and Gardens before driving onwards to the town of Acco (Acre) where we visited the Temple of St Jean and the huge Crusader Knights of St John fortress with its underground secret escape tunnel which led to the harbour. Lunch we took in a little souk in a local restaurant which was fair bristling. It was from Acre, with the help of the British [cannons] that El-Jazzar [the butcher famed for his cruelty] fought off the two month siege from Napoleon.

Inside the subterranean passages of the city of the Knights of St John

Crusaders of the 12th century

Our trip from Acre took us across country to Nazareth where we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation built above the house where Mary was living when Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she was to become the Mother of Jesus - and this is where Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived and worked. A walk down into the grotto to see the rooms inside the house and then 'Mary's Kitchen' took us back to the entrance.

The Church of the Annunciation - it is said that 

this is where Mary received God's message from Archangel Gabriel 

The last part of the day took us to a Catholic place of Pilgrimage at Genosoa on the Sea of Galilee, where we took a rushed dip in the warm, fresh water before heading to dinner and bed. A looooong day!

Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee

GALILEE TO BETHLEHEM

Our day started with a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee - refreshing in the cool breeze of early morning. Three flags were raised on the boat: NZ, Australia and Israeli and there was even an opportunity to learn a traditional dance taught by one of the crew. After the boat ride we went to the Museum of the Ancient Boat - the remains of a boat that had been dredged from the floor of the Sea of Galilee that was similar to the one in which Jesus and the Disciples fished. At this point our journey stops interrupted by a three hour visit to the hospital in Tiberias, but following treatment, we resumed on the way south to Taberna, south of Tiberias, where Baptism in the Jordan River took place.

A fence separates Israel and Jordan - across the Jordan Valley

A long bus ride later took us through the West Bank and up into the Holy City of Jerusalem. We then drove onwards, about another 20 minutes in traffic to enter Bethlehem in the Palestinian territory. Passing though the checkpoint to get in is 'easy': to get out is a lot more difficult and for the Palestinians - well, they don't get out [at least into Israel]. Their air exit is via Amman in Jordan - they are denied access to Israel's Ben Gurion exit.

BETHLEHEM TO JERUSALEM

Bethlehem.... everyone Christian, Muslim and Jewish, knows what happened here. Bethlehem ['House of Bread'] and first stop the Church at Shepherd's Field where according to tradition, the shepherds were told by the angels of the birth of the Messiah. It is a church, run by the Franciscans and features a domed roof and a fresco of the Holy Family.

Church at Shepherd's Field, Bethlehem

Without going into the Biblical story, which is easily available in the Gospels, we then headed to the Church of the Nativity where Christmas Mass is televised every year and then next door to the Church of St Catherine sited over the place where Jesus was born and the manger alongside where he was paced for viewing by the shepherds and the magi.

The Manger setting, The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Today, the church is shared by the Greek Orthodox, the Armenians and the Catholics. From the Church we traveled via some back streets to where the containing wall of the Palestinians are littered with messages of Palestinian dreams, graffiti and even some of Banksy's street art. The move from there [that is, inside Palestine] to Jerusalem took us back through the Israeli checkpoint manned by both male and female soldiers ensuring no Palestinians were illegally escaping into Israeli territory. We were safe  - and we moved from there to the Holocaust Museum for a moving 2 hour walk through the personal stories of victims and their families throughout Europe during the reign of the Nazi machine.

Banksy highlights the injustice of inequality in Palestine

THE DEAD SEA COAST

We spent a day exploring the Dead Sea coastline - from the Fortress at Masada accessed by cable car - and just as well given the heat of the day - and built 50m above sea level but 450m above the Dead Sea. An impressive construction, well-served with water it was resilient enough to deny the Romans entry for three years.

Some of the remains of the Masada Fortress

There are many stories about what happened at Masada but it is enough to say that this was where the Jewish revolt against the Romans ended. Making our way northwards along the Dead Sea took us to Qumran where two young Bedouin shepherd boys discovered the Dead Sea scrolls while trying to retrieve their lost goats.

The Dead Sea Scrolls found in the dark cave in Qumran

The Essenes, who had moved here from Jerusalem, across the mountain divide so they could live and die in sight of Mt Nebo [across the Dead Sea in modern Jordan from where Moses viewed the Promised Land  - and died! Poor man - after all that wandering.] had recorded the stories of the Bible lost until their discovery in 1949. The road from Qumran took us to the oldest city, not only in Israel, but the world: Jericho of tumble down walls fame. Fertile and fed by four springs [we bathed our feet in the Spring of Elijah] it supports a basket full of fruit and vegetables.

Boys cool off in the Spring of Elijah, Jericho

A ride up the hill and we were at the base of the Mount of Temptations, where Jesus when he was in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, was tempted three times by the devil. There is very little left of the site at the top of the hill and so rather than wend our way upwards, we drove back up to Jerusalem past the road where the Good Samaritan story occurred. 'A man was going up to Jerusalem..... and down to Jericho at the level of the Dead Sea.


JERUSALEM

Jordan

It took a long time [most of it waiting in the airport in Vienna] to get here but this was a highly worthwhile and enjoyable experience. While the trouble in Syria is only about 35km away we have at all times felt completely safe and welcomed. We only had to walk along the street in Aqaba to hear: Welcome to Jordan - genuine, no strings attached kind of welcome. How could anyone not respond to this positively. We would highly recommend Jordan as a Middle East tourist destination. Our experience with Peregrine and Mohammed our guide [ and driver Sami] was broad based: informative and active. Right from our 1.30am arrival in our Grand Place Hotel in Amman.

AQABA

This was our first stop after leaving Amman at the southern tip of the country on the Red Sea. Snorkelling in the Red Sea was never on our bucket list but the near tepid water and the hospitality of our boat crew and the array of fish life both on the natural reefs and in the sunken army tank serving as an artificial reef made for a relaxing and leisurely afternoon while we waited until sunset. Aqaba is Jordan's port and is just km from the Israeli town of Eilat which is very close to Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. In the other direction about 20km away is Saudi Arabia so this part of Jordan is wedged in between three other countries.

Harbour view on the Gulf of Aqaba

From Aqaba Hotel looking towards Eilat, Israel in the distance

WADI RUM

Magical desert experience. Rickety old jeeps took us through the desert past vast swathes of sand and rock. Huge monoliths of mountains: sandstone on granite - that is hard solid bases brought up from the sea via volcanic action and layered over the top with softer rock. The combination helps to give the variety of desert colour which was changing throughout the day and night we spent there. Through the Wadi to the fort of Lawrence of Arabia in which were stored the weapons to fight off the Ottoman Turks towards the end of WW1. On to the Bedouin Camp where we stayed the night in comfortable [not flash] tents but excellent to get a bit of the Bedouin experience. The sunset brought change of light and change of colour; the evening started off with a Bedouin meal cooked in the ground [like a Hangi] and after a trip to the nearby observatory to watch Saturn through the huge desert telescope and lying on the hot rocks watching shooting stars and satellites against a myriad of stars in the Milky Way we were lucky enough, before we went to bed, about 11.30pm to see the start of the Meteor Shower which coincided with our trip to Wadi Rum. The next morning we took  a jeep ride to a a camel station and were carried back in a Caravan [of Bedouin Limousines] to Wadi Rum village and the end of our stay.

Camel's Eye View heading towards Wadi Rum Village

Desert campsite, Wadi Rum

PETRA

Before we went our image of Petra was limited really to the Treasury which is the postcard image of this ancient town built up by the Nabataean people living in Wadi Musa and Petra in about the 6th Century BC.  We spent about 9 1/2 hours walking around this ancient old city cut off from the rest of the world until 1812, hidden between the mountains and accessed by an ancient Siq or passage which was reconstructed by the Romans under Hadrian. The images associated with the Royal Tombs, the Roman amphitheatre, the Place of Sacrifice and the Monastery all exude the incredible architecture and construction of peoples who have been long gone before us.
It was also in the town of Wadi Musa [or Wadi Mousa] that Moses is said to have lived at some point during the 40 years of wandering in the desert - which is what Bedouin people have been doing for millenia.  [ We even got to see the well from which Moses and his people drew water 4000 years ago and which still today provides water for the local people.
Hair cut also occurred here! Clive went to get a haircut - No 3 blade all over, the standard cut. About 30 mins later he emerged with hair cut, full facial mask and facial treatment, waxed nostrils, floss to remove stubble from the face and ear hair removed by flame [and rapidly extinguished]. All for 16 Dinas. Definitely a bit more than the 5 minute haircut.

Al-Khazneh  - Petra's Ancient Treasury

The Monastery (Ad Deir) - 800 steps above Petra

Local Transport parked above Ad-Deir - the Monastery, Petra

PETRA - AMMAN

The way back to Amman took us via the Kings Highway via Shoback Castle and the Nature Conservatory at Dana where we stopped at a co-operative run by women to keep women employed in jewelry craft work - and similar!

JERASH TO THE DEAD SEA

The last day in Jordan took us to 35 minutes from the Syrian border to the ancient Roman ruins at Jerash. The remarkable thing about these is that the new town of Jerash as grown around the  ruins which are very similar to those of Ephesus in Turkey.  Temperatures of around 33C made the day a bit of a battle to begin with but like every other day in Jordan, the sun pierced a brilliant blue sky. There was little opportunity for shelter. Water! water! water! Cold and refreshing. After the visit to Jerash we took our air-conditioned bus the the Dead Sea - 400m below sea level and a good 10C warmer than than the higher altitudes of Amman not too far distant. The Dead Sea - on the fringes was warmer than our hotel shower and like everybody who goes here we got to float in the salty water. Didn't look any different from any other lake or inland sea but definitely WAS different. Floating was the order of the day. The resort swimming pools where we were visiting made a welcome refreshing dip in the mid-high 40C temps of the afternoon. It was interesting to see that Muslim women were swimming in the same pool as the men [locals and foreign visitors like us]  completely covered as they would be on the street. But that is Jordan and the tolerance and flexibility they allow ;people to practise their beliefs. And there Jordan ends. Highly recommended.

Hadrian's Gate - Jerash

The Roman Collonades at Jerash

 Fell down walking on [Dead Sea] water

HAMBURG

Hamburg is perhaps Germany’s wealthiest cities; but it is not the largest [in terms of population]. It’s economic history was built on sea trade and it has always managed to stay ahead of the game in terms of economic growth inside Germany.

     Along the Elbe to the Concert Hall perched on top of warehouses

Here we encountered our first heavy rain – not bad going inside 5 weeks! Our first port of call was to do a ‘Free’ City Tour through Sandamans. Always a good way to orient and we had done the same thing when we visited Munich. We started at the Rathaus [City Hall] having made our way from our ‘suburban’ hotel near the Langesfelde S3/S21 station. These trains took us wherever we needed to go in terms of getting into town and at 6 Euros a day pp they were good value.

The city walk took us around the central churches [eg St Peter’s Church] to  Chilehaus and other similarly named establishments that had served Hamburg in the early days of its trade development.

         Chilehaus built in the shape of a ship's bow, 1922-1924

 From the warehouses on the waterways we made our way back to the City centre and eventually meandered ‘home’ on the trains. Meals were taken at a little Café down the road from our hotel – half the price of hotel breakfast and provided all we needed. Dinners and late lunches also we took in this little, friendly and cheap suburban establishment. Food was much cheaper out here in the ‘burbs than in the city itself.

We also took an evening tour with New Europe through St Pauli and Reebersbahn  - the seedier side of town – the Red Light District [which we saw the start of without actually going into it – U18 and women are prohibited entry], the strip joints, the girly bars and the places the Beatles first played at before they became ‘big’.  This place was alive and throbbing energy – and it was only 8.00pm – we wondered what it would become like once darkness arrived sometime after 10.00pm.

There was also a church we stopped at that provided shipping containers for African refugees nestled under sleepy trees and next to a special park built on top of a concrete building where it appeared a young woman was entertaining people by reading – perhaps she was reciting poetry!

St Pauli becomes vibrantly alive at night

From the park we wandered down to the waterfront, past a U-Boat that will never operate in the Elbe despite the owner’s intentions [the river is too shallow and besides it is a hugely busy waterway linking the North Sea to central Europe and the Atlantic. No wonder Hamburg did well out of sea trade. Down to the Fishmarkt which is only able to operate for 4 hours on a Sunday morning [around 6.00am – 10.0 and from 10am] to allow people to go to Sunday church. Besides, everything else on a Sunday shuts down – too bad if you don’t have your groceries by Saturday night!

We also visited a Museum and Photographic exhibition at Kunsthalle; lunch at the edge of Binnenalster and from there to the Church of St Peter (St Petri Church) and a climb of 544 steps to its spire at 123 metres. From here we were able to get great sweeping vistas of the city.

In an attempt to go to Sunday Mass we scoped out Marie Dom – only to find it is now a permanent fair ground with the same name as the church. Not much luck there, although it was interesting to walk through the fair – free entry – in a permanent location. We did manage to find the church however, in time for Sunday High Mass.

Hamburg's Rathaus

After the Sunday Mass we idled our way down the warehouse streets to the Miniature Museum to which we had requested tickets the day before. This is a kid’s dream. Could have stayed there a lot longer than the 2 hours or so we did just watching and being mesmerised by the hugeness of miniature – Bayern; Switzerland; Austria; Berlin dioramas after the war destruction up to the erection of the Berlin Wall and its subsequent demolition. Big kids can also be easily absorbed in this Museum. And that was it! Back to our local café; and back to our hotel to prepare for the next stage of the adventure – to Jordan and Israel.

Berlin

Berlin ….. where to start? A city with still some at least psychologically divided barriers – not so much in the young people but a little more in the older generations. It is a beautiful city in summer – so much that is old and so much new.

Monument: Winged Victory

History [some good and some not] smacks you in the face particularly in the eastern zone. There have been some attempts, even under occupation when Berlin was divided by the Wall, to modernise with ‘power’ architecture such as the Communications Tower, but it is only slowly being absorbed into one with the western zone. Still signs of it’s being run down, particularly when you get to the outer suburbs but the inner city zone is showing signs of economic development.

         The Berliner Dom

What an amazing rail system. Right across the city the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn runs efficiently and smoothly. Miss one train – and another will be along within 5 minutes.

A four hour walking tour with Original Walking Tours of Berlin, gave us the  orientatiin we needed to find our way around at various times over the next three days. Would never have considered as a young person growing up in NZ that one day we would be standing in front of the Reichstag, made infamous by Adolf Hitler; or walking through the Brandenburg Gates (Tor) along Berlin’s equivalent to Paris’ Champs Elysee, Unter den Linden; how could we have ever considered the [possibility of standing on top of the bunker in which Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun died in the last days of WW2.

But there is far more to Berlin than its infamous past. The quiet sombre feel in the air around the memorial to the Jewish dead of WW2; becoming disoriented amongst the stone slabs and the passage ways between  - an attempt in part to recreate the lost, disoriented feeling that many of the displaced peoples of Berlin would have experienced. One of the most poignant architectural experiences we have felt - it was far more than just observation from afar.

                             

     The Memorial to the Jewish Dead of Germany's WW2 Holocaust

 The architecture of Berlin Dome and the Humboldt Museum; the Library and the [    ] where students burned the books during the days of the rise of the Nazi Party to support the regime.

The Brandenburg Gate - once the divide between East and West

Our accommodation was in the west of Berlin. Only 10 minutes from Hauptbahnhof and the Hackescher Markt nearby Museum Island where the big museums are centrally located.

Once we became familiar with the S- and U-Bahn we were able to move around the city very easily. But we still managed to get ‘lost!’ On occasions we discovered places we intended to visit unintentionally! Other  times we had no idea where we were.

The Reichstag on a warm summer afternoon

One of the highlights of Berlin was our visit to the Stasi Museum with its history of service to the Soviets. With that came the fear and mistrust of many East Berliners who were spied upon by all manner of means to ensure they did not contravene the party line.

The remains of Kaiser Wilhelm Church on Kurfurstendamm

Western Berlin is also where we went to Mass  - in the wrong church.  A last minute rush to what we thought was the Catholic Church saw us end up in an Ecclesiastical Church – late to get in and the guy at the door was not helpful in at helping us to exit. The church portico was dark; there were no signs on the doors; push – or pull, neither of us knew but we finally managed to get out into the Sunday morning sunshine. A .long walk from there took us through Tiergarten (lunch on a park bench next to a homeless woman – they always seemed to have the best places to themselves) through to the Winged Victory and back down 17 June Strasse. 
And then of course there was the wall of separation.....

Part of the Berlin Wall remains - the concrete slabs at the base meant it couldn't be 

pushed over