20180529 Tel Aviv: Got up around 7:30 and met Spellers for breakfast at 8:00. Got into Yael’s van at 9:30 and went over to the Sarona area. Yael told us about the German Templars that had settled here and their history. The buildings have been restored since the British had used them as a military base before 1948 and then the IDF had them until about a decade ago. Then they were renovated into shops and restaurants so the area looks as it did in Templar time.

Then went into the Sarona Market … sort of like Chelsea Market. Great looking foods, food stalls, kitchen supplies, etc. Spent some time just wandering and taking images.

Headed south to Rehovot area which houses the Weitzman Institute and the Ayalon Institute where we were heading. Ayalon Institute sits on the site of a kibbutz, under which the Haganah secreted a bullet-making factory from 1945-1948 putting out 2.5 million bullets for use in Sten machine guns. They built this underground facility at the kibbutz while surrounded by British army camps. Great story about how they hid from the British and the secrecy of what was going on there that was only know by the 45 workers who made the bullets.

At the end of the tour, which included going underground to the factory, Yael took us to a private room where she told the story of her grandfather, someone she was very close with. Before he died, he asked Yael’s father to clean out his house. What was found was his Sten gun and the information that he was in the Haganah and fought with this weapon. What was with it was a box of bullets dated and coded that they came from the Ayalon facility in 1948. So the family donated all this to Ayalon and Yael has the privilege of showing it to us and others she brings here. A very personal and emotional experience.

We drove back to Tel Aviv, parked near the food market, and had a great lunch at a Tunisian restaurant, Oh Mama. Wandered through the food market and emerged on a side street to head over to the arts and crafts market that is held each Tuesday and Thursday (Nachlat Binyamin). Spent time looking at the items in the market and then headed back to the hotel near 5:00.

I left the hotel at 7:15 with others following a few minutes later. I walked down the street and over to a clear area where I could see the sea and Yafo to take sunset pix. Nice. Then met others as Manta Ray for a terrific dinner. Took a long time, so Spellers went over for gelato and we went to the hotel. Leaving tomorrow AM at 8:15 to head north. Great day today!

20180531 Upper Galilee, Tel Dan, Golan Heights, Sefad: Another very long and wonderful day. After breakfast at the hotel, we left about 8:30 and drove north to the Upper Galilee and into the Tel Dan Nature Reserve. We could see the stream of the Tel Springs that has water from Mt. Hermon, the main source of Israel’s water. This runs down into the Sea of Galilee and then south all the way to the Dead Sea. We drank some of the water bubbling from the stones and waded in a cool pool.

Besides the nature trails, the main attractions are from the Tenth and Ninth Centuries BCE with the original gate area to the City of Dan and the excavated temple there built by the Jewish king of the region to rival the temple in Jerusalem given it was a separate kingdom of Jews. This is about the only place where once can see a temple from the time of the Second Temple in Jerusalem since it’s buried under the Temple Mount there.

After a couple of hours there, we went nearby to a Naot Outlet and then to a pizza place next to it. From there, it was across the Hula Valley and up and up to the Golan Heights where we could see the border in the distance, visit with some UN peacekeepers from Estonia and The Netherlands, go into trenches and old bunkers from the Six Day War period, and get a good cold coffee.

Then down across the valley and up and up again to Sefad. We visited both a Sephardic and an Ashkenazi synagogue and heard their importance in Judaism from the rabbi at one who wrote the Shulcan Aruch to the rabbi at the other who was seminal in the Kabbalah. Afterwards, we walked to along the wonderul shops. and back to the hotel about 5:00.

Andy, Tracy and I walked down to the Sea of Kinnereth (Sea of Galilee) to dip toes and see it up close. Then off to dinner nearby around 7:00. Tomorrow we head to Jerusalem.

20180530 Caesarea-Isfaya-Haifa-Acre-Galilee: Got into the van at=bout 8:30 and headed north to Caesarea for long tour of Roman and Crusader parts. On the way, we could see the immense number of high-rise apartments being built in cities on the outskirts of Tel Aviv to accommodate all the new arrivals in Israel. While Marian and I were in this area in 1962, most of what is there now had not been excavated then. We saw a movie depicting the city through the ages, sat in the Roman theatre and got history, walked over to the Roman hippodrome. Then in the van and up a bit to the Crusader part.

Next it was a winding road over Mt. Carmel to the Druze village of Isfaya for a nice shwarama lunch. Then over the other side of the mountain down and down and down to Haifa and a visit to the Baha’i Gardens. Gorgeous and a great view over the city and harbour.

Then onward to Acre for a long tour of what has been reclaimed from the sands of the Crusader and other ruins. These were buried when we were here before. All we had seen was the prison. And all the new stuff we saw today was actually under the prison and beyond. Walked along the harbour. Went through the Arab market.

Finally a long drive east to the Sea of Galilee and Nof Ginosar, our hotel for two nights. Room 524 which is a “cottage.” Got there about 6:00 after a very long day. Had buffet dinner.

What I have outlined above is such an abbreviation of a long and intricate day jammed packed with wonderful sights and history.

20180601 Jerusalem: Left hotel about 8:30 and drove toward Jerusalem through the Jordan Valley. Found out that there is a dam on Sea of Kinnereth so that water does not flow into the river and down to the Dead Sea. It’s all of their major water system and, as part of the accords with Jordan, they provide water to Jordan, which is a very dry country. And we found out as well that about 85% of their water is recycled to be used for everything other than drinking water.

So, headed north along the valley and fences that separate Jordan from the Territories (West Bank). Yael told us that after the Oslo Accords, the Territories were divided up into three sections: A, B, and C. All that are in “A” areas are Palestinian controlled and citizens of Israel are not allowed to go there. Jericho is in “A,” for example. “C” is total Israeli control and “B” is mixed with Israel providing overall security, but the Palestinian Authority doing security within their towns. Red signs at intersections warn that one would be entering an “A” area. And as we got near Jerusalem through the Judean Desert, there was a checkpoint since we were leaving “B” and entering “C” and greater Israel.

Traffic in Jerusalem is horrible. Worse today since its Ramadan and hundreds of thousand Moslem people go to the Dome of the Rock for prayers. So besides normal heavy traffic, all of the old city’s streets were closed.

Our first stop was Mt. Scopus and the Hebrew University Campus for an overlook of the old and new parts of Jerusalem. With a blessing and a sip of wine, we welcomed ourselves to the home of the Jews. Then the traffic snarl began as we tried to get to the Mahane Yehuda Market (The “Shuk”). Yael had to go way out of the way to try to circle around the closed streets. We went through a predominately orthodox neighborhood which had throngs of people preparing for the Sabbath.

Finally emerged near the market. Before going in, Yael got some hot, fresh rugaleh from her favorite bakery. Then we dove into the market. It’s more of a crush of people than any other market I’ve been in during my travels. It was really hard for me to even see the rest of our group ahead of me as we pushed our way through. Got nice falafel from a stand. Spent time at a great spice booth sampling and buying. Went to see how halvah and tahini are made … huge grindstone where pure sesame butter emerges.

After being a bit crushed, we returned to the car and went to Dan Panorama Jerusalem where we are in Room 357. I went out and walked way uphill to the nearest ATM to stock up on shekels. About 6:30, we all walked downhill to the old train station which has been converted to shops and restaurants for a nice dinner and ice cream. Is an area that is non-kosher and open on Shabbat. Then long walk uphill … and it’s really chilly here, which none of us expected.

Tomorrow Shabbat continues, so most things will be closed. No planned activities. Yael is with her family and we will see her on Sunday.