Travel – Page 11 – Living the Journey

A visit to Jaffa

Another glorious day in an old town with a familiar name today. We set off by taxi at 9.30 and made for Bet Yehoshua train station aiming in the general direction of Tel Aviv: Hannah to go to Carmel markets while I headed to the old city of Jaffa as I hadn’t been there before.Continue reading “A visit to Jaffa”

What a mixture!!

We were up and off by 6am today in order to be at the hotel in Netanya in time for the Beit Harim Tour pick-up at 6.30a.m.. We’d not been very successful in achieving an early night and had been disturbed during the night by thunderstorms (we were later told this was the first dayContinue reading “What a mixture!!”

And one last morning in the Old City

I had really hoped that there would be an opportunity to get back to the Temple Mount but it quite clearly wasn’t to be: it’s closed to non-Muslims until 19th June for ‘security reasons’. This covers Eid-ul-Fitr and the end of Ramadan celebrations and is a time of year when feelings run high: hence theContinue reading “And one last morning in the Old City”

Shabbat in Jerusalem

What does one do in a city where almost everything – including public transport – is shut down for 24 hours? Initially, I thought a trip to the Knesset area and the Israel Museum famed for its Shrine of the Book housing the Dead Sea Scrolls might be in order. Then I decided that myContinue reading “Shabbat in Jerusalem”

Visiting Yad Vashem

I hadn’t realised just how much Yad Vashem would have changed since 1978 – then i found it very moving and simple. Now it is much more focussed on the desire to educate future generations and is the heart of the Yad Vashem Educational Trust, providing resources for anyone teaching about the Holocaust. A longContinue reading “Visiting Yad Vashem”

Along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

I was already feeling pleased with myself by the time I reached the Lion Gate and had no real idea of what lay ahead though I was prepared for more bazaars! I knew Israel would be expensive but 35shekels (about $8) for pomegranate juice seems somewhat OTT!! I learned fast to ask before ordering!! TheContinue reading “Along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre”

A return to the Western Wall ( the first of many)

So back I went to the Western Wall to catch the evening light. I had been struck earlier in the day by the fact that many Jewish women of all ages were at the Wall but I saw very few Muslim women at the Dome of the Rock: judging by the number wearing borrowed itemsContinue reading “A return to the Western Wall ( the first of many)”

Jerusalem, City of Faiths

Or should that be City of Faith? It’s everywhere with many different expressions and interpretations whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim- and probably others, too. It’s open and welcoming. Sometimes there are restrictions, sometimes none. But this city has the feel of being significant: everywhere something has happened which has become a landmark in the historyContinue reading “Jerusalem, City of Faiths”

On to Amboseli

A leisurely start to the day as our journey had been shortened by driving to Arusha the day before. A very comfortable drive to the border where our driver had lunch and we indulged in cokes having had a large breakfast – but this was our first visit to a non-tourist eating place. It wasContinue reading “On to Amboseli”

Onwards from Ngorongoro

Having climbed the side of the Crater in our trusty Land Cruiser, we paddled to the tent allocated to us in Pukelala. The staff were lovely and the view would have been incredible had it not been for the incessant rain. As it was, we could see how amazing it would have been. Through theContinue reading “Onwards from Ngorongoro”