General Archives ⋆ Page 32 of 45 ⋆ The Passenger

July 11, 2015July 15, 2023

Terra Sancta

When I had to select the destination for my 34th birthday, Israel came into my mind – mainly because I wanted to see Yad Vashem. When I started to talk about this idea I was bothered with a lot of security issues. Friends and family didn’t like the idea of me being at an unsafe area influenced by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. When travelling throughout Brazil I read Breaking news by Frank Schätzing (which in some part tells the history of Israel and the storyline is also situated at Jerusalem) and the decision to go to the Holy Land finally was made.

July 9, 2015July 15, 2023

Made for business

It is said that in Jerusalem they pray, in Tel Aviv they live and in Haifa they work. And if you look at Haifa you absolutely agree: it is nicely fitted onto the foothills of Mount Carmel, but it hasn’t much sights worth visiting. It reminded me much on La Spezia in Italy. And don’t walk throughout the city to find a city center or old town – there isn’t one that deserves that name.

July 7, 2015July 1, 2018

Ensuring water supply (and other needs)

Israel is a country with a very good infrastructure and getting snacks and something to drink was absolutely no-frills. But within Jerusalem I only found small shops and no big supermarket chains where you could simply fill your trunk with some bottles of mineral water – as I normally do while travelling throughout countries with high temperatures; a pure necessity.

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July 7, 2015October 29, 2018

The unknown land

If you try to plan your route throughout Palestine, you’re kind of left alone. Popular map software shows streets but no street names and only some limited points of interest. Open Street Map helps you out; but the ignorance is a political signal. Some areas and routes are defined as no-go places. By good reason?

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July 6, 2015October 29, 2018

The goat and the milk

When travelling through Israel you will often read that restaurants are kosher. Or even if you don’t recognize this, the rules of the Thora and the Bible will influence what you’ll get to eat. At first Jews are only allowed to eat mammals that are cloven-hoofed and ruminants (no pigs, no rabbits, no horses) or that have scales and fins (no clams, no prawns, no lobster).

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July 5, 2015October 30, 2018

Meet the IDF

When you drive along the Dead Sea, shortly before Ein Gedi, the street leads you back from Palestine to Israel – and you have to face another IDF checkpoint. As I remembered those checkpoints from eastern Europe I prepared my passport and visa and waited for a tough questioning or thoroughly inspection.

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July 4, 2015October 30, 2018

Driving to Jerusalem

The motorway network of Israel is in really good condition. Driving from Tel Aviv-Yafo to Jerusalem needs 45 minutes from city center to city center. All road signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English and there is only one toll road: number 6 leading along the Westbank from south to north. My car was registred for this service, I could simply drive through and was billed afterwards.

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July 4, 2015October 30, 2018

Being analphabet (again)

Going to a country where a language with an own alphabet is used is always fun for me – because it is often a challenge and you have to learn like a child again. In Israel, Hebrew (Ivrit) is the official language, though a lot of Arabic is spoken. Most signs are trilingual (Hebrew, Arabic, English) and a lot of people speak English. And if not: there is always someone immediatly starting to translate if you seem to be in need.

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July 4, 2015October 30, 2018

Bay mir bistu sheyn

When listening carefully you might find an ancient language in Israel: Jiddish. The cuteness of this language might only be obvious to German speaking persons, because it is a very old derivate of our language. But nowadays some Jiddish words have already found their way into everyday English, especially in New York.

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July 3, 2015October 30, 2018

From Dusk till Dusk

The Shabbat is a time concept unknown to non-Jews. Travelling to Israel gives you the need to coordinate your travel plans in or around this time slot. It starts at sundown on Friday (often with a dinner of the family) and ends on Saturday at sundown. During this time shops are often closed, you might not check in to hotels (though I never experienced this problem) and most major sights are shut down. Just like on Sundays in Germany, only from dusk till dusk.

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