Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Close to Haifa you can find Mount Carmel and the Carmel mountains – a region famous for winemaking. Not far away from the sea you can drive up steep roads into the mountains and catch nice views on Haifa and the area around it. A good starting point is the city of Daliyat el-Carmel, situated in the middle of the mountain range. Be aware that not all roads in the mountains deserve that name.
There are plenty of archeological sites from the Roman and Byzantine eras throughout Israel, but Caesarea stands out. The harbour was fortified by Herod the Great and was an important port for many years. Natural disruptions and political changes led to many times this place has been destroyed and rebuilt. Especially the temple mount has been used for different buildings and religions over time.
The region around Zihron Ya’akov up in the Carmel mountains is famous for wine from Israel. This is because Baron de Rothschild brought this tradition here and is also buried close to the town. It is not like in Chile where you see huge fields of wine or can have a wine tasting – but at the eastern end of the town you will find the Carmel winery where you can buy a bottle of wine produced here.
Akko (formerly St. Jean d’Acre, also called Acre, Akku) is a beautiful old town at the shore of the mediterranean sea. It exists since 3.000 years BCE, was a very important town for the crusades and then fell into the hands of the Arabs. Most European buildings have been destroyed and replaced against islamic buildings.
Close to the town of Rosh HaNikra there is a chalk rock forming the natural border between Israel and Lebanon. It is a barrier a lot of armies – like the one of Alexander the Great – had to cross. During World War II the British built a 250 meters long tunnel into the mountain to connect Beirut and Haifa with railway tracks.
Continue reading “The border to Lebanon”
In 1967 Israel took over control on the Golan heights and later annexed this place. Today, the place is occupied by lots of IDF and UN forces – because the United Nations have created a buffer zone between Syria and the Golan heights. As Israel sees this region as a part of their country, you can easily drive into the Golan heights – without border control and even without noticing.
Yet another archeological site, I was about to say. But Zippori is kind of different: as the citizens didn’t participate in the uprising of the Jews against the Roman occupation in 66 CE the city wasn’t destroyed then. Therefore you can find wonderful mosaics here. The town is often mentioned in the Talmud: “Why is it called Zippori? Because it is perched on top of the mountain like a bird” (Talmud, Megillah, 6a).
Continue reading “Mosaic and Fortress”
When you’re at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, you’re in the area where it is said that Jesus has lived the most of his life. Two towns very close to each other are named often in the Bible: Tabgha and Capernaum. In Tabgha you will find the Bread and Fish Church, a German church (“Brotvermehrungskirche”) named after Matthew 14, where it is said that 5.000 men where fed with five breads and two fishes.
Tracing the stories of the Bible you cannot omit visiting the Nazareth in “Jesus of Nazareth”. In this town, mainly inhabited by Arabs there is one main sight: The Church of the Annunciation which was built on that place, where archangel Gabriel is said to have spoken to Virgin Mary. Many churches have been built here, the current one is from the year 1969.
Continue reading “Church of the Annunciation”
The Sea of Galilee is a lake 200 meters below sea level. It is the biggest fresh water reservoir of Israel and an important touristic site. The river Jordan is running through the lake, later on defining the border to Jordan. On one side of the lake the Golan heights officially belonging to Syria are located. As these hills are good places to launch missiles on Israel, the place is under control of the IDF since 1967.