I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the deserts bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.
Johnny Cash's iconic song popped into my head when I arrived home from a week-long 'Winter In Israel' themed trip organized by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. My wife and son asked: "So, where did you go, what did you see?" My mouth opened, but a flood of new memories left me tongue-tied. "Everywhere," was all I could reply. "And everything."
In terms of what could possibly be seen, done and experienced in Israel in seven days - and on the seventh day we did not rest - I'd say our group gave it a 'gibbor' (Hebrew for mighty) effort.
In further articles we'll explore specific areas and themes from TravelPulse Canada's Israel odyssey in more depth. This one is a words-and-pictures taster to show the myriad pleasures that await your Israel clients. Over my 30 years writing about destinations, Israel ranks highly on the non-scientific WFPSK scale - a newly-coined and unlikely to go viral acronym for 'wow factor per square kilometre.'
Here are 30+ things TravelPulse Canada experienced in seven days in Israel:
#1
Toured a unique farm/restaurant/social enterprise and had lunch in the home of the owners. (Bruce Parkinson)
#2
Visited the port of Haifa, a fast-growing cruise call. (Bruce Parkinson)#3
Viewed the stunning, 19-terrace Baha’i gardens. (Bruce Parkinson)#4
Visited the 4,000-year-old port of Acre/Akko and the unearthed Crusader compound. (Bruce Parkinson)
#5
Snacked through colourful and delicious markets in Acre/Akko, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. (Bruce Parkinson)#6
Absorbed the beauty of the Church of the Annunciation in fabled Nazareth. (Bruce Parkinson)#7
Visited the home of a member of the tiny Muslim Circassian community in Kfar Kama. The Circassians were expelled from the Caucasus after a war with Tsarist Russia. (Bruce Parkinson)
#8
Stayed at the Magdala Guesthouse, a luxurious Christian pilgrimage hotel built around an excavated 1st-century synagogue in the hometown of Mary of Magdalene. The picture is the Duc in Altum Church on the property. (Bruce Parkinson)#9
Strolled through the incredible, sprawling Roman ruins at Bet She’an National Park (Bruce Parkinson)#10
Explored a desert oasis at Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. (Bruce Parkinson)#11
Took a bone-rattling drive in the desert on the Dead Sea, eating native plants and viewing mountains made of salt. (Bruce Parkinson)#12
Floated in the Dead Sea in January. Didn’t have a lot of company, but we’re frostbitten Canadians. And the daytime temperature was 20C, downright balmy for us. (Paul LaFlamme)#13
Stayed two nights at a YMCA. But not just any YMCA. A nearly century-old, architecturally fabulous YMCA in Jerusalem. (Bruce Parkinson)#14
Looked down on Jerusalem’s shining beauty from Mount Scopus. (Bruce Parkinson)#15
Explored the city of David, where modern archaeology continues to uncover ancient history. (Bruce Parkinson)#16
Visited the Old City and the Western Wall, and toured the Western Wall Tunnels, which are in constant excavation. (Bruce Parkinson)#17
Toured the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with its rich, intense pageant of pilgrims and priests. (Bruce Parkinson)#18
Explored the tucked away neighbourhoods of Jerusalem by night. (Bruce Parkinson)#19
Enjoyed the treasures of the Islamic Art Museum. (Bruce Parkinson)#20
Met fashion designer Anat Friedman and learned her story. (Bruce Parkinson)#21
Sampled copiously at Thinkers Distillery, home to Israel’s first bourbon as well as first-class gins and vodkas. (Bruce Parkinson)#22
Toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, a sacred and sobering site for all of humanity. (gebut/iStock/Getty Images Plus)#23
Ate wonderful Moroccan Jewish cuisine at Hamotzi in Jerusalem. (Bruce Parkinson)#24
Were welcomed at the House of Wheels, which provides enrichment activities and advocacy for children with disabilities. An obstacle course gave us a taste of daily reality for wheelchair users. (Bruce Parkinson)#25
Savoured red, white and rose wines at the Nevo Winery, where the product ages in a bomb shelter. (Bruce Parkinson)#26
Joined a thick crowd of pre-Shabbat shoppers at the Carmel open-air market in Tel Aviv. (Bruce Parkinson)#27
Explored Old Jaffa, the southern and most ancient part of Tel Aviv. (Bruce Parkinson)#28
Learned about the vibrant graffiti and street art of Tel Aviv on an artist-led tour. (Bruce Parkinson)#29
Tried our own hand at street art, with expected results. (Paul LaFlamme)#30
Experienced the hotel where big names like Justin Bieber and Keith Richards stayed (not together) -- the Dan Tel Aviv. (Bruce Parkinson)#31
Had a sumptuous dinner at a Vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv. (Bruce Parkinson)#32
Sat on the beach with a beer on a 22C January day as thousands of Israelis celebrated the end of Shabbat. (Bruce Parkinson)The theme of our trip was 'Winter In Israel,' but it almost seems tongue-in-cheek. By our standards, it was a fine late spring week, despite the mid-January dates. From Haifa to Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and on to Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean, daytime highs ranged from 16-22C, nighttime lows from 7-12C. Skies were cloudless and not a drop of rain fell.
The Israel Ministry of Tourism's Odelia Wainshtain planned a diverse itinerary, and guide Ron Nitzan was a font of knowledge. (Bruce Parkinson)Our trip was carefully planned by the Israel Ministry of Tourism's Odelia Wainshtain, a 20-year tour guide who has brings her broad knowledge of Israel's attractions to the role. With a diverse group that included a vegan blogger and lifestyle writer as well as travel trade media, she put together an itinerary that had something for everyone, and revealed many facets of both Israel's ancient history and modern culture.
Though it is home to beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, a trip to Israel for most visitors is the polar opposite to a beach vacation. It's a place where you jump out of bed ready for a fabulous Israeli breakfast buffet and filled with anticipation for the sights on the day's itinerary. Fifteen hours later you tumble into bed again, filled with new memories.
Located at the centre of what many see as the cradle of civilization, Israel is the proverbial onion, with countless layers to discover. Each new bit of knowledge adds richness to the experience.
If you have clients who want to get beneath the skin of a complex and history-filled destination, hiring one of the many qualified local guides - for a couple of hours, a day or a week -- is an ideal way to go. There are dozens of specialized tours offered in the major cities and we enjoyed both a daytime graffiti/street art tour and an evening nightlife tour in Tel Aviv.
Our group had the great fortune to spend the week with Ron Nitzan, an amazing professional guide commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism. His vast knowledge of history, objective views and the obvious hours of preparation he had put into the trip helped us pull back a few of the Holy Land's layers.
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