Tel Aviv on a shabbat

Today we celebrated that we've been married for three months by biking to Tel Aviv (60km, 800m down) and spending theday there. We thought of going all the way on highway 1, but got stopped by a police officer, who told us we were not allowed to bike on the highway... We kinda knew that, but today was shabbat and that means not many cars on the roads (observant Jews are not allowed to drive on shabbat).

The landscape on the way to Tel Aviv almost look Danish.

So we found another route - which was actually more scenic, which was nice - and after 4 hours we were in Tel Aviv, and headed straight for the beach and the water. Oh how wonderful to swim again, and for free! The beaches there are public (as opposed to around Lake Kinneret, and the indoor pools in Jerusalem for 35-50 shekels each time). Lunch at the beach, and then one more swim, just because we could and it's wonderful.


We biked around the city and it's small. Tried to find the Botanical Gardens, but the were behind closed gates. But we found the Wolfnights Chef Burger bar, where we had a bacon-and-cheese burger! Very non-kosher; bacon is not kosher, milk products and meat together is not kosher and the place was open on a shabbat!) - but we enjoyed it very much!

Preparing the burger - note the vampire-smiley at the corner of his dish! ^^

We rested on a lawn for half an hour before going on the the Immanuel Church of Jaffa to listen to an organ concert on the Book of Job played by a Danish guy we had met in Jerusalem at the Church. It's composed in the 1970's by Egil Hovland and is so modern that it uses cacaphony more than harmony... Between the seven movements were readings from the Book of Job - in Hebrew, but I found an English Bible so I could follow the story.
It was nice to meet the Danish priest in Tel Aviv and his family, and to say hello to the people we already new.

Last trip was to the New Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv, which is big and grey and ugly, but we managed to find our platform 607 on the 6th floor and get on the bus back to Jerusalem, despite many warnings that this bus station is very confusing and non-logical. But I still think it's weird to have 6th floor on a bus station, and busses departing from there!

All in all a wonderful day!

Bike trip to Galilee - day 3

We started the day with listening to a Christian service down at the lake's shore. They sang on the melody for "Dejlig er Jorden", a pilgrimsong. Very beautiful in the morning light.

Our first detour on our way around Lake Kinneret was a up on the Mount of Beatitudes (where Jesus is believed to have given his speech "blessed are the..."). There's a relatively new Italian church, a monestry and a wonderful garden, even moreprety right now with all the flowers.

We had found a map at the hostel with smaller biking and hiking paths than what our own map had. We tried to find these biking paths, but apparently they had gone, maybe because of the rain season. So in the Jordan River delta we faced a lot of mud and paths washed away - or just blocked by trees.

After lunch we took the main road to feel we did move. Then we tried to find yet another bike path on the map, and ended up climping a hill of the Golan Heights, on a path which was overgrown with flowers.

But it was maybe the most beautiful view we got from the top, and there were so many different colourful flowers and plants. We could se the city of Tiberias on the other side of the lake, the mountains behind, and see to both the north and south end of the lake.

We caught a bus from the south tip of the lake back to Jerusalem. We would have liked a swim before going on the bus, but all the beaches were private and locked up. So all our fellow passengers had the "pleasure" to share our odour of 3 days hard work in the sun.

Back home with sore legs the treat was bacon! I'm pretty proud of us, it was a tough trip, but really wonderful!

Bike trip to Galilee - day 2

Getting out of Nazareth onto the biking path we had seen on the map was almost as difficult as finding our way in. But on the way we passed a butcher - who sold pork! Or more important: bacon!

We found something that could be the biking path, got a bit lost, but ended up in the right direction. We went on parts of the Jesus Trail, a hiking route from Nazareth to Capernaum, and a very beautiful one on mountains and lots of green nature - and right now also with loads of flowers.

We came out of the mountains and drove down a main road to Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) - down from above sea level to 200m below sea level at the lake's shore. Our legs got some rest from all the climbing, and I enjoyed the speed and the gorgeous view over the lake and the mountains.

We spottet a fruit plantage and "accidentially" some grapefruit fell down in our hands, and we had to eat them. Nice and juicy - and a welcome variation from all the water we had to drink (the Sun was baking us; thanks to time of year and the light clouds that it wasn't hotter!).

We arrived at the Karei Deshe Hostel, where they had failed to find a receptionist for the day, and the sleepy cousin was put on the job instead. The place looked wonderful - almost too much for us - but the service was non-existing. Though, we got our room and food, and a dip in the lake.

Bike trip to Galilee - day 1

With the bus at 7am from Jerusalem, which dropped us off in Beit She'an at two hours later.


We biked up into the Gilboa Mountains, climbing 400m up over 15km in 2hours. Tough work, but the view from the top was gorgeous. An Israeli soldier pointed out Mount Hermon for us.



After lunch in the green forrest amongst flowers of every colour and shape we free wheeled down from the mountains, heading for Nazareth. We managed to get lost in a city we had to pass through before we could look up to Nazareth. And start another 300m climp up to the city.

We had a bit of problems finding our way in the city (or road atlas is not detailed enough for city navigation), but we finally arrived at the Old City and Fauzi Azar Inn and was greatly welcomed.


After a wonderful shower we rested with a cup of coffee/tea and cake in the beautiful hall of Fauzi, before hunting for food in Nazareth. We feared it would be closed for Shabbat, but mainly Arabs (Christians and Muslims) live in Nazareth, so we had no problems in finding a place. We also listened to a Greek Orthodox Mass in St. Gabriel's Church, in Arabic! I got the text and could follow it, and we both enjoyed the music and to see how the church got more and more full of people joining.

Who's crossing the street?

Close to New Gate, where Jaffa Road ends at the Old City (we're calling the square "Mamilla View" because we can't find an official name for it), big light intersection, and across I spot monk. In brown robes and all. And on a bike.

And this is quite normal in Jerusalem close to and inside the Old City, where you can easily pass three different kinds of monks, nuns, religious heads or pilgrims in special clothes - the traditional Jews don't count, there's so many of them; but I still think they look funny with hats and curls and long, black coats.

Bike trip to Ein Gedi

Crazy Danes as we are, we decided to bike from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi (route on Google maps) along the shore of the Dead Sea on a small vacation, to get away from the city and enjoy some of the local nature in all her splendor.

We got up with the Sun and on the way. Highway actually, all the way from Jerusalem to the plane of Jericho. 27 km horisontal, 1000m vertical; from Jerusalem's 800m above Sea Level to the plane's 200m below Sea Level.

Jerusalem's surroundings were green, the morning air chilly. I was a bit surprised to see "shacks" in all their lasting temporariness of corrugated metal, and wondered if these were small refugee villages, and if the people living there really didn't have another option.

The road's declination varied from plain to steep, and we wheeled along at a great speed (thanks for good breaks!), but still had time to stop at sea level - a great tourist attraction (though without any souvenir sellers).

It was breathtaking to come out of the mountains and look at the flat, vast plane of Jericho (it might officially be called something else, but this is my name for it), finally see the Dead Sea sparkle in the sunlight, see the city of Jericho in the distance, and know that the next range of mountains must be Jordan.

The road along the Dead Sea offers a great view over the water, though a bit far away because the water level has decreased over the past years, due to less rainfall, more people using the water in the streams feeding the sea, and a block on one of the greater streams flowing from Jordan into the Dead Sea. Our roommate quoted some estimates saying that in 10 years it will only be Dead but no more Sea, if nothing is done to change this direction.

But it has left pools on the past-sea bottom with a great variety of colours due to all the minerals in the water. We could also marvel at the rocks and mountains on "our" side of the sea - as Danes we always find these big chunks of rock fascinating - and look to the distant and misty mountains of Jordan on the other side. And apparently we brought a bit of Danish weather [clouds], which cooled us nicely in the heat and made spectacular sceneries in the sky. Or was it Divine Presence here in the Holy Land?



It was a good ride, and I'm very proud of myself that I managed all 75km - though the first 30km downhill doesn't really count. The hills afterwards were challenging me, but I took my breaks when I needed and enjoyed the view while catching my breath again - and was happy that I got to know my bike and the gears, so I could climb as efficient as possible. We had forgotten sunblocker, so in the evening I looked like a Danish-coloured inverted panda (marks after my sunglasses), but thanks to moisturiser it doesn't hurt.

We came across some "desert street art" just after making the turn to road 90, but luckily we and our bikes didn't suffer a similar fate.

Next time we're going all the way to Masada (some 20km more), and/or making a longer stop in Qumran to see the Dead sea Scrolls Museum. But with the heat already it has to be latest in March!

BIKES!

We've bought bikes!!! So wonderful to sit on a bike again when we tried some out. We ended up with a pair of used mountain bikes but still in very good condition - and with suspention and 24 gears and disk brakes. =D (And all the other goodies the nice men in the shop threw into the deal.)

Ain't they great?! A's to the left (red), mine to the right (white).

Biking home through the massive rain and on streets turned into small rivers was not so fun, though. But I - and A - look very much forward to go exploring on our new bikes, both in the city and in the country.

We wonder whether it's possible to take our bike to the Palestinian territories (e.g. to the Dead Sea and to Galilee) - cus there isn't really room for a bike through the walk-through-parts of checkpoints. We asked a local friend later, and after telling us nobody biked so long distance and we were crazy to try, he admitted that we would look odd enough to get through with it - obviously tourists with our fair complexion, and on bikes!