OK, so you got some time to spend- GREAT
Let me tell you you will never get tired of Israel!!!!:hotjump:
As Paradoxile stated: Jaffa is a must see!!! I don't know the name of the place, but there is this bakery store just outside Jaffa which is pretty well known and they have the best food there. Some kind of bread with feta like cheese and herbs called "zahar"on it> yummie!!!!
What you should do is walk down the whole of the Tel Aviv boulevard along the beach, then you finally end up at Jaffa. It is about 25 minute walking. Great scenery!
You probably know that the pictures of the Mabool booklet and the Norra el norra clip were shot in and around Jaffa. This place is the home of many artists today ( painters, sculptors etc)
Then Kineret ( known as teh Sea of Galilee), up north is beautiful!You take a trip through the mountains, then suddenly you see a glittering diamond in the distance- this is the site of Kineret> the one and only resource of sweet/drinking water in Israel.
The beach just before you get to Haifa is one of the most beautiful ones. In Haifa itself you got the Baiha gardens, also very nice sight. One thing about Haifa> humidity is very very high, if you are not used to it, it feels like you are suffocating at first.
You know Israel has 3 different climates.....so nights in Tel Aviv are warm and sweaty, when 1,5 hours down the road, in Jerusalem the nights are a bit more chilly already!
Go and visit the holy place of the Kabalah, an ancient city in the mountains up north, called Safed. It is quiet and peaceful and the buildings of the center look a bit like Jaffa. You can take the bus everywhere by the way> Egged company is cheap and they run buses throughout the country.
Jerusalem is a must see ofcourse!!! My tip: go to the arab market and get on top of the roofs. To my amazement I found places to walk there and benches, lantarns. It is the fastest way to get through the ancient city.
Tel Aviv is great!!! You can shop till you drop dead, but also there is a great nightlife there. Go to the Mosad on thursday nights. It is not a quality nightclub, but they play metal and you can meet some famous people there ( home of Uri, who is a dj at this club, Eden & Matti go there almost every week) Then there is some new club in Jaffa, I dont know what its like, cause I have not been there, but this is a metal club as well. From what Ive seen it looks promising.
Eilat is wonderful for a lazy vacation. Miles of beaches beaches, restaurants, a lot of Israelis go there to have a relaxed vacation. When you are at the beach in Eilat, you can see Jordan to one side, Egypt to the other. Towardsthe end of August you can go to the Red Sea Jazz festival, the location of the festival is at the harbour. You must realize that around this time of year it can get to 40/45 degrees in Eilat!!! I could recomend you some cheap and good places to stay, same goes for Jerusalem.
If you still have some time to spare: the dead sea region. It is about a 1,5 hr busride when you are in Jerusalem. Go to the ancient fortress of Masada- I dont have to explain this historical site... then afterwards, take a spa at some dead sea resort. You have to go to a resort to be able to bathe in the dead sea, because the largest part of the coast line is muddy and very dangerous! Only at those spa places you can get to the sea. Entrance will set you back about 12 dollars and you can stay there for the whole day ( sulfur bath and shower, swimming pools, rub the dead sea mud onto your skin), DO bring some plastic sandals, because you cannot walk on the sand- its too damn hot. Then float in the dead sea, a wonderful way to relax!!!
On the other end of the sea, you can see the beautiful country of Jordan. I have not been there myself (yet!) but it is said to be breathtaking. You need a visum to go there, but you can get it when crossing the border. From Tel Aviv to Amman is only 55 miles. I suggest you go to Eilat and cross the border there. Take a day trip to visit the ancient place called Petra- one of the most extrodinary places to visit. This is the city built in the rocks, as you probably know.
-sorry, it seems Im writing a book here, cannot help it for being so enthousiastic-:Spin:
Go to the beach in Ranana, the beach is beautiful there! If you get tired of the sun, go to one of the many bars. And also visit the MaxBrenner shop if you like chocolat like me- grrrrrreat shop> they even serve chocolat sou and chocolat pizza
If you would like to see some pictures> I can send you some. I have removed the ones that I put in some threads, due to lack of space. But the pics will give you a pretty good idea of where to go.
wish I could be there to show you the sights, but it so happens I am thinking of coming over towards the end of the summer- we should meet.
Nathalie
