SNATCHES OF ISRAEL
The Chief Penguin and I were last in Israel in 1999, and then only in Jerusalem. He had been several times before and to Haifa and Tel-Aviv. The trip was for a library conference for me and he was the accompanying spouse. For my librarian friends, it was the annual IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Conference and, I served on a committee representing the American Library Association. We stayed at the elegant King David Hotel, had a private tour of Jerusalem highlights, and enjoyed an exhibit of Chihuly glass at one of the museums. It was late August and very hot and dry.
This time on our cruise, we docked at Haifa and Ashdod, the country’s largest port.
Gardens in Haifa
Haifa is Israel’s third largest city after Jerusalem Tel-Aviv and, at one time, was a center for preparing dyes. Like many cities in this part of the Mediterranean world, it has was ruled by a succession of foreign invaders: in their case, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, Egyptians, and British. Its importance as a regional port city was greatest during the British mandate period. Today the port mainly serves only Israel. Industries here include oil refineries and chemical plants.
Built on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, Haifa has lovely setting overlooking the water. We decided to visit the Baha’i Gardens (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa) and initially thought about walking the roughly one hour up the hill to the entrance. Fortunately, common sense prevailed and we decided we’d taxi up and then walk back down to the ship. Our taxi wound up and around and let us out at one of the garden entrances. We assumed we could explore them on our own, only to be informed that you only went with a tour group. The next English tour was in two hours! But we could join the Russian tour if we wished.
So, Russian tour it was, and we followed the guide and his group, looking around and taking photos, but understanding not a word! The terraced gardens are really more of a memorial to the Baha’i founder, Bab, ending in a stunning gold-domed shrine, than a garden. There are red geraniums around as well as zinnias and pampas grass along with a lot of greenery, but the focus is the different levels of staircases leading down to the shrine. 700 steps done in about 45 minutes! (Fortunately, there are handrails most of the way.) The views of the dome, the city below and the harbor behind are quite spectacular and worth seeing.
After this endeavor, we were hot and a bit worn out. No walking back to the ship, just another taxi back to the port.
Ashdod and Jerusalem
From Haifa we sailed overnight to Ashdod, the country’s sixth largest city and biggest port. Tankers, cranes, and rows and rows of new cars fill this port; the cars waiting to be shipped to Europe or Asia. Located in Israel’s Southern District on the Mediterranean Sea, Ashdod is between Tel-Aviv in the north and Jerusalem in the east.
We and our friends had signed up for private all day tour of Jerusalem and were met at the port by our driver and guide, Avi. Avi is an Israeli Jew, who lived during his youth in Paris and Belgium among other places. He speaks fluent French and Arabic besides the usual English and Hebrew. He was a terrific guide: knowledgeable, easy going, and accommodating!
This was one of several days of holiday for Jerusalem and we had been warned to expect heavier than usual traffic and crowds. The traffic was a mess (a “balagan” as Avi called it) and the crowds extremely dense. Some roads were blocked which limited our van’s access to certain sites.
We began at the Mount of Olives (see header photo) where parking wasn’t too difficult and the crowds were okay. We spent 15-20 minutes there overlooking the old Jewish cemetery, Dome of the Rock (Muslim shrine dating back to 691-692 CE) with its lustrous gold dome, and the ancient walls surrounding the old city.
Getting into the heart of the old city required patience and persistence. Avi dropped us off near the Jaffa Gate and instructed us to go wait at the Aroma coffee bar. He thought he would be back in 20 minutes, but it was more like 35, given where he finally found parking! In the meantime, we watched Israelis of all flavors stream by, some dressed up, some carrying palms for the religious holiday, some Orthodox Jews all in black with top hats or fur hats (the latter only worn on special occasions), and some few just ordinary tourists like us.
With Avi, we walked through the Armenian, Jewish, Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City including the Cardo, or old Roman main street, and inched our way up and along the Via Dolorosa (supposedly where Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion). After a tasty lunch of salmon and quiches, we went to the Wailing Wall (part of the Western Wall and a very holy site for prayer), and then back to the Christian Quarter for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Wailing Wall is divided into one section for men and another for women. Since we had eaten on the early side, the crowds at the wall were a bit less, and Ellen and I could actually get right up to it to touch. There are tiny slips of paper available for anyone who wishes to write a message and stick it in the wall.
Appropriately, our last stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. According to tradition, it’s the site where Jesus was crucified, called Calvary or Golgotha, and also that of his empty tomb. With the crowds, moving along was slow and it was occasionally hard to see, but we got the general idea. I had been to the Wailing Wall on my last visit, but not to this church.
Avi was prepared to take us to see more, but given the crush of people and everything, we opted to end our tour early. I also took fewer photos than usual because of the crowding. (And the ones I took on my iPhone don’t upload to my iPad, where I compose the blog, because of slow WiFi speeds, hence fewer photos of the Old City.). Back in the van, it was about an hour’s ride back to Ashdod and the ship.
Jerusalem is often crowded, people get pushy, and visiting can be a strenuous exercise. Yet, for anyone brought up in a faith, be it Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, it is a powerful experience to see where the events of the Bible, in my case, took place. And to get a sense of the geography and particulars of the ancient world.
Tonight we sail on to Paphos, Cyprus.
Note: Photos and all text ©JWFarrington. Header photo is a view from the Mount of Olives.
