Priebe's Travel

Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category

You may have seen the mini-series with Peter O’Toole and Peter Strauss telling the story of the last rebel stronghold in Judea, and the Romans’ siege of that last Jewish fortress, Masada.

At the Eastern fringe of the Judea Desert near the shores of the Dead Sea, it’s remote location and its natural defenses were the advantages that transformed it into a fortress during the Second Temple period. The last of the rebels fled to Masada after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE and joined the rebel community already at the mountain fortress under the command of Eleazar ben Yair.

After a siege that lasted a few months, surrounded by 8,000 Roman troops, the hope of the rebels dwindled. Eleazar ben Yair gave two speeches in which he convinced the leaders of the 960 members of the community that it would be better to take their own lives and the lives of their families than to let their wives be abused and their children turned into slaves. That day, the people of Masada gave up their own lives.

The Roman troops were denied the pleasure of taking over the people and their city. Only two women and 5 children survived. Hiding in the cisterns on the mountaintop, they lived to tell the story of what had happen that night on the first day of Passover.

The tragic events of those last days of the rebels at Masada transformed this impressive plateau mountain into a Jewish cultural icon as well as a symbol of continuous struggle for freedom from oppression. It stands today as the most complete surviving ancient Roman siege system in the world. Many of the walls still stands giving visitors today a true sense of what it was like living in that time.

From the green hills to the desert, there is always something to see riding the roads of Israel. Take in the desert’s vast soft sand mountains that change regularly by flash floods. You will see the caves in the side of the mountains where the dead sea scrolls where found. You’ll see wild mountain goats, camels, new excavations, along with the Bedouin communities, a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group (previously nomadic, currently mostly settled) found throughout most of the desert belt.

The Dead Sea may not be much to look at until you realize there is only one like it in the world, and also the lowest point of the earth at 1500 feet below sea level. Walk into the water and your skin can feel the healing minerals. Walk past where your feet touch and keep on walking never to sink. Sit back as if in a chair, and yes you will float high.

Enjoy my slide show below.

I loved visiting Jaffa, one of the oldest towns in Israel, believed to have been founded by Japheth, son of Noah. The city of Jaffa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, served as the ancient Israelite port during King Solomon’s time. Jonah embarked for Tarshish from Jaffa. Peter stayed in the home of Simon the Tanner, where he received the vision of the pure and impure animals and were he brought Tabitha back from the dead.

The ancient city of Jaffa has been partially restored with many buildings and historical sites from the Canaanite and Medieval periods. The front entrance gate to the original city still stands however it looks a bit different with the shops at its entrance. The stones you walk on are smooth from time, so be sure to wear good gripping soles. Walking the narrow alleys truly give you a feeling of what it was like living here so many years ago.

You can visit St. Peter’s Church or the House of Simon the Tanner. Today Jaffa is an artist’s colony and entertainment center. Also famous for its flea market and excellent restaurants. The restaurants are charming as you can see in my pictures below.

I had the opportunity to stay at the Sheraton TelAviv Hotel & Towers in TelAviv. I am pleased to say it was a very pleasant experience all around. From the time I witnessed a young security person greet two people by name while riding in the elevator together, and experiencing the kindness of each and every staff person who were very friendly and willing to help. In fact, they really came through for me when I sprained my ankle by having someone run out and get an ace bandage for it. That was beyond normal service, in my opinion.

The room had enough space for a very comfortable king size bed, a couch, a desk and plenty of closet space. It had a nice flat screened TV, overall lighting was good, and the self controlled room temperature was very comfortable. My room was on the sixth floor overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The view was absolutely beautiful and fun to experience. To my right was the marina, and an active beach and promenade runs as far as the eye can see. People were regularly up early and out late jogging, riding bikes, and walking their dogs.

The bathroom is modest and small but stocked with lots of towels, bathrobes and plenty of toiletries and extras. It had a nice sink and a wide shower head with good water pressure. It had a nice deep tub with hand rails for easier lifting. It was a tight squeeze with the door right at the toilet’s foot, however it was fine for one person at a time.

The Sheraton TelAviv Hotel & Towers is by far one of the nicest hotels to stay at while visiting Israel.