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Honey – Nectar of Rosh Hashana

September 5, 2010 By 1 Comment

JNF helps stimulate greater honey production

One of the most traditional and symbolic foods for Rosh Hashana is honey. Months before the holiday bee keepers all over Israel prepare themselves and their hives.

Honey, sweet honey, is used to bless the New Year. May the year ahead be as sweet as the honey. Tradition is to eat apples dipped in honey during the festive evening meal.

Only thing is Rosh Hashana falls at the end of the hot Israeli summer. There are no flowers to speak of, so how are the bees supposed to supply the growing demand for honey. [Read more...]

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Ibex on My Bonnet

August 19, 2010 By 1 Comment

There are some days as a guide that will always be remembered. Today was such a day.
Despite the incredible heat my tour today went to Ein Gedi, Masada and the Dead Sea.

I have been there more times than I can remember. The reason we visit is to walk up through the Nahal David Canyon, to the
fresh water pools and the waterfalls. In the middle of the desert. But for many of us it is also the opportunity to see the wild life, such ad the ibex and the hyrax.

Today was no different, except as we turn in toward the parking lot a great herd of ibex was feeding along side the road. Breathtaking as usual. We of course stopped to admire these exquisite animals, who are shy but not really afraid of people.

After a while we tore ourselves away, and I drove into the parking lot, and I was lucky to find a space under a tree that would give shade to the car. One of my tourists was the first out of the car, but within seconds she jumped back in, saying: What is that? pointing to the front of the car.

There, on the bonnet of my car stood a magnificent male ibex. I never saw him, as I pulled into the parking space, but he must have seen me immediately, and said: “Well, how nice of her to park right there. I can use the car to reach the leaves of that tree much easier”. [Read more...]

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Herod’s Palace in Caesarea

July 28, 2010 By 5 Comments

Palace and hippodrome from the south

No tour through Caesarea is complete without a visit Herod’s palace. Although completely in ruins enough remains for us to see the enormous size of the largest of all the palaces built by Herod the Great. The partial reconstruction is an invaluable addition to understand what Herod’s palace must have looked like.

Caesarea was an impressive construction. As was Herod’s way he always chose the most impressive and often most difficult place for his own palace. In Caesarea he outdid himself.

The palace is situated on a promontory into the Mediterranean Sea on the south side of Caesarea, lodged between the theater and the hippodrome. In its final form it consisted of two levels, the lower, western level being earlier that the higher eastern level. [Read more...]

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Ein Gedi – The Nature Reserve

December 16, 2009 By 4 Comments
Shulamit Waterfall in Nahal David, En Gedi, Is...

Image via Wikipedia

Ein Gedi is one of the most visited nature reserves in Israel, both by Israelis and by tourists. This is due to its unique nature as an oasis in the Judean Desert, but also because the easy trails within the reserve.

Ein Gedi is situated approximately half way on the shores of the north part of the Dead Sea. The two year-round streams, Nahal David and Nahal Arugot, are its basis. In addition to these two streams there are four springs in the area, to feed the streams and the wild-life. All the water to the reserve originates from the rain that falls in the higher sections of the Judean Mountains.

The water and the climate allow for a great variety of unique wild life, both in plant and animal species. This is not to say that these species are not to be found in other places, but in Ein Gedi they are closer together, and easier to see. [Read more...]

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Caesarea

August 21, 2009 By 4 Comments

Brief Guided Tour of Caesarea

portrait-2Caesarea is probably one of the most famous ancient cities of Israel, apart from Jerusalem.
It was founded around the year 22 BCE* by Herod the Great, and named in honor of Caesar Augustus.

Due to the great port built by Herod, the town becomes one of the hubs of the country. It remains one of the main port cities until its final destruction by the Mamelukes in the late 13th century.

From the creation of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in its various developments, Caesarea has been one of the most visited sites.

Parts of the ancient Roman city have been partly reconstructed, especially the theater, which is used every summer as one of the most spectacular outdoor stages for all the performing arts. [Read more...]

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History, Nature and World Heritage Sites

August 7, 2009 By 2 Comments

portrait-2Israel may be a small country, but it has an extremely diversified landcape, climate, flora and fauna. Without the assistance of dedicated people and organizations much of this would be lost.

In 1955 the first law to protect nature in Israel was passed by the Knesset (Parliament). It is known as the Wild Animals Protection Law, and came into being in order to save the remnants of many animals species threatened with extinction, due to hunting and total disregard for the nature of the land up till then.

In 1963 an additional law came into being, establishing two government authorities:

The National Parks Authority – to protect, maintain and develop historical sites
The Nature Reserves Authority – to protect, maintain and develop nature reserves.

Israel Nature and Parks Authority the Caretaker of World Heritage Sites [Read more...]

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Masada

June 19, 2009 By 8 Comments

Situated toward the south end of the Dead Sea, but actually part of the Judean Mountains, Masada is a compelling story of Jews and Romans in the first century CE.

The English name Masada comes from the Hebrew Metzada, which simply means “Fortress”. And that’s exactly what it is. Rising to a height of app. 450 m above Dead Sea (app. 50 m above sea level) with steep slopes on all sides, Masada is almost impossible to attack and conquer.

It was for this reason that Herod the Great chose it for the magnificent palaces he built there. The northern palace was intened to be the family palace. Herod chose the most spectacular locations and building plan, hanging the palace on three terraces on and below the nothern point. [Read more...]

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