12 days in Israel, before... (page 1 of 3)

This trip took place in May 2023, a period of calm that later proved precarious. Day of May 17 Departure from Marseille on El Al (tickets booked by ourselves, while the stay itself was organized by Voyageurs du Monde). Before check-in, six or seven El Al staff members conduct a security check—quite understandable, but they do it in total chaos. They send people to the left, then block them, redirect them to the right, for no apparent reason. Most of the staff don’t speak French, which complicates things. They work at an incomprehensible slow pace, stopping the interview to do something else, then coming back and starting over... The flight goes smoothly, except for the meal service, which, for a four-hour flight that El Al delayed to lunchtime, is more than basic: a quarter-liter of water and a corned beef sandwich that’s absolutely disgusting and inedible. To get a coffee, you have to queue at the back of the plane. You end up missing Ryanair🙂 Arrival at Ben Gurion goes better than expected—the passport control is fairly quick, as is baggage delivery. Transfer to the Lily and Bloom hotel, Lilienblaum Street (easy to remember 🙂) As advised by Voyageurs du Monde, we book a table for the evening at the nearest restaurant, North Abraxas. Good atmosphere and decent food. We get a sense of the price level in Israeli restaurants. Around us, diners share dishes placed in the middle of the table. Much more convivial than our individual plates!! Day of May 18

The next morning, we go down for breakfast at 7:30 AM—a late hour, but the setup is slow, with the two servers taking their time. We ask the bartender for a long coffee and a black tea... It must be a complicated order because it takes him over 10 minutes to make it. He serves us with the grace of a dancer. A good breakfast if you’re not in a hurry, followed by a little stroll in the neighborhood, since our meet-up with Patrick Arfi, our guide for the day, isn’t until 10 AM. P. Arfi is a former publishing house director in Paris who has lived in Israel for a long time and has a vast cultural knowledge. After an initial chat, we head toward Jaffa, focusing on the Bauhaus buildings preserved by a clever urban policy that allows high-rise construction while maintaining old architectural ensembles.



This policy keeps the streets looking more human-scale than the usual high-rise districts in modern cities.

With the visit to Jaffa, Patrick introduces us to a fascinating slice of history, despite the temperature nearing 38°C. Jaffa, once an independent city, is now a neighborhood of Tel Aviv—a predominantly Muslim area. We notice a few buildings in poor condition. They belong to Palestinian families who left Tel Aviv. Otherwise, the city has been very well restored, apart from these few buildings.

A government agency rents out the ground floors of these buildings, which helps fund part of the security work. They also try to track down the owners and buy back the abandoned properties, but some refuse to sell. The visit is very touristy—most of the people we meet are tourists like us.













There’s very little local life, except in the lower part of the city. To be continued, as I’ve reached the allowed photo limit.

I’m continuing the day of the 18th with our guide. After a break for lunch at a nice seaside restaurant, Goldman Court (very different vibe from old Jaffa),



we walk through the small streets of Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood outside Jaffa to be built, and it still has many houses from that era.



We pass by the Suzanne Dellal Center, a world-famous contemporary dance center. There are lots of art shops and nice restaurants in this neighborhood, which has been preserved from high-rise buildings.

We head back to our hotel, which is on the edge of this neighborhood. It was an excellent day with a great guide.

We have dinner at Depi, a restaurant we’d spotted nearby that looked simple. Turns out, the food was quite sophisticated and pricey, but the atmosphere was good. Tomorrow, we’re exploring Tel Aviv on our own.

Day of May 19 We’re picking up the car reserved by Voyageurs du Monde at Hertz. The taxi ordered by the hotel changes its mind at the last minute and leaves us stranded. The hotel receptionist also gives up and sends us to nearby Rothschild Boulevard to try hailing a taxi on the fly. Unfortunately, there aren’t many taxis passing by, and the first four that stop aren’t interested in our ride. We split up on either side of a big intersection, but it takes about twenty minutes before we finally find one willing to take us to Hertz. There, the usual paperwork at rental agencies, then they hand us the keys and just point to the car parked in double file outside the door.

It’s ours—a Citroën C3 covered in scratches and dents, with busted rims and not cleaned. No walkthrough. No document showing the car’s condition. We stop as soon as possible to take a whole bunch of photos to avoid any issues on return, which actually proves useful.

From there, we head to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, with a few hiccups using Google Maps, which sends us into a maze of charming but very narrow streets. The architecture of this museum is a work of art in itself. We’re welcomed into a vast hall topped by a large Roy Lichtenstein painting.



Gentle sloping ramps lead to the exhibition rooms.



On the first floor, there are several collections from donations, all of high quality. The first collection, from Moshe and Sara Mayer, spans from Van Gogh to Picasso, with an exceptional set of paintings despite the heavy carved wooden frames, like the Vlaminck below.

The other collections feature numerous works by dozens of famous painters, all very well presented.



We’re obsessed with a Chagall.

a Chirico



a Signac



among dozens of other treasures. We skip Helena Rubinstein’s collection, made up of miniature reproductions of rooms from around the world, to head to the basement, where there’s a darker ensemble featuring Van Dyck, Brueghel, etc., and, as the highlight, a moving family portrait by a Dutch master.

Afterward, lunch at the museum’s restaurant, seated in the sculpture garden—pleasant atmosphere and decent food, especially for a museum café. To be continued

Day 18 in the afternoon After a short rest at the hotel, we head back out to the neighborhood to take a closer look at the Bauhaus buildings scattered around. The original pure style has sometimes been adapted to the climate here, with added ledges to provide a bit of shade from the sun, like at 12 Lilienblaum Street, right near our hotel.



Further on, we walk down Rothschild Boulevard to the Founders' Fountain, which pays tribute to the 69 Jews who founded Tel Aviv in 1909.



And to its monument proclaiming the three pillars of their mission: culture, religion, and labor.



A beautiful day in a vibrant, lively city. The current average age is 31. So, all the behaviors you’d expect from European youth are present here—just amplified. On the positive side: lots of art shops, great restaurants everywhere, lively neighborhoods, beautiful people in the streets, etc. On the negative side: chaotic electric scooter traffic and—something we don’t see as much of yet—tons of electric bikes that can hit 40-50 km/h, ridden like scooters, against traffic, on sidewalks, honking at you if you’re in their way🙁. Also, a complete lack of motivation from young servers and hotel staff, along with some unprofessional setups.

The city’s architecture is also really pleasant. We’re leaving tomorrow for Acre, having left plenty to see in Tel Aviv, but our main interest isn’t in big cities or beaches.

This trip took place in May 2023, a calm period that later proved precarious. Day of May 17 Departure from Marseille on El Al (tickets booked by ourselves, while the stay itself was organized by Voyageurs du Monde). Before check-in, six or seven El Al staff members conducted a security check—quite understandable, but they did it in total chaos. They sent people left, then blocked them, redirected them to the right, for no apparent reason. Most of the staff didn’t speak French, which made things much more complicated. They worked at an incomprehensible slow pace, stopping the interview to go do something else, then coming back and starting over from scratch...

Hi, I’m surprised by the mess with El Al. Usually, it’s very organized. But you never know—you must’ve dealt with trainees. 😉 That happens often.

Marseille Airport isn’t exactly a model of organization either.

Day of May 20 We hit the road to Acre right after breakfast—120 kilometers, a smooth drive all the way to the outskirts of Acre. Driving is much easier than in Tel Aviv, with cars all going roughly the same speed. Arriving in Acre is tricky, though, because Google Maps keeps changing the route and leads us around a bit. We stop at the first parking lot we see. Lucky for us, it’s the closest one to the citadel. We head through the souk toward the port.





We stroll along the port, surrounded by loads of local tourists looking for thrills on speed boats that take them for a wild ride in the bay in front of the port.

We head back along the port’s ramparts to have lunch at Khan al-Shawarda Square in a restaurant run by Muslims. The square is a large, square-shaped plaza lined with 18th-century buildings. It was originally a monastery. Beautiful setting.

Afterward, we make our way back to the citadel. The visit starts with a walk through the aptly named Enchanted Garden, with its lovely trees—huge ficus trees that were supposedly planted during the British Protectorate.



I’ll continue the citadel visit later—it deserves a whole post to itself.

Absolutely, it’s a remarkable city. I can’t wait to hear the rest of your trip! 😊

There’s very little local life, except in the lower part of the city. To be continued, as I’ve used up the allowed number of photos.

Hi, regarding local life, it’s true that the upper part of Jaffa isn’t very lively. There are some high-end accommodations and luxury artisans, especially jewelers.

The area near the fishing port, however, is very lively, with frequent—even regular—art exhibitions in old warehouses. Not to mention a good number of really nice restaurants.

For the lower city opposite the port, the must-see is actually Jaffa’s flea market, which is world-famous. And don’t miss the carpet merchants from the Iranian Jewish community. It’s definitely worth checking out.

And to finish, a stop at the best shakshuka restaurant in the Middle East, Doctor Shakshuka! A must! https://beteavone.com/fr/restaurant/dr-chakchouka/

Why do you say you’ve exceeded the allowed number of photos? There’s nothing in Jaffa that justifies a ban. Or did you try to take photos of people?

Best regards,

We head back along the port ramparts to have lunch at Khan al-Shawarada Square in a restaurant run by Muslims. The square is a large, square-shaped plaza lined with 18th-century buildings. It was originally a monastery. Lovely setting. I’ll continue the visit to the citadel later—it deserves a whole post to itself.

If I may, I think there’s a stylistic mistake in your wording. Acre, or Akko, is originally an Arab city. That’s not pejorative—it’s home to Israeli Arabs (which they all are), Arab Muslims, and Arab Christians.

So when you go to a "Muslim" restaurant, you’re actually going to a restaurant run by someone of Arab descent. Similarly, if you go to a restaurant run by Israelis, you wouldn’t say "a Jewish restaurant" but rather "a restaurant run by Israelis."

In this Middle Eastern cultural melting pot, years ago, it was common to see some pretty harsh conflicts between the two communities—Arab and Israeli, Muslim and Jewish.

Leaders from both communities met and established a *modus vivendi* that helped restore peace. Today, leaders often meet to address everyday issues, and the theological discussions they organize are of very high philosophical caliber. That said, you’d need to master the Quran in its original text and the Torah Talmud, which isn’t easy.

Have a great day.

Max 10 photos per post on VoyageForum

10 photos max per post on VoyageForum

My bad!!! 😎 I thought it was on-site. Given there are places that are "hardly" photogenic! Sorry.

Thanks Mitch for these clarifications. It's a travel journal, by definition not deeper than what a few days' stay allows.

Next, Acre The entrance to the Templar fortress is through Ottoman-era fortifications, which provide access underground to the fortress ruins.

At the bottom of the stairs, there are rooms with impressive vaulted ceilings.





Next, we move into the large central courtyard where the Templar knights trained.

Then, we enter the magnificent refectory hall, whose 10-meter-high vault is supported by three massive pillars.

With a fleur-de-lis on two of the corner capitals of the room.

We then pass through the narrow tunnel that allowed escape to other parts of the fortress. We then pass through the narrow tunnel that allowed escape to other parts of the fortress. After this visit, we’re completely in awe of the scale of the structures and the beauty of the whole site. Next, we try to check into our hotel, but the GPS sends us into the streets of the old city, where two-way streets are only as wide as a single vehicle (I say "vehicle" because there are several carriages shuttling tourists around, which limits traffic speed to a horse’s pace and makes passing tricky). We drive around for over an hour, repeatedly coming across roads marked as open on the GPS but actually closed to traffic. Eventually, we have to leave the center, take a long detour, and finally reach a parking lot near our guesthouse, located right in the old city. It’s full, and we spend fifteen minutes circling without finding a spot before ending up parking on the sidewalk to walk the 300 meters to the hotel. We navigate through narrow alleys.

Two hotel staff come to take our luggage, and we manage to find a proper parking spot. After a short rest, we head back to the port, where we admire the thick walls built by the Ottomans.

We then have dinner on the ramparts at Doniana restaurant, recommended by Voyageurs du Monde—and rightly so, because the food is good and the value for money is better than what we’ve encountered so far. We order a Saint Peter fish, expecting a John Dory, but the fish that arrives has nothing to do with what we call Saint Peter in France—it’s actually a tilapia. It’s called Saint Peter because of the miracle performed by Jesus when the tax collectors asked him to pay his dues. He then asked Saint Peter to go fishing. In the mouth of the first fish, he found a coin, hence the name of this fish. There’s a great atmosphere on the seaside ramparts as we head back to our hotel. A really great day, despite the difficulties getting around and parking.

Wow, and wow again!! You picked the perfect walk in Acre! The Templar city is a must-see! Save your tears for parking and traffic until you get to Jerusalem! 😭 😂😂😂 Your travel journal is great!!

When night falls over Acre

Acre is a beautiful city whose walled heart deserves long explorations. We regret having spent only a day there, but at every stop, we regretted not being able to stay longer. These are the limits of a 12-day trip: visiting fewer places and seeing more at each one, or the opposite. We tried to find a middle ground. Day of May 21 The next morning, breakfast is at a rather late hour (8 AM), but at 8 AM, nothing is ready. The people in charge are moving around in a disorganized way, with little efficiency. We eat what we can and leave as quickly as possible, eager to get away from this picturesque but impractical guesthouse. On the way to Tiberias, we make a detour through Safed. We struggle to park the car and only manage to do so far from the neighborhood we’re interested in. We walk through the city center via a rather dull main street and head to the old quarter, built on a hillside with a network of alleys perpendicular to the slope, connected by a few lanes following the slope and some stairs—all inaccessible to cars. We have trouble finding the synagogues we came to visit because we’re looking for important buildings on the slopes. In reality, we’ll see that these synagogues are quite modest. From alley to alley, we finally find the charming little Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, one of the oldest in Israel, where we admire the beautiful Holy Ark. At the entrance, a worshiper hands out kippas and collects them at the exit with a small donation.







Further on, we come to the Abouhav Synagogue, but unfortunately, we can’t go inside because a ceremony is taking place. We’ll only see the beautiful blue interior in photos.



All around, the charming cobbled alleys are home to many art shops, and we stroll through them for a while.







Before heading back to Tiberias. Our hotel is a large ranch/hotel/restaurant complex in Vered Hagalil, where we settle into a spacious, well-equipped bungalow. From the terrace, there’s a wide view of the Sea of Galilee, along with some mosquito company. The restaurant turns out to be quite good, with an impressive wine list that the waiter helpfully guides us through.



To be continued

After lunch on-site, we head down to Capernaum, but we arrive too late to enter the site, which closes early. We stroll along the shores of the lake where Jesus walked on water.



Near an Orthodox church



And we return, passing by the ruins of Chorazin, a village cursed by Jesus for the religious indifference of its inhabitants, which was destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century. A transitional day.

Day of May 22 Today, we catch up on our schedule by starting as early as possible for Capernaum. The site is known for the miracle Jesus performed there, healing a sick man who had to be lowered through the roof due to the chaos inside the building (hence the meaning of the word "capharnaum" in French). Extensive ruins remain, home to a few families of large rodents, the Cape hyraxes, like the dozens you see on Table Mountain in Cape Town.





Among these ruins, you can admire an ancient synagogue, of which a few white marble columns remain, with beautifully carved Corinthian capitals.



You can also see the foundations of the octagonal house that is said to be that of the apostle Peter, topped by a rather ugly new church where we can’t enter because a mass is in progress.

To be continued

Day of May 22 Today, we’re catching up on our schedule by starting as early as possible for Capernaum. The site is known for the miracle Jesus performed there, healing a sick man who had to be lowered through the roof because of the chaos inside the building (which is where the French word "capharnaüm" comes from).

Among these ruins, you can admire an ancient synagogue, with a few remaining white marble columns and beautifully sculpted Corinthian capitals.

You can also see the foundations of the octagonal house believed to be that of the apostle Peter, topped by a rather ugly new synagogue where we can’t enter because a mass is in progress. To be continued

Great observation about Capernaum! It really is a maze!! 😉

The ancient synagogue you mentioned is called the "Synagogue of Jesus." It was his place of prayer. It’s quite damaged, that’s for sure.

Regarding the foundations of Peter’s octagonal house, it’s not a synagogue but a Catholic church. And just a reminder, there’s no mass in a synagogue.😉

Beautiful photos.

Thanks again, Mitch, for that correction. From Capernaum, we head to Tabgha, where the Church of the Multiplication is located—the site where Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.



Under the hotel, they left the rock exposed where Jesus performed the multiplication.

The church also has beautiful mosaics currently being restored by German Benedictines—a very meticulous process we got to witness. We continue our journey around the Sea of Galilee and stop at Kursi to see the ruins of a large Byzantine monastery, destroyed—some say by the Persians, others by an earthquake. It’s believed to have been built on the site of a miracle where Jesus healed a man possessed by a demon by transferring the evil spirit into a pig.

The impressive complex is built from black volcanic stone with marble columns.



We continue our route around the Sea of Galilee and stop at Kursi to see the ruins of the large Byzantine monastery, destroyed—some say by the Persians, others by an earthquake. It’s said to have been built on the site of a miracle where Jesus healed a man possessed by a demon by transferring the evil spirit into a pig.

The impressive complex is built from black volcanic stone with marble columns.



Some beautiful mosaics remain, including one depicting two ducks and another with a Greek inscription.





Further on, you can see the underground remains of an extensive bathhouse, including the underfloor heating system with surviving pillars.



We have lunch at Kibbutz Ein Gev, at the Fishermen’s Restaurant, which has a lovely terrace overlooking the Sea of Galilee. But due to the heat—nearly 40°C—the service is indoors only. We’re getting used to it now, so we go for grilled St. Peter’s fish. 🙂 This afternoon, we’ll continue to the archaeological site of Hippos.

After lunch in Ein Gev, we take a small unmarked road at the exit of the kibbutz to climb the slopes overlooking the Sea of Galilee to the east and see the site of Hippos, where numerous civilizations succeeded one another. The city is said to have been founded by the Greeks of Ptolemy, then occupied by another Hellenistic branch, followed by Jews, then the Romans, and finally by Muslims before being completely destroyed by the 749 earthquake and abandoned. The site has only been excavated recently, and much of it is still off-limits due to ongoing digs. There are many remains.







You can see the scale of the site without being able to leave the marked trail set up for visitors, which protects the ongoing excavations.



A really interesting day, with beautiful sites and landscapes all along the roads. Tomorrow, we’re heading to Masada, a historic high point where a group of Jews rebelling against the Roman Empire took the site from the Roman garrison in 66 AD.