Part 2 Journey to Israel- Acre, Caperneum Tiberius, Nazareth and the Dead Sea

Acco or Acre is a historic walled port-city with evidence of continuous settlement since the Phoenician times. It lies to the north or Caesarea. The present city is characteristic of the Ottoman times and dates from the 18th and 19th centuries. The remains of the crusader citadel lies under the city and dates from 1104-1291. It was regarded as the capital of the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem.

View from Ottoman fortifications of Acre 

Acre Port

Boats in Acre port

Rocking boat ( hard to see here) Acre Port

The Crusader citadel was underground. The Museum was in the process of modernisation. There appeared to be preparations for projections, re-enactments and static displays like models of rooms of the time. It was freezing underground so heating might also be needed. We bought a ticket for 3 displays but one was the tunnel which both Steve and I would have to have bent double to see so we avoided that one.

Part of old town now restaurants

Knights Citadel, amazing figs made an oasis in a land with few trees

Beginning of modernisation of museum- Knights' banners

Knights Citadel- see cannon balls

Citadel

Crusader Tombstone 1290

Note the fleur -de -lis- traditionally used for French Royalty. Reported to have been adopted in 12th century by them on
their shield.

Hummus in the making

Acre was another place for us to try hummus. This time we joined lots of locals and school kids for lunch. See the cook above.

We then drove inland. In a country which is only 424 km from north to south and it's width ranges from 114km to its narrowest point 15 km, it wasn't that far. However as we found in Britain, lots of winding ways make for a long journey at times.

The next region was the Galilee. We had been told there had been rain so the area would be green. This was certainly the case. We were to also drive in the south through desert, providing evidence that for a small nation Israel is geographically diverse.

Our first hazy afternoon view of the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee( north)

My only experience of Christianity is as follows. I went to Sunday school at All Saints Parramatta because our neighbour taught there; I borrowed the Bible in Year 2 because I liked the pictures and at Parramatta High and Parramatta West Primary I engaged with the scripture teachers for debating practise, or really target practise  I am clearly not religious. Friends thought we went to Israel as part of a pilgrimage. For Steve and I this is far from the truth. However one can't help being affected by visiting the sites here, in relation to their religious history and the geography.

Galilee was significant because it is here that Jesus spent most of his time. He gathered his followers and a series of "miracles" is said to have occurred in the vicinity. As a student of history I am always in a state of awe when visiting places of historical interest: the Great Wall, the battle of Culloden, Stone Henge, Bath, the Western Front are just some we've visited. I try to imagine myself in the time. Just because I am not a Christian doesn't mean I treat sites like Galilee or Nazareth with any less fascination. That would be ignorant.

Steve has referred in his blog to the importance of this area in relation to the events which took place here and their impact on contemporary events: the crisis in the Middle East, the impact of colonialism, the spread of Christianity and Islam, and the treatment of the Jews through out time. So yes, fascinating and significant sites are to be engaged with in Israel for "believers"and non- believers". I was quite astounded by the impact this 10 day period had on me. It certainly didn't make me take up the Bible, Torah or Koran. But I was taken by the enormity of the belief that is the story of Palestine, Israel, the Promised Land or whatever you may call it.

The zeal with which people express their "faith" always amazes me. I suppose it shouldn't since I too have heart felt  political beliefs that I have "always" been keen to share. A few come to mind. I was walking in Caperneum, on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This site is significant since it is where Jesus is said to have healed people and was the home of a number of his apostles. Jesus set up his ministry here after leaving Nazareth. Buses carrying pilgrims alighted here as at the other sites of biblical note.  As we were walking towards the gate of the ancient site, two people walked passed, having just been into the site. The man said, " You know sometimes I think that there is just as much truth in what is not said in the Bible as is said.."  I winced at this statement and really stereotyped him instantly, however what this demonstrated was the power of faith or belief. Incredible. The statement made perfect sense to both he and his friend. This was just the beginning of what I witnessed as evidence of religious belief in Israel.

Tsfat sounded an interesting place to visit. It is described as a mystical place. It was freezing and raining. We arrived to see many orthodox jews, recognised by their hairstyle and clothing.
There was also an artists colony.

We stayed the night in Tiberius on the southern shore of Nazareth. It is a bit of a party town and is a bit down at the heel. After walking into town looking for dinner we finally settled again for a falafel wrap. Hummus and wraps became a bit of a staple in this expensive country.

Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee and view of Jordan

Sea of Galilee

Party boat in better times, it is winter after all
"The Queen of Sheba"

Israeli tourism is my guess
Grockle would be our term for this.

Heading south we decided to stay in Nazareth. It was only a short drive from Tiberius. Fortunately we had booked accommodation ahead. There certainly aren't as many places to stay. The internet had proven invaluable for booking ahead and getting directions. Following the blue dot on the iPad is always interesting. This time we believed it was wrong. We wound our way up hill right into narrow lane land, Steve's favourite.  He managed to get us out of there and we continued up the hill following what we believed was the route to our hostel. Again I got out to ask directions, a common event. A very helpful young man in the fruit shop in told us excellent English to go back the way we came and yes, it was where we had been. We parked the car in a car park and followed the signs to Abu Saeed Hostel. It was Shabbat so some shops were shut but as we were to learn it was a predominately Moslem town so not all were closed. It is known as the Arab capital with 69% Moslem and 30.5% Christian. In fact as we drove around we came to believe that most Jewish Israelis seem to live in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Amazingly heavy doors closed shops from view

Narrow pathways wound up the hill

Churches abound in the land of the Nazarene.

Security is clearly an issue

Church of the Annunciation Nazareth 

Markets not unlike Turkey

Lots of drums

We needed to get out to see as much as we could. Nazareth would have been a place we could spend more time. We visited the Church of the Annunciation. It is a modern church built on the site of earlier churches and said to be the site where Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus. Again many tour groups were there: English, American, French. The modern building is like a fortress. The inside is concrete and rather bunkerish. One imagines the Christians hiding in here if under threat.

Views of the Church of the Annunciation

While we were in Nazareth, rockets were being fired between Gaza and Israel. To protest the Israeli response a protest was held in Nazareth. Clearly this was a town sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians, being predominantly Moslem. I have always been interested in protests and demonstrations in other countries, however I kept remembering the smart traveller advice about staying away from such actions, so I felt rather anxious while nearby. We had seen water cannon accompany riot police in Mugla.

Quite an orderly protest

Early next morning we took off for the Dead Sea. We had booked accommodation here on the southern end of the Dead Sea at  Neve Zohar. The drive here was fascinating. We entered the
region called the Negev. This was desert. I have seen photos of desert and expected sand. It was a lunar landscape. From a distance it looked like sand or smooth, but on closer inspection the land was covered in small rocks. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to walk over it as the Bedouin people. Here you see true oasis, camels, and corrugated-sheet homes of the Bedouin. Once they used tents. The area looked poor and inhospitable. What a contrast to Tel Aviv or any of the towns we had seen so far.

Steve climbing to gain some perspective on the area

Negev

Notice the rocks in the foreground.

While researching Israel I had read about having a "Bedouin" experience: tents, eating under the stars, riding camels. On the way to the Dead Sea we came upon such a "hotel". What a stark contrast to the way the Bedouin live now. It was a bit like a "then and now" experience as we drove past and found Bedouin herders, their flock and their homes. It was Bedouin who discovered the Dead Sea scrolls in Qumran in 1946. Bedouin live also in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Many of their settlements are not recognised by Israeli planning laws.

Bedouin Experience

" I dare you to come for a ride!"

Communal eating area

Sleeping huts

Stopping for a snack at Adad we discovered a Russian community shop. Vodka, pickles, all sorts of russian products. Adad is modern day Caanan. The sign said Masada and the ipad seemed to show a road linking this archaeological site and National Park to the Dead Sea. So we set off. We finally reached Masada after driving down a long winding road. Masada was the site of a mass suicide of the people living there when the Romans besieged the city in 73AD. The settlement is on top of a large stoney plateau. We probably should have gone in but it was getting late and after a discussion with the staff at the gate realised that we had to drive all the way back to Adad and go further south to Neve Zohar.

Masada

Dead Sea, see the salt on edges

Approaching Neve Zohar the road winds down to 500 m below sea level. The local authority have placed large signs indicating how far you are going: 100m, 200m, 500m. Neve Zohar is the poor end of the Dead Sea in relation to accommodation and swimming. Signs indicate that you are not allowed to swim here. Further along the shore line as you travel north, swimming is allowed in small areas. Normally these are associated with a hotel or park.

Swimming spot- not that appealing really

The water was oily, thick and don't taste it! Salty!!!!! Signs also indicate not to wear gold in the water, don't put your head under,.....lots of don'ts. It didn't really appeal to me.

Signs appeared everywhere saying " no swimming"

We drove north to Ein Gedi. Here there is a kibbutz and a nature reserve. Lush growth stands in stark contrast to the rocky cliffs behind.

Ein Gedi Kibbutz and hotel.

View from Ein Gedi back to Dead Sea 

The parking attendant in Nazareth had suggested we drive the long way approaching Neve Zohar from the west, rather than driving through the West Bank. Driving an Israeli car which might not have been insured for this area and watching the Four Corners Program about the East Jerusalem I wasn't too keen about driving there. I actually brought an Australian flag to put in the car if we did, evidence of non Israeli occupants (I hoped). So we drove the way he suggested but on the way north Steve wanted to approach Jerusalem from the east, so it meant we had to take route 1, from north Dead Sea. It was so much shorter and meant we'd see other sites.

Jericho is one place I have wanted to see. We can teach about Jericho as a case study in Ancient History so driving so close we had to go in. The road in told a little of the story of this area. A large sign indicated that Israeli citizens were not allowed in to Palestinian controlled areas. We passed a  car which had rolled off the road,  and an old beaten up Mercedes overtook us at speed containing , as I told Michael "men who all were dressed like Yasser Arafat". The town looked poor.  Market day meant many on the roads, but women walked right out in front of us as we drove. I felt fine to walk around but the car might have been a problem, so we left. Our observations regarding the places that Israeli jews lived and where  Palestinians lived was again confirmed. Like the Bedouin town, it looked poor and rundown. We left in trepidation, but wished we could spend more time in the Palestinian areas.

Now the road to Jerusalem.....Part 3

It was all Greek to me....Getting a Greek Visa

As Australians we knew that sailing in the Med would be a challenge.  I am referring to the rules of Schengen. As Australians we can only stay 3 months out or 6 in a country which is part of the Schengen Agreement.  Many hours have been spent researching this problem.

I found reference to crew on vessels being able to avoid the requirements. What it appeared to mean was that when you as a crew from a non Schengen country was on board the vessel, the rules didn’t apply. Obviously crew on ships may be months away from home port. Steve thought this surely would only apply for ships, not sailing boats like Pavlov. 

In Lavriou, Greece, our boat needed a new transmission so we decided to try to extend our stay beyond 3 months. Our passports had been stamped and time was due to run out. So we visited the Migrant Police. We were waiting for a gearbox to arrive from England. We were stuck there. I had also read about police counting up the days you had been in Schengen countries, not just the country you were in then. We had gone to Rome for 9 days in February. Italy is also a Schengen country. We entered Greece in April. Our migration police did just this.  So instead of having another 2 weeks in Greece we only had 3 days!!

After being told we could always fly home, come back in 3 months and me bursting into tears, the police tried to work out what we could do. They didn’t believe that the boat could not move without our mechanic providing written evidence.  However they wouldn’t believe him since he didn’t or couldn’t provide the tax information they required to prove he was a mechanic in Greece. This sort of hindrance we didn’t need.

The police finally contacted our embassy and they drove us in to Athens to get a signed declaration that we couldn’t move the boat. Coming down to the boat and looking at the engine would not suffice.

After he drove us back to their office in Lavriou we paid for a one month Greek visa. This wasn't an extension since you can't extend Schengan. The officer commented that if we had not had our passports stamped and been listed as crew, not as the Symi police had listed us as passengers, we could have remained longer so long as we remained on Pavlov. The Schengen rule of 3 months would only apply if we ventured beyond Lavriou.  Every time we wanted to leave the area we would have to seek their approval and the clock would begin. Only the days away from Pavlov would count. Was this the exemption I had read concerning non Schengen crew and vessels ? Still questions remained. Nevertheless for now our problem had been solved. We didn't have to leave Greece until 5 August. It was now the 5 July. The part arrived and Steve and I yet again took on another profession. This time we became mechanics to fit it.

Research again provided another answer to our desire to stay in Greece for longer than 3 months in 2014. I found reference to a Greek visa which you must apply for while in your own country, Australia for us. Hearing about people being fined for overstaying their 3 months motivated us to find a better option. We want to stay in Greece over winter 2014-15 so we needed more time. For the crew of many non -Schengen flagged boats this would not be an option due to the tyranny of distance. Luckily Sophie’s wedding called us home to Australia in November 2013.

The Greek Consulate in Sydney provided us with the information we needed. If we could provide the following evidence : medical cover, boat insurance, financial means, police check, health check we could apply for a 12 month Greek visa. This would then enable us to apply for residency in Greece. 

It took time and patience but now we have our Greek visas in our passports. We need to enter Greece by May 2014. We will winter in Levkas from October 2014 to April 2015. Travelling from country to country has meant equipping ourselves with knowledge about how their systems work. It is at times tedious and stressful but always informative.

  

Michael and I at Lavriou

 The risk of fines, having to leave Pavlov or sailing to a non- Schengen country, has been averted.

Part 1-Journey to Israel- the "holy land" to some to others "the promised land"-

We arrived back in Turkey, Dalaman Airport, from Australia, in time to catch the last Havas bus back to Marmaris. The boat would again take centre stage in our lives, for a while. Yet as always flying around the planet again causes me to reflect on how my life has changed and how my view of the world has changed. More of that later.

Planning our ten day trip to Israel had provided something for me to do in Australia. The "no job , no car, no house" feeling that enveloped me for a day in Ballina, thank god, had well and truly dissipated. Now we were back in Turkey the boat was our focus, but for only 3 weeks since we were to fly to Israel on 10 March.

Providing the pics of our life has been left largely to Steve but in this blog I will endeavour to provide my share. Now we each have a camera intellectual property rights are easier to negotiate, and my new blog provides me with another vehicle to express my observations about what we see and the impact this life has on me.

Israel. I really had no great desire to go there. There are so many places to see. But since we are moving away from the eastern Med and we had planned to go there in the rally, I thought why not.  I particularly wanted to see and experience Jerusalem. It did not disappoint.

Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Istanbul

We flew Pegasus. It was cheap, about $250 each. However this meant we had a long time to wait in Istanbul, both going to Israel and on our return to Dalaman. We spent time soaking in the environment, watching people, reading and me trying to learn about our DSLR camera. Steve had bought a new camera in Sydney so I was determined to learn how to use our old one. Steve has been teaching me about light, aperture.....I like the idea of trying to take the best shot you can and I need to learn to use what I have, unprepared as I am to buy another one!

Not so good attempt, but trying to be covert in my photography

Flying in to Israel I was particularly interested in the security measures. We had heard about the tight security. I was ready with my "can you stamp on a piece of paper" but clearly the Israelis are on to this. A small identifying paper brought us into the country, with our photo on it and a new one took us out. Not sure if we will go into states hostile to Israel but better to be prepared.

We managed to navigate the train and bus system to get to the Old Jaffa Hostel in Jaffa,  just south of Tel Aviv.  That night we ate at a restaurant which also had live music. It was great, if a bit expensive.

Tel Aviv is a young people's city. This we witnessed but was also supported by a tour guide. It is also an expensive place to live. Last year there were demonstrations about the cost of housing. 

Great atmosphere, music and German wheat beer!

Tel Aviv is the second biggest city in Israel with a population of over 400,000. In 1909 Jewish migrants came to the old Port of Jaffa. Over the years the population of Tel Aviv grew and in 1950 Tel Aviv and Jaffa merged into a single municipality. Most countries have there consulates or embassies in Tel Aviv, though the Israeli government regard Jerusalem as their capital. The  UN has not recognised  Jerusalem as their capital.

Clock tower Jaffa, Ottoman design 1900

We rarely do tours but we did in Tel Aviv. However it was free. The young woman was born in England. She walked us through a very small section of old Jaffa and provided some historical perspective of the area.

Our guide providing us with the background to Israel and Jaffa

Old Jaffa Port

View from near Old Jaffa Port north towards Haifa- Tel Aviv skyline

artist view of Israel, like a tree, growing strong out of rocky ground 

In Old Jaffa apart from the historic buildings, artists have found space. In fact we came 

across many artists enclaves in Israel. Clearly evidence of art being valued highly in general.

House of Simon the Tanner

It was here in Jaffa that we first encountered a place of pilgrimage for Christians who come to Israel. It was the house of Simon the tanner. According to the bible it was here that St Peter stayed in Jaffa. Here it is purported that he had a significant dream:that gentiles could be included in the newly formed church. As history, this is fascinating for me. As a non believer, in any religion, it is still interesting to see the places that have such a significant impact on the world. By this I mean the impact of the Christian church, in this instance. The other two big religions, Islam and Judaeism, get their time of contemplation later in our trip.

No peeing here

Now Steve thinks this is rubbish, but according to the guide the builders placed this wall in this position to stop men urinating in the street. I didn't give this much attention until we were in Jerusalem and I went for a walk up Jaffa Rd where the odorous notes of urine sang loudly. So maybe.....

This young Asian man sang in the back streets of the Flea market in Jaffa. We did notice buskers are a common sight in the major cities: a great thing.

lunch in Jaffa- hummus

Steve's brother-in-law, Tony, owns a business in Byron that makes dips. So one of Steve's missions while here was to bring back ideas for hummus. We ate hummus everywhere. In many places it is the main meal. As you can see the meal was garlic, pickles, small flat bread and hummus garnished with parsley and chilli powder. This was washed down with Israeli black beer, apparently non alcoholic?

Trying to avoid bread again on this trip proved impossible, and it was yum.

We stayed in Jaffa for two days until we picked up the car. Luckily we could catch a bus nearby and it dropped us close to the car rental- Elden. For less than $150 we had our Mazda for five days. However fuel was expensive, twice the amount we pay in Australia.

Next stop Caesarea. Driving in Israel was Steve's job. Only one person could be listed, so he got the role. I hate dealing with the aggressive driving in Turkey. I had read about a similar attitude here.

The roads are good but the country side is generally quite boring and poorly maintained. I thought, most of their expenditure goes on defence spending.

ramparts outside ancient Caesarea

Caesarea was built by Herod in 25-13 BC. It bears the marks of ancient times, Mamluk, Crusader and Ottoman structures, particularly defensive. Phoenicians also lived here. Given its position on the Mediterranean, it was first line of defence and had commercial importance. However the old port was mostly taken back by the sea. Herod tried to curry favour with his Roman overseers. He built baths, an arena for chariot racing and gladiatorial combat. There are remains of these structures, and mosaics to be seen. What amazed me was the poor repair of some of the artefacts. Buildings were poorly maintained and inadequately labeled for us the visitors and mosaics were in a shocking state. What also amazed me also was the emphasis on commercial activity today, almost at the expense of the antiquities.

no signs indicating what we were looking at

arena for chariot race

Steve near remains of arena

Ancient port festooned by restaurant and jewellery shop

                                     
                                      

damage to mosaic

From Caesarea we drove north to Akko or Acre.  This time we would see a truly crusader citadel, a significant site in the Crusades. We hadn’t booked accommodation here so in the cold and rain we would find somewhere to sleep. We walked into the walled old city to see a living world heritage listed town. The town had been repaired apparently, but it still reminded you of what it must have been like 800 years ago. We also realized why all the wiring was run outside the building. These buildings would have been difficult to modernize with the wiring concealed. So everywhere were wires strung up, precariously at times. It too was a port so more boats to see. We are always on the lookout for ports, facilities and which foreign boats might have ventured into this not particularly boat friendly environment.

An attempt to capture the sunset over Acco- as aspiring photographer! 

END OF PART 1...