Having made it safely through all the checkpoints and security and arrived in Israel the next challenge was to find my luggage (one carry on suitcase) amongst the hundreds of bags literally dumped beside the carousels.
Eventually I found it and made my way outside, purchasing a ticket for a sherut (shared taxi) into Jerusalem. I am thankful to all the folk on Trip Advisor who take the time to post about their experiences as they make it easier for other travellers to get around.
Arriving in Jerusalem was an experience. There is an undercurrent of tension, whether real or imagined I'm not sure but there nevertheless. The taxi dropped us in the middle of nowhere. Luckily there was an English speaking couple who knew where they were going so I followed them to the tram line and found my way to the city bus depot where I caught a bus which would take me directly to Hod Hasharon, my final destination.
One aspect of traveling in Israel is that few people speak English, a fact that I hadn't considered, making it difficult to get around or buy anything to eat!
Arriving safely at my friend's house I was ready for an early night after a few hours talking and catching up.
I slept in next morning and spent the day just chilling out, reading, drinking tea or wine, sitting outside on the deck, smelling the flowers, seeing the potatoes growing next door, walking around the streets, in fact just doing normal everyday things.
Today I caught the bus from here into town, then caught an intercity bus into Tel Aviv. What a beautiful city. It is a mix of old (Jaffa Port being the first port in the world) and new buildings. The Mediterrean Sea was pounding in to the golden coastline. The market had the cheapest and freshest vegetables and food. I walked for about 4 hours solid just enjoying the freedom and the green parks. I walked to Jaffa Port and spent an enjoyable hour there, eating icecream, writing postcards, before discovering an amazing warren of art galleries with the most incredible soft painting that I have ever seen. Look it up if you (like me) haven't heard of it before. The technique uses felt instead of canvas and wool is the medium instead of paint.
I can tell you that one of the large vibrant masterpieces was screaming out to get into my suitcase and go home with me. But it hasn't...
Eventually I found it and made my way outside, purchasing a ticket for a sherut (shared taxi) into Jerusalem. I am thankful to all the folk on Trip Advisor who take the time to post about their experiences as they make it easier for other travellers to get around.
Arriving in Jerusalem was an experience. There is an undercurrent of tension, whether real or imagined I'm not sure but there nevertheless. The taxi dropped us in the middle of nowhere. Luckily there was an English speaking couple who knew where they were going so I followed them to the tram line and found my way to the city bus depot where I caught a bus which would take me directly to Hod Hasharon, my final destination.
One aspect of traveling in Israel is that few people speak English, a fact that I hadn't considered, making it difficult to get around or buy anything to eat!
Arriving safely at my friend's house I was ready for an early night after a few hours talking and catching up.
I slept in next morning and spent the day just chilling out, reading, drinking tea or wine, sitting outside on the deck, smelling the flowers, seeing the potatoes growing next door, walking around the streets, in fact just doing normal everyday things.
Today I caught the bus from here into town, then caught an intercity bus into Tel Aviv. What a beautiful city. It is a mix of old (Jaffa Port being the first port in the world) and new buildings. The Mediterrean Sea was pounding in to the golden coastline. The market had the cheapest and freshest vegetables and food. I walked for about 4 hours solid just enjoying the freedom and the green parks. I walked to Jaffa Port and spent an enjoyable hour there, eating icecream, writing postcards, before discovering an amazing warren of art galleries with the most incredible soft painting that I have ever seen. Look it up if you (like me) haven't heard of it before. The technique uses felt instead of canvas and wool is the medium instead of paint.
I can tell you that one of the large vibrant masterpieces was screaming out to get into my suitcase and go home with me. But it hasn't...
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