In 1971 my young husband and I traveled third-class on a Turkish ship along the Mediterranean coast to Haifa, in northern Israel. Our public toilet had holes in the floor within the stalls, with the sea churning beneath them. (We tried to upgrade, but found a chain closing off the stairs to the second-class dining room. I slept in my clothes in a tiny cabin right by the anchor, which rattled us awake every morning.)
But I had to visit Israel. Born only 23 years earlier, Israel then seemed a land of hope and sand -- young, proud and dangerously isolated. Today it is an ever greening country, a bit less young and despite the serious political troubles that remain, even more proud of its past and hopeful about its future. There's a vibrancy there I didn't feel on my first trip.
Please join me on a snapshot tour of some of the wonders of Israel that I just rediscovered, though my camera lens.
Israel is filled with friendly, well-fed cats. Here one overlooks the modern city of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast. Vibrant Tel Aviv rose out of sand dunes and swampland in the 19th century, built by Jewish pioneers who were not allowed to use the port in nearby Jaffa.
The Bauhaus style of architecture is seen throughout Tel Aviv, influenced by the Bauhaus movement in Germany in the 1920s and 30s.
The layers of Jaffa, the oldest port in the world, dating back before Christ.
Jaffa on the Med, since the time of Jonah.
A Jaffa street.
Shadow on stone.
A rusty old door. History of some sort within, and it lurks everywhere you look.
Mint tea. Simple, beautiful, a refreshing end to most meals.
A typical Israeli lunch: pita, hummus, pickled veggies and falafel.
Jerusalem, with the golden Dome of the Rock in the center. Three religions consider this city holy.
The Temple Mount, with the Western Wall to the left. Pilgrims come to pray at the wall.
Jerusalem at Night. The walls of the old city, built in Ottoman times. David's Gate and The Dome of the Rock are built inside this wall. (Photo by Ziv Koren)
Ancient olive trees from the garden of Gethesemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Did Jesus and his disciples sit under them the night before he died?
Jerusalem market: arcades, shops and a tower of pomegranites.
Israeli boys turn into ...
Israeli soldiers. Both men and women are required to serve.
Sunset in the Judean desert, from the bus (tip the screen to see more).
The walls of the fortress at Masada, where in the first century Jews committed suicide rather than be captured by the besieging Romans. The Dead Sea is in the distance.
From my balcony in Eilat, on the Red Sea. Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia can be seen from here. (Not exactly the third-class voyage mentioned in the intro to this post!) 
The Ramon Crater in the Negev desert, with hyper-coloration caused by minerals.
Ruins at Avdat, once a trading post town in the desert for frankincence and myrrh along the ancient spice route. 
Ya never know....
A modern sculpture -- a live tree growing out of an egg-shaped container, representing the rebirth of Israel. The art scene is flourishing.
As a child I collected money to plant trees in Israel when sands covered most of the infant country. My trees now stand tall and proud among millions. On a cold and windy day near the Galilee I recently planted a tiny tree that someday will join the others, keeping this land green.. (Photo by Karin Leperi)
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
ccdarling
nilesite
cancerdancer
Liberal Southern Democrat
Emily Rapp
Nick Carraway
Salon.com
Comments
What an eye you have, Lea!
r.
Lovely lea..
HUGGGGGGGGGG
You look beautiful, by the way...~r
Thanks for this. What a gorgeous country it is.
(As Israel is the birthplace of all three Western religions and the beginning of history as we know it, it belongs to us all. If you've never been, let Lea's beautiful post inspire you). Shalom!
And Leepin Larry, yes those are plastic bags covering my shoes. It was muddy!
D
Do you have photos from your first trip? It would be interesting to see a "then" and "now" comparison. R
That one shot of a street of Jaffa is just so lovely, I want to jump in.
Tell more about the fortress at Masada! Do you have more photos? That is one place I have always wanted to see in person ever since I read of it as a teenager...
Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
By the way.....wearing white as you plant a tree is about as brave as it gets. You look gorgeous!
__♥$$$$$♥__LOVE__♥$$$$$$♥
_♥_F_$$$$$$$$__$$$$§§(¯`v´¯)♥
♥$$_O_$$$$$$$$$$$$$$(¯`(●)´¯)♥
♥$$$_R_$$$$$$$$$$$$$$(_.^._)$♥
♥$$$$_E_$$$$$$$$$(¯`v´¯)$$$$♥
_♥$$$$_V_$$$$$$$(¯`(●)´¯)$$♥
___♥$$$_E_$$$$$$$(_.^._)$♥
______♥$_R_$(¯`v´¯)$$$$♥
________♥$$(¯`(●)´¯)$♥
___________♥(_.^._)♥