Dionysis Theodorou: Israel: August 2010 by Dionysis Theodorou

On my recent trip to Israel, I decided that I would make a point of taking as many pictures of as much of Israel as I possibly could. I didn't manage to take as much as I would like to have taken but I am quite satisfied with what I have for the moment.

We stayed in Rehovot and travelled as much as we could to visit interesting places and to see our friends and family.

Rehovot is celebrating 120 years since its founding and there were some great activities and public participation concerts and performances that we all enjoyed attending.

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We visited the Sea of Galillee for a couple of days and had an afternoon in Tiberias.

It was 38 degrees, but something about being on the shores of the Sea of Galillee made it incredible enjoyable and we were hardly bothered by the heat.

We took a stroll on the boardwalk in the city of Tiberias which is located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Israel successfully combines the modern with the traditional and the natural with the man-made in a very small space so that at certain times of the year you could go skiing on Mount Hermon in the morning after which you could enjoy a breakfast of Druze Pitta and goats cheese and delicious coffee in an authentic druze hut.

You could then drive down the wonderful scenic route of waterfalls and rolling, green mountains of Galilee to the Sea of Galilee, or Kinneret in Hebrew, where you could Kayak on the River Jordan.

As you desend, you could stop over at the port city of Haifa to enjoy the views and take some pictures.

We visited the Madatech science museum in Haifa where there was a Robot Zoo exhibition which was very interesting, informative and fun.

On the way home we took some pictures of the Bahai international headquarters.

On your way south you would pass through central Israel, which is the commercial hub of the country. Cities in central Israel include Tel Aviv, Hertzelia, Ra'anana and others.

Tel Aviv is the centre of the centre of Israel and is a modern miracle of engineering and construction, of commerce, technology, culture, fashion and much more.

Central Israel is built up and densely populated as this is were the bulk of the work is.

Moving south east of the centre will lead you up to Jerusalem where you could pray at the Western Wall, walk the ancient streets and stroll through markets where time seems to have stood still for the last two thousand years.

To reach Eilat, which is the southern most point of Israel, you pass through the Judean and the Negev deserts were you will find Bedouins in their tents and signs warning that camels may be crossing the road.

One of the most amazing experiences I have had is that of floating on the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea, is the lowest point on earth, its surface and its shores being 422 metres below sea level.

It is also surprisingly deep at 378 metres, making it the deepest hypersaline lake in the world and the area it covers is quite impressive bordering Jordan on the east and Israel on the west and spanning from the north of Jerusalem to the south of the Negev city of Dimona.

Continuing our journey south-west of the Dead Sea through the Arava, the Uvda and the Timna valleys will bring us to the southern most point of Israel, Eilat, the tourist resort on the shores of the Red Sea. The distance from the southern Dead Sea to Eilat is about 220km.

The Red Sea is famous for its part in the Biblical story of the exodus from Egypt.

Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. Exodus 15:4

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Exodus 15:19

The journey from the snowy Mount Hermon, at the northern most point of Israel, to the hot and dry tourist resort of Eilat at the southern most point of Israel could probably be completed in about ten hours if you are determined.

At the right time of year you could probably catch the snow, the lake, the bustling city, the desert, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea in a single day.

Rehovot: City of Science and Culture

When we lived in Israel we lived in Rehovot and that's where we stay when we visit.

Rehovot is a modern city with two world class universities that produce some of the world's most highly acclaimed scientists and Nobel Prize winners: The Weizmann Institute of Science and The University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Agriculture and is also home to a one thousand dunam science park which hosts some of the most higly productive and influential hi-tech companies in the world such as HP, Applied Materials, Nova, IBM, Sapiens, and many more.

The Open University of Israel also has a branch in Rehovot and there are many institutes and colleges.

Rehovot is about 25km from Tel Aviv and about 40km from Jerusalem, making it a convenient and central location.

As I have already mentioned, it would take much more than a blog entry to capture the essence of Israel.

People who were born there and have lived there for many years are always discovering new places to visit and the landscape and the population are constantly in motion and tirelessly progressing and growing.

Israel is no doubt one of the most exciting places in the world.