Exploring Israel by car
Road Trip in Israel
* My condolences to all the persons that had lost a close one in the region, this blog post is meant only to unite the beautiful cultures living in the area.
This time we decided to do a road trip around our favorite places in Israel.
First of all when you rent a car in Israel, be aware that you CANNOT drive it in ANY of the Palestinian territories, this also includes Bethlehem, Jericho and Nables. This is only because of the insurance, if you encounter any accidents, the insurance will not cover these areas.
So our trip started in Tel Aviv, we drove up to Nazareth to visit the famous market, and although we were caught in a storm, we still enjoyed a very nice Arabic coffee there. The traffic in Nazareth is quite heavy so we tried to get out of there before the rush hour.
Our next stop was the area of Galilee, where we indulged in delicious wine from the Lotem Organic Winery, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, while enjoying the rich goat cheese made in the region. Try to get there on Thursday, because the winery prepares some special dishes to enhance your wine experience on its terrace.
From the winery, we drove down Road Number 90, which crosses the West Bank, to visit the Lake of Galilee. This lake is mostly famous because of its religious importance but also because of the border to Syria.
The place we visited next was Palestine, or more precisely, Bethlehem. If you are familiar with Catholicism, Jesus was said to have been born here. But we didn’t come because of that dude. We came for the art of Banksy – one of the most iconic street artists in the world – prominently exhibited on the otherwise grim face of the border wall.
The way to go to Bethlehem is through Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, one of the entrances to the old city of Jerusalem.
Here you can park your car, or take a bus or a taxi. The bus only departs when it is full, so be prepared to wait a little. If you are taking the taxi, the standard rate is about 250 shekels for 3 persons.
The historical and political significance of the wall is one of the reasons why you should visit it. But what serves as a stark reminder to the political atrocities is Banksy’s iconic works and his “Off the Wall” Hotel. Pay close attention to the parts of the wall between the roundabout (with the War Pigeon – You’ll know what we mean when you see it) up until Mary’s Church. It is about 4 km.
Right after coming back from our trip into Palestine, we took the car and drove back to Tel Aviv, only to stop in Bat Yam – one of the neighborhoods of this beautiful city. Bat Yam is very popular because almost all apartments are next to beach and the calm waters makes the ocean look like a pool. Taadaa, Nature’s very own luxurious treat.
Finally we came back to our stay in Jaffa, where we went to have a nice dinner at our favorite café Bistro 60.
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