It’s hard to conceive of many places on earth with more to offer the discerning traveler than Israel. Nick Yates would like to chronicle a few of his experiences in this fascinating country.

Starting perhaps with the Galilee region.  The Sea of Galilee — Lake Kinneret to the Israelis — might be any other stunningly azure lake, were it not so dramatically set in its perfect bowl of surrounding mountains.  And were not that drama the ancient land of so many historic millenniums.

Nestled along its eastern shore, the rental cabins of Kibbutz Ein Gev provide an evening view of staggering panoramic sunsets that the ancients themselves must surely have remarked on.  And if the lighting isn’t enough, then of course there’s the whole geology thing.  (Get set to snooze, you loser natural history averse types out there!)  As the continents have gone their separate ways over the eons, a frightfully large crack in the earth’s surface has found its way across much of East Africa, under the seas, and right through the Israel-Jordan borderland.  The top end of this crack now cradles the lake.  Down from this, through areas equally famous since Biblical times, runs the River Jordan on toward the Dead Sea.

Now, it seems to me that any serious traveler would want to stand upon those hills, and take it all in, at least once in his or her lifetime.  Perhaps some are too put off by the violence (yes) which seems to naturally come with this sacred terrain.  And yet — two peoples have lived on this land for ages, and their established cities, towns and villages plus the ancient ruins of others await any who can see beyond mere troubles to the ageless reality which pervades.

For me, just standing on a hilltop overlooking what the Israelites, the Greeks, the Romans and the crusaders after them took in as a matter of course is more than enough to justify the airplane fare and whatever middling concerns I may have security-wise.

The Israelis, by the way, are perhaps the most accustomed in all the world to Americans and our wiles.  After all, many of them are themselves American emigrants to the land of their religious heritage.

On second thought — I may In fact want to continue to have it all for myself!  So go ahead and take your spouse to Disney World instead.

Topics: Nick Yates on Travel |

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