Matt & Jen Tours Inc.

Jen and I just returned from a five-day trip to the northern part of Israel, a land we had not yet seen. It was an exhilarating trip and while photos and extended stories will be posted soon here on the blog, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide an overview of our trip in the style of literature known as "tour planner."

Day One - Sunday

• Depart from the comfort of your Jerusalem apartment and walk downtown to pickup your rental car; experience what Israelis attempt to call "waiting in line!"
• Navigate back to your apartment to pickup luggage and then depart from Jerusalem toward the north.
• Experience the amazing theme park "Mini Israel," a miniature reconstruction of historic buildings throughout the Holy Land. Arrive a half hour before opening - time at your leisure!
• Explore Tel Meggigo, the ancient town also called Armageddon - according to Christian theology to be the location of the climatic battle between good and evil at the end of days! Walk through the first of many water system caverns on this trip.
• After searching on several wrong roads due to confusing signs, arrive at Bet Alpha National Park and explore the ruins of a synagogue from the sixth century. See the intricate mosaic floor.
• Travel to the incredible Bet She'an National Park, the ancient Egyptian, Jewish, and Roman capital city of the region. Explore the Roman city and enjoy sitting amongst the vomitoriums (hallways, not rooms for vomit!) in the 7,000 seat outdoor theater!
• Drive miles and miles up a one-lane mountain highway to arrive at a Crusader-era fortress at the top of a hill 50 minutes before closing, only to be told that entry is not permitted after 4 p.m.! Drive back down the hill.
• Arrive in the underdeveloped tourist city of Tiberias and visit the tomb of Rabbi Meir. Enjoy a private dining experience in one of Tiberias' finest kosher restaurants. Overnight in Tiberias at the formerly luxurious Hotel Astoria, located nowhere near the minimal attractions of Tiberias.
  

Day Two - Monday

• Depart your hotel for the drive to the mystical city of Tsefat (Safed). Experience the street system, likely developed by Kabbalists themselves to confuse demons or to keep the evil eye out of the Jewish Quarter.
• Explore the maze-like streets of the Jewish Quarter in old Tsefat and look inside several old synagogues tied to famous Jewish scholars.
• Visit the Safed Candle Factory and gaze adoringly at the overpriced pieces of wax.
• Continue north. No, even more north. Nope - still not far north enough. Continue north to Kiryat Shmona, the city that 9 out of 10 Katyusha rockets prefer over any other city in Israel! It's the city you heard about in the news every day last summer - it's a famous place!
• Visit the memorial and cemetery at Tel Hai in honor of the Jewish fighters who died in a 1920 battle against local Arabs.
• Even farther north than Kiryat Shmona is Metula, the northernmost town in Israel. Delightfully charming, this town of 1400 sits almost on top of the Lebanese border! Enjoy the peace and serenity of this adorable town (rated the "Second Cutest Town" by Jen) as the only visitors during your stay.
• Heading south and away from the threat of Lebanese incursion, head toward the Hermon Stream Nature Reserve, a.k.a. Banias or Panias. This beautiful setting of nature trails and waterfalls will delight the whole family!
• More history awaits! Located amid magical mountain scenery on the slopes of Mt. Hermon is the Nimrod Fortress, one of the largest and most impressive fortresses from the Middle Ages in the Middle East!
• Drive south along the border highway through the Golan Heights and stop at the overlook to view the large and impressive Syrian ghost town of Kuneitra or Qunaitra, abandoned by Syria after the Six Day War.
• Stop in Katsrin and visit the archaeological museum there to learn about the history of Gamla, the Jewish town under siege by the Romans.
• Travel to the sacred Jordan River and while on its banks, explore the ancient community of Tel Beit Tsaida.
• Walk along the promenade in Tiberias along the Kinneret, a.k.a. the Sea of Galilee. Participate in a private screening of the "Galilee Experience," a 37 minute multi-media presentation on the thousands of years of history of this historical region. Before buying your ticket, be warned by a friendly salesperson that the movie contains seven minutes about the life of Jesus.
• Overnight in Tiberias.

Day Three - Tuesday

• Travel cross-country to the beautiful Mediterranean Sea coast.
• Visit historic and ancient Acco (Acre), including the Citadel, Underground Prisoners Museum, the Turkish Bath, the Sea Wall, and even the Al Jazzar Mosque!
• Continue south to Haifa and see the key sights there - the Bahai Gardens, Elijah the Prophet's cave, the Maritime Museum.
• Evening at leisure! Perhaps visit the Grand Canyon (a play on words because the word "canyon" in Hebrew means "mall,") said to be the largest mall in the Middle East! See a movie and relax after three days of driving and traveling like crazies.
• Overnight at the once plush Hotel Marom in Haifa.

Day Four - Wednesday

• Drive through the beautiful natural and human-planted forests of Carmel National Park. Stop at the Carmelite Monestary for 23 seconds for the view of the location where Elija the prophet battled the priests of Baal!
• Continue traveling through the park and experience the phenomenon of encountering a large Arab city in the middle of a densely forested national park.
• Spend the morning at the amazing Beit She'arim, an ancient Jewish community that contains dozens of burial caves to explore, including the burial site of the famous redactor of the Mishna, Rabbi Judah haNasi!
• After Beit She'arim, visit the outstanding ancient town of Tsipori. There, you'll explore brilliant mosaics, a Roman theater, a Crusader fortress, and an ancient synagogue.
• Then, drive through the charming modern Jewish villages of Beit Lechem haGililit and Alonei Aba, both located on former Templar sites from the early 20th century.
• On the way back to Haifa, visit the non-grand canyon, a small indoor shopping center.
• Then, afternoon at leisure and be forewarned - if one should happen to take a nap, the maid might just walk right in! Overnight in Haifa.

Day Five - Thursday

• Say l'heitraot (goodbye) to Haifa and drive south to visit what is said to be Israel's most beautiful beach. Discover that it's a little bit more difficult to get to than originally thought and arrive at a secret military installation not found on the map! After being directed to the beach, discover that the beach is not yet open for the day.
• Continue south to Zikhron Ya'akov, rated #1 most adorable town in all of Israel by Jen.
• While there, visit the Aaronsohn House–Nili Museum to learn about the anti-Ottoman spy ring established in the town during World War I.
• Then, visit the First Aliyah Museum, which charts the history of the first wave of Jewish immigration to Israel from the 1800s to early 1900s.
• Continue south along the Mediterranean Coast to Caesarea, the place the tour books say is said to, "feel rather like a tour-bus unloading zone." Enjoy the splendor of an ancient site developed for tourists. Despite the underwhelmingness of Caesarea, do stop by the Roman aqueduct, which is truly impressive.
• Neaing the end of our tour, be sure to be on time for the 3 p.m. English tour at the Alaylon Institute, an amazing historical site that is not to be missed! The institute was the home of a secret bullet manufacturing plant in the years before Israeli independence.
• Heading home to Jerusalem, stop at Beit Hertzel, which wasn't really Hertzel's house anyway and the Burma Road, located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
• Overnight in Jerusalem at home.

Day Six - Friday

• After a week of driving in Israel and never going the wrong way down a one-way street, screw up and do so in the city you've lived in for nearly a year. Have the wonderful experience of an Israeli police officer coming up to your car and yelling at you in Hebrew. Be sure to play the role of ignorant foreigner and just receiving a gentle admonishment. Return rental car. Walk home. Whew!