My day started with a bagel from a place called Holy Bagel - very good customer service in that place! I recommend. After bagel it was time for more serious stuff. I walked to the old town and looked for the Arab bus station near it. Today I would be going to visit in a very interesting area - Bethlehem in Palestinian Territory. The Arab bus station is located quite near the Damascus Gate of old town. I took the bus number 21 and I was surprised how most of the people in the bus were tourists (and I was also surprised that it was a big bus not a mini bus). We were quickly outside of Jerusalem and driving along the wall between Israel and Palestine. It wasn't my first time to see the wall, I already saw it from a Haifa-Jerusalem bus. Suddenly the bus stopped middle of nothing and most of the local people left the bus. Outside the bus there were lots of cars waiting. We tourists were very confused but then the bus continued it's drive and this stop is still mystery for me.
I didn't even noticed the point where we crossed the border but soon the bus stopped at big junction. Some of use where little confused if this was the last stop and asked it from the driver who said that this is the last stop. So we all left the bus and then everybody disappeared in different directions. I was little confused where to go but then I noticed otherside of the junction a familiar street name from the guide books (Pope Paul VI street). I started to walk along it and the streets were busy with people opening their shops and going to work and school. I passed Lutheran Christmas Church and I came to more older part of the Bethlehem. Soon I was at the Mager Square and the Church of the Nativity was standing before me. There was still Christmas decorations around the square. I then went to inside to the church. There was service still going and the priests (or monks) were singing and incense was smelling. Because the priests were inside of the Grotto of the Nativity their singing was echoing mysteriously around the church. Very mystic atmosphere. After the priests left somewhere through a secret door I went to see the grotto myself. Smell of incense was very strong and I had hard time breathing. I watched some time how people kissed the spot where Jesus was born and then walked around the church complex. When big Russian tourist group arrived I decided to leave.
I walked back to the Pope Paul VI street and decided to buy real Palestinian scarf from Palestine. I suck at haggling so I was totally ripped of but it was worth of it - I got nice tea and sweets. But after that I was so low on money that I needed to go back to Jerusalem. I walked back to the big junction and from there I started to walk towards north along Hebron Road. Soon I came to the wall between Palestine and Israel and I started to follow it. There was no other people around so I took pictures of the graffities without any disturbance. At one point I met 2 local guys who wanted me to take picture of them because they wanted to represent Palestine. Couple times the wall went behind houses or fences so I needed to walk along streets near it. The wall was at the same time a beautiful and sad experience. I advice people to go see it. Then I arrived to the border check point which was full of taxis with their drivers offering me rides to anywhere in the West Bank. I kindly ignored them and I walked to border check. First 100 metres made me feel like I was going to jail and soon I was speaking to border control people through black glasses so I didn't even see where they were. One girl checked my passport quickly and then I was back in Israel.
There was big line of mini buses (sherut) number 24 waiting for people going to Jerusalem. I had just enough money to go back - it was stupid thing to go to Bethlehem with little money. The bus left when it was almost full. It took more people inside on other bus stops so it was very full when I left it at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem. I went to find falafel from old town and I met Olga and Marcin there. They were going to an internet cafe and Olga said she was going to come back home late this night also. After our conversation I went to a tourist information office to buy tickets for a walk on top of the old town walls. In the office I met one of the Israeli guys from the bar. He still remembered the Finnish phrases I taught him a day ago. After that I climbed to the wall. I met only 3 other people because it was close to the closing time. I walked from Jaffa Gate to the Damascus Gate and I really enjoyed the views from the wall. It felt like a secret place to watch people's life in the old town from above. Damascus Gate exit was closed because of renovations so I needed to walk little bit back to New Gate to get down from the wall.
As my feet were hurting from all the walking of that day I decided just go back to Olga's place. Later I went to eat first time in the Kosher McDonald's and I went to buy also a pizza because I was really hungry.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Jerusalem - day 2
After 3 hours of bad sleeping I woke up and took my luggage to reception. I bought some breakfast from a bakery next to the hostel and started to walk towards Jerusalem's old town. I came to the Jaffa Gate little before 7.30am and Marcin came soon after me. Even though this wasn't his first time in Jerusalem he hasn't visited the Temple Mount before. We walked through Jewish quarter to the Western Wall or Wailing Wall. Because it was early morning the stalls and shops were just opening up and only few people were on the move. But at the Western Wall there was already lots of people praying. I was little surprised of the security check before the wall but that's the case everywhere here. We watched the people for short time and then went to the bridge which lead up to the Temple Mount. Everything not Islamic is forbidden at Temple Mount so they scan your bags to find if you have crosses, stars, Bibles, Torahs or other religious staff in your bag. When we entered Temple Mount the sun was shining brightly - it was going to be a warm day. I was surprised how green it was around the Mount. Al-Aqsa mosque didn't look any special but the crown jewel Dome of the Rock was magnificent. It had lots of little buildings around it that I didn't know before. You could see the Mount of Olives from the Mount. Around the Mount were groups of older men reading probably Quran, like we have Bible groups. There was only few tourists around, some Americans had sneaked their Bible inside and were reading some chapter from it. Although you can only enter the Temple Mount from one point you can exict anywhere.
After we left from Temple Mount we walked back to Jaffa Gate through the Armenian Quarter where was not much to see. At the gate I said goodbye to Marcin who went back to sleep. I continued my walk by going towards Christian Quarter. I soon found myself next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There was lots of tourists groups around it. Mostly Russians and Americans but also lots of Spanish-speaking people, Africans and nuns who looked very enthusiastic to be there. It was dark inside the church. I followed the stations of the cross inside to get a feeling of the church. It was so crazy to see how people where so into just for being there. They were kissing the Stone of Unction, nuns where jumping of happines, the line to get inside to the Holy Sepulchre was long and everybody where making cross signs. These are things that my Lutheran mind can't understand. Incense was smelling powerfully everywhere. I walked around the whole church. It had little mystic atmosphere because of the darkness. When I left from there I noticed the Lutheran Church of Redeemer was located next to it. Inside the Lutheran church there was only Japanese couple with me. I had little familiar feeling when I was sitting there, all the churches in Finland look just same inside.
As it wasn't even noon yet I decided to go see the Mount of Olives. I walked through the Muslim Quarter and got little lost because I found myself from the Western Wall. One of the reasons I love Jerusalem's old town is the fact that it's very maze-like. I bought some falafel to eat and then finally found the Lions Gate. The walk from the old town to the Gardens of Gethsemane wasn't that long but I got probably 20 taxi ride offers to anywhere in West Bank. Gardens of Gethsemane consists of few old olive treest. Next to it is the Church of All Nations. There was somebody singing in Spanish and it sounded very beautiful. I sat down to listen it for a short time. Then I started my walk up to the Mount. After few minutes of walking I realised how stupid idea it was. The hill is very steep. I don't recommend walking for the people with bad health. There was little garden with viewing point little before the top. As it was said everywhere that you should be careful when going alone to the Mount of Olives, I was very surprised to find little groups of Japanese kids running around without adults. I ended to some square where Japanese kids' bus was located. I noticed that churches located on the top where further than I thought so I just walked to the viewing point. The viewing point is located on top of the Jewish cemetary and it has amazing views over the city. And up there I experienced something very beautiful. Clock hit noon and that's is the one of the praying times for Muslims. So all the mosques put their prayer calls on and their sounds were echoing around the city. It sounded amazing and it was very peaceful moment. At the viewing point there was only Russian family (and camel!) with me who were also amazed of the prayer calls. That was very unforgettable moment.
After resting my feet for a while watching the magnificent view I started to walk back down. I walked through the Jewish cemetary and I was shocked how much destroyed graves there were. Back down I quickly visited tomb of the Virgin Mary before it closed for afternoon break. I walked back to the city centre walking around southside of the old town. I started to feel very tired so I went straight to the hostel and then I called to Olga. She was still sleeping after our night out. I came to her place and went straight to sleep myself too. I woke up around 6pm and I noticed that Olga had left somewhere. But I found her soon from her roommates room. She was going out with him but I didn't want to join them, I was still so tired. I went to find something to eat, then I came back, surfed in the internet and went back to sleep. I didn't even woke up when Olga came back.
After we left from Temple Mount we walked back to Jaffa Gate through the Armenian Quarter where was not much to see. At the gate I said goodbye to Marcin who went back to sleep. I continued my walk by going towards Christian Quarter. I soon found myself next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There was lots of tourists groups around it. Mostly Russians and Americans but also lots of Spanish-speaking people, Africans and nuns who looked very enthusiastic to be there. It was dark inside the church. I followed the stations of the cross inside to get a feeling of the church. It was so crazy to see how people where so into just for being there. They were kissing the Stone of Unction, nuns where jumping of happines, the line to get inside to the Holy Sepulchre was long and everybody where making cross signs. These are things that my Lutheran mind can't understand. Incense was smelling powerfully everywhere. I walked around the whole church. It had little mystic atmosphere because of the darkness. When I left from there I noticed the Lutheran Church of Redeemer was located next to it. Inside the Lutheran church there was only Japanese couple with me. I had little familiar feeling when I was sitting there, all the churches in Finland look just same inside.
As it wasn't even noon yet I decided to go see the Mount of Olives. I walked through the Muslim Quarter and got little lost because I found myself from the Western Wall. One of the reasons I love Jerusalem's old town is the fact that it's very maze-like. I bought some falafel to eat and then finally found the Lions Gate. The walk from the old town to the Gardens of Gethsemane wasn't that long but I got probably 20 taxi ride offers to anywhere in West Bank. Gardens of Gethsemane consists of few old olive treest. Next to it is the Church of All Nations. There was somebody singing in Spanish and it sounded very beautiful. I sat down to listen it for a short time. Then I started my walk up to the Mount. After few minutes of walking I realised how stupid idea it was. The hill is very steep. I don't recommend walking for the people with bad health. There was little garden with viewing point little before the top. As it was said everywhere that you should be careful when going alone to the Mount of Olives, I was very surprised to find little groups of Japanese kids running around without adults. I ended to some square where Japanese kids' bus was located. I noticed that churches located on the top where further than I thought so I just walked to the viewing point. The viewing point is located on top of the Jewish cemetary and it has amazing views over the city. And up there I experienced something very beautiful. Clock hit noon and that's is the one of the praying times for Muslims. So all the mosques put their prayer calls on and their sounds were echoing around the city. It sounded amazing and it was very peaceful moment. At the viewing point there was only Russian family (and camel!) with me who were also amazed of the prayer calls. That was very unforgettable moment.
After resting my feet for a while watching the magnificent view I started to walk back down. I walked through the Jewish cemetary and I was shocked how much destroyed graves there were. Back down I quickly visited tomb of the Virgin Mary before it closed for afternoon break. I walked back to the city centre walking around southside of the old town. I started to feel very tired so I went straight to the hostel and then I called to Olga. She was still sleeping after our night out. I came to her place and went straight to sleep myself too. I woke up around 6pm and I noticed that Olga had left somewhere. But I found her soon from her roommates room. She was going out with him but I didn't want to join them, I was still so tired. I went to find something to eat, then I came back, surfed in the internet and went back to sleep. I didn't even woke up when Olga came back.
Jerusalem - day 1
We overslept and left Jacob's house in a rush. He left me at Haifa's Southern bus terminal on his way to work. He was already late from work so we said quickly goodbye and then I went to look for a bus to Jerusalem. Bus trip from Haifa to Jerusalem lasted only 1,5 hours. These short journeys make you realise how small this country is. Jerusalem's Central Bus Station was kind of a maze but my first sight there was a blue-coloured Kosher McDonald's. That and all the conservative Jews made me realise that I'm now in maybe the most holiest city in the world. Street outside the station station was in chaos because they were building new tram line. I had checked that my hostel is about 2 kilometre walk from the station so I started to walk towards it.
When I found the place where my hostel was supposed to be I started to feel little lost. Around me was only Ethiopian embassy, some government buildings and printing workshop. When I was looking my map some guys came out from the workshop and asked if I need any help. I told them I was looking for my hostel. They said there was some hostels little but further down the road. I continued my walk to there but when I saw Jerusalem's old town I knew I was in the wrong place. The hostel was supposed be 1 km away from the old town. So I continued my walk up and down the road and I didn't see any hostels. So I decided to go seek help again from the printing workshop. One of the guys who helped me before was working near the door and again helped me. He checked the exact location from the internet. Turns out that the hostel was only 1 km away from the bus station which meant that I passed it long time ago. Damn you Google Maps! I thanked the guy and he invited me to visit later the workshop.
After walking around for hours I finally found my hostel. It was like heaven to lay on the soft bed. But I was hungry so I went to look for something to eat. The hostel is located near the Mahane Yehuda market so I went there. I found a bakery and bought a piece of vegetable-cheese pie. It was a delicious! After eating I went for a walk. I walked around Russian Compound and went to see where's the shortest way to old town.
As I didn't had found anybody to host me I needed to stay in hostel. But there was a meeting of local couchsurfers that evening in a bar close to the hostel. I decided to go there to find out if there was somebody who could host me for the rest of my stay. When I came there was only one guy but soon there was probably around 15 people. I had really nice time talking with this local girl and after she left home I had a conservation with this very nice guy who was working in a tourist office. Then one of the girls, called Olga, heard that I didn't have host so she offered her couch to me for 2 nights. I agreed with Olga that I will come to her place tomorrow afternoon. When more people left home I noticed that I wasn't the only foreign in the table. Polish Marcin was also visiting Jerusalem. In the end there was only me, Marcin, Olga, Marcin's local friend and one of the local guys left. We had very nice talks and lots of beer. And then the bartender gave us free shots of arak. I really like the taste of arak, it's similar to Finnish salmiakki drinks. But when the bar was closing we were super drunk. I promised with Marcin that I will see him at 7.30am at Jaffa Gate and then we will go to see the Temple Mount. So I had some 3 hours time to sleep before that.
When I found the place where my hostel was supposed to be I started to feel little lost. Around me was only Ethiopian embassy, some government buildings and printing workshop. When I was looking my map some guys came out from the workshop and asked if I need any help. I told them I was looking for my hostel. They said there was some hostels little but further down the road. I continued my walk to there but when I saw Jerusalem's old town I knew I was in the wrong place. The hostel was supposed be 1 km away from the old town. So I continued my walk up and down the road and I didn't see any hostels. So I decided to go seek help again from the printing workshop. One of the guys who helped me before was working near the door and again helped me. He checked the exact location from the internet. Turns out that the hostel was only 1 km away from the bus station which meant that I passed it long time ago. Damn you Google Maps! I thanked the guy and he invited me to visit later the workshop.
After walking around for hours I finally found my hostel. It was like heaven to lay on the soft bed. But I was hungry so I went to look for something to eat. The hostel is located near the Mahane Yehuda market so I went there. I found a bakery and bought a piece of vegetable-cheese pie. It was a delicious! After eating I went for a walk. I walked around Russian Compound and went to see where's the shortest way to old town.
As I didn't had found anybody to host me I needed to stay in hostel. But there was a meeting of local couchsurfers that evening in a bar close to the hostel. I decided to go there to find out if there was somebody who could host me for the rest of my stay. When I came there was only one guy but soon there was probably around 15 people. I had really nice time talking with this local girl and after she left home I had a conservation with this very nice guy who was working in a tourist office. Then one of the girls, called Olga, heard that I didn't have host so she offered her couch to me for 2 nights. I agreed with Olga that I will come to her place tomorrow afternoon. When more people left home I noticed that I wasn't the only foreign in the table. Polish Marcin was also visiting Jerusalem. In the end there was only me, Marcin, Olga, Marcin's local friend and one of the local guys left. We had very nice talks and lots of beer. And then the bartender gave us free shots of arak. I really like the taste of arak, it's similar to Finnish salmiakki drinks. But when the bar was closing we were super drunk. I promised with Marcin that I will see him at 7.30am at Jaffa Gate and then we will go to see the Temple Mount. So I had some 3 hours time to sleep before that.
Israel - Akko (Acre)
Before Jacob went to work he drove me to the train station. My destination today was neighbouring city of Akko or Acre as it is also called. Train journey was short and I was quickly at Akko station. My first challenge was to find my way through the New Akko to get to Old Akko. Akko's old town is declared as a Unesco World Heritage Site because it was important city for Crusaders and for pilgrims going to Jerusalem. New Akko is concrete hell built after 1950's.
It was surprisingly short walk from the station to old town. I first climbed on top of the walls surrounding the old town. There was nothing special up there but I enjoyed the views over the old town. Finally a place that looks Middle-Eastern! After exploring the walls I went to find this famous hummus restaurant which is said to be the best in Israel and Jacob also recommended it. So it must be good! I found it quite easily. It's located in the souq and can be recognized by the line of people wanting to get in. I ordered basic hummus with chickpeas and there was also olives and pita bread of course. I was still full from breakfast so I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Basic good hummus for me.
After dinner I was very full and ready to explore Akko Citadel. Citadel was place where the Crusaders lived when they were hanging in Akko. Also Marco Polo visited this place. Audio tour was included in the ticket price but I'm not fan of them so I didn't get the machine. But after I entered the Citadel I noticed it was a big mistake. There was very little information inside the Citadel. Thank god my guidebook had some information about the place so I had some clue what I was looking at. I first walked through the Knights' Halls and then I got to the courtyard where I saw the dining hall. And I was mostly by myself. If you want to avoid tourist crowds in Israel, come in January. You can be mostly alone. Only way to get out of the Citadel was through very small and claustrophobic underground sewer. And it was quite long too.
When I came back on ground I decided to visit the al-Jazzar mosque. The ticket seller was being sneaky and hid behind the gate doors so that you can think for first seconds that the mosque is free. There is nothing special about the mosque. It looks nice but you can't get inside, you're only allowed to peak inside from the door. After that I walked to see Templars tunnel. It's a tunnel going under the whole old city. First part of it had very low ceiling but it got higher so that already in the middle I got to walk straight. The tunnels other end was at the beach. I watched to view towards Haifa for some time and then I started to walk aimlessly through the old town. Outside the tourist attractions people were living their normal lifes. Kids were coming from school, mothers where washing clothes and talking to each other.
Because it still early afternoon I decided to go see the Baha'i Gardens in Akko. The Akko Baha'i Gardens are the most holiest place in Baha'i faith because it was the home and the tomb of the founder of the religion, prophet Baha'ullah. I took local bus from the bus station to the gardens. Driver was very helpful and showed me where to get off. The stop was next to the gates but it was still long walk from the gates to the house. At visitors' gate the guard asked me where I'm coming from. When I said that I'm from Finland he gave me information guide in Finnish. He said they have it in every language. The house and the tomb were closed from me because it's only open for Baha'is (they organise the visit before hand). It's open to the public only in the morning but it was now afternoon so I only got to see the house from far. The gardens were in excellent order, just like in Haifa.
After the short visit I walked back to bus stop. My plan was to take bus back to Akko and then take the train to Haifa. But when the bus came I for some strange reason said to driver that I want to go Haifa. The driver was little confused and asked me that do I really want to go to Haifa. I said yes because I still didn't realise there was nothing wrong in my question. The driver sold me ticket and I was little confused of it's much higher price than what it was when I came to the gardens. When I sat down I realised my mistake. But then I realised that this bus is most likely going to Haifa if the driver sold me ticket to there. And it was even cheaper than taking the train. After we passed Akko's bus station I realised why the driver was so confused of my choice to go by bus to Haifa. It was rush hour so the journey took a lot of time. And the bus of course stopped many times.
The bus's terminal was Lev HaMifratz bus station which is located next to the big shopping centre where I went see the film with Jacob 2 days ago. Because Jacob was getting off at work late I decided to hang out in a cafe in the shopping centre. But after I drank my tea and ate my apple pie and checked Facebook I felt bored and I decided to go to more centre of the city. While I waited for the train I saw how a passing express train drove over a kitten that was sitting on the trails. It left me feeling little sad. Then I took train to Merkaz-HaShamona station which is located more in the centre of Haifa.
In the centre I went to eat some kebab and hummus. Then I walked to the German Colony to see the gardens in the dark and it was very beautiful. I bought ice cream and then Jacob called and said that he was coming to pick me up. At home I went straight to sleep and I was feeling very excited about the next day. Tomorrow it will be the time for Jerusalem!
It was surprisingly short walk from the station to old town. I first climbed on top of the walls surrounding the old town. There was nothing special up there but I enjoyed the views over the old town. Finally a place that looks Middle-Eastern! After exploring the walls I went to find this famous hummus restaurant which is said to be the best in Israel and Jacob also recommended it. So it must be good! I found it quite easily. It's located in the souq and can be recognized by the line of people wanting to get in. I ordered basic hummus with chickpeas and there was also olives and pita bread of course. I was still full from breakfast so I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Basic good hummus for me.
After dinner I was very full and ready to explore Akko Citadel. Citadel was place where the Crusaders lived when they were hanging in Akko. Also Marco Polo visited this place. Audio tour was included in the ticket price but I'm not fan of them so I didn't get the machine. But after I entered the Citadel I noticed it was a big mistake. There was very little information inside the Citadel. Thank god my guidebook had some information about the place so I had some clue what I was looking at. I first walked through the Knights' Halls and then I got to the courtyard where I saw the dining hall. And I was mostly by myself. If you want to avoid tourist crowds in Israel, come in January. You can be mostly alone. Only way to get out of the Citadel was through very small and claustrophobic underground sewer. And it was quite long too.
When I came back on ground I decided to visit the al-Jazzar mosque. The ticket seller was being sneaky and hid behind the gate doors so that you can think for first seconds that the mosque is free. There is nothing special about the mosque. It looks nice but you can't get inside, you're only allowed to peak inside from the door. After that I walked to see Templars tunnel. It's a tunnel going under the whole old city. First part of it had very low ceiling but it got higher so that already in the middle I got to walk straight. The tunnels other end was at the beach. I watched to view towards Haifa for some time and then I started to walk aimlessly through the old town. Outside the tourist attractions people were living their normal lifes. Kids were coming from school, mothers where washing clothes and talking to each other.
Because it still early afternoon I decided to go see the Baha'i Gardens in Akko. The Akko Baha'i Gardens are the most holiest place in Baha'i faith because it was the home and the tomb of the founder of the religion, prophet Baha'ullah. I took local bus from the bus station to the gardens. Driver was very helpful and showed me where to get off. The stop was next to the gates but it was still long walk from the gates to the house. At visitors' gate the guard asked me where I'm coming from. When I said that I'm from Finland he gave me information guide in Finnish. He said they have it in every language. The house and the tomb were closed from me because it's only open for Baha'is (they organise the visit before hand). It's open to the public only in the morning but it was now afternoon so I only got to see the house from far. The gardens were in excellent order, just like in Haifa.
After the short visit I walked back to bus stop. My plan was to take bus back to Akko and then take the train to Haifa. But when the bus came I for some strange reason said to driver that I want to go Haifa. The driver was little confused and asked me that do I really want to go to Haifa. I said yes because I still didn't realise there was nothing wrong in my question. The driver sold me ticket and I was little confused of it's much higher price than what it was when I came to the gardens. When I sat down I realised my mistake. But then I realised that this bus is most likely going to Haifa if the driver sold me ticket to there. And it was even cheaper than taking the train. After we passed Akko's bus station I realised why the driver was so confused of my choice to go by bus to Haifa. It was rush hour so the journey took a lot of time. And the bus of course stopped many times.
The bus's terminal was Lev HaMifratz bus station which is located next to the big shopping centre where I went see the film with Jacob 2 days ago. Because Jacob was getting off at work late I decided to hang out in a cafe in the shopping centre. But after I drank my tea and ate my apple pie and checked Facebook I felt bored and I decided to go to more centre of the city. While I waited for the train I saw how a passing express train drove over a kitten that was sitting on the trails. It left me feeling little sad. Then I took train to Merkaz-HaShamona station which is located more in the centre of Haifa.
In the centre I went to eat some kebab and hummus. Then I walked to the German Colony to see the gardens in the dark and it was very beautiful. I bought ice cream and then Jacob called and said that he was coming to pick me up. At home I went straight to sleep and I was feeling very excited about the next day. Tomorrow it will be the time for Jerusalem!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Israel - Haifa
The train trip from Tel Aviv to Haifa went smoothly. A soldier was sitting next to me with his rifle. Interesting experience. I like how all the girls in Israel need to do military service also. So funny to watch these small girls walking with their rifles which are same size as they. Also in the train I saw my first conservative Jew. He was giving away pamflets and wished good shabbat.
I arrived to Haifa's Hof HaCarmel station where I met my next host Jacob. He drove me to his amazing apartment. It was located on top of the mountain and you could see the whole city from there. I would like to have same kind of apartment one day. He made some delicious chicken and then we went to the movies - my first time outside of Finland! We decided to see the film Due Date. In Israel the films are subtitled so it's easy to travellers also to go see films in theatres. The film was very funny and Israeli crowd was loud but in a good way. After film we went back home and I went to sleep.
Next day was Saturday, the day of shabbat. But that didn't affect my plans. I was very lucky to get hosted by Jacob. Haifa is large city by area and it's located on mountain slope so walking wouldn't been option here. Luckily I had Jacob and his car. My plan in Haifa was to see Baha'i Gardens. But thanks to rain during the night the gardens were closed. Gardens are closed if it's been rainy because all the stairs become very slippery. But we drove to see gardens from German Colony. German Colony is this one street full of cute little stone houses made by Germans. The gardens are on the other end of the road where they rise magnificently on the slope of the mountain. Small area on the bottom of the gardens was open where I experienced the slipperity of the stairs. Big shame that it was closed because weather now was perfect. Then we drove to see the cable car. The cable car is located on Bat Galim beach where you can get on top of the Mount Carmel. The cable cars were ball-shaped and very funny looking. On top of the Mount Carmel we saw Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery and then we went eat at the Arab restaurant. There I had my first experience of Israeli appetizers. Tabel full of different vegetables, olives, pita bread and hummus. Delicious! I was so full that I really didn't need the main course anymore but it was delicious too. The restaurant was full of families celebrating shabbat.
After dinner we went back down and drove to Dado Beach. There we watched the sunset. It was über-romantic setting, too bad that we weren't lovers :D For the last thing we went to see Haifa's night lights from top of the Baha'i Gardens. Back home Jacob made delicious pizzas and we watched film Gran Torino. And after that it was time for good sleep because next day would be full of walking again.
I arrived to Haifa's Hof HaCarmel station where I met my next host Jacob. He drove me to his amazing apartment. It was located on top of the mountain and you could see the whole city from there. I would like to have same kind of apartment one day. He made some delicious chicken and then we went to the movies - my first time outside of Finland! We decided to see the film Due Date. In Israel the films are subtitled so it's easy to travellers also to go see films in theatres. The film was very funny and Israeli crowd was loud but in a good way. After film we went back home and I went to sleep.
Next day was Saturday, the day of shabbat. But that didn't affect my plans. I was very lucky to get hosted by Jacob. Haifa is large city by area and it's located on mountain slope so walking wouldn't been option here. Luckily I had Jacob and his car. My plan in Haifa was to see Baha'i Gardens. But thanks to rain during the night the gardens were closed. Gardens are closed if it's been rainy because all the stairs become very slippery. But we drove to see gardens from German Colony. German Colony is this one street full of cute little stone houses made by Germans. The gardens are on the other end of the road where they rise magnificently on the slope of the mountain. Small area on the bottom of the gardens was open where I experienced the slipperity of the stairs. Big shame that it was closed because weather now was perfect. Then we drove to see the cable car. The cable car is located on Bat Galim beach where you can get on top of the Mount Carmel. The cable cars were ball-shaped and very funny looking. On top of the Mount Carmel we saw Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery and then we went eat at the Arab restaurant. There I had my first experience of Israeli appetizers. Tabel full of different vegetables, olives, pita bread and hummus. Delicious! I was so full that I really didn't need the main course anymore but it was delicious too. The restaurant was full of families celebrating shabbat.
After dinner we went back down and drove to Dado Beach. There we watched the sunset. It was über-romantic setting, too bad that we weren't lovers :D For the last thing we went to see Haifa's night lights from top of the Baha'i Gardens. Back home Jacob made delicious pizzas and we watched film Gran Torino. And after that it was time for good sleep because next day would be full of walking again.
Israel - Tel Aviv, where the journey starts
So exciting! My first trip to outside of Europe! Well, I've been outside of Europe before, in Egypt with my family but now I'm going to travel all by myself. My flight from Helsinki is with Malev via Budapest. It's cold and snowy January 4th in Helsinki so I'm really waiting for the warm and not snowy climate of Israel. Weather is also snowy in Budapest when I land there. I have almost 6 hours to wait for the next flight. Budapest airport seems to be going through some major renovations. My expression of this airport is that it's quiet and the staff is little rude. Maybe not rude but they don't seem to care about customers. The flight to Tel Aviv leaves little before midnight and I have night in the plane ahead of me. Good thing about Malev is that they still serve full-meals on European flights.
I wake up when plane starts to land. It's cloudy outside. But then plane breaks through the clouds and one of the most amazing sights opens before my eyes! Tel Aviv in it's night lights is truly an amazing sight. I can recognize some landmarks like Azrieli Center towers which look amazing. It's also thundering so I can see also lightnings striking above the city. Just amazing. The plane continues it's landning to Ben Gurion International Airport and when I see the first palm trees I truly realise that I'm travelling again :)
And after landing the Israeli experience starts immediately. I was sitting in the first non-business class row in the plane so I'm one of the first people to leave the plane. And I'm honoured to be the first one from the plane who gets to be interviewed by the security control! Yey, I look dangerous. The securitywoman first wanted to see my passport and then asked me why I'm there, where I'm going to visit and where I'm going to stay. As I'm going to use mostly couchsurfing on this trip I was little afraid of the questions about my accommodation but thankfully she let me through. I'm really surprised about the airport's appearance. It has lots of big halls and it feels very spacey. Next step was the passport control. He asked me the same questions as the securitywoman before. The passport control hall was quite strange experience. Next to me in the line was a Finnish woman who was screaming and crying to her phone how she hates this country and wants to go home immediately and somebody else was crying in the corner of the hall. Strange. After I was allowed to enter the country I got my backpack from the huge luggage hall and then I tried to find the airport's train station. Train station was right outside of the doors behind some taxi drivers who of course offered to take me to Tel Aviv or anywhere in the country. I got help from the staff to buy my ticket to HaHagana train station from ticket machine. Good thing that the machine accepted big notes as I didn't have coins yet. First train arrived after an hour of waiting. I was surprised how modern the trains were.
I arrived to HaHagana station at about 5.30am. I had organised my accommodation through couchsurfing website. My host would be Harel. We agreed before that I will come to his place at 7am when he wakes up. I took a taxi from the station to Jaffa where Harel lives. As I was super hungry I looked for some place to get something to eat. I had a problem of too many choices but I decided to get some chips from supermarket. Clouds were moving away and and sun started to rise. I decided to climb on top of the HaPisgah Gardens in the middle of Jaffa to see the sunrise better. And what an amazing view was again in front of my eyes. Sun was rising from the east, rain clouds where still over the city in the north and lightnings were still striking over the sea in west. And it was so quiet. No sounds from cars or people. Really peaceful moment. After that I went to Harel's place. We talked little while he made a bed for me and I went to sleep when he left for work.
I woke up at noon when Harel's flatmate came to make "breakfast". I was again hungry so I went out to find breakfast too. Near the house was a bakery which is mentioned in many tourist brochures and is said to be the best in Israel. I bought kind of warm sandwhich which had tuna, eggs, cheese and different vegetables inside of it. Bakery had lots of customers and my pale Nordic skin caught the attention of some school girls who were very interested of my origins. After lunch I walked around old Jaffa. Weather was little rainy so it was quiet everywhere. Old Jaffa looks little fake, which it actually is because it's heavily renovated in past years and renovations are still going on. The small side streets were nice to walk around and I found interesting art shop. I also walked again in HaPisgah Gardens. The Wishing Bridge there was closed because it was about to collapse! After that I walked around nearby flea market. There's this one shop selling crazy statues, definitely worth of checking out! Because it was raining and I was still tired I decided to go back to Harel's place. I later went to get food again from the bakery for my dinner. Harel came back home late but we had nice chat before we both went to sleep.
Next day weather was looking nice and that was good because I had a lot of walking ahead of me. I decided to walk first to Dizengoff Square along the beach. Sea had some nice waves so it was full surfers. Yesterday I didn't saw any other tourists but today they had came out of their hiding places and were walking by the beach too. Between Jaffa and city centre there is this abandoned beach disco. I later learned it was a site of terrorist attack and was now kind of a memorial. But I really like the look of Tel Aviv seaside. Lots of tall buildings and some interesting colour choices. I walked to somewhere near Frishman Beach and from there I started to explore city centre. Tel Aviv was designed as a garden city and it really is very green. Streets are lined with trees and houses have small gardens (which are mostly not taken care of). Tel Aviv is also a Unesco World Heritage Site because of it's modern architecture. One of the best places to see it should be the Dizengoff Square. When I arrived to the square I was surprised - in a bad way. The buildings around it were in quite horrible condition. The fountain in the middle of the square was also in bad shape. Homeless people and pidgeons were sleeping on the benches. I decided to continue to my walk to my next destination: Azrieli Center towers.
As I got closer to the towers more and more military suited people were walking around me. Israeli Defense Forces own a strange looking building next to the center and that's why the area is full of military people. Also taking pictures of the building is strictly forbidded so I was careful not to point my camera in the wrong direction. Then I went inside to the Azrieli Center. The center hosts shopping mall, offices, train station and observation floor. My reason to come there was to go to the observation floor but it was closed because of private gathering. So I just ate at the shopping centre which had lots of eating places to choose from. I didn't only get good beef but I also had nice service at the place - something that's not so common in Israel. From Azrieli I walked back to the centre of the city. I ended up at Kikar Magen David and the Carmel Market next to it. I really recommend buying food from the market - it's much cheaper than in shops. I bought some fruits and decided to come back here next week to buy souvenirs. From the market I walked through Yemenite quarter back to the beach. I passed a park full of African immigrants sleeping. Strange.
Back in Jaffa I went again to my favourite bakery and bought very good tomato sauce and feta breads. Yummy! Harel came soon after me back home. His parents also visited on that evening. As it was Thursday evening (in Israel it's same thing as Friday evening for us) I was thinking if Harel wanted to go out with me. But he said that he was too tired and actually so were I. I entertained myself by watching British version of The Weakest Link when suddenly Harel and his roommate came to me and said that they leave out to meet one friend and come back soon. Well, they got back soon but only to get their bicycles so they can ride to the centre. I was left alone in the house and I just decided to go sleep while thinking that it was quite rude to left me here and not even ask if I want to go out too. Harel came back earlier than his roommate. When the roommate came back she put lights on even though she knew I was sleeping there. Rude, I would say.
In the morning while I was packing Harel came and said he has a horrible hangover. And just yesterday he said he never drinks alcohol, yep... I said goodbye to him and the roommate (who also had hangover), and I walked to nearby bus stop and I took bus to Central Bus Station. The bus station is located next to the HaHagana train station which was my destination. From the train station I took a train to Haifa where I will experience my first shabbat!
I wake up when plane starts to land. It's cloudy outside. But then plane breaks through the clouds and one of the most amazing sights opens before my eyes! Tel Aviv in it's night lights is truly an amazing sight. I can recognize some landmarks like Azrieli Center towers which look amazing. It's also thundering so I can see also lightnings striking above the city. Just amazing. The plane continues it's landning to Ben Gurion International Airport and when I see the first palm trees I truly realise that I'm travelling again :)
And after landing the Israeli experience starts immediately. I was sitting in the first non-business class row in the plane so I'm one of the first people to leave the plane. And I'm honoured to be the first one from the plane who gets to be interviewed by the security control! Yey, I look dangerous. The securitywoman first wanted to see my passport and then asked me why I'm there, where I'm going to visit and where I'm going to stay. As I'm going to use mostly couchsurfing on this trip I was little afraid of the questions about my accommodation but thankfully she let me through. I'm really surprised about the airport's appearance. It has lots of big halls and it feels very spacey. Next step was the passport control. He asked me the same questions as the securitywoman before. The passport control hall was quite strange experience. Next to me in the line was a Finnish woman who was screaming and crying to her phone how she hates this country and wants to go home immediately and somebody else was crying in the corner of the hall. Strange. After I was allowed to enter the country I got my backpack from the huge luggage hall and then I tried to find the airport's train station. Train station was right outside of the doors behind some taxi drivers who of course offered to take me to Tel Aviv or anywhere in the country. I got help from the staff to buy my ticket to HaHagana train station from ticket machine. Good thing that the machine accepted big notes as I didn't have coins yet. First train arrived after an hour of waiting. I was surprised how modern the trains were.
I arrived to HaHagana station at about 5.30am. I had organised my accommodation through couchsurfing website. My host would be Harel. We agreed before that I will come to his place at 7am when he wakes up. I took a taxi from the station to Jaffa where Harel lives. As I was super hungry I looked for some place to get something to eat. I had a problem of too many choices but I decided to get some chips from supermarket. Clouds were moving away and and sun started to rise. I decided to climb on top of the HaPisgah Gardens in the middle of Jaffa to see the sunrise better. And what an amazing view was again in front of my eyes. Sun was rising from the east, rain clouds where still over the city in the north and lightnings were still striking over the sea in west. And it was so quiet. No sounds from cars or people. Really peaceful moment. After that I went to Harel's place. We talked little while he made a bed for me and I went to sleep when he left for work.
I woke up at noon when Harel's flatmate came to make "breakfast". I was again hungry so I went out to find breakfast too. Near the house was a bakery which is mentioned in many tourist brochures and is said to be the best in Israel. I bought kind of warm sandwhich which had tuna, eggs, cheese and different vegetables inside of it. Bakery had lots of customers and my pale Nordic skin caught the attention of some school girls who were very interested of my origins. After lunch I walked around old Jaffa. Weather was little rainy so it was quiet everywhere. Old Jaffa looks little fake, which it actually is because it's heavily renovated in past years and renovations are still going on. The small side streets were nice to walk around and I found interesting art shop. I also walked again in HaPisgah Gardens. The Wishing Bridge there was closed because it was about to collapse! After that I walked around nearby flea market. There's this one shop selling crazy statues, definitely worth of checking out! Because it was raining and I was still tired I decided to go back to Harel's place. I later went to get food again from the bakery for my dinner. Harel came back home late but we had nice chat before we both went to sleep.
Next day weather was looking nice and that was good because I had a lot of walking ahead of me. I decided to walk first to Dizengoff Square along the beach. Sea had some nice waves so it was full surfers. Yesterday I didn't saw any other tourists but today they had came out of their hiding places and were walking by the beach too. Between Jaffa and city centre there is this abandoned beach disco. I later learned it was a site of terrorist attack and was now kind of a memorial. But I really like the look of Tel Aviv seaside. Lots of tall buildings and some interesting colour choices. I walked to somewhere near Frishman Beach and from there I started to explore city centre. Tel Aviv was designed as a garden city and it really is very green. Streets are lined with trees and houses have small gardens (which are mostly not taken care of). Tel Aviv is also a Unesco World Heritage Site because of it's modern architecture. One of the best places to see it should be the Dizengoff Square. When I arrived to the square I was surprised - in a bad way. The buildings around it were in quite horrible condition. The fountain in the middle of the square was also in bad shape. Homeless people and pidgeons were sleeping on the benches. I decided to continue to my walk to my next destination: Azrieli Center towers.
As I got closer to the towers more and more military suited people were walking around me. Israeli Defense Forces own a strange looking building next to the center and that's why the area is full of military people. Also taking pictures of the building is strictly forbidded so I was careful not to point my camera in the wrong direction. Then I went inside to the Azrieli Center. The center hosts shopping mall, offices, train station and observation floor. My reason to come there was to go to the observation floor but it was closed because of private gathering. So I just ate at the shopping centre which had lots of eating places to choose from. I didn't only get good beef but I also had nice service at the place - something that's not so common in Israel. From Azrieli I walked back to the centre of the city. I ended up at Kikar Magen David and the Carmel Market next to it. I really recommend buying food from the market - it's much cheaper than in shops. I bought some fruits and decided to come back here next week to buy souvenirs. From the market I walked through Yemenite quarter back to the beach. I passed a park full of African immigrants sleeping. Strange.
Back in Jaffa I went again to my favourite bakery and bought very good tomato sauce and feta breads. Yummy! Harel came soon after me back home. His parents also visited on that evening. As it was Thursday evening (in Israel it's same thing as Friday evening for us) I was thinking if Harel wanted to go out with me. But he said that he was too tired and actually so were I. I entertained myself by watching British version of The Weakest Link when suddenly Harel and his roommate came to me and said that they leave out to meet one friend and come back soon. Well, they got back soon but only to get their bicycles so they can ride to the centre. I was left alone in the house and I just decided to go sleep while thinking that it was quite rude to left me here and not even ask if I want to go out too. Harel came back earlier than his roommate. When the roommate came back she put lights on even though she knew I was sleeping there. Rude, I would say.
In the morning while I was packing Harel came and said he has a horrible hangover. And just yesterday he said he never drinks alcohol, yep... I said goodbye to him and the roommate (who also had hangover), and I walked to nearby bus stop and I took bus to Central Bus Station. The bus station is located next to the HaHagana train station which was my destination. From the train station I took a train to Haifa where I will experience my first shabbat!
Starting my journey
Hello random reader!
I'm 22-year-old guy from Finland. Travelling is my passion and that's why I created this blog where I will write about my travels. Main reason I created this blog is that I can go through my travels and write down all the memories that I created during my travels. Second reason is that I hope this blog will help people with their travel plans and that's why I'm writing in English so that the information in this blog is available for people worldwide.
You may wonder my blog's name? Well, that's probably the speed I'm going around the whole world! :)
My first blogs will be about my old trips but in the future there is more coming so stay tuned!
I'm 22-year-old guy from Finland. Travelling is my passion and that's why I created this blog where I will write about my travels. Main reason I created this blog is that I can go through my travels and write down all the memories that I created during my travels. Second reason is that I hope this blog will help people with their travel plans and that's why I'm writing in English so that the information in this blog is available for people worldwide.
You may wonder my blog's name? Well, that's probably the speed I'm going around the whole world! :)
My first blogs will be about my old trips but in the future there is more coming so stay tuned!
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