Israel, Eilat – escape from winter, a perfect plan for the weekend! Part I

Gosia — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 20:29:02 +0000

It was a cold weekend in November, and I had just come back from sunny Israel. The level of my depression reached its peak. To kill the time, or maybe with a glimmer of hope, I started looking for cheap airline tickets. And then it happened, in front of my eyes appeared return tickets from Warsaw – Modlin to Ejlat in Israel for barely 20€! Less than 2 weeks before I had been in this popular tourist destination, but I had just been passing by and I couldn’t visit some of the attractions at the time. Before I thought it over, tickets had already been on my e-mail. On cold Thursday 5th December we said goodbye to Poland and only after 4 hours of flight we were welcomed by a warm Israeli evening. There is a dry desert climate in Eilat, and rains are rare here. During our stay, the air temperature was between 24 and 26 Celsius degrees, while the water in the Red Sea was about 24°C. The perfect conditions for swimming, sunbathing and sightseeing. Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve Israel has only 13 km of coastline at the Red Sea, and all of it is located in the area of Eilat. Fans of swimming and water sports will surely find a lot of attractions on this small piece of the coast. In addition to diving and snorkeling, you can swim with dolphins in the so-called Dolphin Reef (adm. 69 shekels and optional swimming with dolphins – 300 shekels) or visit huge aquarium. However, the most interesting and budget attraction is Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve. Admission costs 35 shekels and this is the most profitable option to see the reef during your stay in Eilat. In the park you can swim and dive in crystal clear water surrounded by amazing coral reef and colourful fish. The Reef can be seen, also from two piers. Timna Park – a short trip to the moon While in Eilat, it’s worth taking a trip to Timna Valley, located less than 30 km north of Eilat. From the route no 90 you should turn left just behind the brown signpost directing to Timna Park. The turn can be recognised by the huge Egyptian statues on the left side of the road. Why Egyptian? Because two thousand years before our era, the area was inhabited by the Egyptians. The first copper mine in the world was operating here. The entrance to the park is quite expensive because it amounts to 49 shekels – around 15€. The characteristic lunar landscape, huge cliffs, interesting rock formations and a surprising variety of colors are worth their price. In the price of the ticket you’ll get a souvenir for free – a bottle that you can fill with coloured sand form the park. It’s best to explore the park by car, as the attractions are quite far from each other. There’s a decent road through the park so no 4WD car is needed. Of course, it is also an option to explore the park on foot, but I don’t recommend it during the summer months, as the temperature in Timna reaches then up to 40°C. There is also an option to rent bikes on the spot, but prices are said to be high. You can use public transport to get to the park. Egged buses no 394 and 397 stop at Elifaz Park Timna 90 (stop on demand), located on the main road close to the turn to Timna. The road from the stop to the park takes about 40 minutes. The first attraction in the park is the spiral mountain. The way there resembles the famous Route 66 in the United States. Right behind the mountain, you can see the first mushroom, actually half of it. This is an interesting rock in a characteristic red color. The next attraction is the second mushroom – the most recognisable spot in Timna Valley, It surprises with intensive pink color. Near the mushroom you can see the ancient pits – the remains of copper smelting. An amazing rock formation are the Salomon’s Pillars, huge high columns built from sandstone and interestingly formed by erosion. The next point is a rock shaped like a sphinx. The tour ends in oasis, where you can find restaurant and a gift shop. In the shop you can pick up the bottles mentioned earlier, which can be filled with yellow, red, green and black sand. Check out the next part here:

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Israel – 7 amazing places to visit!

Gosia — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:45:26 +0000

Israel is mostly associated with holy places, leisure sunbathing like Eilat or music scene like Tel Aviv. However, in this small country there’re more than 40 national parks. What’s more interesting, due to the different location, they are very diverse. They include: green oases, the emerald coast, a unique crater, ruins of ancient cities or even the coral reef. Rosh Hanikra Grottoes, Israel or Lebanon? White, limestone cliffs, caves and crystal clear water of the Mediterranean sea this is how Rosh Hanikra Grottoes look like. However, at the top of the white rocks you can see a high fence with a barbed wire, on the other side is Lebanon. Actually, from Rosh Hanikra, it’s closer to Beirut than Jerusalem. Here runs so called Blue line – the line set by the United Nations, only 19 years ago (in 2000). The border was established just after the Israeli army withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. You can get to the grottoes by cable car (return ticket costs 45). In addition to clean water and paper white rocks, very interesting is 200 m tunnel. It was built during British reign in this area in order to connect by railway line Haifa with Beirut and Tripoli in Lebanon. The railway line served the British for military purposes during World War II. Ein Gedi – zielona oaza nad Morzem Martwym Oaza Ein Gedi zlokalizowana jest na wschodnim krańcu Pustyni Judzkiej, tuż obok Morza Martwego. Pustynia Judzka zupełnie nie przypomina pustyni, zamiast piaszczystych wydm, można tu zobaczyć wysokie wzniesienia i skały. W parku znajdują się dwie główne ścieżki prowadzące przez zielone doliny: Wadi Arugot i Wadi David. Oprócz cudownych widoków na oazę oraz Morze Martwe, dodatkową atrakcją jest możliwość kąpieli w strumykach i wodospadach. Szlak przez dolinę Wadi David kończy się na wysokim wodospadzie, w którego głębi znajduje się jaskinia. Poza niesamowitymi widokami, na terenie parku znajdują się również ruiny prehistorycznej świątyni oraz starej synagogi. Szlaki oznaczone są dwoma kolorami. Czerwone prowadzą przez pustynne krajobrazy, natomiast niebieskie – w dolinie, wzdłuż rześkich strumieni i wodospadów. Wstęp kosztuje 28 szekli. Masada Strome, niemal pionowe zbocza Twierdzy Masada wyróżniają się w nieco monotonnym krajobrazie wybrzeża Morza Martwego. Ogromna góra licząca ponad 450 m nad poziomem Morza Martwego, co w praktyce wynosi jakieś 10-20 m n.p.m odejmując depresję, widoczna jest z daleka i robi niesamowite wrażenie. Strategiczne położenie Masady było jednym z powodów dla których Herod – Król Judei postanowił wybudować tu kompleks fortyfikacji. Masada była ostatnim bastionem obrony Żydów przed Rzymianami w 73-74 n.e. Po długotrwałym kilkumiesięcznym oblężeniu twierdzy przez Rzymian, obrona została zerwana. Obrona zakończyła się masowym samobójstwem mieszkańców, którzy woleli odebrać sobie życie niż zostać rzymskimi niewolnikami. There is a long path to the top, but most tourists decide to get there by cable car (return ticket costs 46 shekels and admission to the park 31 shekels). Caesarea Maritima The person of the king Herod is also associated with Caesarea Maritima – one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in Israel. In the complex of the ancient ruins you can visit the Roman theatre, the remains of the ancient port, the citadel and the fragments of ramparts. The path to ruins leads along a huge hippodrome, which is located just at the shore the Mediterranean Coast. Admission to Cesarea National Park costs 39 shekels. Ein Avdat – an oasis in the middle of the Negev Desert Parking just at the entrance to the area of Ein Avdat National Park does not encourage to go on a trip. The arid landscape of the Negev Desert starts being boring after driving more than 170 km through the same countryside. However, a few steps further the tourist trail will lead you to completely different place. Admission costs 28 shekels. A narrow, deep canyon, surrounded by interestingly sculptured rocks, caves and waterfalls creates a unique atmosphere of this place. Ein Avdat is also the habitat of the ibex, which can be seen on the trail. Ramon Crater Sometimes there’re places that can’t be described by words. Sometimes there’s no point in taking out the camera, because even the best photo will not present the scale and beauty of these places. That’s in the case of the Ramon Crater (Mitzpe Ramon). It’s a real gem on the map of Israel and a must-see place during your stay in Israel. It’s one of the biggest craters on earth, created by erosion. It is 40 km long, 9 km wide and 300 m deep. The scale of this place is unimaginable, moreover, it’s constantly extending due to the processes of erosion. The crater was named after a participant of the tragic mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, astronaut – Ilan Ramon. The nearby museum is dedicated to the disaster of the Columbia Space Shuttle, while the hills surrounding the crater were named after the rest of the mission participants. The canyon makes an amazing impression at sunrise and sunset, especially from a nearby viewpoint, resembling the shape of a camel. Ejlat – Coral Reef Therefore after an intense sightseeing, it’s best to rest in Eilat – located at the Red Sea. In the suburbs of this famous holiday resort is a national park where you can swim in the Red Sea surrounded by amazing colorful fish.

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Red Sea -

Israel, Eilat – escape from winter, a perfect plan for the weekend! Part I

Israel – 7 amazing places to visit!