Monday, March 26, 2012

Holy Land - North of Israel & Jerusalem

My weekend in Israel was full of history and culture. We had a great guide who didn't focus as much on the religious part of the stories, but also on the political issues. She had a joke for each story - religious or not. The land bears the signs of the passing of time. History has been very generous with this territory and there is really a lot to learn. The green lands that I saw now used to be nothing by desert. With a great water system built by the Americans, Israel has water all over the country from only one source - the Jordan. Where there wasn't desert, there were swamps and this is where you find many eucalyptus trees, especially brought from Australia. The country has a great infrastructure. Probably the best roads I've seen so far.

A strange observation I made is that they have mostly white cars. White or dark blue and grey. You rarely see a red car, but no yellow, green, baby blue...etc.

First day - North of Israel
I can't even remember everything we visited...there were so many churches and holy places...just too much for me. The only thing that struck me was the origin of the word Armageddon which comes from Maggidon - some hills in the North of Israel that have been a continuos battle field for many years since ancient time.

The country is also divided between Jewish towns and Arab towns. They each live in their own world and interact only little on common holidays. You can certainly see and feel the differences...Palestine is still there.

Second day - Jerusalem
This city was tiering. It's a mix of Orthodox Jews and Arabs. Busy, full of tourists and very noisy. You do have a feeling of warmth while visiting the Mountain of Olives or the Western Wall, but it doesn't last long because the next group of tourists is pushing you out :) 

These are the places we will all see when the Savior will come. This is the gate through which we will pass for our judgment :D Some already have front row seats, the hills around the gate and the golden dome are full of graves. It's like a large open cemetery in the middle of a city.

The Meeting
The meeting was great! We had a good time together...I had my own presentations which went out well and a successful client event.

I ate so much...Israel has great food and my love for spicy food has been satisfied.

Hopefully more to come...next year should be Cape Town...sounds good I'd say.