Hello dear readers,

After a very enjoyable 10-day tour with a very pleasant pair of sisters, their husbands and their uncle and wife, I have a few moments to write down some impressions on the hotels they used.

In Tel Aviv, the group stayed at the Melody Hotel on Yarkon Street. Clean, well situated near the old port and with friendly service and not expensive, the Melody is a winner!

I wish I could say the same for the next two hotels: Nof Ginnosar Kibbutz Guest House sits on the Sea of Galilee and, though the staff is friendly, the hotel (more of a motel than hotel), just does not seem to fit in to sophisticated travelers. Saturday’s dinner was not eatable. Rooms are in need of a serious renovation.

Kibbutz Ein Gedi Guest House has a curious trait: no bellboys. You have to lug (or schlepp) your luggage to your rooms yourselves. Yes, that’s right, you have to take your bags! When I questioned the receptionist, she said that the hotel doesn’t employ bellboys.

Ein Gedi is a case of bad service in the extreme. I used to live on Ein Gedi, and it is with a heavy heart that I can no longer go there. Very expensive with long waits at check in and check out, all I can say is beware!

Albert Einstein once said that “coincidences are God’s way of staying anonymous.”

In my book, “Go to Galilee,” I wrote about “too many coincidences” when talking about the ancient boat found on the shores of the Sea of Galilee sixteen years ago.

Another happy coincidence took place two weeks ago when I happened upon Professor Jerome Hall who is currently finishing up the main scientific work on the boat. Dr. Hall teaches at the University of San Diego and will publish a popular book about the boat with his conclusions in the next year or two.

I (and the two tourists I had in tow from Dallas, Texas) was fortunate enough to listen to Dr. Hall lecture to a group of university students from the US about the boat. The experience was incredible.

This week’s Blog “Must Do’s”

Hello Dear readers,

I’d like to talk about the “must do’s.”

If you only have one free day in Israel, spend it in Jerusalem.  Begin with a panoramic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives lookout.

Rightly “Gold Starred” in the Fodor’s Guide (gold-starred sites are the ones most worth a visit), the view is truly spectacular.

After that, drive to Jaffa Gate and directly to your right is the Tower of David Museum.  Be sure to see the film and the view from the top of the built by King Herod more than two millenia ago.  It is a very good introduction to one of the most interesting and contested cities on the planet.

From there, if you have no guide, free tours are available (be sure  to tip the guide, though) every day except Saturday.  Take a good part of the day exploring the 4 different quarters.  Then, if you have a bit of the day left over, either go to the Israel Museum or Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum.

If you have two days, spend the next one on the Dead Sea.  Begin with a tour of Masada.  If you are not accompanied with a guide, the Nature and Parks Authority does have self-guiding devices to rent for a small fee.  Afterwards, spend the day at one of the local spas.  Be sure to bring a beach shoe or crocs!  These can be purchased there.

I’ll be adding to this list in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Whether you decide to use my guiding services or not, but sure to use a licensed tour guide!

Israeli tour guides go through a 2-year long course with stringent entrance requirements and tough qualifying examinations.  We must take a yearly in-service to keep our license.

The specially licensed vehicles, the “eshkol” cars (eshkol) is Hebrew for “cluster.”  The two little guys carrying the cluster of grapes (Joshua and Caleb) is the symbol of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.  Our cars are inspected monthly for safety; brakes are tested twice a year and we also must pass a “Winter safety inspection.”

To qualify for such a vehicle, we must work only as guides for at least 5 years full-time, speak at least two languages and have the recommendation of tour companies to qualify to own one.  Amongst us guides, having your own touring vehicle means you’ve made it as a guide.

Don’t be fooled by wannabe guides who don’t wear the distinctive tag; or those who will take you in a rented car.  Beware!  You may save some money, but you won’t be insured should, G-d forbid, you are involved in an accident.

So have a great tour!  There really are some good guides here!