Tour Israel Blog

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The Galilee region of Israel welcomes you to walk the paths of Jesus—without a heavy pack!

Walk village to village through rugged countryside, see many layers of history as you explore important biblical sites, mingle with locals for a glimpse into rich regional culture, and encounter epic views and diverse flora and fauna.

Experience sacred history as you arrive at important religious sites each day. Feel the satisfaction of arriving at your destination by foot to enjoy a hearty well-earned meal and share your trail stories with hosts and fellow travelers.

• Journey from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee, village to village on the paths Jesus walked.
• Encounter local hospitality with the diverse and gracious people of the Galilee.
• Experience peaceful natural beauty and rare species of plants and animals.
• Explore ancient sites at the roots of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
• Total distance is 60 km (40 miles).

Contact Drive-Israel.com to arrange your walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Israel’s Galilee.

For those lucky visitors to Israel in February, use the opportunity to taste a variety of Israeli wines at the IsraWineExpo 2010.

The Third Annual Israel Wine Exposition showcases Israel’s Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Muscat - and other whites and reds - by boutique wineries like Saslove,  Sea Horse, and larger, more established wineries like Carmel, Tishbi, Dalton.

The expo takes place in Tel Aviv at the Exhibition Hall and is open to the public on February 10 and 11 from 4 PM to 10 PM. The Exhibition Hall grounds can be reached by train or bus. If you drive, paid parking is available.

For full info, check out the site.

Tour Israel and the Holy Land by winery! Drive-Israel.com creates custom self-drive trips in Israel so you can tour Israel and taste, sample, swill world class Israeli wines! Contact us to begin your unique tour of Israel.

Book your dream trip to Israel with Drive-Israel.com - leaders in self-drive Israel trips!

The 33rd Tiberias Marathon in Tiberias, Israel, at the shores of the Sea of Galilee, crossing the Jordan River,  kicks off with the traditional Pasta Party and Opening Ceremony  on Wednesday Jan 6, 2010 at the Golden Tulip Hotel at 6:30 PM.

Men and women from all over Israel - and from Germany, Holland,  USA, Ireland, Norway,  Italy, Uganda, Belgium, Denmark, Australia, Russia, Canada, Britain, Hungary, Jordan, South Africa, Poland, Morocco, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Ukraine, Saudia Arabia,  Kenya, Ethiopia,  have signed up to try their luck in winning the the gold - or just revel in the adrenaline rush.

Marathon starts on Thursday morning, January 7, 2010, in Tiberias.

The course follows the shore line of the Sea of Galilee set against breathtaking rustic landscape, and winding through ancient historical landmarks in the Jordan Valley. It is an out and back course, from the main streets of Tiberias along the Sea of Galilee, crossing the Jordan River up to the turning point (approx. halfway) at Kibbutz Ein Gev and back to Tiberias.

First prize in Men’s category will go the runner who tops   2:08:06h, and in Women’s category  2:21:59h - with a cash pot of  $US50,000.

The winter weather in Tiberias, along the Sea of Galilee, is perfect for running.

For full details, visit 33rd Tiberias Marathon.

Plan your trip to Israel and the Holy Land with AskJudy at Drive-Israel.com for the BEST trip ever!

Check out AskJudy’s blog!

Both James Bond and Simon Templar will be in Eilat for the Fifth Chamber Music Festival!

Special guests Sir Roger Moore,  Ambassador to UNICEF, Italian actor Moni Ovadia, author Amos Oz, recipient of the Israel Prize,  Krzysztof Penderecki, composer, recipient of UNESCO, Wolf and Grammy Award, and composer Fabio Vacchi will be in Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, for the 5th Chamber Music Festival.

Join us in Eilat for 10 days of superb chamber music under the batons of Aleksey Igudesman (Austria), Salvatore Accardo (Italy), Andres Mustonen (Estonia), Julian Rachlin (Austria),  and George Pehlivanian (USA) from February 18-27, 2010.

Reserve tickets and hotel accommodations at Drive-Israel.com

The journey through time experienced at the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel, takes the visitor back to the 1940s, a stormy decade around the world, and a turning point in the history of the Jewish people.

The virtual tour in the bunker-like museum allows visitors to see history through the eyes of those who were instrumental in creating the State of Israel. Palmach, an abbreviation of Plugot Machatz [Strike Force] sprang from the Haganah, a volunteer military organization that was established in 1920 when the British Mandate ruled pre-State Israel.

By the early 1940s, when the Germans invade Africa, and Syria and Lebanon are under the control of the Vichy regime, the British train and employ the Haganah/Palmach forces to help defeat an Axis invasion. But when Rommell retreats from Egypt in 1942, the British, with no more need of extra forces,
tell the Haganah to return their uniforms and weapons, and disband.

The Haganah and Palmach leaders decide the time has come to go underground. But funds are badly needed. The mutually beneficial plan presented by the kibbutzim to the Palmach and Haganah leaders, whereby Haganah and Palmach members would work and train on kibbutz, proves to be an excellent solution. Over a three year period, from 1942-1945, the Palmach train men and women. The naval platfrom of the Palmach trains SEALS and brings over refugees from Europe, in defiance of the British Mandate. New settlements are created for the newly arrived Holocaust survivors.

In 1947 the historic vote in the United Nations accepted the Partition Plan, thereby creating the Jewish state side by side with a Palestinian state.

The Partition Plan, however, was not accepted by the neighboring Arab countries, and in 1948 the newly created Jewish state was attacked by Arab armies. The 7000-member Palmach lost 30% of its men and women fighting for the new state.

And when the walk through history is over, and you find tears running down your face, you ask when will the fighting stop? When will two peoples be able to live side by side, in peace? And you pray that day is here.

Daily tours are available,  but advance reservations are necessary.

Israel travel planners to Israel and the Holy Land creates your ideal trip to Israel.  Self-guided car trips or hire a guide/driver to explore Israel. Land arrangements for Independent Travelers to Israel including lodgings in Israel on kibbutz, bed and breakfast inns, vacation villas, spa hotels.

Custom Israel car trip itineraries to match your interests. 

• Hot air balloon flights,
• kayak adventures,
• Israel bike trips and an
• art village tour – arranged by Drive-Israel.com.

Contact your Israel travel planner, AskJudy, to create your ideal trip to Israel and tour of the Holy Land.

Lucky visitors to Jerusalem at the end of November and start of December can take advantage of free cultural events in Israel’s capital.

Over the weekends of November 26-28, December 3-5, and December 10-12, tourists and local residents are invited to cultural events at the city’s finest venues: the Israel Museum, Museum for Islamic Art, Bible Lands Museum, and the Bloomfield Science Museum.

For programs on the weekend of

• November 26-28, click here.

• December 3-5, click here.

• December 10-12, click here.

AskJudy to plan your trip to Israel. Contact us!

Visitors to Jerusalem, take note: during the Festival of Lights - Chanukah - you are invited to hear story tellers relate the stories of   Nobel Prize Winner S.Y. Agnon.

The event will take place in Agnon’s home, now a museum, in the Talpiot section of Jerusalem.

Story sessions will be in English. Join others at this historic landmark on Sunday morning, December 13, from 10 AM - 12 noon, or on Monday afternoon, December 14, from 2 PM - 4 PM.

No reservations necessary, but come early to be sure to get a seat!

The S.Y. Agnon Museum is located at 16 Klausner St., Talpiot, Jerusalem.

AskJudy to plan your trip to Israel. Contact us!

Now in its 10th year, the International Oud Festival takes place in Jerusalem and Nazareth in the Galilee.

The Jerusalem International Oud Festival, organized by the city’s Confederation House under the artistic direction of Effie Benaya, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with performances taking place in Jerusalem from 12-26 November and in Nazareth from 24-27 November.

The festival draws artists and composers from all musical genres from Israel and overseas, making the distinct Mediterranean sounds of the oud accessible to a wide audience. Stars of Israeli, Jewish and Arab ethnic music appear alongside guest musicians from India, France and Mediterranean countries presenting a variety of musical heritages: religious and secular, Armenian and Byzantine, Gypsy and Babylonian, ancient and modern.

The concert venues include the Confederation House, the Jerusalem Theater, the Gerard Behar Center, Beit Avihai and the Shimson Center-Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem and four concerts in Nazareth.

For the full program, visit the site.

To buy tickets online, click here.

AskJudy to plan your trip to Israel. Contact us!

The grapes on the vines  are deep purple and delicious to pluck and eat. But these juicy perfectly round  Concord grapes that we grow in our own tiny vineyard in Israel are meant to be turned into wine. First we carefully clip the bunches of grapes from the vine. We gather them and wash the grapes many times - which may ruin the musk but we feel is essential anyway. Now the fun part: bring in those little feet.

Two pairs  of  dainty feet get a good scrubbing. And the stomping begins. It actually is harder work than it looks and the little girls work hard smashing those grapes so there will be sweet preservative-free grape juice for the Sabbath.

Grapes are harvested in Israel from August to September, and then the wine making process begins. In these photos and short film, we feature a teeny tiny boutique winery in Rehovot. This year’s grapes yielded two bottles of pure heavenly Concord grape juice.

If you visit Israel in late August or September, you can join a wine making workshop and create your own label!

Drive-Israel.com creates your custom self-drive trip in Israel.

Contact Judy to plan your absolutely BEST trip to Israel!

If you are lucky enough to be visiting Israel these days, and even luckier to be in Jerusalem on Friday morning, Oct. 23, you may want to get over to the Tower of David in the Old City. A production of the Italian opera, The Servant Mistress (La Serva Padrona),  composed by Giovanni Pergolesi and Giovanni Paisiello will be performed at 10:30AM (yes, in the morning).

Performed by singers from the Aeterna Opera Theater conducted by Ilya Plotkin and accompanied by string ensemble. It includes a tour of  “Italy in Jerusalem” , a panoramic view of the buildings constructed at the end of the 19th century, the alley ways of the Christian Quarter and a guided tour of the Monastery San Salvadore of the Franciscan Order.

• Date: Friday, Oct 23, 2009
• Time: 10:30 AM
• Place: Tower of David Museum, Jerusalem

Anna Moffo will not be appearing in Jerusalem, but  see and hear her in this production from 1962:

I couldn’t resist posting this highly colorful production by Brazilian director, Carla Camurati:

Drive-Israel.com creates your custom self-drive trip in Israel.

Contact Judy to plan your absolutely BEST trip to Israel!