Israeli Impressions
On April 18.2018, we went on an excursion to Israel from Egypt. We lived in Taba. The bus picked us up at night, after 20 minutes we were at the border. The bus is large, all the other tourists have been driving from Sharm for about 5 hours. There were 6 of us from Taba from different hotels. They did not stay long at the border, they almost calmly passed to Israel. The border guard looked at my phone. One girl was not let through, her friends stayed with her. Everyone else got there and back safely. The bus was driving too fast across Israel at night, it was unpleasant on sharp turns, it seemed that the driver had fallen asleep and we would roll over. Schumacher was asked to drive more slowly. Our group was lucky with the guide and route. One of the first tourists, with the sunrise at 5 am, we arrived in Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity of Christ, which is located in the territory under the control of Palestine. Then we arrived in Jerusalem, walked through the streets of the Old City, climbed Golgotha, went to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Church of the Holy Sepulcher). In the gift shop we bought icons, candles, red threads, whatever you need. You can also buy on street layouts, but there was little time, you can’t bargain. Inexpensive magnets were bought from a person who approached our bus, much cheaper than they were sold in a store. On April 18.2018, Israel celebrated the Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Soldiers of Israel. When they approached the Wailing Wall at 10 am (11 Israel time), a shrill siren sounded. All Israelis and tourists froze in a moment of silence. After that we went to the Jordan River. Those who wish (a quarter of the tourists) bought shirts from the guide, in which they entered the Jordan River. The river is muddy, several meters wide, on the other side of Jordan. When we arrived at the Dead Sea in Ein Bokek, we had lunch in a cafe. Who did not bathe in the Jordan, bathed in the Dead Sea. By 6 pm we returned to the border. Since the next day, April 19, there was another holiday - Israel's Independence Day, they stood in line at the border for an hour and a half. Many Jordanians traveled to Israel for the weekend. We managed to return to our hotel in Taba for dinner. The tour was very rich, interesting, but if there was some free time in Jerusalem, it would be even better.
Women's part of the Wailing Wall
The Jordan River from Israel. On the other side of the river is Jordan.
