Combine a trip to Tel Aviv, the vibrant heart of Israel, with a tour of historic Jerusalem for a memorable experience, writes Michael Parsons
TEL AVIV'S 25-storey David Intercontinental Hotel has a "Sabbath lift" that automatically stops at every floor from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. It's used by orthodox Jews, whose strict religious views prevent them from turning on electricity during this weekly period of rest - so pressing the lift buttons is forbidden.
But there are other lifts. Not everyone in Israel is Jewish, and not all Jews observe the Sabbath.
This is a country full of surprises. Step out of the hotel and the first building you'll see is a mosque. It overlooks a sweeping stretch of golden Mediterranean beach, where, even in March - and a rare sight in the Middle East - local, bikini-clad women are sunbathing.
Quaintly known as the Holy Land by generations of our faithful fathers, Israel today is low on the list of destinations favoured by Irish tourists. That's due partly to fear - the country has been associated with war and terrorism for decades - and partly to a decline in the popularity of pilgrimages as religious observance has declined.
Yet Israel, with the Bible as a guidebook, remains the ultimate travel destination. Its history and geography have occupied a central place in the consciousness of the entire western world for two millennia. Echoes from the Testaments - and more recent history - intrude in the most unexpected ways. A road sign gives directions to Ashdod, a town once home to the Philistines, you can drink wine from the slopes of Mount Armageddon and the ubiquitous mineral water of choice is the delightfully named Eden.
The pristine, efficient and highly security-conscious Ben-Gurion Airport is the international point of entry to Israel. It is just over 14km from Tel Aviv at the town of Lod - where the disciple Peter cured a paralysed man, Acts 9:32-38. Tracking the biblical references to place names is a feature of travel in Israel.
Unlike most Israeli towns and cities, which trace their origins to antiquity, Tel Aviv is relatively new. Founded in 1909 by Jewish settlers, it presents a microcosm of 20th-century architecture, and is notable for the preponderance of high-rise hotel, apartment and office buildings. A bittersweet accident of history has resulted in sections of the city uncannily recalling the streetscapes of pre-second World War German cities.
Tel Aviv has the world's greatest collection of buildings in the Bauhaus style - a school of architecture that flourished in the Weimar Republic. Jewish architects lucky enough to flee to Palestine before the Holocaust transposed the style to the Promised Land. In 2003 Unesco declared Tel Aviv's Bauhaus buildings a World Heritage site. Aficionados will find the best examples on tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard.
This street is home to Independence Hall, the building where Israel's declaration of independence was signed, on May 14th, 1948. In 1978 it became a museum, and it is highly recommended.
Oranges are not the only fruit grown in Israel, but a variety of sweet, almost seedless citrus, named after an old port city, has become a household name.
Jaffa, from where Jonah ventured out to sea (and ended up in the belly of a whale) is one of the oldest settlements in the world; now it has been absorbed into suburban Tel Aviv. Although it provides some visual relief from the relentless concrete modernity of the city, Jaffa is rather scruffy and its much-hyped flea market is nothing more than a glorified car-boot sale.
Gaza is 71km down the coast but a world away. Tel Aviv is modern and affluent and feels safe. The only visible hint of the conflict is the low-key security checking at entrances to hotels and restaurants. Although Jerusalem is the capital city and seat of parliament, Tel Aviv is the business, leisure and cultural centre and, for political and UN protocol reasons, home to all embassies in Israel.
Tourism officials are keen to promote Tel Aviv as a citybreak destination. But although the city does have many of the superficially essential attributes - good hotels, sunny weather and fashionable restaurants, bars and shops - its real attraction is to provide a secure, comfortable and convenient base from which to visit Israel's key tourist sites.
Distances are conveniently short. Jerusalem is a mere 55km away, Bethlehem is 60km, and even the resorts of the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee can be reached in less than two hours.
If you have time for only one day trip, choose Jerusalem. The motorway from Tel Aviv passes through some unexpectedly green countryside. On the verges, military trucks damaged and abandoned during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War are permanent, rusting reminders of unfinished business. The road rises into the Judean Hills before entering one of the world's oldest, most sacred and keenly contested cities. From the first glimpses - the Mount of Olives; the Garden of Gethsemane; the jumble of churches, synagogues and mosques - there is a palpable sense of being at the epicentre of three of the world's great religions.
There is a modern, bustling new city, but all tourist trails lead to old Jerusalem, which is protected by fortified limestone walls. A compact area of winding alleys and secretive passageways contains some of the most dramatic and, for many, moving sights in the world. A huge plaza leads to the Western, or Wailing Wall - a sacred site for Jews.
Thousands of pilgrims approach to pray and write prayers or wishes on scraps of paper, which are placed in the cracks and crevices between the stones. There are separate "worship" areas for men and women. The mood is relaxed, despite, or perhaps because of, the presence of Israeli soldiers, armed with machine guns. Gentiles are free to participate - though do remember to pick up a free paper hat to cover your head before approaching the wall.
The gleaming gold Dome of the Rock, Islam's third holiest shrine, is clearly visible from viewing platforms but is not currently accessible.
Christians have been visiting Jerusalem for centuries to follow in the footsteps of Christ's last journey on the Via Dolorosa. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, reputedly built on the very site of the Crucifixion, is a compelling experience.
But in what may be a a sign of the troubled times, even in Holy Week, the queues were minimal. Access is remarkably democratic. No tickets, no charges, no fuss, no roped-off areas. It was possible to stroll right in and approach the altar built directly on the Rock of Calvary. At the shrine containing the slab on which Jesus's body was laid, pilgrims kneel to kiss the marble.
A separate shrine on the site of the tomb of the Resurrection was the busiest spot. A bossy Franciscan monk with an American accent suddenly began to bark out an order: "Clear this area now."
A makeshift procession materialised. A group of Polish pilgrims, who clearly had pull, accompanied by their proudly beaming curate and a brace of wimpled nuns, was getting the VIP treatment. Gormless onlookers filmed proceedings on their mobile phones.
Outside, stalls in the souk groan with heaps of tatty souvenirs: "I Love Jerusalem" baseball hats; luminous statues of the Blessed Virgin; T-shirts featuring George Bush and Dmitry Medvedev dressed as orthodox Jews with the slogan "Don't worry, be Jewish".
And, 2,000 years after Jesus overturned the tables of the greedy Pharisees, shady moneychangers are still operating. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Michael Parsons flew to Tel Aviv with BMI, which has launched a new daily, direct service to Tel Aviv from London Heathrow, with connections to and from Dublin. Log on to www.flybmi.com.
Where to stay, where to eat
Where to stay
• David Intercontinental Hotel, 12 Kaufman
Street, www.ichotelsgroup.com, 00-972-3-7951111. Most of the major
international chains, including Hilton and Sheraton, also operate
in Tel Aviv.
• A more affordable option is Hotel Cinema on Dizengoff
Square,
www.cinemahotel.com,
00-972-3-5207100. The landmark Bauhaus building and former cinema
retains many original features.
Where to eat
• Much, though not all, of the food in Israel
is kosher - which is not a style of cuisine but means that the food
(and wine) is prepared in compliance with Jewish dietary laws.
These outlaw eating pork, mixing meat and dairy products and
certain types of fish - notably shellfish. Meat and poultry are
kosher only if slaughtered in a strictly supervised process.
Tourists will encounter kosher food in many restaurants, but
non-kosher food is available.
• Restaurants offer a mix of classic Middle Eastern
dishes (meze are popular), Mediterranean staples (good salads and
fish) and hearty Mittel Europa fare (goose, duck, liver, chicken
soup, veal schnitzel, dumplings).
• Manta Ray (Alma Beach, near the Dolphinarium,
00-972-3-5174773) is a well-known seafront restaurant that serves
fresh seafood and salads with excellent bread, which you dip in
local olive oil. Try the baked sea bream with garlic.
• Carmella Bistro (46 Hatabor Street,
00-972-3-5161417), a fashionable venue in a converted elegant town
house on the corner of Hatavor and Rambam Streets, has dining on
two floors and serves delicious nouvelle Israeli dishes.
• Nana (1 Ahad Ha'am, 00-972-3-5161915), a stylish
café-bar in the chic Neve Tzedek district, serves food and
drinks and stocks a range of Israeli wines. Ask for the
Château Golan cabernet sauvignon.
Avoid
Having your passport stamped by Israeli customs at
the airport. This can cause problems if you're travelling later to
certain Arab or Islamic states. Ask the customs officer to stamp
another document, such as your flight boarding pass.
Practicalities
• The weekend is Friday and Saturday. Normal
business days are Sunday through Thursday.
• English is widely spoken, and street and road signs
are bilingual, in Hebrew and English.
• The climate varies enormously, from the baking heat
of the Negev desert to the slopes of the Judean Hills around
Jerusalem, where it can snow.
• See
www.thinkisrael.com.
Go there
Michael Parsons flew to Tel Aviv with BMI, which has
launched a new daily, direct service to Tel Aviv from London
Heathrow, with connections to and from Dublin. Log on to
www.flybmi.com