Travelogue on Israel – Itinerary, Costs, and Interesting Facts
What made me sign up for an organized group tour, who invented drip irrigation, and where is the ancient spa center in the Holy Land located—read about this and other interesting facts and adventures in this introductory travelogue about Israel, part of the travelogue series “Israel—God’s Land”
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Travelogue on TEL AVIV, JAFFA, AND BETHLEHEM –> See HERE -
Пътепис за ЙЕРУСАЛИМ –> Виж част 1 HERE и част 2 HERE
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Travelogue on the JORDAN RIVER and the SEA OF GALILEE –> See HERE
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Travelogue on the Judean Desert, Masada Fortress, and the Dead Sea –> See HERE
Israel: Land of division; land of war; land of destruction; the holy land.
The first time I visited Israel was during Christmas 2009. Check out my travelogue from that time HERE.
The second trip took place from March 9–14, 2023 (5783 according to the Jewish calendar), and this travelogue is about that very trip.
You have a first time for everything!
Having visited close to 50 countries on 5 continents over the years, sometimes we benefited from the services of local tourist agencies, taking part in half‑day and full‑day tours to various attractions in the respective destination. However, we have never before set off from Bulgaria with a tourist agency that would organize the whole trip, and it is not just a suitcase after it. As I said – for everyone it is the first time.
I heard from some acquaintances that a group was being organized to visit the Holy Sites, including the most important Christian and historical landmarks in Israel. The group consisted of about 50 people—some I knew well, some I knew less well, and some I didn’t know at all. The group was led by Krassi Chendov from El Travel. Check out the tours he offers HERE.
Krasi is a believer, and it was precisely the opportunity to hear and learn more about Israeli history from someone like him that appealed to me. Hearing things presented from a completely different perspective than that of typical tour guides motivated me to join the group trip, even though I had already visited more than a third of the sites included in the tour package.
Krasi Chendov and his family, who traveled with him and helped with the organization, not only met my expectations but exceeded them with their flawless organization, an abundance of included attractions, a warm and friendly attitude, wonderful photos, and a great sense of humor.
As someone who travels 100% independently, I believe that this exception on my part was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. I wouldn’t have done it for any other country (unless it were mandatory, as it is in North Korea, for example). Because Israel needs to be talked about. We must pray for Israel, and we must know its history, present, and future. Because every person on this earth (regardless of nationality, race, or language) has an unbreakable connection to this holy land.
Stop this long lyrical deviation, let's return to the travelogue.
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EXPENSES
The entire travel package cost 1,400 leva, including 5 nights’ accommodation with breakfast and dinner at the Santa Maria Hotel in Bethlehem (West Bank, Palestine). Accommodation in Bethlehem is several times cheaper than a hotel in Jerusalem. See affordable hotels in Bethlehem HERE.)
Mandatory additional expenses (for the cable car at Masada and tips for the driver) – $100
Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee – $15
Organized bus transportation Plovdiv–Sofia–Plovdiv – 20 BGN
Miscellaneous – 150–200 BGN.
You probably already know that I’m not much of a shopper when I travel, and my most cherished memories are the photos and videos I take of everything that impresses me. And yet, thanks to the shopping enthusiasm of the group I was traveling with, I got swept up in the moment and ended up buying a few things myself—a cashmere scarf, a backpack, souvenirs containing various “holy” items like water, sand, oil, and so on, as well as a few other things.
For the whole journey we traveled over 700 km on Israeli and Palestinian territory and saw over 60 notable places.
A little general information about the country Israel.
Israel borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt and has access to the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Red Sea, and the Dead Sea.
Its area is 20,779 square kilometers (27,779 square kilometers including Palestine), making Israel four times smaller in area than Bulgaria.
Population: 10 million, with Jews practicing Judaism accounting for about 74%.
About 50,000 Bulgarian Jews, descendants of those rescued from the Holocaust, also live there. Bulgaria is the only country in the world that saved its Jewish citizens from the death camps during World War II.
The official language is Hebrew.
The form of government is a unitary parliamentary republic.
The currency is the Israeli shekel. (1 shekel = 0.55 BGN)
If you also want to get back a portion of what you spent on hotels, flights, or products, register at this link HERE and every new user receives up to a $10 bonus in their account.
Curious facts about Israel:
– Engineering Innovation: In the Sarona neighborhood of Tel Aviv, the expansion of one of the main boulevards required 50–60 buildings to be moved, along with their foundations, 200 meters along rails.
– Israel is the first economy in the world where people produce their own water and cultivate their own land.
– Military innovations: The Iron Dome system intercepts enemy missiles and either destroys them in midair or redirects them to a safe location.
– Drip irrigation was patented by Israel.
– The world’s hottest mineral spring—140 degrees—is located in northern Israel (in the city of Tiberias); in other words, this was the region’s spa center in ancient times.
– Scientists in Israel have invented and patented a method for desalinating seawater from the Mediterranean Sea, so today they export millions of bottles of drinking water to Arab countries.
The title of “Hajji”
A hajji is a person who has made a pilgrimage (hajj) to the Holy Sepulcher at the altar of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The hajji was the Bulgarian equivalent of a “nobleman.” When a single member of a Bulgarian family earned this title, it brought prestige to the entire family for generations to come. The adventures of the hajji’s journey were recounted by his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons.
The distance from Bulgaria to the Holy Land by car is about 2,349 km, while the flight takes 2 hours. During the Ottoman rule, however, the journey took 2–3 months by horse and cart—and that was just one way. It was a true feat of heroism for a person to reach the Holy Land.
Nowadays it is very different. After that traveling to Israel, I received a certificate for pilgrimage, signed and stamped by the Ministry of Tourism in Israel.
Land of conflicts
Military service in Israel lasts 3 years for men and 2 years for women. Only ultra-Orthodox Jews, Israeli Arabs, all non-Jews, and pregnant or married women are exempt from military service. Until they turn 42, all men are subject to one month of reserve duty each year, and women until they turn 24.
–> Browse and book a budget hotel in Jerusalem at a discount. Check it out HERE!
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