Ok, so the winery was located in the West Bank. Yes, that West Bank, the second most dangerous place in Israel (the first being the Gaza strip). The city we went to was right on the border with Jerusalem proper, so it wasn't particularly nasty, but we took a bulletproof bus just to be safe.
Alright, bulletproof busses are one of those terrible ideas that actually appears like a good one. Yes, it's smart to be protected in a turbulent area, but a much better idea might be to simply avoid such places that warrent a bus with plate glass windows. But that's just my opinion. Nonetheless, we really weren't placed in too much danger, because we were surrounded by--and I'm quoting our tour guide, here--"The good Arabs." In other words, people who just want to go about their day.
Here's a pic of the winery owner giving us a tour of his production facility.
Now look a bit closer, and you'll see that he's probably the only wine maker in the world that has a pistol strapped to his belt.
The rest of the day was spent hiking (with armed escorts) through the Jewish settlements in the region. The settlement issue is a complicated one, and warrants at least it's own posting, but I'll sum up the basic points. Ok, so Israel and Palestine are not exactly two equal states, the Palastinian territories (Gaza, West Bank, and a few others) are somewhat autonomous, but tecnically under Israeli control. Within them are Jewish outposts that are actually part of Israel, even though they may be surrounded by Palestine territories on all sides. They may not even be bigger than a single neighborhood, but are still part of the main state. Many were "settled" in a furious midnight land grab the day Israeli's prime minister signed an agreement halting all new territorial constuction (by Jews), so the residences are often no more than mobile homes or shanties placed on strategic hill top locations. But technically, Israel now has full control over the small areas, since its citizens own the land.
Personally, I think this whole issue (and the rest of the conflict, for that matter) is absolutely ridiculous. It's the type of juvenile behaviour that we had in grade school. Except that this game of King of the Hill costs peoples' lives. Arab land, Jewish land, who cares? There are bigger things to worry about than territorial claims.
Sigh.
On a brighter note, the next day was spent in Tel Aviv. We toured a tank museum run by the Israeli army, which was just what it sounds like. I did learn that women are allowed in the tank core, but only as instructors. Apparently the higher ups thought that beautiful Israeli women carrying M-16s might hold a guy's attention. I think that they were right.
The evening was spent downtown. If Jerusalem is God's city, Tel Aviv is the Devil's. All night parties, amazing beaches, alcohol that flows like water, and some of the most beautiful people that I've ever seen. How come we're only here for a day? There's not much more to say about an evening spent on the beach drinking beer and watching the World Cup on a giant projection screen, other than that it was one of those moments that really makes you love life.
We just got back from an overnight trip to the north, touring the holy cities of Tiberia and Svat. Tiberia was a quick stop, but we spent most of the afternoon in Svat, known as the birthplace of Kaballa. You know, Madonna's mysticism. The main attraction is a super-important Mikvah, a bath tub for the soul. Now, squeezing into a 1 meter pool with three other naked dudes wasn't exactly my cup o' tea, so I spent the day visiting a candle factory and rebuffing the intense barrage of tourist hawkers. ("My friend, my friend, I have good deal for you.")
Here's a pic of a fully intact mosaic floor from a 6th century synagogue.
And here's one of the top of our hike over the Sea of Gallilee.
Last night was spent on a summer camp-like kibbutz. It wasn't too much in the way of good blogging, but it was a nice relaxing evening of informal sports, good food and good company.
Alright, now I've got to rest up for Shabbat, I don't know if I'm ready for it yet. I'll check in after the weekend. All the best.
M
