Tiberias to Beit She’an to Jerusalem

four people with the main street of Beit She'an ruins in the background

Off to Beit She’an Ruins

a white car with open trunk filled with luggage We pack up the car and leave Tiberias. Our first stop is Beit She’an which has Israel’s largest, most complete Roman ruins.

The day is hot. The ruins are impressive and its easy to see how the city is laid out. We go first to the theatre which in it’s time held 7,000 people.
a large roman theatre
Across the road from the theatre is the small bath house. The workings of the heating system are still there demonstrating how they were able to heat different pools (baths) with various temperatures.

a long street in roman ruins lined with columns The main street dissects the city and is a thrill to walk down. I enjoy many of the mosaics which are still recognizable after so many centuries.

We climb up 160 stairs to a large hill overlooking the ruins. The view is phenomenal and we can see Jordan, and the Golan Heights from the other side of the hill.

After descending the hill we check out the large bath house which is right beside theatre. Between the theatre and bath house are the ancient public washrooms. Back in Roman times there were communal bathrooms where men and women sat beside each other and you could have a chat while doing your business. Afterwards everyone shared a sponge on a stick to clean their bottoms. The guys are quite intrigued by this and decide to give it a try, not the sponge but the sitting on the toilets.

Dropping off the Car

Before we leave town, we stop at a local restaurant for lunch. Vince and I have a dish called shakshuka which is an egg dish cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, onions and spices.

The traffic is really bad on our way back to the Tel Aviv airport where we are returning the car. The crappy car starts having issues with a slow leak in one of the tires.

When we return the car to Europcar, Vince tells them about the many issues with the car and the dirty condition we received it in. The lady is mildly sympathetic and asked for the payment for the insurance in US dollars. Vince tells her that he was specifically told when he picked up the car that the quoted price was in Canadian dollars. She says no and charges US dollars.

Off to Jerusalem

The car rental shuttle drops us off at the airport which is conveniently located next to the train station. A group of Jewish men were playing instruments, singing and dancing in front of the station. Some tourists joined in.

a sign with a picture of an alligator with toilet paper in his mouth coming out of a toilet The train between the Tel Aviv airport and Jerusalem takes 30 minutes. Em and I need to use the facilities at the Jerusalem train station. There is a really strange sign over the toilet. The only thing I can think of is that its purpose was to remind people to put their toilet paper in the trash can and not flush it down the toilet.

Upon leaving the station we approach a cab driver to take us to our Airbnb apartment. He says because traffic is so bad it would cost 150 shekels (equivalent of $60 CAD). We get in and he drops us off within 15 minutes….we were probably ripped off. Oh well, live and learn.
a bedroom with a window
Our apartment is in a pedestrian area close to Zion Square. The place is great; clean, spacious, two bedrooms, living room, dining area, kitchen and bathroom. It is also well stocked except for a corkscrew.

Our Intro to Jerusalem

a lit up old building across a road at night

woman standing beside three colourful camel statues After a break, we head out to see Jerusalem. We walk through many pedestrian areas filled with high end shops.

There are many pianos on the streets throughout Israel but Jerusalem is the only place where I see people playing them.
man playing piano outside at night
Jaffa Gate lit up at night We walk towards the Old City and enter it through the Jaffa Gate.

It is now 7:30pm and Em and I are starving. We see a fish and chip place so we stop. Yum.

a man and woman sitting at a table in a fish and chip restaurant

alleyway at night We wander around through the small streets and alleys of the old town. They are very pretty and picturesque. I am not seeing the abundance of garbage which I have seen in other cities or towns in Israel. Jerusalem is much cleaner.

In our travels we even find Santa’s Home in Jerusalem.
an old building decorated with large red and white striped poles and evergreen garland
the New Gate in Jerusalem lit up at night We leave the city through the New Gate. As we walk, we hear dramatic music playing and then see moving images on the side of city hall. It is wonderful. I really enjoy a good sound and light show. Click here for a video of the show.

Back to the Apartment

street in Jerusalem at night

On the way back to our place we see all kinds of people walking around the streets including two guys in their mid-twenties and one of them is carrying a semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder.

a hand placed beside a container of yogurt Em and Vince stop to buy wine and John buys throat losenges. Things in Israel and especially Jerusalem are really expensive. The yogurt in the picture costs the equivalent of $8 CAD. Crazy!

We do some laundry at the apartment and Em and Vince try to open their wine without a corkscrew by pushing the cork into the bottle. The red wine explodes out all over the kitchen walls and ceiling. Yikes!

Our place is right in the centre of things but the downside is that we get quite a bit of noise at night. We still manage to sleep.

I am so excited to explore more of Jerusalem.