Monday--May 15, 2006

We got up early-out of the hotel by 7am (to avoid spending too much of the day in the desert sun) and drove out of Jerusalem, heading for the ancient desert fortress of Masada, along the 2 lane highway that leads down to the Dead Sea and eventually to Israel's southernmost city of Eilat. There is an amazing topographical change that occurs as one heads out of Jerusalem on this road, Highway1 (then onto Highway 90)--the green forested hills are replaced with rolling Judean desert--lots of browns and greys with zero vegetation. We didn't go into Jericho (passed on the way down) for safety reasons, though it is an interesting detour in a better political climate. The road drops, over the space of a relatively short distance (20 or so miles I think) from about 2400 feet above sea level to about 1200 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth's surface and a favorite tourist destination when one has more time.
Here is a good link for information about Masada: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1.html. I would go there for a quick primer about Masada, but suffice it to say, this a fascinating place to visit and to walk around the reconstructed ruins. I suggest doing as we did, getting there by 8am, so your touring is done in the relatively bearable heat of the early morning. Take along sunscreen, a hat, a bottle of water, and wear hiking shoes rather than sneakers, especially if you are going to be adventuresome and walk up or down the Snake Path, rather than opting for the the tram. The walk, up or down, will add about an hour to your visit each way, so plan accordingly; you want to give yourself 2-3 hours to take in the majority of the fortress and it is best not to be outside during the intense heat of the middle of the day (12-3pm). Many visitors make it a day of touring and combine the Dead Sea and Masada, perhaps with a side visit to the Ein Gedi Nature Preserve and Kibbutz Eid Gedi. All of these sites are quite unique and well worth stopping at if you have more than just a few hours to spare.
We stuck to our tight schedule and managed to be back in Jerusalem by 1pm for lunch with Benny, who runs the largest tour operation business in Israel; Pam used to do all of her bookings through him and his company IGT Tours and we've been friends for years. Benny has, by virtue of his job and nearly 30+ years of experience, got an amazing knowledge of where to go in the country, and combines that with an awesome list of both tourist and locally oriented places to eat. He took us to a section of Jerusalem called Rehavya, and we ate at a relatively new spot called Cafe Rehavya. If you can get past the cigarette smoke ( in spite of a new ban in restaurants that is woefully not well enforced) and get a table near a window , then you won't be disappointed by the food--great salads and traditional Sephardic dishes (think spicy and full of unusual flavors!). We had a relatively light meal consisting of an Israeli chopped salad and a spinach ravioli filled with pumpkin and cheese--outstanding!! We topped off the meal with a light but limey piece of key lime pie--double yum!!!!
Before leaving Benny in the afternoon, he made a reservation for us for dinner at one of his favorite haunts in Jerusalem--a real native Israeli spot that no tourist would ever find on his own--called Chakra, a charming restaurant and jazz club-up the street from the David's Citadel hotel-located on Queen Shlomozion St and Kind David St.
It must seem as if all we did was eat in Israel, and though we did a lot of it, we didn't gain any weight (???). We were touring all day, walking for hours on end, and ate lots of healthy salads and fresh, rather than packaged foods, so our waistlines didn't expand too dramatically (the operative word is "too"). Besides, how can you travel and not sample all those local delicacies??!!
It was obvious quite early in our dinner that Benny had given us an excellent recommendation and that his long friendship with the chef and owners was behind the extras being brought to our table. What a feast!!! We started off with grilled eggplant in a tehini sauce, then progressed to a mushroom risotto, followed by fillet of Denise (Sea Bream) gilled in olive oil and herbs and served with roasted garlic, tomato and mashed potatoes. Thank goodness we split everything rather than each ordering separately. By doing so, we were able to have room for the scrumptous dessert of a chocolate pyramid w/peanut butter cream filling and vanilla ice cream--washed down with espresso and tea with fresh nana or mint leaves. Our wine for the evening was a Gamla Chardonnay (but the vintage escapes me). WOW!! Chakra was a truly terrific dining experience and one I wouldn't hesitate to return to on my next visit to Israel.