www.theblisspages.com - travel: Israel
www.theblisspages.com - travel: IsraelI have made a couple of trips to Israel, mainly to Tel Aviv.
Security was always very tight, and I recall once arriving at the airport with a high temperature and being quizzed for a long time on why I was visiting. I had been given antibiotics - a large needle in my bottom - while in transit in Egypt. I was hardly comprehensible, even to myself, but was eventually allowed in.
One experience, which to me sums up Israel, is the number of people who tried to convince me that Israel is a real country. In most countries, this issue would never come up, as most citizens take that as a given, but the more people tried to convince me, the more sceptical I became.
I support the existence of Israel, but wish they would allow the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and that they would abandon the eye for an eye - or rather an eye for about a dozen eyes - policy that has so exacerbated the situation.
I visited the divided city of Jerusalem, and enjoyed retracing the route of Jesus' last stroll - though I wore a backpack rather than a cross, visiting the Wailing Wall and so on, but the incident that I recall most vividly was less historical and more hysterical.
I was wandering round the market in Jerusalem, and went into a shop to browse. I looked at few of the items on offer, but saw nothing that particularly interested me. When I went to leave, the shopkeeper became agitated, and insisted I bought something. An argument ensued and I was attacked. I started getting panicky, especially when he grabbed my wallet and reinforcements arrived, but eventually escaped, with, I think, my wallet intact. Rarely have I felt so alone and in great personal danger.
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: © Mike Bliss 2008