What was/would be your favorite vacation destination?

[UpUpAndAway]

It is.

Source: personal experience

 

[Tambo]

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Whitsunday Islands, Tropical Queensland, Australia. Some of the whitest pure silica sand beaches in the world.

 

[Tommy999]

Wonderful picture. Looks like it still possesses much of its pristine beauty. Not all touristy yet.

 

[Tambo]

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This is Hyams beach, NSW Australia, recognized as the whitest sand beach in the world, definitely not overrun with tourists. Americans prefer Europe and Europeans prefer USA, not as far from each other, it takes roughly 15-16 hour flight to get to Australia from LA, not for the faint hearted.

 

[Tommy999]

I’m getting envious now… drop dead gorgeous. Yes, the 15 hour flight makes it tougher but it might just be worth it.

 

[Procla]

I’m sure you’d love Scotland too, Irishmom. Though of course as a proud Scot, I may be just a bit prejudiced!

 

[Irishmom2]

Forgot to mention that! Yes! I would hope for lots of bagpipe music too!

 

[Procla]

Be prepared for some rain, though. And depending when and where you go, the midges!

 

[Irishmom2]

“The midges?”

 

[CRV]

Yes, there! Or just “on the beach” really - anywhere

 

[Procla]

Midges are tiny flying insects that come out in summer in the wilds of Scotland, and they love to bite. Their bite isn’t dangerous, just annoying. I experienced them in the days when I used to go hiking in summer in the west Highlands, where I think they are the worst. You can get spray to protect against them biting, which I never used but I did bring along a midge net to wear around my face when I went walking.

Oh dear, all that probably sounds a bit off-putting now! But it’s worth braving the midges for the scenery and the quiet. And yes, the bagpipe music!

 

[Irishmom2]

So noted!

 

[Tommy999]

Perhaps are they like mosquitoes?

 

[BartholomewB]

I’ve never been to Holy Land and would imagine that the Bible would come alive if I ever went. If any of you have ever gone to Holy Land, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

@Tommy999, whether you go with a group on a guided tour or on your own, the main places you’ll visit are pretty much standardized: Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, and possibly the Dead Sea. There are just a few specific suggestions I’d make, visits that I would pick out as especially rewarding.

In Jerusalem:

• The walk through Hezekiah’s water tunnel

• The Israel Museum, including the Shrine of the Book and the scale model of Jerusalem as it was in the time of Jesus.

• Make sure you attend Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

• The Western Wall

• Gethsemane and the walk up the Mount of Olives, with the unparalleled view of the Temple Mount.

In Galilee:

• Sepphoris, now an archeological site 3 or 4 miles outside Nazareth. It was the old capital of Galilee before Herod Antipas built his new capital at Tiberias.

• In Tiberias, have dinner one evening at one of the little restaurants on the boardwalk. Israel’s best wines are grown right here in Galilee and the Golan, on the opposite side of the lake.

• In Capernaum, try and attend Mass in the round church that stands above St. Peter’s house.

• Drive slowly all around the Sea of Galilee, if possible twice, once in each direction. It doesn’t take long. The complete circuit is less than 40 miles.

Before you arrive in Israel, have a good look at Jerome Murphy-O’Connor’s excellent guidebook. He was an Irish Dominican who lived most of his adult life in Jerusalem.

https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Land-Oxford-Archaeological-Guides/dp/0199236666/ref=sr_1_1?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=14&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=8&dchild=1&qid=159589807refinements3&=p_27%3Amurphy-o'connor%2Cp_28%3Aholy+land&s=books&sr=1-1&unfiltered=1

 

[Tommy999]

Thanks for the detailed description, BartholomewB. Very helpful to know specific details that you laid out. Most helpful.

Question: Since Israel is so small, I assume the tour group can go somewhere in one part of Israel in the morning and be back at the hotel at bedtime?

 

[adamhovey1988]

Australia. It’s a lot like the southern US. People talk funny, and everything will kill you.

 

[Tommy999]

LOL. Well done, Adam. I think you’re already “down under” at heart.

 

[BartholomewB]

I think they would stay one or two nights in each place: a bit longer in Jerusalem, maybe one night or two in either Nazareth or Tiberias.

I never went to Caesarea. I’m sorry I missed it. Maybe next time!

If you get the chance, I’d recommend staying a night or two at the kibbutz hotel at Ein Gedi, on the Dead Sea. It’s a short drive from there to Herod’s hilltop fortress at Masada, famous for the heroic last stand of the Judean rebels in the Bar Kochba revolt, in 135. It’s also quite close to the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. And, of course, the swim – if you can call it that – in the Dead Sea!

 

[BartholomewB]

The scale model of Herodian Jerusalem in the grounds of the Israel Museum

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[BartholomewB]

The church standing above St. Peter’s house in Capernaum

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