Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/471535
Travel Made Easy 71 71 For some, a visit to Israel is a pilgrimage, fraught with emotion; for others, it's a taste of history, resonant and deeply moving. But for most, it's also an enthralling country where the unexpected peers out from stones over a thousand years old and exquisite shorelines stretch languorously under the shade of bustling urban life in vibrant cities like Tel Aviv. Here, luxurious resorts are perched right along what is often ranked one of the best beaches in the world, providing a diversion from the high- energy nightlife and culture the city has become synonymous with, as well as exotic open-air markets, active street fairs, fine dining restaurants, and intimate cafes. Similarly, the pulse of the modern metropolis, Eilat, beats hot in the south, where palatial high-rise hotels meet the coast of the Red Sea and its breathtaking corals and marine life. Divers undertake a pilgrimage of a secular sort to experience the Gulf of Aqaba, while along the Mediterranean, Haifa's shores provide the bait for surfers and sailors. However, blue and gold are not the only colors of Israel's colorful mosaic. Haifa's 19 terraced gardens of the Baháí World Center on legendary Mount Carmel bring visitors back to the wonders that made this land so treasured, from the marvelous Shrine of the Bab and Hanging Gardens to the picturesque German Colony. And, of course, every stone has its own story to tell in Jerusalem, one of the oldest and most sacred cities on Earth. The culture, arts, theater, music, architecture, and more make up the many reasons why it's the only city called by 70 names of love and yearning…feelings that will surface after only one, all too brief visit. E G Y P T J O R D A N I S R A E L Red Sea Mediterranean Sea Black Sea Sea of Marmara Nile Suez Canal Cairo Amman Jerusalem Ankara Luxor Aswan Bethlehem Haifa Tel Aviv Eilat Aqaba Istanbul 0 100 miles 0 100 km WELCOME TO ISRAEL Welcome to Israel 71