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Exploring Israel by yourself: some practical tips
For Annick this was the second time in Israel. The first trip she traveled together with Shira, her friend who lives near Tel Aviv. Eleven years later, Shira still lives near Tel Aviv, but has twins… So we met up a few times, but traveling the whole time together was not possible this time around 😉 So, we set out on our own adventure. Israel is not a common travel destination. It is a stunning country though, with loads of highlights (nature, culture & food!), and should be on your to-do list as well – if you ask us. Some practical tips to get you started… Where to stay Israel…
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Citytripping in Israel: Tel Aviv and Herzliya
During our travels in Israel, we used a quiet town not to far from Tel Aviv as our homebase. Ofcourse, Tel Aviv itself was on our to-do list as well! Tel Aviv Tel Aviv is a modern and lively city. You can easily spend multiple days there, but we decided to narrow it down to one day, since we had only 10 days in the whole country. Below you see our map with our own highlights. A good way to start your day in Tel Aviv is to head to the recently renovated old Tel Aviv Port Area, in the north of the city (#1 on the map). It’s a lovely…
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Taking a city trip back in time – ancient Beit She’an
Travelers heading to Israel: we would like to give you a few words of advice in case you are planning a city trip in this country. If you ask us: forget about Jerusalem and Tel Aviv all together and don’t even bother to head over to Haifa or Akko. For the ultimate city trip experience in Israel we advise you to go to Beit She’an instead. In our opinion, this city appeals to any type of visitor. Shopaholics may want to check out the small boutiques on Palladius Street or the marketplace of the agora. Culture enthousiasts are recommended to visit the impressive theater. Those of you who are looking for some tranquility might find their inner peace in the…
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A touch of the desert in Ein Gedi (Israel)
In terms of different types of landscapes, Israel is a pretty diverse country. You have the lovely beaches and dunes in the west, the green and mountainous areas in north and the Negev Desert in the south, with a number of intermediates in between. In fact, Israel is surrounded by three large bodies of water: the Mediterranean, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, which all contribute to this diversity. Surely, Israel is a great country for nature-lovers and landscape-enthusiasts. Add the possibility of a multi-day city trip in the capital (or Tel Aviv for those who like their cities more modern) plus a multitude of impressive archaeological sites and you can see…
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The Dead Sea with children: how to survive ;-)
When traveling to Israel, a stop at the Dead Sea has to be on your list. After all, it’s the lowest point on Earth and an inland sea where you can float in the water. In a previous blogpost I already explained the routine of a regular visit. For adults it’s a great experience, but with kids it’s a slightly more complicated thing to do. You see, the Dead Sea has the highest concentration of salt in the world, almost 9,6 times as high as your average other sea. And salt stings. It stings in every little cut you have on your body, it can hurt in more private parts…
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Visions of Svalbard: landscapes and wildlife around Ny-Ålesund.
This is the final blogpost in our “polar” series, dedicated to those days when Maarten (who is writing this) was sent to the arctic and antarctic in order to research the marine fauna there. Until now, I have written about my experiences in Antarctica. This blogpost is the only one about my stay on the island of Spitsbergen (in 2007). Since I basically stayed in one location (the Ny-Ålesund research village) and only left this place on two (short) occasions, I really can’t say I have seen a lot of the island. Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago (the other two islands are Edgeøya and Nordaustlandet). Halfway between mainland Norway and…
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Lago di Garda
Italy has always been one of my favourite countries to travel in. It has it all: good food, a rich cultural history and stunning nature. One of my favourite areas are the lakes of Northern Italy. In this blogpost I’ll take you around the beautiful Lake Garda, or as the Italians say, Lago di Garda. It’s the biggest lake of Italy, with a good 80 km of lake length in between the town of Sirmione in the south and Riva del Garda in the north. The lake is situated somewhat in the middle between Milan and Venice, with a good 2 hours drive to each of those stunning Italian cities. Closerby…
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Disneyland Paris for beginners
A visit to Disneyland Paris is a magical thing to do with your children. Even my husband, who is very sceptical about all things Disney, had to admit that the weekend we had there was absolutely fabulous. He even wants to go back when Febe is a little older 😉 With two theme parks, Disneyland and Movie studios, it is best to visit for more than one day. Even smaller children can get the a lot out of their visit. The biggest bonus for us was that Febe, who just reached 1m20, could go on every ride, apart from the Indiana Jones coaster. A lot of fast & serious rides for…
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A walking safari in the Antarctic
After a few tiresome weeks of intense lab activities at the Dallmann Laboratory and occasional field excursions in Potter Cove on King George Island, my work in Jubany (nowadays known as Carlini Station) finally came to an end. This was November 2007. Antarctic Summer. And just as on all my other expeditions, it’s only at the end that I realized I had been working all the time and I had simply forgotten to enjoy my stay in this extraordinary setting. On the other hand, even the life in and around the station was pretty amazing and exciting. First of all, there were the magnificent views of the glacier, the bay, the Tres Hermanos mountain and…
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Jubany: a research station on King George Island.
Sometimes the most memorable travel memories are made when you least expect them. Even when you think things are completely heading in the wrong direction, something spectacular might happen eventually. In November 2007, I got stuck on an Argentinian military base for almost 2 weeks (all about that unfortunate chain of events here), awaiting a transfer to Jubany, an Argentinian-German research base where I was supposed to conduct my research on Antarctic marine worms. Getting stranded on another Antarctic island was definitely not part of the plan, and I really wanted to get out of that place (the base was seriously dull and I desperately wanted to start my research in Jubany asap). Fortunately, I…
