Israel

01//WheelSee...a tourist in the Middle East

I'm on my way to discover a place that I hear or read about every single day in the news. Since I've decided to travel through Israel and Palestine, I've actually checked if this was really true without looking for it. And yes, it is always there. On the headlines of Google news, in the front page of newspapers, on the BBC news ap, even in the free Metro or Evening Standard. I hear everyday about it. More than about my own country, France or my adoptive land, the UK. Its everywhere. A bomb, a rocket, an imprisonment, a hunger strike, an underage thrown in jail, a woman giving birth at a checkpoint, an Israeli being assaulted, a palestinian family being evicted... EVERYDAY there is something...and still, I feel like I know absolutely nothing. And I also feel like my mind is on auto pilot, not talking about it as it has become the invisible norm or is too "sensitive", "complicated", "dangerous"...

So, this is where "WheelSee" comes in. I want to SEE, and want to see for myself. I want to discover, watch, hear, talk, understand as much as I can and be a first-hand witness of what seems to be the centre of the world. I go there with the only selfish objectives to learn and discover. Not to change the world, but simply to try to understand it just that little bit more.

My trip itinerary is taking me from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea going through places such as Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Jerusalem, Bil'in, Qalqilya, Jericho, Hebron or Nablus. It takes me to "events" such as the Gay Pride, the under 21 football tournament, the 5am queues at checkpoints, the cooking classes with palestinians and walking tours with locals. It takes me Kite Surfing in Israel, cycling through HOT palestinian mountains to floating on the dead sea.

I am a tourist. I am here to discover and learn and make my own mind. I hope people will understand and let me try to understand. I hope I will learn and have no doubt, "WheelSee" WILL change my life.
So let's Ride!

Ps: a HUGE thank you to all of you who have helped me put this trip together and have told me: "Dangerous: no! Hot: yes. Water, map & compass: you better. Invaluable: definitely!".

02//I think I'm still in Europe

Shalom Tel Aviv. You got me at sea and sun and you delivered. I have been doing the best use of my sunglasses in ... well... that's it...I'm finally using my sunglasses.
Kite surfing in Cesarea beach, 45 minutes north of Tel Aviv was amazing. Or "Belly kite surfing" rather. I'll be back for more as soon as I can face drinking more salty water. The kite surfing school was right next to a power station and the contrast between a blue turquoise sea and the tall chimneys was "special" but it just seemed invisible and the normality to everyone else. The peace flag is also flying in Tel Aviv.. or is it the happy gay flag.... or maybe it's the same. A peaceful, happy, sunny, open minded european city. Laila tov Tel Aviv.

03//I heart TLV

Wonderful, surreal, incredible, surprising, amazing... This barely describes the week i just had in Tel Aviv. The people I've had the chance to meet and the ones I became friends with were of course the most important part of the stay. Combine this with the experiences of great concerts, arts, parties, history, beach and sun and you make it a magical week. Tel Aviv may not be representative of the entire Israel, but it certainly is the best first impression one country could give.

What would a blog be without a quote... Get some of Rilke: “(...) only someone who is ready for everything, who excludes nothing, not even the most enigmatical will live the relation to another as something alive.”
With an open mind, my eyes filled with moments I hope I will never forget. I experienced my first shabba's dinner, the blessing of the wine& bread, and being fed for three the food prepared by a loving husband. I tasted djarnoun, spicy hummus, local shots. I talked about politics, history and religion and the universal topic of love with friends and strangers alike. I danced until the early hours and burst into great laughter.
This city I am leaving has been empty with worries and only a show of its very own surprising peaceful reality.
Next stop: Haifa...

04//Haifa and the Bab

As soon as i arrived in Haifa with my overweight bag, I instantly regretted the "I need this - and that too" discussion with myself this morning. I should have just wore the backpack for five minutes and I would have easily been able to say that I only need underwear, a toothbrush and my iphone. Really, what else do I need...
But anyway, I decided to climb to the Bahai gardens (by bus) and walk down. Absolutely stunning and one of the guides tells the story of this insane man. When the town decided to create the gardens, they bought the land and houses from everyone at 2/3/4 times the price. So they were all happy to sell. Except this man. He always refused. He now has an amazing garden surrounding him and recently got offered 10 million dollars for his small house and still isn't selling. Whether the story is exactly true or not, it feels good sometimes to hear that money doesn't buy everything.

The Bahai Gardens are part of the UNESCO world heritage and they are absolutely stunning. When coming in, a guard repeats his lines to me: "you are entering a religious site, behave appropriately and wear appropriate dress - no gums, no smoking". He then checks the top of my bag and asks me jokingly if I have bombs or guns in there. Absolutely the kind of jokes that would normally get me in trouble. I would be capable of staying something like "just my AK47" ... but I try instead the smart line of "my weapon is my book" showing him the Lonely Planet. And as I say it, i realise that I couldn't have said something more ridiculous...but he smiles at me (probably out of pity) and says, these are always the best ones. I do think I should have been thrown in jail for at least a day for saying this, but I'm glad I can instead enjoy the view of the gardens, the dome and the port. This religion is quite fascinating actually. It's one of the youngest of the major religions and was founded in Iran in 1863 by a young muslim Iranian, "The Báb". Great name... He said that a messenger would soon arrive from God, who would be the latest in a line of prophets including Moses, Muhammad and Jesus Christ.

After the culture time, an american street cleaner coming from LA 9 months ago, points me in the direction of the beach. There, I hire a surf board, drink a good liter of salty water, proceed to make a few jumps from the top of my board and come back exhausted and thirsty to the bar. The view is just stunning and I couldn't be more relaxed. It looks like any regular beach in the Mediterranean and everyone seems happy, relaxed and at peace.

05//Tiberias, a day below sea level

I left Haifa after an encounter with a semi-pro climber who has climbed near my home town. He also happened to be a physio and taped my shoulders so I look like a true sportswoman when topless... So when I went swimming in the Sea of Galillee at dawn, next to a little castle and under the disapproving stare of a religious man, I am sure that the reason he didn't think to look away is because I looked so cool with the tape.

One of the early riser also included a 38 year old Ukrainian woman living in Jerusalem with 7 kids... She asked me to look after her last one while she was swimming. A 1 month old little boy called Noah... And these 4minutes were the most frightening of my trip by far. Noah survived the experience and I am now on my way to Nazareth, looking for the places where another famous little boy grew up.

06//Jesus! De Nazareth

Imagine a little hotel, in the middle of an old unknown city, with four turtles, birds, fish and the dog "Lucky". Imagine being left alone as the only guest. What would your reaction be? Mine was "really? Jesus!"

...and that's my subtle lead to the the remembrance of my early religious classes. Jesus de Nazareth grew up here and it's also where Marie got told that there was no need for sex, she would get pregnant anyway.
Pretty inspiring and touching town actually. And this is where I would be told by an incredible Arab shop owner that I could get the best bike of the shop without spending the cash. A bike which turns out to be up there as part of the most useful things with google map GPS and maybe water.