Eurovision In Israel 14-18 May 2019 - what else to see in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Israel

The 2018 Eurovision winner was Netta, singing Toy.

English: Press conference after the first Semi-Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. For copyright information see Wikipedia.
Date	8 May 2018, 23:14:00
Source	https://www.eurovisionary.com/?attachment_id=162070
Author	Wouter van Vliet, EuroVisionary

What to see in Israel?

People & Places
Amy Winehouse on a graffiti mural in Tel Aviv. Rothschild wines.

Bauhaus Architecture in the White City, a Unesco heritage site.
Bauhaus Museum.



Bauhaus Museum photo by Talmoryair; in Wikivoyage; see their copyright notices.

Walking tour of Jaffa, the old hillside fishing village.
Time on the beach bordered by modern skyscraper hotels.
Bialik Museum in a historic house to learn about the creation of modern Hebrew by Bialik as well as Yiddish theatre theatre and the life of this great character.
Yad Vashem - memorial museum to those lost in the Holocaust of WWII.

Trips to:
Haifa and the golden dome of the Bahia Temple
Caesarea Roman remains

Jerusalem's old quarters: the underground tunnel from biblical (Old Testament) times and Royal David's city; Christian Way of the Cross; and Armenian quarter, Jewish Wailing Wall - all that is left of the two destroyed old temples from the time of Jesus, and Dome of the Rock; Arab shops and markets; and Jewish jewellery and shops.

Seaside Eilat in the south.
Camel rides.
Ein Gedi oasis with biblical tales.
A kibbutz or two and maybe a Moshav to learn about the collective farming.
The dead sea scrolls. The Israel Museum.

A trip over to Jordan to see Petra.

When to go to Israel?
Passover. Get invited to a Seder night meal or book one at a hotel. Each year the dates are different because Passover follows the Jewish lunar calendar.
May - Eurovision.
Gay Pride Parade.

Where can you stay?
In addition to hotels, and kibbutzim, there will be Tel Aviv camping, glamping and caravans a tent city to cope with the influx of tourists.

Getting There
Book early because both Easter and Passover cause lots of travelling and you need to get in early to book a place even on the extra flights.

El Al
Start your holiday experience early and get familiar with kosher food (no shellfish, no milk with a meat meal).

At the airport, or on the plane you will probably and see the entrancing sight of Orthodox Jews in their distinctive dress. These including the Chassids whose long coats and large furry hats were well suited to the cold winters of Poland. Their sidelocks, and fringed prayer shawls are following the rules of the Hebrew Torah (translated into Greek as Leviticus meaning laws and then translated again into the English Bible renamed the Old Testament when the Christians selected writings for the New Testament).

Eurovision Contest and Israel
If you want to know why or how Israel got into Eurovision contest, or the name of somebody who won, or the name of their song, here are the answers. You can also check out your Hebrew because some of the simple song titles are translated into Hebrew, such as the word Shalom. sh-l-m spelled right to left. One of the song titles contains the word shalom which is peace but also hello and goodbye and is part of the word Jerusalem, city of peace.

The letter that looks like a W is either S or SH, depending on whether the dot is placed to the left above, S, or to the right above, SH. Frequently the vowels are left out, like texting in English. Sh-l-m or m-l-sh in Hebrew, is obviously shalom.

More Information on Eurovision and Israel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshav
www.elal.com
https://www.elal.com/magazine/en/portfolio-items/travel/jerusalem/jerusalem-attractions/

Travel and Tourism Information
Israel Government Tourist office
https://new.goisrael.com/
Also see Wikivoyage from the founders who have kept it advertisement free,
Wikitravel which contains advertising which you might find handy.
Tripadvisor

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my later post on learning Hebrew and Arabic.
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How To Learn History From Statues, Street Names And Museums Worldwide: Cuba, USA, UK and more

Mount Rushmore, USA. Wikipedia.

Problem
Street names in foreign cities, even your own city, sound long complicated. Statues show people you don't know.

Answer
Snap a few street names and statues, including the plaques underneath, and you'll get an idea of local heroes, or foreign ones.

British History, George V, WWI and WWII
For years I drove along George V Avenue from Hatch End to Harrow. I used to muddle up George V and George VI. Then I realised that the road name probably dated back to the first word war. I linked the alliterative initials of the name fifth and first, and sixth and second. Now I instantly know that anything about George V is commemorating the First World War. 1914-18 centenary commemorations have produced new museums and information in Europe during 2014-18. London is full of statues of kings and queens and famous figures.

Belgium
WWI is commemorated at the Menin Gate in Belgium and numerous battlefield tours and museums.

Australia
In London I saw a statue of Monash. Who? WWI commander. Over in Australia I followed up, seeking out his statues in Melbourne.

Statues which you pass every day on your way to your home or hotel are a constant reminder of any history you have learned, helping anchor it in your brain. That was the purpose of naming a street after somebody famous or putting up their statue.

That's why I love visiting homes of famous people. So much easier to recall the author of a book, and which books they wrote, and where they lived, after you have visited their house.

American Presidents and Elvis
In Washington DC you see the statues of American presidents such as the Lincoln memorial. You can visit their homes. The theatre where Lincoln was shot is forever ingrained in my memory. So is the museum in Dallas, reminding of the shooting of JFK. On a lighter note, the Elvis museums, souvenirs of Elvis everywhere.

Poe in America
I remember Edgar Allen Poe's house in America taught me his poems, such as the raven. We heard about, his short stories, and about his dying cousin who he married.

Bialik in Tel Aviv
Bialik's home in Tel Aviv taught me that he was the man who promoted the idea of Hebrew being revived as the national language, instead of Yiddish. A pity. Yiddish sound so much better! Which words do we get from Hebrew? Only cherubim, which is only useful when looking at art, such as paintings on church ceilings. We use much more Yiddish, keep shtum (quiet), and what a chutzpah! In English we would say what a cheek!

Shakespeare bust outside Guildhall. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Shakespeare in London and Stratford
England's much-visited homes include Shakespeare's house in Statford upon Avon. More recently I saw his bust and that of architect Sir Christopher Wren outside Guildhall in London.

The Brontes In Yorkshire
The Brontes' home is in Haworth, Yorkshire, England. I realised how rich we are, in the 20th and 21st centuries after I saw the museum's display of the young woman's dress, one of only three she possessed, her weekday dress, her Sunday dress, and her best dress for weddings and funerals.

Wales and Dylan
In Wales, I went to Dylan Thomas's boathouse. I learned about how he wrote Under Milk Wood. In Fishguard I saw where they filmed Under Milk Wood and Moby Dick scenes.

Robert Burns portrait. Public Domain. From Wikipedia.

Scotland and Burns
In Scotland, Edinburgh has plaques on the ground recalling famous Scottish authors such as Sir Walter Scott. For the sake of Auld Lang Syne I must visit Ayr which has Robbie Burns' house.

Chaplin in Switzerland
In Switzerland I photographed a statue of Charlie Chaplin. Before that I had never known or never noticed where he lived and died.

Italy - Verona, Puccini and Assissi
In Italy I visited the house of Puccini. And Verona - see Juliet's balcony. Remember another Shakespeare play, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Next visit on my wishlist is Assissi, birthplace and burial place of Francis of Assissi.

If you have a particular interest, you can seek out statues of famous people connected with your interest. For example, history, WWI, WWII, literature, music.

Cuban Hero, Jose Marti
Back to America - a statue of Cuban hero, Jose Marti, is in Central Park, USA. A replica has been erected in Havana in January 2018. It is an equestrian statue (a person on horseback). Somebody new to notice and research.

Looking in Wikipedia I am astonished at the numbers of statues and monuments to him worldwide. His statues are in Cuba, of course, but also in: New York, The USA; Sofia, Bulgaria; Delhi, India, and Rome, Italy.

Jose was a fervent supporter of Cuban independence from Spain. He rode a white horse which made him an easy target and died in battle. In addiiton to the equestrian statue in New York, a bust of him bears one of his qutotations, translated as the fatherland is an altar, not a stepping stone. Interestingly, the word translated as stepping stone is pedestal. Ped - Latin for foot. As the popular saying goes, learn something every day.

Useful websites
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5322413/Havana-unveils-NY-equestrian-statue-Cuban-independence-hero-Marti.html
http://visitusa.org.uk
http://visitbritain.com
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cuba

Author
Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. See my other posts on Robbie Burns, Burns Night and Scotland, and posts on statues, destinations and learning Spanish and other languages. Also take a look at my books on Lulu.com and Amazon. Please share links to your favourite posts and pages.