Israel, perfectly located at the fulcrum of Europe, Asia and Africa, is a world-class destination for sophisticated travelers. Israel offers cultural attractions on a par with Europe and the U.S., luxury hotels, glamorous spas and a hot restaurant scene - all within an atmosphere that combines the very ancient with the ultra high-tech, and the exotic with the contemporary.
Imagine the importance of understanding time to a country which offers you the holiday of all time! Discover for yourself the excavated Herodian Mansions with their 2000 year old mosiacs, friezes and mikvehs. Visit Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were unearthed. Walk around a vast Roman city at Bet Gabriel and examine Israel's own 'Mona Lisa' - the fabulous mosaics of Zippori. In Israel you don't have to dig very hard to find the past - it's all around you in the ancient buildings, monuments, traditions and culture.
More popular than peanut butter! Healthier than hamburgers! More fun than tuna fish! Hummus is the fastest food of the Middle East and one that really has no American equivalent. Its memory for untold millions of tourists, pilgrims, travelers and journalists who have tasted it, sung its praises, then missed it mightily back home, have lifted hummus to cult food status all over the world.
That a chopped chickpea could turn into an international culinary cult within half a century is an amazing phenomenon, but cult it is, and momentum is gathering even as we read... Fresh hummus is served everywhere in Israel because everyone loves the stuff and everyone travels on an endless quest for the best. The fixed basic elements are cooked chickpeas pounded into a creamy paste, garlic and lemon juice. It's the garnishes that vary: top off with some "ful" (whole cooked soft beans), pour on a little puddle of olive oil, toss on olives, add a mushroom, a pine nut, some paprika, a side salad of finely chopped onions, tomatoes and cukes, maybe a little "zatar" (Yemeni style spice), a little pickle perhaps, a round of warm pita bread, et voila! While the essential point is the pure, protein rich chickpea and nothing can beat it.
Preserving and restoring our natural wonders has been part of the Zionist mission for more than a century. Since 1900, more than one billion trees have been planted in Israel in a massive reforestation effort designed to reverse centuries of neglect.
NATIONAL PARKS
There are more than 50 national parks in Israel, many that are home to major historic sites. A short list,
1. Baram National Park
2. Corazim National Park
3. Gamla Nature Reserve
4. Hamat Tiberias National Park
5. Hermon National Park (Banias)
For 2,000 years, Israel has been famous for spas. The hot springs at Tiberias formed the basis of Israel's first spa resort twenty centuries ago, and the curative waters of the Dead Sea were shipped by camel caravan across the Sinai Desert to the palace of Cleopatra. Today, our spas are famed for the curative properties of the Dead Sea's water and below-sea-level sun rays, as well as for rest and beauty treatments.
Israel's prime geographical location, ideally situated between three continents, gives it a strong advantage as an incentive site. Modern facilities and rapid infrastructure development continue to make Israel the destination of choice for a growing number of conventions, conferences, meetings and incentives. In addition, Israel's eternal touristic appeal provides ample opportunities for pre- or post-convention sightseeing.
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