Public art on the Center Hotel near Dizengoff Square

Isrotel Tower near the beach

The Tel Aviv waterfront looking south from Hilton Beach

After our first full day at the beach

The tan is starting to emerge.

Sunset at Hilton Beach. Move the cursor over the photo for a close up.

Drinks at the beach side bar at Hilton Beach was a perfect, but pricey, way to end the day.

Hilton Beach

Hilton Beach

In HaCarmel Market

Iced coffee in Neve Zedek

The port of Jaffa at night

Looking north from Jaffa to Tel Aviv

Old Jaffa Church. Move your cursor over the image for a photo of Ian and Allan in front of the church.

Azraeli Tower

50 years and about 15 minutes-Ian's first picture as a 50 year old

Bauhaus-inspired architecture near the beach on Gordon Street

The beach

Lifeguard station

Beach-side cafe

Building near the beach. Move the cursor over the image for a close up.

Beach side hotel

Mosque in front of the David Inter-Continental Hotel

Gas station on the beach

There were outdoor public gyms all along the beach. Move your cursor over the photo to see Allan doing his cardio.

On the way to Jaffa

A mosque in Jaffa

Allan and Ian in Jaffa

A cross on a church in Jaffa

In Jaffa

There were cobblestone alleyways and staircases throughout the old town of Jaffa.

Allan at the bottom of the steps in Old Jaffa

The Wishing Bridge in Old Jaffa-an ancient legend holds that anyone on the bridge who holds their zodiac sign (signs are on the left railing) and looks at the sea will have their wish come true.

Ian in Jaffa with Tel Aviv in the background

Allan in front of a bougainvillea in Jaffa

Room with a view. Okay, so it wasn't much of a view, but that is the Mediterranean Sea you can see over the tops of those buildings.

Would you believe a "stop" sign?

Looking north from Independence Park

Cycling is an easy and fast way to get around in Tel Aviv. No one seems to ride their bike in the street; just along the boardwalk or on the extra-wide sidewalks. The pedestrians don't seem to mind and it's certainly a lot safer than riding in the often crazy Tel Aviv traffic. Move your cursor over the photo for a better shot.

Another day and another glorious sunset in Tel Aviv.

who knew Israel had nuclear power?

Our friend Avi drove us to Masada and the Dead Sea. Here we stopped for gas and a map. Unfortunately, maps seem to be a rare commodity in Israeli service stations.

A look off on the way down to the Dead Sea which is 422 metres (1385 ft) below sea level-the lowest point on Earth. Move the cursor over the photo for a shot of us.

On the road to...

Allan channelling Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert at the look-off over the Dead Sea. All he needs is a pink feather boa. The mountains in the background are in Jordan.

Road signs near the entrance to Masada. Jordan is in the background.

Bus stop on the road between the Dead Sea and Jerusalem

You can reach Masada by walking at least 45 minutes up the snake path in the blistering heat or you can take the cable car, as we did. Here you can see the cable car shadow on the path below. Move the cursor over the image for a different shot.

Avi and Allan at Masada

Ian at Masada with the Dead Sea in the background. Move the cursor over the image for a shot of Ian and Avi.

Looking north from Masada

Looking north towards the Northern Palace

At an observation point on the west side of Masada, facing north.

The store rooms complex at Masada. There are 29 long rooms surrounded by corridors. The complex was built by King Herod to hold food, liquids and weapons.

Looking down toward the observation point at the Northern Palace.

Allan on the walk down to the Northern Palace

Ian at an observation point on the way down to the Northern Palace

Allan in lower terrace of the Northern Palace - the level was used for banquets and receptions. This grand and daring building was constructed by King Herod is Masada's architectural gem. It is 30 metres high, built on 3 rock terraces and supported by impressive retaining walls.

McDonald's at the Dead Sea

Avi and Ian floating in the Dead Sea.

Avi covering Allan in Dead Sea mud

Ian awaiting a fresh application of mud..

Some interesting facts about the Dead Sea:

• The Dead Sea isn’t actually a sea at all! The Dead Sea is a saltwater lake. 
• Hence the name, there is no marine life in the Dead Sea. The high mineral and salt content of the waters make it impossible for fish or plants to live.
• Cleopatra loved the Dead Sea so much, she ordered that cosmetic factories and resorts be built along its shores.
• You can lay on the surface of the water without even trying to float. The high salt content makes you buoyant.
• Water flows into the Dead Sea from streams and rivers, but does not flow out.
• Dead Sea salt is super bitter and not at all like table salt.
• The Dead Sea is filled with minerals including calcium, iodine, saline, potassium, and bromide.
• Egyptians used mud from the Dead Sea to in their mummification of the deceased.
• The climate of the Dead Sea region is sunny, warm and dry all year round.
• The Dead Sea is 3 million years old.
• The unique salt in the Dead Sea treats acne, psoriasis, hives, cellulite, dry skin, dandruff, stress, muscle aches, and more.

37o C in the shade

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Move the cursor over the image for a close up.

Ian at the look-off from the Mount of Olives. Directly below is the Jewish cemetary. Move the cursor over the image for a photo of Allan.

This is a shot of the Israeli security fence from the Mount of Olives.

St. Mary Magdalene, a Russian Orthodox church beside the Garden of Gethsemane.

A shop in the Muslim Quarter

It was a little hot that day for this outfit.

In the Muslim Quarter

Balancing act

Russian Christian pilgrims. Move the cursor over the image for a different shot.

A cobblestone street in Old City of Jerusalem

The Via Dolorosa

A mosque

Some Orthodox Jewish men on the Via Dolorosa

Traffic jam of Christian pilgrims on the Via Dolorosa

Headscarves-probably not marketed to the Christian pilgrims

Another street shot in the Old City

The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount. It is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple and is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism. The area above with the golden Dome of the Rock is Muslim. Since the Six Day War (June, 1967), the Western Wall Plaza has returned to being a place of prayer.

In front of the Western Wall. Move the cursor over the image for a shot of Allan.

Men on the left; women on the right

Men praying at the Western Wall. There is a much publicised practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers into the crevices of the Wall. The earliest account of this practice dates from the 1700s. More than a million notes are placed each year.

Allan saying his prayers

White kippas are provided as head covering for all those who don't have one.

An excavation site with the Mount of Olives in the background

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the second oldest mosque in Islam after the Ka'ba in Mecca, and is third in holiness and importance after the mosques in Mecca and Medina.

Some school boys playing football in the Jewish Quarter. Move your cursor over the phot for a close-up of the Dome of the Rock in the background.

Pomegranites are plentiful in Israel.

A street market in the Old City. Many of the streets in the Old City look like this, with buildings constructed over the street.

The Church of the Redeemer in Muristan, a complex of streets and shops in the Christian Quarter of the Old City.

This was definitely not in the Muslim Quarter.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

El Omariye mosque, opposite the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Mosaic above the Stone of Unction

At the foot of Golgotha (Calvary), is the stone of Unction or of Anointing. It is a polished red stone about six meters long and one meter wide. According to tradition, the body of Jesus was anointed and prepared here for burial. People rub cloths on the stone for good luck. Here Allan is rubbing my orange t-shirt on the stone (no lottery wins yet, but we're still hopeful).

The altar at Calvary (Golgotha) is traditionally regarded as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and the most lavishly decorated part of the church. The main altar there belongs to the Greek Orthodox, which contains The Rock of Calvary (12th Station of the Cross). The rock can be seen under glass on both sides of the altar, and beneath the altar there is a hole said to be the place where the cross was raised. Move your cursor over the photo for a picture of the rock.

The Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre. The Edicule has two rooms. The first one holds The Angel's Stone, a fragment of the stone believed to have sealed the tomb after Jesus' burial. The second one is the tomb itself. Under the status quo the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic Churches all have rights to the interior of the tomb, and all three communities celebrate the Divine Liturgy or Holy Mass there daily.

The "Pantokrator" mosaic on the ceiling of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

A Roman Catholic procession in their part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem

Leaving the beach on our last full day in Tel Aviv.