Tel Dan, Banias, Nimrod, Mt Bental

Tel Dan, Banias, Nimrod, Mt Bental, places that could be paradise...

GeierValley

Was out on a little weekend adventure with the two 'other' german friends up to Galilee and Golan (Heights). Last time I've been there it was still mostly green - turns out it turned brown.


ZOOM

We went to Yehudia first, where we took a dip in the hexagon pools and in the pool below the waterfall.








Then I showed them Gamla. And guess what?




I saw a lot of vultures. There was an eqyptian vulture couple circling in the valley...










... who were joined by a griffon vulture.
They are really grand and beautiful birds!




Before we went up to Zefat, we did a small stop at the Jordan. It's not as small as I thought it would be. Some time I'd like to make a boat tour on it.

Stars

Yesterday I was planning to join a trip by the student council into the desert to see the observatory and watch the night sky. Unfortunately the spectrometer is a jealous bitch and wanted me to spend the night with her...



... but at some point I decided I've given her enough love, and let her think about something over night. She was kind enough to give me some love back in the morning.

After I left her, I roamed the campus and had an unfortunate random encounter.









I believe some days make you cuckoo...

The 1st picture is not the observatory, but the space ship looking accelerator of weizmann institute.

Bandita of Hulda forest

Jaffa & Florentine

Eclipse of the 'zwerg' (luna)

Sometimes I wonder what kind of scientist I am - I read about the greatest lunar eclipse in a long time just this morning. I was not really excited, instead I had organized a jam-session for a couple of guitar players, singers and another ukulele player. I enjoyed this evening a lot, but I guess I'm some other guy here - I saw the total eclipse by chance, I didn't have my camera with me, I had to argue with myself the whole way home to get my camera and take a shot of the late stage of the eclipse before I go to sleep...
Not everything is lost yet, I did it, I'm glad I did, I'm happy with the result - playing with the lense flares, but I almost did not do it...


(click the image to enlarge - the smaller version has some bad pixelation artefacts)

Bet She'an בית שאן بيسان‎ Skythopolis Σκυθοπολις and the Dead Sea

Bet She'an has a lot of history! It goes back to the caananites and the eqyptians, flourished during the roman empire, became christian and was destroyed around 400 or so. I've been to some ancient ruins now, and there a quite a view that were destroyed by an earthquake around 400-500, I wonder if it was the same, shaking the whole region...








Finally we took the 90 down to the dead sea - and guess what, no wind, just hot air - it was so still, the dead sea was like a mirror. i've never seen that before. 10 min after we took pictures, a feint breeze came up, and the mirror was gone.

Belvoir

Another Fortress by the Crusaders, 'Belvoir' which is to the south-east of Akko, and not at all on the way to Jerusalem.


Zoom



It is quite clear, that the Crusader days are over...



Nice view to Jordan.

3 Huts (hut hut hut)

or Mt Tabor