Report about the Israel visit of the congregation of Laurentius from Dresden

21.04.2012 till 01.05.2012

23 people from the city of Dresden, Germany, took part in this group travel. The majority visited Israel once or twice before. The visit made a great impression on the participants, gave them a lot of new aspects and experiences. It was very good to have days of walking tours on the Carmel, near the dead Sea and in the Negev-desert and to listen to guided tours at historical, religious, biblical sights on other days. This enable the travelers from Germany to rest, to cope with the information they got on the different topics and to enjoy and to relax in the different country-sides.

It was very good that the guides were experts on the city, their homeland or their area - Tamar Landau in Jerusalem, Nasir in the Kingdom of Jordan, Michael Schwennen in the north of Israel. In addition all three have a very interesting personal history and life. Especially Tamar Landau is a treasure / she presents her city Jerusalem with a lot of love, fun, charm and seriousness, although she has a personal history that didn't make her early years happy ones by the hand of the Nazis. Also the bus-driver Ilan was very good, not only as a driver, but through his kindness and openness that gave an insight into the ways Israelis thinks and feel.

The Ramon crater should be world-nature-heritage because it is far more impressing than the Death-Valley in the US. It should be brought far more to the knowledge of tourists that like to hike and to enjoy nature and desert.

While the group stayed in Petra, Jordan they learned to see the common and different aspects in the cultures, the history and the present times on both sides of the Jordan-river. The level of hosting and hotels is far more higher in Jordan than in the Santa Katharina area in Sinai, Egypt. The hospitality, the openness towards German travelers is similar in Jordan and in Israel.

Also this excursion, like the two other one in the last five years, were organized by minister Michael Rentsch from Dresden in close and trustful cooperation with Dialog - the Institute for intercultural meetings in Israel. All in all the places of stay were good. Very good were the stays in Nahsholim and at the Youth Hostel in Eilat due to the location - at the Mediterranean Sea vice versa in the center of Eilat close to the Red Sea - and the good food, although the standard in Nachsholim was higher concerning the meals than in Eilat, although also there they were good. The Panorama Hotel on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem need urgently to enhance on food and standard of tidiness in the rooms.