April 2012 -- Israel and Palestine
During a school break, I took a flight to Tel Aviv for a few days of exploration. I passed through the town of Nablus and visited the Qalquilya Zoo, strolled up to the Samaritan village on Mount Gerizim, and shopped at the souq in Nablus (image below from Wikimedia by Tiamat).
I caught a bus to Jerusalem, where I spent a couple days in that marvelous city. The density of religious sites is almost as unbelievable as the ease of accessing them... subject to a few restrictions (image below from Wikimedia by Shmuel Spiegelman).
I wrapped up by spending a couple days in sunny Tel Aviv. It seems like a great place to live, and I loved the breakfast options, but everything seemed a bit stale after Jerusalem.
Advice: Be respectful when visiting religious sites, play by the rules when it comes to traveling into and out of Palestine and through Ben Gurion, and visit Jerusalem.
