Day 4 Jerusalem to The Kinneret

We were pleasantly surprised by our friend Selena GOREN’s
appearance at our morning stop with the Israeli Classic Car Club

A very interesting start for our day. We began at 7:30am before the morning traffic in Jerusalem started. We did so because we got special permission to drive the cars through the Old City. It was lovely. We entered the Old City at the Jaffa Gate. The walls of the Old City were last built by Suleiman, the Magnificent, when The Ottoman Empire ruled this part of the world.

Actually, technically we don’t drive through Jaffa Gate, but rather drive through a breach in the wall that was open so Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany in 1898 could drive into the Old City.

From the Gate we headed past David’s Tower into the Armenian Quarter; and finally into the Jewish Quarter for a quick look at the Western Wall and out the Dung Gate (so named because a thousand years ago this is the gate where all the garbage was removed from the City.

After leaving the Old City, we drove through the surrounding hills which are covered with beautiful forests, many of them planted by the Jewish National Fund over the last 100 years.

By late morning, we stopped at a junction near Ben Gurion Airport where we were greeted by members of the Israeli Classic Car Club. The members, their families and friends gave us a very warm welcome. Many brought out their own classic cars, one was a very early Dodge that I had never seen before.

Two young religious students admire the cars on their way to school

Of special interest to Ilene and me were the attendance of Selina and Arie. Members of the Goren family with whom we have been friends for over 30 years. Their attendance was a surprise for us.....and a delightful one at that.

By the way, our Rally has 10 Mercedes 300SL’s and 4 OSCA’s.....and 1 Sabra, built in the Port City of Haifa, where we will be in two days time.

After our time with the Classic Car Club we headed north on Highway 6, a new expressway built in the middle of the country to connect the North and South. Once in the north, we climbed up and then down Mount Gilboa before reaching the shores of the Sea of Galilee (which the Israelis call the Kinnereth).

For the next two nights our home is the Hotel Setai, which is s new spa resort similar to Beresheet. Tomorrow we make a loop up through the north into the Golan and along the border of Lebanon. Someone told me last night that if we get close to the Syrian border you can actually hear some of the bombing currently going on in Syria.

I’m trying to persuade Ilene to stay at the resort and have a day in the Spa. I think there are a lot of journalists covering this event who would like to be: “Navigator For A Day.” We’ll see if she takes me up on the offer.

A beautiful morning drive through the hills of Jerusalem	Driving through the Old City with the Dome of the Rock in the distance
Notice that the Expressway is welcoming our rally	Our arrival at The Kinneret