By Paul Rubio

 

More than an epicenter of historical and religious reverence, Israel (goisrael.com) is a land of amazing eats, gorgeous men, sensational beaches, superb wineries, big city sophistication, more gorgeous men, and iconoclastic multiculturalism.

 

On my recent trip to the Holy Land, I crammed in as much as possible….into three short days that is. Beginning in Haifa, then heading east to Tiberias, south to Jerusalem, and finishing in Tel Aviv, Israel never failed to disappoint. Its diverse and eclectic vibe was infectious and completely won me over.

 

My 72-hour whirlwind journey started in Haifa, Israel’s third largest city. Of particular interest, I ambled through the Baha'i Gardens and stopped for a number of Kodak moments overlooking the city on the slopes of Mount Carmel. Next on the agenda was the ancient Phoenician and Crusader seaport of Akko (akko.org.il/English/main/default.asp), a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site that teems with the modern sights and sounds of an Arab marketplace while standing tall as one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Israel. Towards the afternoon, I drove to the Sea of Galilee to tour some of the Christian historical and holy sites, including Capernaum, the “City of Jesus,” and the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. After religious overload, I spent the night in Tiberias, the capital of the Lower Galilee, at the Scots Hotel (scotshotels.co.il), and gorged on platters of divine fresh seafood with hand cut fries and onion rings at the waterfront Decks restaurant (israel-guide.com/lido-galilee/decks/index.html).

 

The following day I ventured south through the West Bank to Jerusalem, beginning my day with the picture-perfect panoramic views of this ancient city from the Mount of Olives. Once inside the walls of the old city, I discovered all four quarters of Old Jerusalem, exploring every major historical and religious site like Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross), the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and Judaism’s most sacred site, the Western Wall (but not before a break for Middle Eastern delights in the Arab Market.)  I checked into the posh Mamilla Hotel, (mamillahotel.com) where eclectic modernist interiors prevail behind a splendid façade that camouflages with the old city. The new Mammilla Hotel is the country’s most design savvy, with a few surprise elements I’ve yet to see anywhere else in the world – like the tri-partitioned colossal glass bathroom, which turns from contemporary peepshow to private sanctuary when you push a switch to release liquid crystals to frost the enveloping glass walls. Sounds almost too cool to believe? Well it is!

 

Before leaving Jerusalem on the third day of our “Intense Israel” itinerary, I spent the morning at Yad Vashem   (yadvashem.org), the National Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust – definitely heavy on the soul but beautifully and artistically presented.  By mid afternoon, I had arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel’s bustling cultural center, ripe with a beachfront buzz, world famous nightlife, and its NYC –style frenetic pace. It was a Monday night, but there was no shortage of party options (and eye candy) to keep me going until the next morning! Though the nightclub Lima Lima fell from hetero-grace in late 2010, it’s Monday night gay night is the hottest ticket in town. At 1am, the club was jam packed with way too many hot army boys, looking to start their week off with a bang…literally!

 

On a more serious note, throughout my visit, my tour guides always made it a point to explain Israel’s importance in world history, far more than its current role as a religious and political puppet. They introduced me to religions and peoples I knew little about – like the Baha’i and Druze - and how these groups prosper in modern day Israel. They also made it a point to show me the Israel we never see or hear about – Muslims, Christians, and Jews working together, eating in each other’s restaurants, and living in their own world of mutual respect.  I discovered an Israel so different than I had imagined – one, which quickly instigated an insatiable desire to return and explore further.