Where We Be
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| An Israeli soldier looks down on the demilitarized zone running along the ceasefire line with Syria |
| Golan Heights, Israel |
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We came away from the Golan Heights with a
much better appreciation for both its strategic
importance and its agricultural and scenic
richness. This is good land. Of all the parts of
Israel we've seen, it is among the prettiest and
most fertile. Not only does it represent the
strategic high ground in the region, but it also
provides a third of Israel's water supply, so it's
understandable why Israel would want to keep
it -- and why Syria would be so intent on getting
it back. Captured by Israel during the Six-Day
War in 1967, the Golan Heights are still
recognized by most nations as Syrian territory.
From a hilltop overlook we got dramatic views
down into Syria. The Israeli village of Merom
Golan sits smack-dab below the hill. It has seen
fierce fighting before and is often on height-
ened alert due to conflicts with Syria. In fact an
air raid siren went off during our visit, but our
guide assured us it was only a test. He also
said you can occasionally hear explosions from
bombs going off in the nearby Syrian city of
Quneitra. Located on top of the lookout itself is
a Syrian bunker from the days when this hill
was defended against the Israelis. Now Israeli
soldiers patrol it, carrying machine guns and
heavy weaponry. Signs point to Syrian locations
in the near distance such as New Quneitra, the
Valley of Tears, and Damascus only 60 km away.
much better appreciation for both its strategic
importance and its agricultural and scenic
richness. This is good land. Of all the parts of
Israel we've seen, it is among the prettiest and
most fertile. Not only does it represent the
strategic high ground in the region, but it also
provides a third of Israel's water supply, so it's
understandable why Israel would want to keep
it -- and why Syria would be so intent on getting
it back. Captured by Israel during the Six-Day
War in 1967, the Golan Heights are still
recognized by most nations as Syrian territory.
From a hilltop overlook we got dramatic views
down into Syria. The Israeli village of Merom
Golan sits smack-dab below the hill. It has seen
fierce fighting before and is often on height-
ened alert due to conflicts with Syria. In fact an
air raid siren went off during our visit, but our
guide assured us it was only a test. He also
said you can occasionally hear explosions from
bombs going off in the nearby Syrian city of
Quneitra. Located on top of the lookout itself is
a Syrian bunker from the days when this hill
was defended against the Israelis. Now Israeli
soldiers patrol it, carrying machine guns and
heavy weaponry. Signs point to Syrian locations
in the near distance such as New Quneitra, the
Valley of Tears, and Damascus only 60 km away.
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| You can see just how fertile the valleys are -- and how tall the mountains. Yes, that's snow in the Middle East! |
| The white signs point to the Syrian cities of New Quneitra and Quneitra, largely deserted at the time of our visit due to the civil war in Syria |
| We saw lots of young Israeli soldiers, both men and women, carrying machine guns. They seemed quite relaxed on the day we visited. |
| Razor wire and armed soldiers are an unfortunate reality in the heavily contested territory of the Golan Heights |
| Typical view as you travel through the region |
| Large parts of Israel are desert-like, but not the Golan Heights |
| One of the best parts of our tour through Israel was making new friends who share our love of travel (and wine) |
| An orthodox Jew with a fun sense of humor opened three different bottles of wine for us to try |
| Nearby is Golan Heights Winery, which makes award-winning wines |
| A former Syrian bunker sits atop the lookout point. In the background is a cafe. What an odd juxtaposition of settled and unsettled here. |
| As you arrive at the lookout, you're greeted by a dinosaur of all things |
| Probably the only time you'll see Robin posing with a sniper cutout |
| Checking out a former Syrian bunker |
| The small Israeli settlement of Merom Golan sits just below the lookout point on the Israeli side of the border |
| The Syrian capital of Damascus is only 60 km from here |
| At the Golan Magic Welcome Center near the town of Katzrin, we studied the topographic map above, then watched a short film highlighting the beauty of the Golan Heights -- and actually got spritzed by misters during the rainy scenes! |
