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General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:14:12 PM

Title: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:14:12 PM
Hallo all,

I have been in Israel again from late Nov to 9 Dec 2011. Apart from travelling, seeing and praying in various churches, monasteries and ruins, a few days in the deserts etc, I found some nice little bulbous species in flower.

Some of the locations were forwarded to me by Oron, Miriam and Ori, and towards the end the trip, I was invited by Oron and Miriam to join them on a field trip to the north of Israel - impossible without an own transport...

Some of my photos are here:

Nov. 23 - Jerusalem, Valley of Kidron right below the Old City, towards the Gethsemane church and Olive Grove. Any ideas about the Colchicum and Taraxacum species? 
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:19:12 PM
Nov 24 - Field trip to the Carmel Mountain near Haifa. Site of a terrible wildfire last year, but the locations in question were spared.
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:23:47 PM
More photos from the Mt. Carmel trip:

Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:27:48 PM
Dec 1: Sternbergia clusiana at Ma'aleh Rehavam ['Slope of Rehavam' (Zeevi)] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehavam_Zeevi), a small Jewish settlement near Bethlehem. Thanks to Miriam for advising me to this place  :)

Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:30:42 PM
Dec 6: Field trip with Miriam and Oron. Forgot to take a group photo :-[

Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Maggi Young on December 22, 2011, 04:36:11 PM
Hey! This is a great trip you are sharing with us, Thomas, thank you  8)
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: tonyg on December 22, 2011, 04:36:50 PM
Lovely pictures of plants and habitat ... so easy to see why these plants do not thrive up here  :( ly
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: xthomasx on December 22, 2011, 04:40:26 PM
Finally, a day before I left, Miriam sent a note about a habitat of Colchicum tuviae just outside Jerusalem.

A big Thank You to all who helped me during the trip. Despite this being sort of low season for bulbs, I still saw a lot of interesting things...

Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Maggi Young on December 22, 2011, 04:46:13 PM
With such advisors -  Oron, Mirian and Ori - I think it would help any photographer on his travels! 8)
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: ian mcenery on December 22, 2011, 04:48:16 PM
Thomas thank you for sharing your trip. It is nice to see just how these plants are growing. Like Tony I find it easy to understand why we find these so difficult to grow in the cold and damp UK
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 22, 2011, 07:18:56 PM
Thanks for your pictures Thomas. The sun seems to shine from the Sternbergias, magnificent plants all.
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Oron Peri on December 23, 2011, 09:13:50 AM
Thanks Thomas, its been a pleasure!!
Colchicum from Jerusalem is C. stevenii.
Biarum from Mt. Meron is B. bovei.
See you next time ;)
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: krisderaeymaeker on December 23, 2011, 02:59:10 PM
Great pictures and very beautiful plants and places  Thomas ! A joy to see them on a dark day like this !
Hope to go there sometimes...
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Miriam on December 23, 2011, 06:33:05 PM
Nice pictures Thomas!
Sorry I could not join you more this time  :(
It was a great trip with you and Oron  :)
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: arillady on December 28, 2011, 09:42:52 AM
Sorry I missed this thread till now but so glad you have shown us these treasures. Now to make a note of the different species in case seed ever appears on any lists.
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: eroman on January 11, 2012, 06:40:16 AM
I have always wanted to travel to Israel but never got the chance to.

Now, I am more enticed with it as I have came across a group of people who just visited the country when I sat beside them in the airport on my way to visit China.

They promised to stay in touch through emails so that they could help me with visiting the place in terms of information that will prove to be really helpful for me.
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Anthony Darby on January 11, 2012, 09:30:56 AM
I've never been to Israel, but have an old lamp to show me the way.....one day. The Pool of Bethesda is mentioned in the Gospel of John.
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Lesley Cox on January 11, 2012, 08:04:55 PM
Emily you were fortunate to sit next to nice people at the airport. Usually people like to sit as far away as possible from their neighbours in such places. Why is that? Just a matter of personal space? Same in the doctor's waiting room. ;D
Title: Re: Trip to Israel 11-12/2011
Post by: Anthony Darby on January 12, 2012, 01:36:54 AM
Personal space varies with culture. A British/Arab conference with people standing talking to each other usually ends up with all the British delegates standing with their backs to the walls and a gentleman from the middle east a foot from his face. ;)
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