Our first impression of the tourist part of Eilat was - I must admit - of a Lunapark gone berserk.
Huge hotels all along the coastline, on the Promenade small shops in delapidated containers selling tourist stuff and cheap clothes. Then small stretch of pebbly beach bordering a very quiet sea.
All this in glaring lights and accompanied by very loud elevator music.
Next day we skipped the Lunapark part and headed for Eilat's very interesting Eilat Museum.
Eilat started as a town in 1949 when Israeli soldiers 'gave' this part of the land 'back' to Israel.
This part of the world has been occupied by every wandering tribe, plus the Turks, the Romans and the English. But in 1165 BC (said the timeline in the museum) the land had been Israels', so it should be Israel again.
First a military base, then a small town consisting of an airstrip and, half a mile away, a few blocks of houses, a post office, a school, a hospital. A new town in a barren land.
In the 70's tourism was booming and Eilat had it all: a wonderful dry climate, 360 days of sun, the Red sea with coral reefs. Hotels and malls were built and the tourists flocked in.
It's not international tourism though: Israeli and Russians make up 95%. The remaining 5%: Americans and Dutch - we've always had a soft spot for Israel.
But there's Eilat itself too, and we happily strolled this - for us - strange and unknown city.
One thing has endeared us to Eilat: the airstrip it all started with.
Now a small airport, and now bang in the middle of Eilat. We're not kidding: wedged between the sea and the airport are the hotels, behind the airstrip Eilat itself.
In the evening the planes start coming in, they roar over your head and land right in front of you.
Our hotel was right above it (Eilat is built on hills and the hotel was on the city side) and it was fascinating to see these planes so close.
Huge hotels all along the coastline, on the Promenade small shops in delapidated containers selling tourist stuff and cheap clothes. Then small stretch of pebbly beach bordering a very quiet sea.
All this in glaring lights and accompanied by very loud elevator music.
Next day we skipped the Lunapark part and headed for Eilat's very interesting Eilat Museum.
Eilat started as a town in 1949 when Israeli soldiers 'gave' this part of the land 'back' to Israel.
This part of the world has been occupied by every wandering tribe, plus the Turks, the Romans and the English. But in 1165 BC (said the timeline in the museum) the land had been Israels', so it should be Israel again.
First a military base, then a small town consisting of an airstrip and, half a mile away, a few blocks of houses, a post office, a school, a hospital. A new town in a barren land.
In the 70's tourism was booming and Eilat had it all: a wonderful dry climate, 360 days of sun, the Red sea with coral reefs. Hotels and malls were built and the tourists flocked in.
It's not international tourism though: Israeli and Russians make up 95%. The remaining 5%: Americans and Dutch - we've always had a soft spot for Israel.
But there's Eilat itself too, and we happily strolled this - for us - strange and unknown city.
One thing has endeared us to Eilat: the airstrip it all started with.
Now a small airport, and now bang in the middle of Eilat. We're not kidding: wedged between the sea and the airport are the hotels, behind the airstrip Eilat itself.
In the evening the planes start coming in, they roar over your head and land right in front of you.
Our hotel was right above it (Eilat is built on hills and the hotel was on the city side) and it was fascinating to see these planes so close.
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