"Israel at 60" - May tour by BAS

[George Makrauer]

My wife and I just returned from BAS's "Israel at 60" tour.  It was the most remarkable travel event of our lives. 
 
BAS promised a unique trip, and our tour guide Amnon Wallenstein (whose family has almost 200 years of residency and involvement in Israel) delivered an incredible experience.  Congratulations and thank you, BAS,  for promising a lot and delivering far more.
 
As detailed as were BAS's brochure and tour description, they could not adequately describe what BAS and Amnon gave us.  It would take far too long to describe the highlights of the trip, since each day was filled with more "ooohs" and "aaahs" and "WOWs" than any of us could have imagined in advance.
 
Here are the key points.  First, there was never any sense of not being completely safe, everywhere we went.  (Traveling around Israel -- top to bottom; Mediterranean to Jordan -- appears to be a lot safer than our normal traveling around Orlando, Florida.)   Second, Amnon led us to put our teeth into the Bible and our hands into the earth; it could not have been a more personal immersion in biblical archaeology and history for each of us amateurs.   Third, the presentations to our group by two of Israel's top archaeologists, Kurt Raveh and Hillel Geva, and our entry to active digs were more than we expected.  Then, when Amnon was able to add to those scheduled presentations with some informal comments by Gaby Barkay and Dan Bahat (who just happened to be where Amnon was leading his flock), we could not have been more impressed and excited.
 
Two weeks with Amnon Wallenstein on BAS's "Israel at 60" tour provided a lifetime of memories and deeper curiosity about Biblical Archaeology to be pursued with BAS. 
 
Our sincere thanks to Hershel Shanks and everyone at BAS for producing and delivering this once-in-a-lifetime event.
 
Sincerely,
 
George and Taaron Makrauer
The Villages, Florida

[archaeologist]

you make it sound like the tour was worth the time and money.

 i for one do not like taking group tours as one is toorestricted  intheir local exploration and the tour guides are usually brain dead morons who just requrgitate what they have been told.

both of which makes the trip unenjoyable and like a trip to the dentist for a tooth pulling without anesthesia.

[George Makrauer]

you make it sound like the tour was worth the time and money. (I've found such tours)...too restricted  in their local exploration and the tour guides are usually brain dead morons who just regurgitate what they have been told

We would not have enjoyed the type of tour experience you describe, which was not at all close to ours with BAS.   Sorry to infer you've suffered those indignities.

In all our world travels over 30 years (most of which have been independent or with on-location escorting by local friends or business acquaintances), we have avoided bus-crammed folksy visits led by guides who regurgitate and view their pack of tourists as not particularly bright. 

Our different experiences are what made the BAS tour so spectacular.  Not only was our leader, Amnon Wallenstein, of a 200-year resident family, with personal experiences, knowledge and expert guidance that made our tour wonderful in combination with BAS's planning, but Amnon recognized each of us as legitimately inquisitive and encouraged and answered all our queries.

Your "Archaeologist" Forum name implies professional experience which my wife and I (and most BAR readers) do not have.  As amateurs entranced with biblical archaeology, we could not have had a better experience.

GAM

[archaeologist]

We would not have enjoyed the type of tour experience you describe, which was not at all close to ours with BAS.   Sorry to infer you've suffered those indignities.

don't worry, i wasn't insulting your tuor guide and experience, i was actually quite impressed with what you received.

i was on one tour last year where everyone complained about the man giving the tour.  it was horrible and the americans were making fun of him in the back of the bus.

but we couldn't do anything about it, it was set and we had to suffer through it.