Traveling to shrines in remote parts of the country on a tourist bus can take a lot of time - half a day, or even all daylight hours. In this case, in addition to water, it is good to take with you something from food: fruits, cookies, possibly hummus, which is very popular in Israel and other Mediterranean countries as a hearty and inexpensive snack. If your voucher includes meals - usually breakfast and dinner - you should not neglect the first meal on the day of such a trip (you will definitely not refuse dinner on your return). Speaking of nutrition, it must be said about unpleasant things. In Israel, as in most other countries of the world, it is not customary to take sandwiches, fruits, rolls and other products out of the restaurant - as well as drinks, pouring them into a pre-prepared container. It is better not to do this, so as not to enter into unpleasant altercations with employees afterwards. Chargers for mobiles, cameras and other devices, hair dryers and other electrical appliances that you may need on a trip can be taken with you. The voltage in the Israeli power grid is 220 volts, and the sockets are identical to the Russian ones, which allows you to use those electrical devices that you are used to at home. The situation is different with medicines. Many of them in Israel can be quite expensive, and their names are often not identical to the Russian ones. However, you should not take more medicine with you on your pilgrimage than you may need. Standard set - medicines for headaches, bowel disorders and colds; here, perhaps, it is worth adding sun cream - even if it is not a medicine, but under the scorching sun it is able to relieve the owner of very unpleasant sensations. If you have any chronic medical conditions, you should also bring appropriate medication for the duration of your trip from home. We have already mentioned the plaster and other consumables last time. While in another country, it is important not to create health problems with your own hands. It is strongly discouraged to buy alcoholic beverages in the territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority. You will definitely be reminded of this if the shrines included in the trip program are located on the lands of the Palestinian Authority. The company that sends you on the trip or the diocesan pilgrimage department that organized it must take care of your insurance in a timely manner. This is done so that, if necessary, you can seek help from a medical institution in Israel, with which the sending party has an agreement on cooperation. The group leader or guide will tell you where the nearest facility of this kind is located. If necessary, you will receive free treatment there in the amount of the insurance coverage. It is better, of course, that with God's help you do not need such services, but all kinds of things happen on a trip. Today we will touch upon the topic of buying memorabilia and souvenirs only in passing. Items that are traditionally brought from Israel - for example, the Jerusalem or Bethlehem icons of the Mother of God, special Jerusalem candles, pectoral crosses, etc., are best bought in church shops or souvenir shops at monasteries and other places of pilgrimage. However, in Jerusalem and other cities, a large number of such things are sold in shops and shops; their owners will surely assure you that all their goods are consecrated in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or at other shrines. Whether it is true or not is not known for certain: buying in such places, you act at your own peril and risk. But what is probably worth doing if you buy in an Arab shop is to bargain well: the 'starting' prices for some goods here can be significantly overstated. By the way, not far from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the 'Jerusalem Candle' has its own trusted store, where the goods are precisely consecrated - where exactly it is located, you can clarify by writing a personal message on the site. As a rule, the pilgrimage program for those arriving from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus includes visits to churches and holy monasteries belonging to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission. These are the Gornensky Monastery in Ein Karem, the premises of the Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, the Temple of the Ascension on Mount Oliveon, the Temple of Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane, the Temple of St. Peter the Apostle and the tomb of the righteous Tabitha in Jaffa, the Temple in Magdala and a number of other places. The clergy and monastics serving here speak Russian and will be happy to answer questions from their compatriots or help you in some way. If you wish to make a donation in one or more of these places, it will be great: it is an old pious tradition that also supports the lives of your fellow countrymen here in Israel. There are also donations of a different kind - they have nothing to do with the church. This is a tip, which is customary in Israel to leave people serving travel. For example, for a guide who conducts an excursion, as a rule, they collect two or three dollars per person, for a tourist bus driver - a dollar per person per day. Access to shrines that are not open to the general public is often paid for - for the day of an intensive pilgrimage program for these goals can take up to $ 25. Often the leader of the group or the guide in advance, on the day of arrival, calculate the amount for admission and tips and collect money for these purposes from everyone at once, which is very convenient. Immediately upon arrival, you need to add to the contact list or write down the phone number of the host organization in a safe place. It is better if you do not need it, but the situations are different. If you get lost, fell behind the group, lost your credit card, cash, ticket or documents - immediately dial the number and report it. Recovering a passport or ticket will take time, and the more the better. By the way, it is better to have just as much cash with you as you need for the day, and keep the rest on your credit card. In addition to the market, small shops and shops, you can pay for purchases with VISA or Mastercard almost everywhere. If you are still more accustomed to cash payments, then for security reasons, at least do not keep them all in one place. Last time we talked about the amount of donation for the notes on health or repose submitted in the Holy Land (remember, usually it is about one dollar). But the cost of the ordered magpie in different churches and monasteries may differ. In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, this amount is about $ 30 (20 names), at the Tomb of the Mother of God - 20 dollars (20 names), in the Gornensky monastery - 13 dollars (one name), in the Spaso-Ascension monastery - 6 dollars (one name) and in Gethsemane - 6 dollars (one name). In some places, for example, in the Lavra of Sava the Sanctified, you yourself determine the amount of donation for the forty-mouth for one name, based on your capabilities and diligence.
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