Winter Break Explorations Part 2

Well, I’ve been on Tiyulim and traveling nonstop and have gotten even moooore behind on my blog (who knew that was possible!?!) but now I’ve officially moved to Karmiel and I am ready to devote my time to catching up and AND keeping up with this blog, I promise. So I guess we’ll continue with my winter break adventures…

January 9 - 15, 2011

It was Sunday morning and my second week of winter break. Tali Marcus and I had to wake up extremely early (5 am!) because we were going to Hamat Gader Hot Springs! I had heard about this place from a family friend, Adam Ganson, who had moved to Israel; Tali and I were so excited for two days where we would actually be able to swim in the WINTER! Even though we almost missed our bus to the hot springs, once we made it on the bus we knew we could now begin our relaxing vacation. By 10 we arrived at the springs, got settled in our room, and made our plans for the day. Since Tali and I both weren’t traveling out of the country we decided to really enjoy these two days of relaxation and booked full body massages for 3 o’ clock and even rented white plushy bathrobes to wear around the springs and spa (best $7 I ever spent). After booking the massages we headed for the long-awaited hot springs and my expectations were more than exceeded! Not only was the water amazingly hot and in tons of different pools with different types of Jacuzzi’s to help with your skin, metabolism, and more, the weather was ALSO between 21-24 Celsius! (That’s 70 -75 Fahrenheit). Tali and I spent all morning in the water moving from one pool to another and laying out in the unexpected and much appreciated sun, soaking up all the Vitamin D we could get. It was especially amazing that the sun only went away around 1:30 when we had lunch, and when we went back to the hot springs for another half hour before our massages, the sun came back out so we could enjoy our last bit of the hot springs for the day. Even though the springs sometimes emitted the scent of sulfur, it had been such an amazing day and really beneficial for my skin, or at least that’s what the springs were supposed to do. After I got wrapped up in my warm fluffy robe, Tali and I headed for the spa for our massages! I had never had a massage in my entire life, but even if I’d had any expectations they would have probably been exceeded. Not only were the hot oils soothing on my skin (which had already been “cared for” by the hot springs,), the ambiance of the room and the rainforest soundtrack all added to the most relaxing massage. Then, when I called my parents to tell them about how relaxing my day had been, it was made even better when they told me they’d take care of the massage as my belated birthday present! That evening instead of going to a restaurant in Hamat Gader, Tali and I were kind of on “house arrest” in our room. Since we’re in Israel, which is the Jewish State, the Hot Springs Park closed at 5 and reopened at 6 just for men (Judaism believes in modesty so most religious people tend to swim separately because of bathing suits). Basically, Tali and I weren’t allowed to leave our room by 6, and thus, it was time for a picnic dinner. We came prepared with chumus, veggies, a can of corn, pickles, and cans of tuna- what a feast. After dinner, what else was there to do but watch movies on tv. There were only two English movies playing on the tv, and we were lucky enough to get to see Hotel for Dogs since the other movie was something really depressing and dramatic (it didn’t go along with our vacation’s theme); it was funny how the “Hotel for Dogs” star, Emma Roberts beat out her star- actress aunt, Julia Roberts, when we decided that a “Hotel for Dogs” was a better choice of a movie than watching a leukemia patient slowly die. What made the day even better is that we fell asleep at 10 after such a fun day in the sun!

Those robes added the perfect touch to a relaxing vacation

It was WINTER!

We were so relaxed (and oily) after our massages

After going to bed so early, who would have thought that Monday morning we could still sleep till 10, but luckily the sun shone in the windows and woke us up in time for us to enjoy our second and last day at the relaxing Hamat Gader Hot Springs. After remorsefully waking up, Tali and I made it to the springs area by 10:30 and got our complimentary iced coffees (delicious). The weather and water was just as nice as the day before – hot and sunny! Since the last bus left at 3, Tali and I wanted to take advantage of the rest of Hamat Gader before we had to leave, so by 11:45 we bid a due to our robes and the relaxing hot springs and had a delicious lunch at one of the restaurants in Hamat Gader. Though we made sure to enjoy the lunch, we had to rush a bit because there was a parrot show at 12:30 that I really didn’t want to miss. Basically, not only does Hamat Gader feature an amazing spa and Hot Springs, there’s also a crocodile farm, parrots, and a petting zoo (plus some ancient ruins that we didn’t have time to see)! Tali and I just made it in time to see the parrot show, it was so cool seeing parrots do tricks like ride bicycles and even solve simple math problems! After the show ended we walked around and saw all the alligators, crocodiles, and monkeys, and then got to pet a baby deer and some bunnies! We were able to fill up our whole day and make it in time to catch the last bus of the day back to Jerusalem. If my day hadn’t been good enough, that evening I got treated to a delicious dinner that was only as wonderful as it was because I got to see family friends from Cincinnati. The Zakems are members of our shul and also friends of my family, their youngest daughter, Mimi, is my friend and a year younger than me, and their older daughter, Rachel is here for the year in Israel – so they came to visit her. Not only was the package they brought me from home a really nice treat, I always love seeing friends from home, even if Israel is becoming more and more like home every day.

one of the pools had a such a funny sign

Our free iced coffees made for a great morning

The parrots were so talented!

The fattest crocodile we could find

We got to pet this cute baby deer!

The Zakem family and I

After seeing family friends the night before, what else was there to do but spend the following day with family! Technically Laura Seidenberg married into the “family” that we’ve created with the Freedman family, but I was so excited to spend an entire day with Laura that that little technicality didn’t change the fact that I’d be spending the day with my new “cousin”. Though our day didn’t entail a whole lot of “adventure”, it was definitely fun. We began our day with one of my favorite spots of Jerusalem – the shuk (outdoor market). I don’t know what it is about the shuk, but it never gets boring, no matter how many times I go. Maybe it’s all the different produce every day, maybe it’s all the new crowds hoarding the stalls, or maybe it’s all the smells of fresh pastries and rugelach , either way, I love it! Laura and I had fun finding dried fruit (delish!), fresh fruit, and some veggies for the stir-fry we’d be making that night for dinner. After shopping and getting fresh squeezed fruit shakes, it was time to help Laura with her afternoon babysitting job. Laura “nannies” every afternoon for the sweetest 5-year old girl Ella, and language isn’t a barrier considering Laura was hired to help keep Ella practicing her English that she speaks at home. Ella was such a cutie and in no time she was holding my hand and asking me tons of questions. That day we took Ella to the mall because there was a candy making activity for kids – Laura and I basically sat and watched till she had finished and then her mom picked her up. Ella gave me a huge hug goodbye and she asked me to come help babysit again (though I don’t know if I will ever have a free afternoon like that in Jerusalem). Apparently she STILL asks about me coming to visit! After the babysitting, Laura and I returned to their apartment for cooking! We chopped and boiled and came out with a delicious asian stir-fry, whole wheat pasta, a delicious salad, and fresh, juicy strawberries for dessert! I came home that night after dinner with Alex and Laura, exhausted and ready for bed but so happy from a fun “family” day.


Laura and I really enjoyed our Fruit Smoothies

Wednesday was pretty unadventurous, another relaxing day enjoying vacation. I treated myself to some frozen yogurt and went to bed early, excited for my last day of vacation and travel

I woke up Thursday morning before the sun was out, but I didn’t need the sun to wake up, I was excited enough to make it to the bus station at 7 am. I met my cousin, Chana Pentelnik, at our platform 18, ready to spend the day together in Zichron Yaakov and have another family-vacation day. Zichron Ya’akov is this little town in the north known for its wineries and art boutiques. I thought it would be fun to go with Chana to see all the little art shops and to go to a wine tasting. Needless to say say we got a few surprises along the way that made the day extra special. When we arrived at Zichron Ya’akov, we got dropped off right in front of the “wine road” which was really just a cobbles stone street with toooons of art and clothing boutiques, it was so cute with its lampposts and flowers, I felt like I was in some European town. Right away we met a cute puppy that followed us around for a bit while we explored the street. Just when we got sad because the doggy left our side, we stumbled upon a paper mill! After seeing lots of pottery, jewelry, and glass work, we thought the paper mill would hold something new and different to look at. Though typically the paper mill would have been another cute shop with lots of cool homemade paper, we were extremely lucky that we had come that very day. That Thursday, Tut Neyar, the paper mill company, was actually peeling the stalks of their special wood and collecting the fibers from it that they use to make their special paper. So, coming from a social family, we immediately wanted to help and learn how to make paper. We peeled stalks of wood and scraped bark off of the fibers, it was so cool. There was also a man taking photos of the paper making so I asked him to take pictures of Chana and I with my camera; when he left the owner of Tut Neyar told us that he was actually a famous Israeli photographer, Tal Glick, who does photography for things like National Geographic! As if things weren’t working out in our favor enough, the other woman there who was volunteering at Tut Neyar offered to take us to the Tishbi winery instead of us having to take a bus. Things worked out even better when we got to the winery and found out we had an hour (perfect amount of time for a lunch at the winery’s restaurant) till a tour of the winery (in English) with a wine tasting. It was really cool learning about the process of making wine – the importance of the wood of the casks and how long the wine sits etc. Plus, 3 members of the Maccabeats (the accapela group Yeshiva University that has recently become famous for their Jewish Parodies) were in our same wine tour. When it came time for the actual tasting, not only did I enjoy distinguishing between the different flavors of the 5 different wines, Chana and I made another friend who offered us another ride back to Zichron Ya’akov-it definitely pays to be social! It was late afternoon when we got back to the wine road, and even though some of the stores had started to close, luck struck us again when we found this second hand clothing store. Chana and I definitely had fun looking and trying on some of the crazy clothes and were very entertained. We even were able to each find something cute to buy – my new dress is very artsy and crazy (very me), and Chana’s skirt seemed like it was made for her. Before our bus ride back we were also able to stop in to this cool “World of Stones” shop we had seen before but it had been closed for the owner’s lunch break. There was beautiful jewelry, stones, relaxing music and incense. It was very unique and Chana even bought a few pretty stones - it was a nice ending to a day of adventure and luck and after the bus ride back to Jerusalem I got my in my bed and passed out from exhaustion.

Welcome to Zichron Ya'akov

Making paper and getting photographed by a famous photgrapher!

Hardworking and adventurous cousins

Lunch was in such a beautiful setting

Cheers!

Even though Friday was officially the end of break and we were supposed to be back in Jerusalem with Nativ, we didn't have any real Nativ commitments till that evening for Shabbat Services. I wanted to take advantage of my last bit of “break", Before our closed Shabbat which would immediately be followed with a week of "Israel Experience" . I was so excited when I found out my friend, Shir Cohen, was able to come to Jerusalem for the day to visit me. I met Shir 2 years ago in Cincinnati when she came for the year from Netanya, our sister city, as a "chaver” (Hebrew for friend) from Israel". She spent the year educating Jews and non Jews about Israel but also became my friend. I've seen Shir a couple of times since I've been in Israel but it was a great end to my vacation to be able to see her again. We met up in Emek Refaim which is a cute area in Jerusalem with lots of shops restaurants and a nice community; Shir had found out from her cousin that they were having a Farmer’s Market and I was up for the new experience. I met Shir outside at 10 and was sooo excited to see her; after our huge hug we walked around the market which turned out to be really cute. There were tons of natural food stands sampling their granolas, and my favorite... jewelry stands. Shir and I loved looked at the beautiful metal work and stones in the rings and necklaces - it was definitely a girl’s day out. After looking around we decided to get some fresh fruit smoothies and just catch. I got to hear all about how her army services was going and she wanted to know how Tamar's visit and my winter break had been (of course i had nothing but good news to share). Then it was my turn to be tour guide for the day- Shir pointed out that she was the tourist and I had lost that role after living here for so long. I led Shir to the Bezalel Art Fair in the center of town and we loved looking at more jewelry plus there were wooden crafts and we got to watch a glass blowing artist make a little frog- it was very impressive! From the show we walked straight to the shuk, where I yet again impressed Shir with my knowledge of getting around. Shir hadn't been to the shuk in a very very long time and was extremely amused and was so happy I had taken her to both sites. After a really fun morning Shir had to go see her cousin before going back home to Netanya, but we planned to meet in Haifa one weekend when I move to Karmiel. I didn't really do much after I left shir, I mostly worked more on my blog and made last minute skype calls before Shabbat. Since it was a "closed" shabbat all of the Nativers who hadn't left for the Poland trip came down to Shabbat services. It was sooo weird to see almost everyone together and even though it meant our break was over it was nice to see the community and hear all our strong voices in unison, welcoming in the Sabbath. After a typical Nativ Shabbat dinner, with delicious vegetable soup, I played a few games but was exhausted and fell asleep reading my book at 10!

It was great seeing Shir!

The glass blowing was so cool

Since it was Shabbat, I thought  that my body really needed rest, and I certainly guessed correctly and woke up Saturday morning to my watch saying that I had slept a full 12 hours. Even though it was now too late to go to synagogue I was glad I had let myself sleep in- I obviously had needed it considering I usually can't sleep past 8:30 and I knew I wouldn't be getting much sleep in the upcoming week. Lunch wasn't till 12 so I spent the morning cleaning up my room and reading- the perfect way to enjoy a restful Shabbat morning. After lunch I enjoyed playing some fun card games, like Fluxx, and then read some more before afternoon prayer services, dinner, and evening services. I had to do laundry that night and pack for the next morning's Gadna (fake Israeli army for a week) trip and did more work on my blog of course (even if it doesn’t show since I’m way behind), but then went to bed early, anxious and excited for the following morning.