Party of Five to the Holy Land

A trip to Israel is the trip of a lifetime for many; this marks my fifth trip and my children's first to the beautiful lands of Judea. Our flight from San Fran took us directly to Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv where we were met by my Omi at the arrival gate, her bag filled with Purim goodies! The kids were very pleased 😉. Our close friends from Vancouver (originally from Israel) found us shortly thereafter and we picked up our midsize aka micro rental car. The weather was a bit chilly, but the warm reception more than made up for it, along with the cat roaming inside the baggage area. We packed into the car like sardines and drove to Nes Harim to celebrate our arrival.

 

Joe has likened driving in Israel to formula 1 racing and was happy to hit the sheets after our long journey. Our first time in Nes Harim was such a welcome delight, meeting with our fave Jewish friends, walking/talking and enjoying the tropical weather. Lemon and orange trees populate the landscape along with the local feral cats the kids and I are trying desperately to befriend. We all enjoyed the fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast, pomelo’s, oranges and apples alongside the giant avocados and fresh bread and cheeses. The food in Israel does not disappoint with its amazing salads, falafel, hummus, shawarma and wood fire pizzas, Joe and I are happy to be back; our hearts and tummies are full! The thing we love most about the food here is the healthy, freshness of takeout that we don’t have readily available in North America. Think Granville Island food court at every stop!

Thursday, we get to visit my Saba and chat about old times. He looks amazing at 90, but unfortunately his mind is not as fit. Still we enjoyed some laughs and a light lunch together before heading to a local park to burn off steam with my aunt and grandma. So much beauty and art statues all over the park. We stopped for lunch while the kids played. We finished the visit with a local petting zoo where we ogled the turtles and enjoyed all the cute furry creatures and cold amphibians. The evening took us to my uncles place in Modi’in. Sweeping city views surround the 180 degrees of windows. A delicious schwarma dinner out was what we’d been waiting for! Visiting with family is truly a blessing. I can never get enough of my relies!! Unfortunately, jet leg set in for some and we had to take everyone back to bed.