The Bennett's Take on Israel

Hey There Old Friends, It's Me Again!

So on to the family visiting. For my chofesh (break), I got to spend a week travelling around Israel with my family. It was really great to see them, and I loved visiting some places I haven't been before. So their visit went like this. They arrived on Christmas day, which was also Shabbat, so I made my way to Tel Aviv on Friday morning and spent the Christmas eve and morning with Ori Luzia, who I worked with at GUCI this past summer, and now we're good friends, and his family. They have become my family in Tel Aviv for the year, so it is always great to go spend some time there, and even better this time because I was able to get some sleep before meeting my real family at the airport. So Saturday afternoon I made my way to the airport to greet my family.

-A word about the greeting hall at Ben Gurion airport... there is a beautiful welcome hall for the international terminal, named Terminal 2000, where many Israeli families and friends wait for arrivals of their family and friends. There is also a line that is clearly marked "do not cross" which everybody crosses in order to welcome people 5 seconds earlier than they would otherwise. So there is a running joke how its such a "pushy, typical Israeli" thing to do to disregard the rule of not crossing, and as I eagerly awaited the arrival of my family, I found it to be a very interesting thing. So I thought about it, and then, my family walked through the doors and as if there was no line to hold people back, I joined the crowds and made my way forward to welcome them. After the fact, I realized that it was really funny, because in the moment, there is no line at all, and it becomes the norm, almost a tradition, to just go... because after all, we are all taught not to procrastinate and always to do things as soon as we can.

So we headed toward the center of Tel Aviv, and because it was Shabbat, our rooms obviously were not ready, so we enjoyed some delicious dinner in Jaffa, a walk in Tel Aviv, and a beautiful evening on the coast.

Jaffa (Yafo) at Sunset

Michelle at Sunset

After a great evening, we returned to our hotel, began to get situated in our rooms, and some of us got very comfortable. (she may kill me... sorry Michelle)

We spent a few days in Tel Aviv. We had some more time in Yafo, shopping in the gypsy market, meeting some really cool artists, and enjoying the scenery. We also we blessed with beautiful weather, which Abby, Michelle, and I took advantage of with a day at the beach. I should note that this is the first time I have swam in the Mediterranean since coming to Israel this year. We also took a little trip to Holon, which is near Tel Aviv and went to a really cool design museum. Holon has a famous design institute and recently built a very cool design museum. The building itself is incredible, with lots of different colors and shapes. The architect actually used no paint or dyes on the metal that it was built with, but instead used natural oils that are meant to take new colors as they age. This will all be clearer with pictures below. The exhibit at the museum was also very cool, and we enjoyed the trip very much. While in Tel Aviv, we also had a great dinner with Ori and his family. Our families had a lot of fun really getting to know each other, and we had a great evening. As if our 3 days in Tel Aviv wasnt enough, we also met with other family friends, the Litz's, who live in Kfar Saba (I talked about them in a older post), went to the first neighborhood in Tel Aviv- Neve Tzedek, saw another art museum, and did lots of walking and shopping. 

Sunset from Yafo

Tel Aviv from Yafo

"Oh the things you can see in Israel"

A really cool picture Michelle took

Very cool shoe in a personalized shoe exhibit at the Design Museum

Robots made of Dyson vacuum cleaners

The very cool building. All natural colors.

The girls

It was quite mesmerizing from almost any angle.

After Tel Aviv, we headed up north. We spent some time in Tzfat, which was really nice. We visited lots of the artists, and saw some new stuff in Tzfat, like a magnificent view from a rooftop. It was good to be back in Tzfat and actually spend time wandering the streets and observing the strange yet mystical attitude of the city. We then came to Karmiel, during which I showed the family my house, where I hang out, and all around the city. It was very exciting being a tour guide for my city, and I loved finally showing them about all the beauty of Karmiel that I often talk about. We spent the night in Haifa, which is when I was able to introduce my Karmiel host family to my real family. It was really great, and everyone really hit it off. We enjoyed lots of food (once again) and getting to know each other through more than just what I tell each families. We spent the following morning in Akko with some time in the Arab market there, where we saw a shark for sale at the fish stand!!! We also saw an incredible Tunisian synagogue that has the most beautiful tile mosaics I have ever seen. Having only seen the train station in Akko before, it was great to spend some time there and see what the city has to offer.

Baha'i Gardens

Bay of Haifa

Mom and Dad

The mosaic

In a spice shop

Yes. Shark. Nuff said.

Anybody want some creap?

After our trip to the North, we headed back down towards Jerusalem. We did tons there, so I will do one more post with everything Jerusalem, so this is all for now. Its bed time for me, so Lilah Tov (goodnight). Take care everybody! Be on the lookout for another post soon!