SUMMER BREAK

Ulpan took a week's summer break last week and after getting myself into a ball of stress about all the things I wanted to do during my week off, I was very pleased when David announced we were going on a tiul (trip) to Haifa for the day. I had never been to Haifa and David hadn't been for years, so it was exciting to be going on a trip to see somewhere new - and to just get out of Tel Aviv for a while and away from our routine.

After a bit of a circular tour of what was clearly the red-light area of Haifa (near the port, of course) and two trips to the kosher patisserie (which included an unfortunate accident with a plate of salad) we sought advice about where to go in Haifa. We were immediately directed to Sderot (boulevard) Ben Yehuda, which we soon realised was exactly where we wanted to be. The street was a beautiful stretch of cafes, restaurants and beer gardens, topped by Mount Carmel and the Bahai Gardens, which, as you will see below are truly beautiful.

Naturally, by the time we strolled to the top of the street we arrived just in time for the gardens to have closed, but we were fortunate enough to be able to watch the strange photographic antics of a couple who had come from Jerusalem - also in time for closing. Not satisfied with being late, they decided to strike a range of poses in front of the gates of the gardens, including ones that consisted of climbing on bins and lots of pouting. All good fun, except for the guard who had to walk all the way down to the gates to tell them to stop and then all the way back up again.

On our return trip down Ben Gurion, we passed a lovely looking beer garden, which was so pretty and tranquil, that we couldn't help but stop for a drink. As is our want, within no time we were soon talking to the people at the table next to us, who soon joined us at our table and we were also, delightfully, provided with a free drink on the house. Yay!

Here are pictures of us in Haifa, the Bahai Temple and our adopted friends for the afternoon who were in Israel on an environmental program of some sort.







































After our adventure in Haifa, we gate-crashed the Shatil residence (with some notice and permission) and spent two lovely evenings with them, including the second evening when Sharron's brother Nimrod and his wife Daphne (and their children) came for dinner and we had a great night catching up. It is always wonderful to be able to share in the Shatil hospitality and the homely comfort of Pardes Hana.