Going up the coast

Monday was day one of our trip with in a trip to the northern part of Israel. We are just going to the Galil, not the Golan this time. As always I strive to avoid as much traffic as possible, so even though we have big plans and need an early start, unless we were going to leave at the crack of dawn, I needed to wait a bit to time our pass through Tel Aviv correctly. Our first official stop was in Akko (or Acre for some reason....) but that was too long of a haul for kids, so I made sure we had a pit stop at the Namal in Tel Aviv (basically a seas side promenade). I knew there was a great play ground there, but that was the only detail I had. We parked near Max Brenner (not kosher as far as I know) and let everyone out at one awesome playground.
There were trapeze style ziplines, death defying slides (as usual), a large spiderweb rope climbing thing, a variety of unique swings and a bunch of spinning and balancing devices. We probably could have stayed there an hour or two, but I really wanted to move on to do as much other things as possible this first day.

In 1994 a section of the Old City of Akko was excavated and Templars Tunnels were found. They weren't officially opened until 2007. I had never heard of them until researching for this trip and I was intrigued. In fact I didn't know much about Akko and really wanted to see it. When we got there my kids were a bit wary of being in a city full of Muslim Arabs even if their reputation was one of a peaceful lot. We saw signs for the Templars Tunnels and tried to follow them, but they led through an Arab shuk and the kids (and to a lesser degree, me) chickened out and walked back. We then sought out the Visitors Center. We spoke with a docent there and she assured us that we were on the right track. She told us we had to go all the way through the shuk to find the Templars Tunnels. Oddly enough it was the one time in Israel I privately wished my kids were both wearing baseball caps. We did our best to navigate the area, going through narrow ancient streets and what seemed like alley ways, finally finding the Tunnels. It is no wonder that it took so long for experienced archeologists to find and excavate the place!Templars Tunnels  We paid our entrance fee and went down into the tunnel shaft. By this time my kids were not in their best explorer moods and we went through rather quickly. There were a few signs explaining the time period and significance of the tunnels. Supposedly there is a movie that projects on the walls, but my guess is it is in the tunnel that we did not go through since 2/3 of the kids were starting to melt down. I pretty much forced Meir to eat a sandwich (I don't care if he didn't like that kind of bread or that kind of cheese).
The tunnels exit at the sea port walls. So now we had to figure out how to get back to our car while avoiding some of the creepy passageways and not getting utterly lost. Some how we figured it out. Just as I was rewarding and fortifying my kids with their usual popscicles and ice cream, the Muslim call to prayer sounded. We watched some of the women go to pray, but then they really just wanted to get out of Akko STAT.
On my list of things to do that day was to head up to the Lebanon Border and see Rosh Hanikra. I knew the area closed at 4 pm. Given my past experience with national parks in the winter, I assumed the last cable car down would be around 3pm (with little flexibility). It was now around 2:30. My pocket wifi decided to not load. WAZE which I had come to rely upon was not functioning. We found a gas station and I tried to ask for a paper map. They no longer sell them. An English speaking customer gave me basic directions that I wasn't thrilled to follow, but I knew we were close and assumed I would see some signs along the way. Finally my phone restarted and we headed north. I knew we were cutting it close. Just before one final turn, there was a major traffic accident and the police closed the roads. WAZE could not re-route us. It was 3:05, it was time to give up on this plan for today.

Next on my list for the day, however was to back track a bit into Haifa to this totally quirky place called "Ballers". One day I showed my son their Facebook page and he was completely insistent that we go there. He doesn't ask for a lot of things, so I had to fulfill this one if at all possible. Ballers is a room with giant pool tables and instead of playing pool with cues, the balls are small soccer balls and you stand on the tables and use your feet. It doesn't open until 3pm, so I knew we were in great shape. We got there a little after 4pm. There was only one other table being used when we arrived. The employee let the boys use one table and let Atara do her thing on the empty adjacent one. You rent the table an hour at a time. The boys played about 4 games of pool. By then I think even they had their fill, but Atara was certainly done. She did enjoy rolling around on the balls, throwing them into the pockets, jumping into the pockets and getting the balls out and dancing to their rock music. The employee was very nice and accommodating. If you are looking for an evening activity with a slightly older set to entertain, I recommend you give Ballers a try.  Ballers Facebook page

Instead we made our way to Yavne'el to our zimmer Villa Rimona The zimmer's site My kids were delighted to have free wifi and a TV with netflix. I was happy to have a shower attached to the wall, my own little bedroom area and netflix for my kids so after dinned they could space out and go to sleep! Every morning the guesthouse owner Chana delivers healthy, yummy muffins that are pareve and mehadrin. Pretty much the rest of the food you are on your own for, but there is an electric burner, a mini fridge, a hot water urn and an area you can BBQ (we didn't, but you could). We made do with a pasta dinner eaten al fresco. It may not have been a perfect day, but it was a memorable and full one. Looking forward to the next couple of days up north.

Animals for my wild things.

Sunday morning we waited out some of the Tel Aviv area traffic (I have enough traffic of my own at home) and then went to Ramat Gan Safari Park. We took my niece Chana who apparently has been begging to go since the family had made aliyah. I was happy to fulfill her wish and to get the nagging of my sister to stop.
http://www.safari.co.il/content.php?id=3

For the cost of 69 shekels a person (under 2 is free!) you stay in your car and drive around the "Safari". You can see a wide variety of animals like hippos, zebras, gazelles, giraffes, flamingos and other animals that can be identified with the guide they give you. The animals are free to graze and roam around the open grounds around your car. You aren't supposed to open your windows or feed them obviously. As much as Atara LOVES animals, probably her favorite part was being allowed out of her car seat and sit on Mendel's lap as I drove about 5 miles an hour through the park. There is also a special lion enclosure. You go through an automatic gate into a corridor in front of another gate. When the first closes, the second one opens and you can enter the lion enclosure. This was actually the least exciting area as there were about 6 female lions and one male just laying under a tree hardly moving.
They are pretty relaxed about where you drive, so I imagine you could go around again if you wanted to. We chose to park and to explore the rest of the zoo.

The difference between this zoo and the other ones I have been to seems to be the casualness they are with the animal enclosures (of the non dangerous animals of course). My kids could practically pet the giraffes, reach over and touch the penguins (there was one who hung out near the window watching us eat popsicles and seemed like it really wanted a bite that it followed the kids around and around its area.) Of course there were the usual monkeys, elephants, giant lizards, alligators, birds etc. to be seen. We went to the petting zoo where you could pet goats, sheep, llamas and even feed the camel. There were dozens of chickens roaming around and other birds hiding in the brush.  Everyone had a good time exploring and finding out what was around the bend. The zoo was empty (definitely a perk of touring during off peak times). I dutifully avoided it, but they had an amazing extreme play ground with child size ropes course type structures and lookouts. Why did I avoid it? 1) I was tired 2) Atara was tired 3) Even if she wasn't tired she would have wanted to climb on it and I would have to chase her. I gave the kids sodas and off we went. The way out of the zoo parking lot was back through the open safari. The animals seemed to know that the visitors were leaving as they were more freely roaming near the road, we had to wait for the zebras to cross the road -- yes this began a round of "why did the zebra cross the road" joke attempts) basically bidding us a fair well.

We dropped of my niece at her father's office in Petach Tikva. He works in a building next to a gas station. As we drove away my son remarked that he didn't realize his uncle worked at a gas station, he wouldn't have guessed that is what he does!

For dinner time we arranged to meet with my other sister-in-law and niece in Hashmonaim/Modi'in. We went to their house to relax and play with their puppy. Then off we went to the mall for some kid approved mall food (aka pizza or burgers). We roamed around the mall checking out Israeli offerings. The kids marveled at the kiosks with yarmulkas and tichels. I let them chose some candy from another kiosk. When we felt the traffic peak had come to an end we headed back into Ramat Beit Shemesh.

Shabbos is family time

Shabbos in Ramat Beit Shemesh with my sister and her family was simply wonderful. Friday night my son went to shul with his uncle and cousin while the rest of us stayed home and chatted and watched the kids play. My other son Meir got a good chance to reconnect with his cousins without the distraction of electronics and other things to do, including brothers of various ages. Atara discovered her cousins American Girl Dolls and accessories and was busy, busy, busy.

The meal was a classic Shabbos meal, lovely and tasty. Towards the end Atara climbed onto my lap and promptly fell asleep. We were able to continue to talk with each other as long as I didn't move a muscle or a falling asleep hand. We walked home and I put her to bed and hoped for the best as far as jet lag was concerned. 

As predicted the kids woke up early. Fortunately there is a park with grass and daredevil style slides that Israel loves so much and a climbing structure for older children. It was insanely windy out so after about 45 minutes of play I was ready to head over to my sisters house. Both of my boys went to shul during the day, but my 9 and 11 year old nieces were more than happy to take Atara to the park nearer to them. 

After lunch I got nap trapped yet again. My hand has a new state of slightly asleep holding a toddler. Meir and Avigail decided to explore each park their neighborhood has and to determine which is the best one. I would have loved to have had an activity tracker on those two. They did not stop for hours. 

After Shabbos we took my 2nd niece Elisheva with us to Kever Rachel. I don't know if it was because her yortziet was one week prior or if it is always so full Motzei Shabbos, but it was PACKED. I parked in a semi parking space. When some one in charge (likely army) started making announcements about cars parked where they shouldn't be, I took that as a cue to leave. It took more time to leave the parking lot than anything else. Part of the problem was in order to back out of my very tight space I had to do several maneuvers. Each time I either moved forward or backwards another car would decide to get in as close to my space as possible. When I finally got my car pointed the right way to head out of the lot, another car was blocking the exit. The driver simply couldn't see why he had to back out if he wanted to go forward. If I was able to go forward out of the lot, he could go in. Finally some one came out and started directing traffic to free us all from the gridlock. 

At least I got everyone out of the house and back.

Short but sweet Friday

In November Shabbos starts at around 4p.m. Most activities (museums, national parks, stores etc.) close around noon if they are open at all in order for everyone to get ready. I found that even places that are open on Shabbos close early Friday. So even though I did not need to prepare for Shabbos to the degree that I would if I were home, I needed to find something nearby, and brief to do Friday morning.
The Biblical Museum of Natural History http://www.biblicalnaturalhistory.org/ filled the bill exactly. One catch to the whole deal was they require a minimum of 8 people to open for an English tour on Friday. We were 4 if you count Atara. I emailed the museum informing them that we are more than happy to join another group or to have other people join us to fill the quota. On Thursday morning they phoned me to let me know that another small family from Efrat was interested in coming to the museum and also needed a few more people to join. A shidduch was made.
The Biblical Museum of Natural History is in Beit Shemesh, just a few minutes down the highway. It consists of 2 large rooms. The first room has a few tanks with fish and reptiles, a bird, some animal bones and shells. We were greeted by our guide. Instead of a museum where you wander around reading inscriptions, the guide talks to you about animals in the Tanach. He talked about different snails and sea creatures. He showed us different bones and skins. We watched a short video about lions all the while connecting the animals to Torah and Israel.

touching things we shouldn't have, but look at that happy face

The second room had more taxidermy. We walked around the full size animals continuing the discussion about their historical basis in Israel. He talked about kosher birds and fish. He showed us real hooves of kosher and non-kosher animals. We got to see a variety of insects including the specific kosher grasshopper. There were several tanks and cages of live animals and reptiles. One of the highlights was him feeding a very large lizard an egg for lunch. We also talked about the first animal mentioned in the Torah, the snake. The museum has a few snakes that can be held or touched. Atara thought this was the greatest. She loved petting the snake and was desperate to touch its head.
Another wall of artifacts was kosher and non-kosher shofars. If germs don't bother you much you can try blowing the varies hollow horns.  Outside they had some animals that could be pet or held such as rabbits, tortoises, and birds. We stayed there until everyone was all touched out.
All in all we were there for about 2 hours. We came back home for lunch, a basic cleaning of our apartment and to get ready for Shabbos.

Kotel Bar Mitzvah for Mendel

Atara peaking over the partition

bringing in the sefer torah

The reason for this trip is my 3rd son Mendel's Bar Mitzvah. He had a bar mitzvah celebration back home the Shabbos right after his birthday, but instead of a party he opted for a 2 week trip to Israel with a bonus Kotel Bar Mitzvah. We learned from past experience that it gets pretty busy on Mondays and Thursdays with an onslaught of bar mitzvah boys making their way down to the kotel through the Old City of Yerushalaim (usually with musical instruments, shofars and a chuppah with balloons). We also know that when the sun is shining on the kotel square it gets quite warm. So, we planned for an EARLY morning Bar Mitzvah. We were entertaining a "Netz" Bar Mitzvah (as in finishing up davening as the sun comes up) but since it is November that would mean leaving our house no later than 5:00 am. Realistically that wasn't going to happen, but some how leaving at 5:30 would be practical! We took a back route to Jerusalem in order to beat any early morning traffic and of course got stuck behind several large construction trucks making or pace painfully slow. We arrived at the Zion Gate Parking at 6:45, got to the wall at 7:00 am.

Our friends who had made Aliyah a few years before were there waiting for us. When you come this early you can just pick a bimah next to the mechitza and go for it. It took a few minutes to round up a minyan, some random guy took charge of the davening and acted as gabbai. I brought a pocket wifi in order to stream Mendel's reading and aliyah live for our friends and family back in the states. Mendel got his aliyah, my nephew Shlomo got the second one, and our friend got the third. Mendel read very well, candy was thrown and mission was accomplished.

Mendel with his Kotel Bar Mitzvah certificate

After the main event we were sure to take some group photos and to get Mendel's Bar Mitzvah certificate from the Rav of the Kotel (we will just ignore the not one but two spelling errors in his name....).
Our family was introduced to Israel's latest restaurant food fad "Cofix" where everything you order is 5 shekels. Coffee, danishes, burekas, pasta on and on. Our whole family at a substantial breakfast for 50 shekels. A bargain!

The next thing on our agenda was to test run an Old City Scavenger Hunt. Scavenger hunts have gained in popularity in Israel. I was going to reserve a slot with a well known company, but was asked by another company if we were willing to test run their scavenger hunt clues. They would supply the scavenger hunt with questions, we would follow the trail, take pictures of each marker, learn a bit about the Old City all for FREE! and if you know anything about me and my past trips, Free is free. We started at Jaffa Gate and worked our way all through the Old City, down the Cardo, to the Broad wall, into the square, back down to the Kotel Plaza, over to Dovid Hamelech's kever (gravesite) and more. We walked and searched for about 3 1/2 hours. There were a few bathroom breaks and snack breaks along the way and since we weren't racing as in a regular scavenger hunt the pace was more relaxed. We also had Atara who protested the stroller most of the time. By the time we got to the end, any more tourist attractions for the day were declined for a ride back to Ramat Beit Shemesh with some late lunch.

Later that evening my 11 and 9 year old nieces helped my 13 and 9 year old sons navigate the bus to the Ramat Beit Shemesh A' mercaz to purchase their own dinner and shabbos treats. They came home late and exhausted!

A nod to Avraham and Yitzchok Avinu

Typically when I plan my trips to Israel I try to balance ancient biblical Israel with modern day State of Israel as well as some quirky "only in Israel" activities and sites.
Today was a nod to Avraham and Yitzchok Avinu, our forefathers. Our first stop was the Negev Camel Ranch near Dimona/ Mamshit. http://www.cameland.co.il/ You know, the mode of travel of the day, no Teslas in sight.
While setting up our itinerary, they recommended that we phone before coming in case of flash floods. I tried phoning that morning (especially since it was a bit overcast where we were) and the number was disconnected. Not a good sign, but I checked the weather forecast and everything seemed all clear, so we headed down south for about a 1.5 hour drive.
When we got there the employee informed us that a large tour group was on their way and it would be best if we came back at around 1:30. No big deal, we had places to go and things to do.
Our first actual activity of the day ended up being at the National Park Tel Be'er Sheva. This is the site of one of Avraham or Yitzchok's wells. They also uncovered an ancient city with a complex water storage system. We checked out the well, and then climbed up to the city. This is an easy hike that is fairly accessible (at least until the water system). Instead of trying to force Atara into her stroller I attached a harness with a leash to allow her some climbing freedom with peace of mind that she can't go too far or get into too much trouble. Atara thoroughly enjoyed playing with the gravel and sand, climbing on the rocks and exploring. The boys also loved the freedom to climb and check out the area with site map in hand. It was a good thing that it was empty that day. There weren't even any rangers patrolling the area. The boys climbed around the excavations, touched things and even found a hedgehog hiding in a corner.

In the center there was an observation deck. The view was pretty cool, but the main attraction was the water collection system. This was off to a corner that was almost over looked. Here is where the baby-friendly nature of the park ends. You need to walk down several (about 5) flights of extremely steep stone steps followed by wood platform steps deep under ground. Here you find a series of caves and cisterns that you are free to explore. Fortunately the way out is much less treacherous, but still involves stairs.

We did enjoy this National Park quite a bit, however, probably the highlight of the morning was the watermelon Popsicles the kids enjoyed.

It was time to get back to the camels, so off we went. We ate some prepared sandwiches before our ride.
We met our camels (2 out of 40 female camels at the ranch). There were already saddled so we were able to sit 2 and 2. The most important thing to remember is to lean all the way back as the camel stands up. The guide lead us through the rocky terrain. He, Achmed, told us about the British Police building from 1936-1948 which used camels to patrol the area. He also taught us about the Nabatian tribe in the area. He answered any questions we had about the camels (they drink 50 gallons of water in 10 minutes!). Our guide was very knowledgeable and soft spoken as we walked through the canyon cliffs. Our camels stopped to eat some of the local flora. We then headed back to the ranch. Our tour was about 1 hour long (and in my opinion more than enough!). You really give those who crossed the desert in ancient times a lot of credit, camel riding is not for everyone.

I had originally planned to go to the the Carusso Science Museum while we were down there, but the kids were tired and we knew we had another busy day coming up, so we went back to Ramat Beit Shemesh. Along the way the kids decided they really wanted to sit in the mall and eat dinner at a food court, so our final stop of the day was actually at the Beit Shemesh mall, BIG. I doubt the novelty of being able to eat Chinese food or pizza at one place will wear off anytime soon.

Easing into it

We spent our first full day in Israel taking it easy as we tried to get over some jet lag. Atara woke up as expected at 4:15 a.m.  The boys thankfully slept in until 7:30. We hung out at our apartment waiting for the stores to open. Our first item on the agenda was to do a bit of grocery shopping. I picked up my sister and off we went trying to navigate the market. Thankfully I arrived with about $100 in shekel as the money changing place wasn't open yet.

We sat outside a bakery sipping coffee and chatting enjoying the mid-November sunshine. By this time Atara was in obvious need of a nap, so we went back to our apartment. While she napped we finished putting our things away. The plan was to pick up my niece and head out to Castel Fortress (one of the important battle sites of 1948). By 2:15, she still wasn't back (we didn't exactly let her know our plans before hand) so we decided to head out without her. The National Parks close at 4pm in the winter. We arrived at 3:02. The park ranger would not let us in, since it was after 3. Too tired to argue, I phoned my sister for any random place to take the kids that wasn't too far and still open. We ended up at the Biblical Museum in Yerushalaim.

While we were purchasing our tickets the man at the booth suggested we buy the English comic book guide. For 20 shekels I went with it. The comic book acted as a guide going from exhibit hall to exhibit hall explaining the history and importance of the rooms we were in and having the kids do activities such as locate certain objects on display or drawing parts of artifacts or completing word puzzles. It really took us through the museum in an interactive way. The museum is rather small with several small objects behind glass. There were a few city mock-ups and some sarcophagus, but not much else. This museum is not a must see in my opinion, but if you do go, get the comic book guide.

Our ride back to Ramat Beit Shemesh was a creative route made by Waze. While we didn't have any traffic I attribute our success in getting back to my years of playing Pole Position. Dark, snaking road with impatient Israeli drivers right on my tail. Good times.
That night my nieces watched Atara while my sister, brother-in-law, their oldest daughter and her groom and the rest of use went out to dinner.
It was certainly a less busy day than I typically plan, but a lovely start to our trip.

Making it a Chazaka!

My third son's bar mitzvah falls during a tricky time of year, right in between all of the high holy days. When we were planning his bar mitzvah weekend of festivities we realized how hard it would be to plan a party. Nonetheless I kept coming up with ideas for him. He rejected them all. Finally I told him we need to pick something soon, he then informed me that he would really rather go back to Israel and do "some cool stuff" rather than have a party with his class for 3 hours.  So, we are making it a "chazaka", or third times the charm for our Bar Mitzvah trip to Israel.

This time we are traveling with half of the family. Me (the mom), Mendel (the Bar Mitzvah boy), Meir (9 year old and future bar mitzvah boy) and Atara (nearly 2, our wild card). United started a new flight, Los Angeles to San Francisco, and then direct to Israel.

Overall the flight was good (they forgot our kosher food, but we had 2 rows to our selves)
We are staying once again in Ramat Beit Shemesh, this time in Gimmel. Waze or Google Maps is a must in this town or you will never find your way in or your way out. Some one enjoyed placing round-abouts way too much.