Well, it finally happened…I absconded to Israel. After two months of freezing, I was ready to spend my holiday warming up in the sun. A classmate, Talia, and I decided to run off to Israel, land of good weather and even better food.

Of course, as students of heritage we had to start the week with a tour of Jaffa, the old part of the city.

Artisan street signs.

The Wishing Bridge in Jaffa has all the astrological signs on it. You’re supposed to touch your sign and gaze out to sea while making a wish.

Tel Aviv, the land of very different architectural styles.

Of course, we had to go shopping for dried fruits. And nuts. And herbs. And spices. And many, many snacks.

Various cinnamon, both great and small.

One of many bakeries we visited.

I have so many questions for this store. Where did the hotdog come from? What expression is that supposed to be? Why is it wearing an American flag?

Gotta love a good (side)car.

We spent one day on a hike into Tel Aviv. We were trying to find a good day hike in the area, and eventually just used Google Maps to place a marker “about, I don’t know, maybe 4 or 5 hours by foot away from the city?”

Turns out that placed us in Ga’ash, which was accessible by bus. One bus ride and help from a Russian lady later, we walked the coast back into Tel Aviv.

Many ruins and so much scrambling over boulders.

This artist center was immediately next to a sign warning people not to climb the cliffs. To be fair, the sign did not warn about building on and living in the cliffs.

Evening sunset and a stormy view of Tel Aviv.

We also spent one day in Haifa, further north up the coast. The region is very mountainous, so there was much climbing of stairs, especially as we tried to find a way into the famous Bahá’í Gardens. After circling the gardens and climbing approximately four million steps, we finally got this view of town.

Oh cool, found the stairs up.

Interesting lizards making an interesting sculpture.

And that was just week one — more pictures from the actual Christmas Day are coming soon. Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and much love from Tel Aviv!

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