Caesarea/Zichron Yaacov Day 3

Val and I completed our second vay cay Tabata workout this morning and despite the soreness we had an amazing day trekking through the Caesarea ruins.  Herods ancient harbor, the velodrome and amphitheater always conjure up childhood memories. If I were asked to create a  list of happy places, the port city of Caesarea would fll in the top 10. It is filled with rich history and juxtaposed against the modern world, done in a way that is warm and welcoming and invites you to want to stay forever. 

Restaurants galore adorn the shore on the outer edge of the ruins. Thank goodness for the deliciousness of port restaurants - especially Port Cafe.

Every tapas plate we ordered was extraordinary, especially the fried artichoke dish, and we can't wait to go back. 

The time in Caesarea was fascinating because together we were able to recall our year there -1986 was almost 30 years ago and at times seems like yesterday. We went on a search of our old home 3 Eshkolit Street in Cluster 4  and when we found the house it looked smaller and shabbier than we remembered but was nonetheless there. We recalled jumping the back fence and walking through the sand dunes to the aqueduct beach. So of course, we had to re-create those moments and retrace our footsteps.

The aqueduct is the same as we remembered and the beach as beautiful than ever. 

If that wasn't enough for our day, we decided to drive a few miles north and explore the artist colony of Zichron Yaacov. Browsing shops and art galleries through the afternoon required coffee as well! 

And then of course we went to see Meme and Pepe and then Meme brought out one of my favorite - the most delicious Marzipan cookie cakes ever! 

Funny stories for today: the ice cream guy and Sharon's weird fear of heights. 

Sister Adventure Day 2

It's 1 AM and I'm stuck in a virtual  slumber party with my two younger sisters. This is the end of day two of the sister adventure! Sharon is on Pinterest and Valerie is clowning me as i dictate this blog.  We are really tired and goofy and laughing our heads off. Our husbands still don't realize what craziness they married! 

The start of today was focused on taking care of business and recovering from jet lag. We got house keys, Sim cards, and exchanged currency.  Of course, it would not of been complete without our first culinary experience! Café café and the most delicious shakshuka. An accompaniment of Limon Nana and ice café rounded out a delicious culinary experience. 

Somehow I successfully navigated us through the neighborhoods and made it through the pardesim to our grandparent's home. Driving through the streets of their neighborhood always conjurs up childhood memories and the difference of the streets are immediately visible and the changes since  their rural beginnings vast. As a nice suburb to a small city, beit eliezer no longer has flocks of sheep or herds of cattle marching thorough its streets to graze at near by fields, or the roosters crowing at the crack of dawn or the horse and cart man selling seasonal "avatiach a la sakine."  These occurrences are relegated to years past. But one quick look at the red dirt, nearby orange trees and the black and white fence of the home we spent many memorable summers in, and you can close your eyes and I can see (and smell the sheep, cattle and ripe watermelons) what it looked like in 1977.  What a trek through memories, both new and old at meme's house... We spent the afternoon browsing through dozens of family photo albums and unearthed treasures and pictures of ourselves as young children. Some of these pictures, taken before the immortality of news feeds and Instagram, or even before duplicate prints, we don't ever recall seeing. Others are one of many memorable ones that adorn the walls of our parents' or even our own homes. 

We had an amazing time laughing and crying and sharing strories. A day we will never forget...

Sister Adventure - Day 1

We made it safe and sound. Sister adventure is on the way. After a long yet uneventful flight we are happy to be in Israel with family. Now if we can conquer the time difference all will be golden!

Welcome to Israel and the beautiful coast. 

The joke in our family is that wherever we go in this world we will inevitably bumb into someone we know. Never an exception!  And it held true. Sure enough as we boarded our flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv - I see Ella (Gabe's cousin) and her family. On the same flight!