By: Jason

There are many cool beaches up and down the Israeli coast -- some that are great for surfing and sun-bathing, and others that are good for just plain old beachcombing.  When my mom was visiting here, we found some amazing shells and sea glass at Michmoret beach, home to our great aunt and still her family.  This was a great find!  We were so surprised how many colors and shapes we found and the less we looked the more we found! 

Although some beaches are unfortunately scattered with a lot of trash (a stark reality throughout much of the Mediterranean), you can still find plenty of places with really relaxing walks along the promenades and boardwalks and many of these include upscale (but affordable) bars, restaurants, cafes, and ice-cream vendors.

I hope you like the sampling of stones, shells, and seaglass that we have collected. We’re hoping to make some fun art from our collection. For now, it fills the glass-topped coffee table in our living room. 

By: Rebecca and Jason

This past weekend, we treated ourselves to a mini vacation. We spent 4 days on the Island of Rhodes. Although belonging to Greece, it is much closer to mainland Turkey (just 11 miles away) and an easy 1-hour flight from Israel. We stayed in a hotel on the northern tip of the island in the city of Rhodes. The island is incredibly dependent on tourism. We met people from all over the world, mostly Europe, but from as far away as Peru and Australia!

Lovely sunset from our hotel room

We spent most of Saturday exploring the Old Town. This fortified city (and world heritage site) is an amalgam of classical, Roman, Byzantine, medieval, Ottoman, and Italian architecture. Everywhere you turn there is something interesting to look at. From ruins of a temple for Aphrodite, to towering minarets, the city is reminiscent of Akko and Jerusalem, but more open and airy than either of them. The wide streets are "paved" with cobblestones and lined with shops selling everything from tourist trap shot glasses to quality leather goods and jewelry. The whole city is bright, clean, and welcoming.

Part of the Old Town wall

Winding street in the Old Town

We were pleasantly surprised to have stumbled upon the Hellenic Center for Marine Research Aquarium (say that 3 times fast) and decided to take a tour. The aquarium is a mix of a museum and live exhibits. The highlight was a series of subterranean aquarium tanks, built into the rock that displayed all sorts of local marine life. Jason's favorite was of course the...lobsters! They had the two species most common in the Mediterranean. 

Can you find all the lobsters?
Leave a comment with the # and win a prize.

On Sunday, we got up early and walked back to the center of town to catch a boat to the village of Lindos. We arrived one minute late to find the boat had already left. We were astounded. Island time? in the Mediterranean? We didn't think on-time was possible! Missing the boat ended up being a good thing. Instead, we took a local bus south about an hour to Lindos (the most important port on the Island prior to the founding of the city of Rhodes). Nowadays, Lindos is a quaint little village complete with whitewashed buildings, contrasted against both the turquoise water and sky. We walked along winding pedestrian paths through shops and restaurants and found the best frozen yogurt we've ever had!

The beautiful village of Lindos

The Aegean Sea is beautiful! The water was the perfect temperature for swimming and snorkeling. What struck us the most, however, was how absolutely clear the water was. The cove we swam in must have been at least 70 feet deep, but you could see the bottom even from the above the surface as clear as if you were diving. Jason is kicking himself for not bringing the waterproof camera! You could easily spend an entire day exploring just one small cove, there is so much to see!! It was so nice to be able to just go down to the beach, snorkel, swim, and hang out without needing permits, permissions, or worrying about trespassing (or any rules for that matter). It made the experience that much more relaxing!

Our swimming beach for the day

We would definitely go back to Rhodes and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a relaxing vacation in a beautiful place, with lots of things to do! More pictures in our photo album!

I didn't know you could make that with challah!

Thursday night we attended the US Embassy's annual 4th of July party hosted by Ambassador Shapiro at his lovely home in Herlziya (just north of Tel Aviv). Unlike our last visit, this time the Ambassador was able to enjoy his own party - along with 2000 of his closest friends! The backyard was packed with people!! You could barely find space to stand. The party was sponsored by several big American companies and their booths and food stands were set up all over the place. We sampled some classic American fast food washed down with nice cold Israeli beer.

The backyard of the US Ambassador's house

The US Ambassador to Israel and his wife (and us!)

There were some very interesting people at the party, Americans and Israelis alike. Among them Haredi Jews, members of the US and Israeli armed forces, USAid workers, Embassy staff, and a Franciscan Monk, We talked with lots of people from all different backgrounds. 

The impressive guest list included several members of the Knesset, Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Peres, and apparently supermodel Bar Refaeli (though we didn't see her). 

R-L: Ambassador Shapiro, President Peres,
PM Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu, Julie Fisher

One of the other highlights (if you can call it that) was Jason's unplanned nose dive into the shrubbery during President Peres' speech. The heat, lights, and hours of standing were just too much for him (maybe it was Bar Refaeli - who knows) . After handing me the camera and saying he needed to go sit down, Jason apparently stumbled in circles before taking a faceplant in the grass. Next thing he knew, he was being helped by a nice Asian man in military dress. I felt awful for missing the whole incident, but Jason said he was glad I was taking pictures!

The evening was capped by an unexpectedly spectacular fireworks display. Overall, one of the best 4th of July events we've been to - even though we weren't in the USA. More photos in our web albums.

Fireworks to cap off the evening

By: Jason

Dear my fellow American friends and family,

Happy 4th of July! 

I hope between all the beer, BBQs, social gatherings and fireworks, you have a small moment to think about how lucky we are to have been born into, and be living in, a free and open country and society. 

Most of the world is not that lucky -- the recent events in Egypt and Syria do much more to point that out. Having been recently to Cairo, and within a stone's throw of Syria, it becomes very real how essential it is to have your ideals, thoughts, feelings, and wishes be heard -- something we, as Americans, take for granted, but wasn't always that way. Lots of people died for our causes and wishes, and if they could see our country today, I think many of them would be proud (OK, maybe frustrated but still, proud!). 

That is why this year July 4th feels a little more like Thanksgiving to me. Keep that in mind but do not forget to PARTY. I certainly will at the U.S. Ambassador's House in Tel-Aviv, should be interesting...

Happy 4th and enjoy summer!

Fireworks in Tahrir Square (credit: bbc.co.uk)

We love that so many of our friends and family are following our adventures here in Israel! Now that we have nearly 6 months worth of posts, I thought it might be a good idea to add some extras to the sidebar to help you navigate.

1. Instead of just a list of the archives, there are now snippets of our 5 most popular posts. Maybe you'll see one you missed!
2. You will also find an option to enter your email so you can be notified of new posts as they appear. Your email won't be used for anything else, don't worry.
3. Last, but not least, a search box. In case you want to re-read a favorite, but don't feel like searching the archives. Just type in a key word(s) and hit enter. The relevant posts will appear at the top of the page. 

Hope you enjoy reading about our latest adventures!