By: Jason and Rebecca

Tiyul: Hike, trek (pl. tiyulim)

As we have mentioned before, the city of Haifa is a mountain. The city isn't on the mountain, it is part of the mountain stretching from the gritty port on the Mediterranean to the University perched at the very top of Carmel Mt. (~1,800 ft above sea level). Hidden among the neighborhoods, shops, falafel stands, shrines, hotels and highrises, there is a surprising network of green spaces. These trails encompass a variety of terrains: forests, wadis (dry river beds), and hillsides covered in sun-loving plants and shrubs.

Jason hiking past a eucalyptus tree

Although there are 8 official trails, many more exist connecting all parts of the city.  Each trail is marked with a colored blaze, but unlike the White Mountains, the trailheads for the Haifa tiyulim can be very hard to find! They are hidden next to bus stops, at the end of a cul-de-sac, or, our favorite, behind the zoo!

Even though you are surrounded by the city, it feels like you are in another world. Enveloped by lush forest filled with bird song, you forget for a moment the busy metropolis on the other side of the trees. It is a welcome change of pace and a good chance to reconnect with nature. 

The Mediterranean sea framed by olive trees 

On a recent hike, we stopped for a snack and heard howling shrieks coming from further down the trail. Interestingly, we also heard them in our neighborhood the other night! Jackals! The sound is very unnerving - a cross between a howling wolf and a crying baby. 

One of our goals for the fall and winter is to take more tiyulim. I learned my lesson about hiking in the summer when I went on a tiyul with my friend Abby and her son Rafi. It started out, as most Haifa tiyulim do, with a long hike downhill. We passed some ancient ruins and lovely springs of cool fresh water. Looking at the map, we decided to hike across the hill and down to the other side to get the bus home. What we didn't realize was that we would be crossing a hillside with no shade in the hottest part of the day. At one point, we had to bushwhack our way to a road as the trail ran through a fenced-off construction area. We were tired and hot, but we made it! 

We are looking forward to many more tiyulim. It's so great to have a little bit of nature to escape to, even in a city the size of Haifa. 

You can look at a map of the city, showing all the green space at the Haifa Tourist Board's website: http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/Attractions_Map.html

By: Jason and Rebecca

As we mentioned in the previous post, Fulbright sponsored a trip to Israel's south. It was the first trip of the new year. The main purpose of the trip was to meet the new Fulbrighters and to reconnect with the others. Ambassador (Dan) Shapiro showed up for an informal meet-and-greet before we all headed out on the bus. 

Just like the trip in February, we stayed over night at a kibbutz. This time, it was Kibbutz Ein Gedi located on a hill overlooking the Dead Sea. The kibbutz has created an oasis in the desert and the scenery is a beautiful contrast between the sand and stone of the desert, the bright green foliage of the oasis, and the brilliant blue of the sea. 

View of the Dead Sea from Ein Gedi Kibbutz

Morning sun on the desert mountains

It was great to get to know everyone over dinner followed by tea on the bar patio. According to the signs on our table, we were the "Funbright" group. Judging by the amount of laughter at dinner, this is proving to be quite true. The other neat thing about this group is the huge diversity of backgrounds. There are several archaeologists - from classical to digital, professors, photographers, engineers, historians, ecologists, and biologists. It definitely made for some spirited and hilarious conversation.

The next day brought the jeep excursion, lunch at another kibbutz, a trip to a weaving center in a Bedouin town, and finally a long bus ride back to Haifa. 

By: Rebecca and Jason

When you think of autumn, what comes to mind? Apple picking, pumpkins, hay rides, to name a few. How does a jeep ride through the desert sound? Not very fall like!

A view of the desert, Dead Sea and Jordan. The lines
in the sea are where salt is collected for everything
from cosmetics to food.

This past week Fulbright sponsored their first trip of the new year -  an excursion to Israel's deserts. We will describe the rest of the trip in another post, but this particular highlight deserved a post of it's own. 

One of the remarkable things about Israel is how diverse the landscapes are - from north to south and from east to west. Most people assume the entire country is a desert, but in fact, the deserts are primarily found in the south. 

The touring jeeps met us at the hotel first thing in the morning. Along with a few others, we had our eyes on the one Land Rover that was open on all sides. We piled in and set off down the highway. Ali, our Bedouin driver, suddenly pulled over shouting, "I do something for the children!" He jumped out and proceeded to unfasten and lower the windshield. These were, after all Land Rovers, which come apart like Legos. He drove off like a bat out of hell, raised his fist, and shouted, "TO AFRICA!!" 

Look Mom, no windshield!

Our Land Rover - by far the best of the bunch!

A short time later, Ali took a hard right off the highway and the true adventure began. We blasted down desert "roads", through narrow channels between cliffs, getting lessons about desert flora and fauna, how to use rocks as sunscreen, and what to do if you are lost in the desert overnight (besides panic). At one point, we climbed a steep canyon wall and up to a cliff that looked like the edge of the world (a classic Thelma and Louise moment). Luckily, instead of driving over the cliff, we were treated to an amazing view of the Judaean Desert, the Dead Sea, and the mountains of Jordan on the other side. Back in the jeep, Ali, insisted on "testing" the brakes more than once by inching towards the drop-off. Don't try this at home!

Ali proved to be an excellent driver. Although we spent much of the ride hanging on for dear life, he was being mostly careful. However, at one point, our fellow Fulbrighter (and resident archaeologist)  Alex lost her grip as our Land Rover became airborne. She flew through the air, landing across our laps. Fortunately no one was injured (though a bit shell-shocked) and the show went on. 

Can you spot the ibex?

Another memorable moment came when our fellow Bay Stater announced the Red Sox's victory in the first round of the playoffs. We all cheered loudly. Never thought I'd hear that news while in the middle of the desert! Can you believe cell phones work out there?

Our tour guides were Bedouins, a people indigenous to the deserts of the Middle East. They make their living off the land. They are friendly, cooperative, and more than willing to open your eyes to what, a first glance, just looks like a vast pile of sand. Our guide, Ali, told us that the desert is his "forest" and that he feels completely at home and at peace there. 

There is some water in the desert

Halfway through the 4-hour tour, our guides stopped in the shade of a large cliff and spread out a very large mat. They unloaded water and snacks and camping stoves on which they made tea from the local flora. It was a welcome break from being jolted around and sandblasted at 60 mph.

Making tea the Bedouin way

Although Israel's largest desert is the Negev, there are several smaller geographic desert areas, including the Judaean desert, which encompasses the area around the Dead Sea. It was a fantastic experience, but please excuse me while I get back to digging sand out of my ears.

More photos of our excursion in the album...

By: Rebecca

For the last of the high holidays (Simchat Torah), Jason and I traveled a quick hour and a half on the train to his cousin Sharon's house in Hashmonaim. The yishuv (or village) is a great place to celebrate any kind of holiday. Jason was excited to attend services with people he knew, in a fun synagogue with lots of energy. Simchat Torah is an exuberant holiday and there was plenty of dancing and singing. There was even the largest Tallis (prayer shawl) any one of us had ever seen. It probably measured at least 12 feet in each direction! 

On Friday morning, Sharon, her mother-in-law, Jason, and I went to Tel Aviv to the Nachalat Binyamin market. It's something we've wanted to do for months because we'd heard such great things about it. The market did not disappoint. There were all kinds of beautiful crafts (and some crazy, off-the-wall crafts!). We found a gorgeous challah cover that we were immediately smitten with. It's so pretty that we've hung it in the kitchen as art! 

The photo doesn't do this justice. Handpainted silk! 

The other highlight of the weekend was Friday afternoon. The challah cover inspired me to make challah with the kids. At first, only one wanted to help, but by the time we got to braiding and making shapes, the 3 that were home all wanted in on the action! We had such a fun time and everyone enjoyed eating the fruits of their labor later that evening!

Hard at work! 

Almost there!

The finished products. Rolls, braids,
twists, and a bunch of grapes!

More photos of cute kids working with bread dough here...

By: Rebecca and Jason

As most of you know, we took a trip home to the United States in August. The timing of the trip worked out for lots of reasons: Jason was teaching at the Isle of Shoals, there were lots of birthdays and family events to celebrate, oh, and it's also HOT in Israel in August. Ironically, it was cooler in Israel than New England for much of July so we got the best of both worlds. We arrived in the middle of a rain storm and couldn't believe how excited we were to see rain and green (so green it almost hurt to look at)! That storm ushered in weeks of glorious summer weather. Warm, but not oppressively hot, cool nights, dry air. Just what summer in New England should be. 

If we mentioned everything we did, this would be a loooooong post. Let's just say we packed a full summer into a few weeks! We are forever grateful to the friends and family that hosted us during our stay. You know who you are and we are so thankful that we have all sorts of wonderful, gracious, giving, and patient people in our lives. 

We spent a lovely week in western Massachusetts visiting family (conveniently most of our immediate family lives close to one another). It was a week full of birthdays, dinners out, hiking, visiting everyone we missed, and cheddar cheese. Yes, cheddar. We may have overdone it a little about the time we started dipping Cheez-its into Cabot spreadable cheddar. 

Goldstein family trip to Tannersville

The following week, we set off for New Hampshire. It was so great to see everyone again. We both worked hard, but left plenty of time for camping, hiking, visiting, and ice cream! We even managed to go to all the restaurants on our list! One highlight of our NH visit was that we managed to squeak in our annual camping trip to the White Mountains. We had a fabulous time and it was a perfect way to relax amidst all the running around.  

Hiking on Blueberry Mt.

Jason spent a fantastic week teaching at the Isles of Shoals. He's been doing it for several years and it is always something he looks forward to in the summer. Jason also had the opportunity to give a talk for a lecture series on board the Piscataqua. The boat, called a gundalow, is a reproduction of traditional sailing barge used in NH to bring goods up the many rivers to growing towns and cities. It was a beautiful evening to be on the water, he had a very interested crowd and gave a great talk about lobsters (and other creatures as well). 

On board the Piscataqua at sunset

We feel so lucky that we were able to keep so many of our summer traditions this year. We were both ready for a little break and, by the time we left the US, ready to come back and continue our adventure! 

Adventures in Israel - driving a Smart car to the airport.
Somehow we managed to fit all our bags!

See a few more pictures from our trip here.