Israel 2012

In November I got to take another trip to Israel.  This time I went with my Mother, Aunt, and Grandmother on a non-denominational trip for women.  After my experience during my birthright trip in 2010, I could not wait to visit the country I love again.  I must say, it was not the same without the Jew Crew from birthright, but every trip to Israel has something different to offer.  I left for this trip with the goal of exploring the cuisine and sights that I didn't get to during my last trip.


We began our trip in Jerusalem and headed down to the dead sea... way below sea level. Ran into a nice bedouin and his camel on our way, and then stopped at the Ein Gedi for a quick hike through the paradise.

We finished our day with dinner at a kibbuz over looking the dead sea.

One of my favorite parts of this trip was seeing the dome of the rock in the Muslin quarter of Jerusalem.  It was so eye opening to discover all of Jerusalem during this trip and learn about why Muslims, Christians, and Jews all claim it as their holy land.

After we finished at The Dome, we explored the Arab markets..another new site for me.  

One evening while we were in Jerusalem we visited the 9/11 Memorial that's in the JNF.  I was very surprised to learn that this is the only 9/11 memorial outside of the US.  It's a beautiful site with the flag sculpture, part of the twin tower, and all of the names of those who we lost engraved around the edge.  It's truly a breath-taking site at sundown with the whole city of Jerusalem in the background.  

Another breath-taking site was this Greek Orthodox mosque in the middle of the desert that's built into the mountain.

Every morning in Israel, no matter what part of the country or where you are staying, salad is offered for breakfast.  As a dietitian I know that I should be thrilled to see fresh vegetables any time of day, but I really cannot get down with salad first thing in the morning.  Lunch or dinner - absolutely, fill up my plate! I still really prefer something sweet or eggs with my coffee when I wake up.  

After the breakfast salad, we headed out for more exploring.  This is still one of my favorite pictures from Israel. This sign really gives you a sense for where you are sanding in the world.  All of the 'scary' countries they talk about on the news are listed, yet the 2 times I have stood here, I have not been scared... just thankful that I get to enjoy such a beautiful view.

 We visited the Rosh HaNikra grottoes on the coast of Israel at the Jordan border.  Beautiful sights that are rich in history.

The best meal I had during this trip was at the Druze village.  The Druze people practice a secret religion that they must be born into, you cannot convert to become Druze.  The Druze were some of the nicest, most hospitable people and their food is delicious!!! This platter of food fed about 6 women, and they continued to replenish items as soon as we finished them.  The flavors were so fresh and well balanced.  I could go on for the rest of this post, but I think you get the idea... it was DELICIOUS! 

We finished out trip in Tel Aviv, which is my second favorite city in the world (behind Tokyo).  Tel Aviv is a major city right on the Mediterranean Sea.  The markets and the night life are second to none. These pictures are from the Carmel Market.

This is my idea of a fruit cup!  Wish the fruit in Boston  looked like this year round

I took some spices home with me.  Sounded like a great idea at the time... until I got home and my suitcase and everything in it smelled like middle eastern spices! 

My third favorite part of Tel Aviv is the outdoor gyms.  They can be found along the beach boardwalk and scattered throughout the city.  What a way to promote healthy lifestyles.  It's no wonder Israelis are so beautiful!  

Mark my words... I am going to live in this apartment building on the beach of the Mediterranean one day.  How cool is this building??

 I encourage every person to visit Israel.  It doesn't matter what religion, nationality, or background you come from.  Israel is a country for everyone...  I can't wait to go back!

Ahava: nothing but love for Israel. 

Ahava or 'love' sculpture at the Jerusalem Museum

Fresh in The City

A few weekends ago, I had an out of town guest visit me & San Francisco for the FIRST time.  No pressure to show her a good time....  So we took the ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco. 

The picture above was not changed in any way... this is REALLY what Alcatraz looked like from the ferry!

When we got to the ferry building, we went to the extravagant farmer's market.  First Stop: bakery 

Check out the colors of these veggies - amazing!

some organic dried fruit

I tasted these pears... they were delicious!

This picture actually got taken by accident, but didn't it turn out cool?

weighing the fruit 

Sometimes you feel like a nut... 

I just love the way these squash look

I actually really hate the way this lettuce tastes, but it looks cool 

Ready for fall 

More baked goods - I just cannot resist

These sandwiches caught my eye - my favorite!  lox & cream cheese

Boyfriend's favorite: artichoke & brussel sprouts

Who knew this is actually how brussel sprouts grow?  so cool

More pumpkins

Ginger settles your stomach :)  YUMM

The pretty Ferry Building.  but check out how grey that sky is!

Edible Flowers

Can you tell it's fall yet?

I call these edible weeds...

For some reason, I love taking pictures of pomegranates.

yummy looking persimmons 

my favorite smell - lavender 

Circled back to buy a lox & cream cheese sandwich.  SO DELICIOUS!!!

Lox, cream cheese, onion, capers, & heirloom tomato on a slice of sourdough - DELICIOUS 

We ventured into the ferry building and visited Blue Bottle Coffee.  As you can see, each cup is prepared individually so it takes a while, but it is SO worth it!!!!!!

The one in the middle is mine.

After all the tasting at the farmer's market and the delicious sandwich, it was time to move our butts up to Union Square to do some shopping before taking the ferry back to Marin.  

Just another wonderful fall day shopping & eating around the city with good friends.  What else could a girl ask for?