Blogs from Haifa District, Israel, Middle East - page 8

So its been awhile since I've had a chance to give you all an update. So far the heat has not resided and seems to continually grow stronger. I was speaking to an Israeli student who was studying for her entrance exams and the topic of the extreme heat came up and she told me: "When you feel a breeze, you must to hold onto for as long as you can." That's the truth! Its crazy to think that school has already started without me in Boulder. I'm excited to see what happens back home but honestly I can't wait to start studying over here. I do miss the little perks at home, like $2 breakfast burritos and great tasting pizza! I still do not have a clue what my schedule will look like here when ... read more

Thursday 17 June Rosh Ha-Nikra was an amazing experience and a big hit with the boys. Right on the border with Lebanon, with a military base blocking off the road that presumably at one time was a border crossing, it doesn’t look like much of a tourist site on arrival. We parked the car after surviving an hour long trip from Haifa with bickering boys in the back seat, and walked up the hill towards the military base to pose for photos in front of the wall mural depicting arrows pointing north to Lebanon and south to Jerusalem. We also surreptitiously photographed the sign on the fence of the military base which proclaimed that photography was forbidden. We then went to purchase our tickets and entered the cable car to make our way down the cliff ... read more

Sunday, 13 June 2010 We started planning our trip a year ago, when we learned that my husband Russel’s niece would be getting married next Wednesday in Haifa, Israel. As soon as we were able, we booked five tickets to Tel Aviv, and returning with stops in London and Bangkok, using frequent flyer miles - we saw it as a very good sign that we could book all the flights we required, on the exact dates that we wanted, for all five of us. Over the ensuing months we researched accommodation options for the six destinations we had decided on: Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, London, Paris and just to finish on a note of rest and relaxation, Club Med in Phuket. Which is why I am currently sitting on an aeroplane for the final two hours ... read more

The winter has past and spring time has begun! Spring time here is very beautiful, its green everywhere and the trees look absolutely amazing, filled with flowers and colours. Its about 30 celsius degrees now a days. Almost to hot to be outside, the shade is definitely my favourite spot, but that is maybe because Im still wearing jeans and tshirts. I think im in denial, I dont want the heat to come just yet. Im still in the University and I still have schoolwork, so the whole summer feeling isnt helping much. In beginning of June I have my final exam and only after this will I accept the summer being here and will I start going to the beach more often and walk around in shorts and a top, go eat lunch outside and ... read more

In Israel, one of the biggest jewish holidays is celebrated at the same time that most of Europe is celebrating Easter. The holiday is Pessach or Passover and yet again it is celebrated with lots of food and big familydinners. This was my first time celebrating Pessach and I was really excited about it. Me and the family were gonna go to family friendses house and throw a big dinner party. So Pessach celebrates the 40 years of wandering in the dessert from Egypt to the holy land. Pessach lasts for 8 days. And this is a small fact that i learned during Pessach, it is impossible to buy bread for 8 days. During Pessach people eat Matze, which is a kind of cracker-bread looking thing that symbolises the food the jews ate during their journey ... read more