Kiryat Chaim, Kiryat Ata, Kirya Motzki (Learning the routes....)

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Hello readers, and happy Sunday to you! It is Sunday night for me, and I have been out of my Tel Aviv apartment since Friday, and have since than been in the North. I've been treated very well with an Israeli host family--Pdudya and Moti who are taking wonderful care of me! I came here Friday evening and had Shabbat dinner with their family. (Let me remind you that I know Pdudya and Moti from a family I babysit for back home....so these are the grandparents of a girl I babysit for...) Their family (son and wife and 2 children) came over for Shabbat dinner. This Shabbat dinner was much different than the previous Shabbat dinner I was at because there was much less people. I was able to have English conversations with everyone in attendance except for the children. Dinner was delicious--chicken, soup, beets, salad, fruit, wine, challah. Shabbat in Israel is a beautiful tradition because it brings closure to the week, and like I've mentioned before, it truly represents rest.

Saturday Pdudya and Moti took me to the Galilee (the lower Galilee)...a beautiful place, with lots of history! (Like every site in Israel, rich and full of history.) From the Galilee you can beautiful views that seem like they go on forever. After our hike through the Galilee we went through an Arab town where we stopped for lunch. The town was called Arabe. It's very easy to tell the difference of an Arab verses a Jewish village in Israel because the Jewish villages have more trees, and more often red roofs. The Arab villages have houses placed more closely together and seem more "unorganized" as I was told. We went to an aunthenic reastarunt for lunch which was a mix of Arabic-Seafood. We had crab, tuna, tabouli, coleslaw, hummus, pita, and the list can go on. In total there was 20 plates of food on the table. Betavon. It was delicious...I was still eating the crumbs off my plate when the waiter came to take it away.

Today was yet another day full of adventure! I decided to go check out the Bahai Gardens in Haifa. I had seen the Haifa area at night, but did not get much of a chance to see it during the day. I rode with Moti into Haifa and than switched over to public transportation when I got to Haifa. I had to take a bus to where the Bahai Gardens started. Once again, I am so thankful that English is the universal language because I found myself asking many people for help and directions today. I found the Bahai Gardens with the help of a woman named Judy who plays violin for the Haifa Symphony...todah rabah Judy. The real adventure began when I took my trip back from the Bahai Gardens. I had to take a bus system that only goes to all of the "Kiryats" (small neighborhoods in the north). I was told by Moti to get on Bus #2, and I did. When I got on bus number 2 I asked the bus driver where Moshe Hess street was (the street I needed to get to) and he had no idea what Moshe Hess was, and neither did many of the passengers. They suggested I get off at the next stop which was Kiryat Chaim, because it was probabaly close to Moshe Hess. I asked some locals in Kiryat Chaim where Moshe Hess street was, and my response was "I am a taxi driver and I've never head of thaht street." Another person said "Are you sure you are saying that right?" And the wifi in the area was not working, so my phone was useless to me. I've never felt like such a lost solo traveler until that moment. Luckily, in Israel, people are very friendly and my lost solo self felt very grateful when I was able to use the taxi drivers phone. We called Moti, and soon I hopped back onto the train headed in the right direction.....or so I thought. Someone on this bus told me to get off at the central station in Kiryat Chaim, and so I did. At this station, I asked around for Moshe Hess....and luckily, people were familiar with this street, however, it was still a distance away. I found another helpful Israeli woman at a falafel stand to borrow her phone to me and dial up for help. Soon I was on a bus again, and this time, I was truly in the right direction to Moshe Hess. I had a helpful woman point me in the right direction and I was soon back at Moshe Hess street. Moral of the story.....always listen to what you are told by your host family in Israel. If you are told bus #2, stick to bus #2. Do not let others fool you to think you are on the wrong bus, simply because they are not familiar with the street you are looking for. There are many Kiryats in the North and most people are only familiar with the streets in their own area--just like neighborhoods/cities in the states. I learned the hard way; Nonetheless, adventure and we learn from our mistakes!

What a day. I am very happy to be back at the house with a cup of mint tea and some cookies right now. I've also been blessed with plans for what will be a memorable trip to Eilat and Petra in the next two days. My days of traveling in Israel are coming to an end on Thursday, so I thought I better do something extravagant for myself. I call it my early birthday/Hanukah gift to myself. Tomorrow morning I will awaken at 4 AM to start my travel to Eilat. I need to get a taxi, train, plane, and than, hello Eilat. I'll be in Eilat tomorrow and Tuesday will take a day trip to Petra. I'm traveling on this solo (but Petra will be a group tour.) Wish me luck, and I wish all of you a happy start to the week!

And here's a video...

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Comments

[g and g]

Good Luck Sarah!