Our whirlwind time in Israel has felt much like the summer when I was 14-years-old on my confirmation trip. This 6 week trip to Israel, promised by parents if their child graduates from Hebrew School, was the main thing that kept me going to my bi-weekly Hebrew class.  Who could pass up the guarantee of an entire summer with hundreds of teenagers, in Israel, with no parents.

Unlike my confirmation trip, this time around I’m not guzzling bottles of Goldstar beer behind my counselors back, nor tiptoeing into the boy’s room to “hang out”. We are however filling almost every single day with more activities then I know how to keep track of, like the well choreographed confirmation trip many years ago. I must admit though my energy level isn’t quite like it was when I was a teenager!

We just spent the past 5 nights in Tiberias, a town located on Lake Kinneret in the Galilee. This was a great home base for us to explore the northern terrain. The amount of greenery and beauty of this area is breathtaking, and we enjoyed much of it. Although we were hoping to catch the thousands of birds that migrate through the Hula Valley each year, we were informed upon arrival that they all flew away the day before. We still delighted in the swampy marshland of the reserve, and especially loved feeding the African Catfish, which looked like scary critters from a different planet.

The mineral hot springs and the crocodile farm of Hamat Gader are a must when up north. We splurged on the “Spa Village” experience for the hot springs, escaping the masses of screaming children in the main area. However, in typical Israeli fashion the “no smoking” and “no cell phones” sign in what was supposed to be the serene adult area was completely ignored, making it not the most relaxing experience.

Nazareth, the home to Jesus is another interesting place we managed to visit. The groups of Christian tourists were going nuts in the Basillica of Annunciation, posing for pictures at the spot where the Virgin Mary lived. The town is an interesting mix of Christian and Muslim Arabs, mosque and church located side by side. A typical Arabic lunch of schwarma in a doughy laffa, and assorted desserts definitely hit the spot.

Our final day up north we fit in a ton. We began that morning by going up to Kiryat Shmona to check out the Danziger Library, which my grandparents had donated to the community in 1990. The principal Amir, and Adrienne, an English teacher who my mom had met while there in February, where nice enough to show us around. Learning that the school had been struck by 4 ketusha rockets the year before, put into perspective the realities people of this area live with every day.

From here we drove through Metulla, eventually making our way to The Banias. The gorgeous hike to the waterfalls and springs was a wonderful way to end our time in the Galilee. From here our journey continued to Safed, the birth place of the well-known Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah. Wandering through the artist colony nestled on the side of the mountain truly put us in a reflective mode. In fact, Jason even questioned picking up a copy of the Torah to read – hmmm, maybe there is something very spiritual about Safed. Next thing you know, he’ll come home sporting the red wrist tie.