Shalom!

I've let two weeks pass since my last post since it's been a pretty chill visit to Israel thus far. And that was my goal! My Central Europe tour was so nonstop, so the last 3 weeks have been a breath of fresh air. I've spent wonderful quality time with my family and friends here, with a little bit of romance sprinkled in as well ;)

Since this is my 5th time here (I studied here for a semester in college), I didn't feel the need to be a tourist this time - I just wanted to shut off and enjoy being a local. I spent the first week in Jerusalem. My cousins Danielle and Daniel (yeah, that's right) just had their fourth child - Yael was five weeks old upon my visit, so I got a lot of snuggle time..

It was funny, since I'd sit with her at cafes while Danielle ran some errands, and all these women would come over and say "Mazel Tov! She's adorable!" And after multiple attempts explaining that she's my cousin in Hebrew, I just started to thank them. Oy vey.

We had fun at the Shuk (Jerusalem's large food and spice market) as we shopped for Shabbat dinner.

My favorite meal here is breakfast - the most delicious salads, cheese and fruit. Here's a typical Israeli breakfast at a cafe:

I also met the rabbi with whom I grew up - Rabbi Berk - for coffee one day. It was our 4th visit over the years here in Israel and is special every time. He's so happy living here :)

Chanukah occurred last week and I loved that the freeway from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv had menorahs on each pole! We're used to Christmas decorations, but this is the one place where you see menorahs on display everywhere you look.

I've spent the last two weeks in Tel Aviv, which sits on the Mediterranean Sea and is a very hip and secular city. I often forgot where I was as I listened to French or Latin music in the cafes here. My only reminder that I was in Israel was the Hebrew I'd hear at the next table. I've also so enjoyed sitting on this white powder sand with the calm sea staring back at me.

My cousin Einat and her two little ones joined me in Jaffa for a stroll. At one point we were surrounded by Israeli soldiers on a group visit to the old port town. I was playing around with my cousin Ella and Einat snapped this photo unbeknownst to me. Love it!

I've had some wonderful Shabbat dinners here and have met great people. Tel Aviv is a happy place for me. I'm thinking I won't wait too long to return here. In the meantime, I'm flying to Rome on Tuesday and am SO excited! Italy is my last stop before I head back to the states, but I saved the best for last. Rome, then most likely Florence and Venice. I'll blog from there of course, as I've been eager to snap some food pics ;)

Hope you're all well and enjoying this time of year! Miss you...xx jack