Day 3 -Mt. Arbel, Tzfat, and Spices!
If you want to feel accomplished and proud of yourself try hiking down a mountain when just yesterday you fell into a stream 3 times on that day's hike. The task of hiking down Mt. Arbel was not an easy one, but the sights of the Sea of Galilee and exercise were worth it. Two Israelis on our trip were enlisted to help me, the weakest link, make it down the mountain alive. We were told that the Israelis did the hike with a school trip in 3rd grade, which just proves how much tougher they are than us Americans! While practically scaling down the mountain we encountered some cows. Some were even smart enough to find shelter and shade in the man made caves. Below us was a Bedouin settlement and I was so happy when we reached it. My butt touched more of the trail then my feet did, but it was still a great start to the day.
- Sara Rotter
Our tourguide Amit proved that he cares so much about his tour groups that he will go out of his way to ensure that everyone has a meaningful experience. Though we were able to visit Isaac Luria's synagoge, it was not practical to bring the entire tour group through the maze of bridges and staircases that dominated the local graveyard. When one participant showed his dissapointment at this fact, he made sure to give him the oppurtunity to see the gravesite. Covered by a coat of blue paint that indicated the Rabbi's prominence, the plot was made up of a gravestone, plaques with the Rabbi's life story and a platform for heavy pilgrim traffic. An important part of Safed's story, Luria's gravesite served as an example of how we can only sratch the surface of the richness of Israel's history in the limited time that we have.
-Nathanial Lurie
After our awesome vist to Tsfat we stopped at Kibbutz Hulata. We were greeted with delicious fruit and cinnamon tea; a great treat after the heat. In a truly Israeli manner we received traditional arab spices directly in our palms to sample. The staff explained how the kibbutz members incorparate the Torah into growing its vast array of teas, spices, and other Israeli treats. Converted from an old shoe factory, the shop had rows of spices ranging from shnitzel coating and Moroccan spice to dried fruit teas to other teas mixed to aid many medical ailments. As a complete foodie I was so excited to see a huge array of unique homade granola and dried fruits. I bought my dad, an Israeli dried fruit lover, dates,figs, and apricots that I am sure he is going to love. I fell victim to the amazing moist and yummy Halvah that I swear can not be found in the United States. Walking out with a big bag of goodies, Israel truly seems to be a land of milk and honey to me.
- Ariel Gomberg
