I am lucky enough to have seen Uncle Steve in Israel not once, but twice! On his second business trip to Herzilya he was able to bring along Aunt Laura which was just wonderful. Raz and I were able to meet them for a delicious dinner (sweet potato ravioli in mushroom sauce is probably one of the best ideas... ever), visit the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, and we were able to make two trips to Jerusalem with Laura, unfortunately Steve had to go to work.
I failed at capturing the dinner and the market in photographs, but I did get a few pictures in Jerusalem with Laura.
On our first visit we saw the Church of the Holy Sepulcher before joining the 3 hour Free Tour that takes you through all four quarters of the city. This is the same tour Raz and I took before, but it was interesting seeing the sights with a different guide and hearing different stories and sharing it all with Laura.
Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall
After the Tour we were tired and hungry so we stopped at this amazing Armenian tavern for dinner. The food was tasty and the decor was fantastic! There were intricate tiles and amazing pieces of furniture everywhere. beautiful antiques and stunning displays of handmade jewelry.
These lamps were beautiful!
One of the rooms had about 6 of these enormous ivory tusks that had been intricately carved.
On our second trip the first stop we made was the Dome of the Rock. The day was cold and we got a couple blasts of sleet and some rain, but for the most part it was just cold wind and stormy skies. It was so nice being able to come back and visit this place. Laura seemed to really enjoy visiting such a beautiful building with so much historical significance. I was so glad we could take her!
Laura (in pink) Raz (in dark blue) and some guy who just wouldn't move out of the frame (in black)
After the Dome of the Rock we set out to find the Church of Our Lady of the Spasm.
Found it!
We tried to drive to the Mount of Olives to take Laura to the garden of Gethsemane, but the roads kept turning into one way streets (going the wrong way) and we spent so long pulling U-turns and being told sets of directions that were completely opposite that time ran short and Laura needed to be heading back to Herzilya. We had a doozy of a time getting out of Jerusalem, but we got to take a lovely drive through some beautiful parts of the city and eventually got on the road home. We stopped to pick up a little snack for us and something to take back for Steve in Abu Gosh, this town know through all of Israel for its phenomenal humus. And let me tell you what... the tales are true. the falafel and humus here are divine. no questions, hands down, best falafel/humus experience ever.
The trips and visits were lovely, but the company was the best part. I enjoy Steve and Laura's company so very much. They're interesting and loving and inspiring, and I'm so lucky to have been able to travel with them here. It was so wonderful to see these amazing things with people I love so dearly.
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