Eilat, Israel

We recently spent four days in Eilat, located in the Negev Desert of Southern Israel on the Red Sea. It's home to over 45,000 people and during the summer months the population more than doubles.  It is a popular vacation destination for Israeli's and tourists all year around. We try to take the boys at least once a year. There is an airport in Eilat with regular flights but we always prefer to drive and enjoy having the car once we arrive.

The city is host to beautiful public beaches, nature and marine reserves, a dolphin reef, parks, scuba diving, water sports, shopping, street entertainment, numerous hotels and restaurants, an exciting nightlife, skydiving, jeep or camel treks and for a little get-away this little city seems endless. We always leave wanting more and always come home satisfied.

[ A few photos from our trip ]

 we enter the Negev Desert on our drive to Eilat

our stop-over on the drive to Eilat included camels and animals

with a muzzle and awful noises Yonatan didn't want to get too close!
The charge to ride this snarly stinky animal was 50nis!
Ok -  perhaps the novelty has worn off a bit for us:)

Hartzi stayed even further away from the Camel:)

relaxation or not?

they thought it was a dinosaur at first!

quite beautiful actually

[ we arrive to Eilat ]

finally the Eilat Airport

Hotels in sight and an oasis in the desert

in town

our Hotel in the distance, The Hilton Queen Sheba

Yonatan's reaction to our arrival! Yessshhh!

Hilton Hotel

our hotel is just seconds from shopping and beaches

[ The Hilton Pool ]

after check-in it was straight to the pool

Hartzi 

[ shows and events were held every night ]

Tal Mosseri | Singing and dancing for kids

[ Night along the beach promenade ]

artists in uniform

novelty seekers or just crazy people inside this ball that gets tossed up into the sky!

street shopping at night was still going strong at 12:45am

everything and religion on the streets

packed

[ out and about the next day ]

[ our trip through Ice Space ]

they provide the gear:)

even socks

getting ready for -7 inside

-7 inside and 40 degrees outside

Polar Bear Ice Sculpture

 a display inside the ice

Canada here I come:)

[ it was so hot we took the boys swimming at night ]

little restaurant on the beach

the water was so warm

[ Dolphin Reef Eilat ]

For more information about the Dolphin Reef in Eilat please click Here

[ our last bite to eat before our trip home ]

bye bye 

[ bye bye Eilat and see you soon ]

Orchid Hotel, Eilat Israel

Orchid Hotel | rooftops 

A vacation with two little boys, it's very important to chose the right hotel. The one with the water-slide, jungle gym and kiddies pool is usually our first pick. This trip to Eilat we spent two nights at the Queen Sheba Hilton  hotel. A popular choice and centrally located, we enjoyed the pool and the evening shows. The last two nights we were connected with a room at the Orchid Hotel Eilat and we decided to switch for a change. I'm so glad we did!

I had the most relaxing time just drinking a beer on the balcony of our private hut and looking out over the Red Sea. From the moment in the lobby observing the indoor fish pond to taking a golf car ride to our outdoor hut and then swimming with the boys at night, we had a real vacation at this Far Eastern style hotel. For us, it suited perfectly. Here are a few photos from our trip and a few more I found to enjoy.

Orchid Hotel | staircase to rooms which are all outdoor huts

Orchid Hotel | pool and dining-room in the background

the upper loft in our room

Night-time table tennis | Yonatan is on the left and he played awesome!

he is getting so big!

[a few more pictures]

Orchid Hotel | fish pond

Orchid Hotel from a distance

If you would like any more information about the Orchid Hotel you can contact me or visit the website in English and Hebrew - click Here

More to come on our trip from Eilat:)

freedom flies

The beginning of August and mid-way through summer. It's hot, dreadfully and wonderfully hot. We are on vacation and recently the days are beginning to blend. I am trying to keep my little boys busy enough  and yet not too busy so they are asleep in their beds at nap time and bed time.

I was home-schooled until the age of 13. My Mom educated the four of us at home until we decided individually that we wanted to begin public school. For my parents, home education wasn't a fade from their hippy days, rather they strived for stronger education values and at the same time did not want to hinder us if we chose a more social dwelling in a public environment. I remember when our studies came to an end each afternoon my Mom would let us run around the house crazy to get rid of our sitting legs - she ran with us too. We had an imagination carpet to tell stories and created a theatre to perform. We studied based on our strengths and we played even stronger.

My sister's rabbit, Bonnie, was a wonderful pet and the wooden fort my Dad built was my mansion in the backyard. We had a veggie garden, dirt that made clay dishes, a swing, and we always seemed to have a wonderful next door neighbor and an awful one. They both fed our imaginations.  It was the geese that horrified us the most when we got stuck in muddy water and between our driveways end and the blackberry bushes we lived out our childhood.  I promised to play another game of "lions" with my brother but then suddenly we grew up!

All of this came up over coffee with myself this morning and I was inspired. As a parent my days are blending but for my boys it's just the beginning of their own wonder and existence. Perhaps just to be at home is all that is required to enjoy the little things and little ones.

All of my precious memories and days spent with my boys are only mine now - I realized -  they will have their very own. Oh I pray for a little wisdom to guide them each in their own way. Today they decided to fly a kite and it was very fitting for me:)

Yonatan, almost 4

Har-Tzion (Hartzi), almost 2

Words I love:

Source: talitaxx.tumblr.com via Irene on Pinterest

Gai Beach | Tiberias

Gai Beach | Water Park

Gai Beach, Tiberias, was one of our little adventures last week.  My Mother-in-law's work place organized the trip for employees and family. It's been awhile since I visited the Galilee and a field trip with Safta (Grandma) was long over-due.

What a blast we had! Gai Beach has a water slide park, wave pool, kids water park, beach and hotel.

I could hardly contain my own excitement upon entering the facility and I headed directly towards the first kiddie slide with my two eager little boys ... well, my youngest is always hesitant about everything at first and with good reason I suppose! My first attempt turned out to be a black and blue bruise on my behind after mis-judging the speed verses landing! With my youngest on my lap he suddenly found himself underwater momentarily and while we both came up from 3 feet of water gasping for air my eldest gave a look of disbelief....are you ok? Ok, so he didn't want to go again and sitting for the next week was painful for me but even despite our little incident it was the most fun any kid or adult could have in one day!

We spent hours sliding, swimming, eating, playing, and we went back and forth frequently between the beach and the water park.

Thanks for so much FUN Safta!

with Safta:))

For more information you can leave me a comment or visit the website Gai Beach Hotel

A review on Gai Beach:
 Trip Advisor:
"Amazing" - We didn't stay at the hotel, but spent the day at the attached waterpark. It was awesome!!! I was there with 5 kids ages 10, 8, 6, 4 and 1, lawn chairs and shade everywhere, you can take the plastic chairs INTO the pools, laid back Israeli style so the lifeguards let you go down the slides any way you want, kinneret beach front, mini pool area for the little ones, wave pool, it was amazing. i'm american from ny but I speak fluent hebrew so i guess it helps. no kosher certificate at the food and open on shabbos, but plenty of kosher ice creams, ices and drinks to get, and you can bring in your own food too. Really a highlight of our trip!!!

• Stayed July 2011, traveled with family

Surfing the Akko waves

I can report that 38 degrees is almost too hot and the warm sea water gives no relief! Our eldest son loves "surfing" the HUGE waves, while our little guy prefers dry ground. Summer is here in Israel! More to come on our little adventures through our summer vacation!

 a cool Goldstar beer would be delightful ... with ice pleeease;)

Never Say Never

the advertisement for my dance classes coming this September

I was three and I knew I would be a ballerina. At 11 years of age I was accepted into a professional ballet school and at 15 I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to study dance in Belgium. I was gifted with dance. It was a natural talent but what never comes naturally is the drive and determination to keep going. It is a force of will that makes a superstar in any aspect of life and when my career suddenly ended I did not have the heart or the patience to teach others what took me years to learn. I would never be a dance teacher.

It did not end entirely, I took guest classes here and there, performed and taught on occasion. After I immigrated to Israel I thought that I'd left the dance world forever in North America. I focused on Pilates,  studied, put in hours at the office and extra hours greeting delegation guests at a hotel and wondering what I actually love to do.

After my first son was born I returned to teaching dance but quit reluctantly. It was less hours and a better wage and I found no reason to return other than that - until recently. I replaced a dance instructor while she was on maternity leave and I found myself enjoying the drive to the studio and seemingly loving my home even more when I returned! The girls began learning and by the end of the season they had a dance routine.

They say in Israel, there is no such thing as a Win-Win situation. In a society where so many aspects could be a threat, it is survival of the fittest. It sounds a little harsh but when push comes to shove it's amazing what we force ourselves to do and end up succeeding. All things compared my little accomplishments seem rather small but in all things relative it was a win for me -  I just received my first big job as a dance teacher and I begin this September. I will run the dance studio with classes in Ballet, Jazz and Modern. I have a lot to do until then but I'm looking forward to being a ballerina again!

In addition, we have been in the middle of moving, year end events and work projects. Life got so hectic this past month, this is my first blog entry in one month! Thanks for your support and kind words, wondering if we are all OK ... and yes thank you we are well and settled! Everything seems back to normal sitting here writing while my boys are screaming at each other hungry and thirsty and waiting for attention!! I'm kidding, it's not that bad ... but it is back to normal;)  See you soon!