To the North!

By Dr. Yasmine Kalkstein
Woke up in Chaifa.  We stayed at Shira (cousin)'s apartment...a lot of character...everything was open (no screens)...sort of like sleeping outside.  Chaifa is really hot.  Drove to Bahai gardens and saw them from the top.  Then off to Rosh HaNikra on the lebanon border.  My phone was mostly dead (GPS kills it and I forgot regular charger), so most pictures today were on our good camera.

Rosh HaNikra was good, but Sivan is going through a must-use-the-bathroom-every-20-minute phase.
So, I feel like more than anything, I have seen LOTS and LOTS of toilets over the last few days.  So, this is what I can write about.  

Going to the bathroom in Israel is a sub-par experience for us Americans.  Toilet paper is not a guarantee
, and you become very grateful for soap.  Really, I almost just can't wait to step off the plane to the JFK bathrooms that I know will be stocked with all my needs.  I just don't get it.  Maybe I'm just way too used to my American luxurious life.

Rosh Hanikra is beautiful and from there we worked our way back south.  We stopped at Nahariya, a town Adam and I loved the last time.  But with kids, nothing is quite the same.  Also, it's so DAMN hot, that it's tough to enjoy anything.  I'm literally throwing water over myself every time I go to the bathroom (which as I mentioned is every 20 minutes).

But Nahariya has a promenade--really cool boardwalk, lots of restaurants, and a pretty beach.  The kids really love dirt.

Adam and I have been searching high and low from Jerusalem to Chaifa for this KalGav gan (preschool) backpack that is orange with cars.  The orange is apparently last year's model and I swore I saw it once and we haven't found it since.  I see yet another backpack store in Nahariya, so I wander in.  I explain to the woman what I want and she says "sure, we should have that" and walks outside...I'm thinking "no, you don't have it, stop getting my hopes up!"  Negative thinking ALWAYS works.  VOILA! The backpack appears.  I apparently squealed with delight (there goes any negotiating power), but Matan had his eyes on this micky mouse one because of the wheels.  He's obsessed with wheeling like a suitcase.  Adam and I are so excited but Matan wants wheels.  The woman, says, oh, I have it in wheels and pulls it out.  Adam finally gave in to paying 20 nis more for wheels.  Below you will see matan obsessively pulling his little suitcase around everywhere.  

After that we stopped at Kfar Yona for a quick dinner (mall there) and then headed back to Modiin.  First, we had to get "shoko" at the gas station.  Shoko is like cocaine....my kids are addicted (chocolate milk).  This morning we even saw the "shoko truck" which you will see below.

At the mall, Sivan wants a straw hat.  



Kfar Yona had the coolest street signs I've ever seen.  Tried to do this in a "drive by".

Matan with his new backpack.  Did I mention his obsession with the color orange?  I told him I'd inquire whether El Al could get us an orange plane home...







here are the cable cars.  Matan insited on going on the "orange" (aka Red) one.  If you look close, you can see ADam holding a smiling Matan.

 The shoko truck in Chaifa...
 Sivan law offices with Sivan in front...



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