Tzfat

The trip to Tzfat today was really good. We left Haifa around 7:30 and got to Tzfat in an hour or so. We spent the morning visiting various synagogues and other places in the city. For those who don't know, Tzfat is a center of Kaballah, or Jewish mysticism. So the place has a lot of history. We visited the studio of a Kaballah artist, who told us all about how mysticism influences his work. We also went to a candle shop where they sell beautiful handmade Havdalla and Shabbat candles (and regular candles too), and a natural soap/perfumey shop where everything is based on citron juice, and we got to go down into the centuries-old stone basement. We also saw a ton of art galleries and a weaving studio. One of the coolest things about being there was just walking through the streets, which are all really narrow and entirely stone. It all looked like something out of a fairy tale. We got a free hour for lunch, and a few friends and I went to this place that sold a certain kind of Yemenite food... I don't know the name of it. Basically it's a round, pan-cooked flatbread that is topped with cheese, onions, tomatoes, greens, and spices while still in the pan, then folded over into a sandwich. It was so delicious, and the guy making the food was hilarious.

After Tzfat, we drove half an hour or so to Mt. Meron, which is the highest mountain in Israel unless you count the Golan Heights. We went for a hike/walk up and around the mountain, and there were some nice views from the top. It was nice to walk through the forest on the mountain, because there is a sad lack of forests in Israel and I miss them.

Not much else to report, really. Two more weeks of class here. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow... it's Shabbat so I'm not even sure how many things are open. Haifa isn't as Shabbat-observing as other places in Israel, but still, things do shut down a bit.

This might be a good time to mention that my favorite word over here isn't actually a Hebrew word. It's "yallah," which is Arabic for "let's go." People say it all the time. If someone is impatient that you aren't leaving to go somewhere fast enough, or is getting ready to do something-- "yallah yallah." Israelis end phone conversations with "yallah bye" ...not a word of Hebrew. Basically it's a pretty great word. So until next time, blog, yallah bye.