We woke up this morning to a dust storm from Syria. This did help in one way - it kept out the blazing sun. On the other hand it dampered us getting a clear view of things and of Syria.
The outings started at Safed, an artists' colony in Northern Galilee and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. Safed is also the home of Kaballah and Madonna has been there multiple times. It's a quaint, picturesque and hilly community. We visited an ancient synagogue and then supported the local economy.
Next we headed to Mount Bental. Mount Bental is one of Israel’s favorite mountain peaks to visit, partly due to the great panoramic views of the Golan and even Syria but also because Mount Bental was the site of a courageous battle fought during Israel’s war for the Golan. It is in the middle of the Golan Heights near the Syrian border. In fact on our way to Mount Bental, we passed many, many fenced off areas with warning signs stating "danger mines." Because the Golan Heights was part of Syria there are still lots of buried land mines. There is also an abandoned Israeli bunker that was used in the war for the Golan.
Our group had lunch at Kibbutz Gadot and learned about life on a kibbutz. We even had to do our own dishes. Ha!! The last stop of the day was the Golan Heights Winery and we saw Israeli soldiers having maneuvers on our way. We tried three wines - a reisling, a red and a muscato. The muscato was my FAV!!!!!!!!!! Started to buy a bottle but not sure it would make it home in one piece. Will definitely have to track the brand down in the states.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Israel. A large group are leaving tomorrow morning for Jordan so our group will be much smaller. Stay tuned!!
So interesting. You're seeing so much.
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