creative jewish mom

Stunning Views From The Car On A Golan Heights Road Trip

Imagine seeing a snow capped Mount Hermon as you are driving down the road? Yes my friends, that was in fact the case on our road trip across the Golan Heights just before Passover, and there were so many great sights from the car window that I just had to share them with you! This was new territory for us, more or less, so it was also really exciting to be not all that far from home and yet see things that were totally different from anywhere else we've been in Israel. And in case you are wondering, spring is hands down the best time to visit Israel and especially Northern Israel, to experience the green hills, a bounty of wild flowers and blooming trees! Okay, lets take a little ride, shall we?

A Walk To See The Stunning Hilltop Views From Moshav Keshet, Israel

A stunning snow-topped mountain with a lovely pond and blooming fruit trees in the foreground, mingling with rolling green hills? It doesn't get much better than that, especially on a cool spring day with blue skies! A few weeks ago we were able to work really hard preparing the house for Passover and take a 3 night vacation for shabbos HaGadol, the shabbos before Passover. We choose Moshav Keshet in the Golan Heights, as a newish neighbor of ours had lived there for 30 years and it was totally unfamiliar to us. And wow, what an amazing location and change of scenery just an hour or so drive from home. The red bud trees were blooming on the moshav, and you can see that here, and we even discovered a very rare wild iris here, and enjoyed cyclamen (a flower native to Israel) blooming everywhere, here. And now I'd like to share with you some of the stunning views from a bunker hill just above our vacation rental......a hill that I climbed twice as I just had to make sure that all the family members got to experience it! Okay, join me, will you?

We Spotted The Rare Golan Iris, In The Golan!

On Shabbat HaGadol we spent a glorious three nights at a Moshav in the Golan called Keshet. The weather was spectacular and the walks just outside our door were wonderful and so very inspiring as this was an area of Israel with which we were not really acquainted, though it is just an hour's drive from our home further west. On Friday while some family members hung out and read, my daughter and I took a walk up to a lookout point with views of the Moshav and also a stunning peak at Mount Hermon with snow, the volcanic mountain of Mount Peres and so much more. It was so glorious I just had to go again, this time with husband and one of my sons (the other son found it himself on a shabbat walk) and I enjoyed it just as much the second time.

On our way down from the top, I suddenly spotted a large flower amidst the tall grasses and plants and gasp, it was an Iris! Of course I oohed and awed and only once at home did I discover that this particular orchid, the Golan iris (Iris hermona) is quite rare, so was indeed quite special, and so happy to share it with you. Want to learn more, keep on reading......

Cyclamen Bloom In The Golan Heights!

This past week we spent three nights in a lovely Moshav (agricultural community) by the name of Keshet, and wow, all the flowers in bloom made our stay even more lovely. Many of the stone walls were home to bunches of cyclamen in bloom, and while they may have been planted and are not wild, some definately did look exactly like the cyclamen I've seen growing between rocks in my area. Cyclamen in native to Israel, which is so very special! I'm in a rush to finish all the Passover prep, so enjoy my photos and if you want to know more about visiting Keshet, simply drop me a line or leave a comment. Okay, lets take a look at cyclamen and more cyclamen.......

Judas Tree Blooms In Keshet, Israel

One of my greatest pleasures when spring comes to Northern Israel are the abundance of flowering wildflowers, bushes and trees, in addition to orchards full of fruit trees! The Judas Tree, or Red Bud tree, or in hebrew klil hahoresh blooms with bright pink flowers and native trees dot the landscape with pops of color that are just so very beautiful. While the tree is a native here, of course some are planted in residential areas and in city parks as they are quite simply stunning. After working for a good week cleaning our home for Passover we took a 3 day break to explore the Golan Heights, spending shabbat and our nights in a special spot called Moshav Keshet, which I highly recommend. The weather was chilly and sunny, perfect for local nature walks and there were so many beautiful things to see, which I'll be sharing with you here! But first, a look at my beloved Judas Tree, now in bloom in Keshet! And then take a look at my previous post from 2018 to see some lovely up close shots of the flowers, here. 

Ah yes, and if you'd like to read more about our abundance of wonderful native plants, take a look at all the posts in the category called Native Plants of Israel.

Red Crown Anemones Now In Bloom In Northern Israel!

The stunning red crown Anemone, which is a native Israeli flower, is now in bloom and just as lovely as ever! I took these photos at the end of the day, so the flowers were mostly closed, but will head out again this week, as the combination of these lovely flowers and the blooming almond trees is just so very special! I am so blessed that just a few minutes from my front door I can find a bounty of blooming wild flowers, with each species blooming in its time. These anemone are the first, and are later followed by red poppies, which are a different flower though confused with anemones by many. Enjoy this first peak at the red crown anemone, with more to come!

An Almond Tree Blooms Next Door, In Northern Israel

The almond trees are now in full bloom in Northern Israel, and while I missed it last year, this year, no way! I forced myself to grab the camera and get out of the house for a little photo shoot, this time to capture one of the trees growing just up the street, which I've funny enough, never thought to photograph, The tree is located just on top of an old stone house ruin, so it is especially photogenic, and to boot, I was able to capture it with the distant view of Mt. Meron as well. I think I'll go back in a few days in the morning for another go, but in the meantime, enjoy, and try to imagine the lovely delicate fragrance of an almond tree in bloom!

A Vacation Rental Under The Grape Vine In Kibbutz Harduf

This past summer we has the great pleasure of, once again, enjoying another successful airbnb vacation rental. I will say that I really do my homework before reserving, and this really pays off. Renting someone's personal home is always a bit of a risk, and can be strange, but in this case the home was clean, the bathrooms and kitchens spotless, and we loved the overall feel. You can check out this rental on Kibbutz Harduf here,

My goal was to explore something new, and really feel like we had stepped into another world, while only an hour or so from home, and this rental did just that! Not to mention that the house was full of waldorf style crafts, which I will be sharing with you, and that the kibbutz itself has stunning views, is wonderful for walking and the people were very friendly! Okay, lets take a closer look!

A Visit To Kibbutz Harduf, In The Lower Western Galil, Israel

This past summer in place of traveling to the USA we stayed put in Israel, so I tried to find some vacation destinations that would feel like a totally new experience, though only an hour's drive away from our home! We totally lucked out with our first location, Kibbutz Harduf, which is not far from Kiryat Ata, which is north of Haifa. While the kibbutz no longer operates as it once did, this kibbutz happens to be quite dedicated to their communal mission which includes providing loving communal living for disabled adults as well as foster children. The market on the kibbutz is organic, and the folks I believe are mostly vegetarian if not vegan. The view from our rental was stunning, and I enjoyed walking the loop around the kibbutz and taking it all in. I have already shared a visit to the Tzippori River promenade, here, flowers of Harduf, here, the stunning variegated bougainvillia, here, lovely coral vine in Harduf, here, the views of Harduf here, and some wonderful mosaics in Harduf, here. Now, for a wider view! Won't you come along?

A Touch Of Fall Color In Northern Israel!

Fall has certainly arrived here in Northern Israel, and I'm grateful for even one little tree proudly displaying its fall color! So sweet really, as it can be seen from afar, which is why I ended up taking a walk with camera in hand to begin with! Of course there are many bare trees and lots of patches of earth normally covered with greenery, and the meadows seem to be slowly drifting off to sleep, but there is nothing like orange hued leaves to shout out, hey, winter is coming! So enjoy the photos I took yesterday on my neighborhood fire trail, and how about making a sketch from one of them, great idea!