Lauren and her family traveled to Israel this summer.  One goal was to visit family, but also to give Lauren’s husband his first Israel experience (and her 12th!).  An apartment rental in Tel Aviv near the beach was a great home base for working during the week with week-ends spent traveling around the country.  Highlights of Tel Aviv included visits to Old Jaffa, walks and bike rides along the beach promenade and Tel Aviv Marina, visiting the Diaspora Museum and working out with the locals at the gym!

A 3-night privately guided tour of the Galilee and Golan in the north included a stay at a kibbutz guest house.  The Hagroshim Hotel near Kiyrat Shmona was recently renovated and our one bedroom/two bathroom premium suite was modern and well appointed with a large furnished patio.  We loved the super cool television that appeared to be just a piece of glass.  The resort offers a huge outdoor pool, indoor pool, large gym, two restaurants, spa and more.  Our tour included the Roman ruins of Caesarea where a reenactment film introduced the area’s layers of history in a kid-friendly way.  We ventured to Haifa to see the amazing Baha’i Gardens and enjoy the amazing views.  In Safed we visited the unique synagogues and learned about the mystical history of thetown.  A visit to the Crusader ruins in the coastal town of Akko was highlighted by a kid-friendly virtual reality experience where we learned about local Crusader life and played games from that time period.  A stop at Mt. Bental provided an overlook of the Golan Heights.  We also enjoyed a tasting at a local winery and a visit with a long time resident of Kibbutz Degania; the first such cooperative in Israel.  Active adventures included a jeep tour of the Golan, kayaking down the Jordan River and hikes in the Tel Dan and Banias national parks.  A culinary and cultural highlight was a hearty meal at the home of a local Druze family and learning about their religion and history.

Our trip to Jerusalem coincided with the opening of the Jerusalem Festival of Light which features dramatic light-ups of the ancient architecture of the Old City as well as the installation of light statues, performances, and pieces of museum artwork from artists around the world. A visit to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, the Jewish Museum (including the Dead Sea Scrolls and Holyland model) rounded out our time there. We stayed at the gorgeous Waldorf Astoria; nicely located within a short walk to the Old City through the Mamilla Mall.

The last trip was to Jordan to see Petra and desert landscapes of Wadi Rum.  We flew from Tel Aviv to Eilat, crossed the border and were met on arrival by our guide, driver and a visa facilitator.  Our privately guided tour began in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wadi Rum where Bedouin hospitality abounds.  Our stay in a 2 bedroom family suite at Sun City provided plenty of space for our family of three and a fully furnished deck.  Other accommodations include really cool martian domed tents where large windows offer expansive desert views.  Meals at the camp included dinner cooked in the ground and plenty of local delights.  Activities included an interpretive jeep tour of the desert along with a sunset camel ride.  We moved onto Little Petra the following day to learn all about this desert trading post; especially about the sophisticated methods for water collection.  We enjoyed our overnight stay at the Movenpick Petra with its Swiss hospitality and chocolate bar!  Our connecting rooms and the pool were nice too.  We saved our last day to walk into Petra to see this hidden city of the Nabateans.  With only 95 percent of the site excavated; its amazing to think what else will be found.  The rock formations, building facades, caves, amphitheater, temples and more make this one of the world’s more unique historical and archeological experiences.