This may be one of my most favorite lookout points in all of Israel, or in the whole world, especially with the beautiful Baha’i Gardens below. It’s a site that can’t be missed if you’re touring Israel.

I wanted to thank our sponsors for this Israel trip:

ELDAN CAR RENTAL
and
TRAVELCELL Cell Phone Rentals

In my trip this past summer, I made sure to visit one of the most amazing locations in the country: Rosh Hanikra. It is rich in both history and beauty, and I highly recommend visiting the area when you’re in Israel.

I wanted to thank our sponsors for this Israel trip:

ELDAN CAR RENTAL
and
TRAVELCELL Cell Phone Rentals

Traveling to Israel is something people do for vacation, business, visiting friends and family, as a student, or to attend a simcha. One of the things that nowadays is impossible to live without while traveling to Israel is your cell phone (mobile for you Brits and Aussies here). This is especially true if you get envious of seeing a million people around you yapping away on their phones or texting or playing Angry Birds, and you’re stuck device-less.

For the past 10 years I have been traveling to Israel for a multitude of reasons (including everything I mentioned above) from anywhere from a 5 day trip to a 6 month internship. Throughout the past decade I made sure to always bring a rented cell phone with me lest I be unreachable.

While renting is not your only option, I think it’s the best option for most travelers.

• Option 1: Renting a cell phone before you leave. In the U.S., there are a handful of companies that offer this service including TravelCell, Amigo, and Talk & Save. I had the opportunity to work with TravelCell (they are sponsors of YTK) and rent from them 2 phones for a 3 week trip earlier this year (I paid for my service).
  
  They have offices where you can pick-up/drop-off your devices in Brooklyn, NY; 5 Towns, NY; Teaneck, NJ; Lakewood,NJ; Southfield, MI; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Silver Spring, MD; Boca Raton, FL; Toronto, ON; London, England; and in Jerusalem, Israel. If you don’t live near one of these centers, you can have your phones shipped to you before you leave, overnighted, or it can be delivered to one of the International Airports in NYC (where most Americans end up passing through to get to Israel anyway).
  
  Renting offers you a plan with set prices, free incoming calls, and a bill in English upon your return. If you have issues, their customer service is in English.
  
  TravelCell also offers other devices such as Blackberries, mi-fi hotspots, and internet aircards for your laptop.

• Option 2: Renting / Buying a SIM card in Israel for your own phone. This is a decent option only if: you have or are able to unlock your phone, you have a GSM phone that accepts SIM cards, you’re willing and able to deal with the Israeli phone companies … in Hebrew. If you’re capable of dealing with all of that – go ahead. You may save a few dollars, and get to use your own phone, but personally, the hassle isn’t worth it.
• Option 3: Using your Israeli cousin’s phone. Well … this one seems like a no brainer to me. If you can, go for it.
• Option 4: Go phone-less. Good luck my friend.

This post is sponsored by:

Eldan Car Rental The Best Way To See Israel
and
TravelCell International Cell Phone Rentals

On our third day in Israel, we headed over to check out Tel Aviv and Yafo. We met up with a friend of Dani’s (Jonah) who made Aliyah and lives in Tel Aviv. He showed us around the streets of Tel Aviv and took us to the Nachalat Binyamin Artists market, which they have on Tuesdays and Fridays. We were starving and stopped for Brunch at a a really cute place called Yonita.

Yonita is a dairy restaurant that serves, Israeli breakfast, pastas, paninis, salads and amazing coffee. The restaurant has an indoor section, but we chose to sit in its outdoor area, which flows onto Nachalat Binyamin. Its outdoor tables are shaded with umbrellas and the waitresses come out serve those tables as well.

I had been hearing about Cafe Hafuch and was dying to try it so Dani and I shared one. [There is nothing like the coffee in Israel. It is seriously unbelievable. Rich, bold, full of flavor, each cup tasted like it was made for you. Cafe Hafuch is like a latte only with a higher milk to espresso ration making it super creamy and of course uniquely Israeli. (Israeli's sure love their dairy). I could drink them all day everyday. Sadly there is nothing in America that quite compares. It's not surprising that Starbucks failed in Israel. Any little hole in the wall coffee shop in Israel makes Starbucks pale in comparison.]

Jonah had Israeli breakfast, which is eggs any style, with four types of cheeses, Israeli salad and a crusty loaf of bread, plus coffee and juice. Israelis know how to do breakfast. I ordered a panini with Armenian Cheese which is like feta cheese, and roasted eggplant which came with a side salad. Dani had the penne a la vodka. Everything was amazing, fresh and delicious.

Afterwards we strolled through the Nachalat Binyamin artists market and picked up a birthday gift. Then, we headed through the shuk towards Yafo and experienced amazing views of the Mediterranean.

—

יוניתה
Nahalat Binyamin 10,
Tel Aviv, Israel

—

This post is sponsored by:

Eldan Car Rental The Best Way To See Israel
and
TravelCell International Cell Phone Rentals

Contributed by: Dani Klein | Last Date of Travel: June 2011

Kosher Info:
The title of this post is kind of misleading in that you’re definitely going to find kosher places to eat in the Old City. In the Jewish Quarter that is. Don’t expect to find anything kosher in the Christian, Muslim, or Armenian Quarters.

(And in case you’re wondering, I took this picture at the Kotel on Yom Yerushalayim this year)

Now, if you’re like me and haven’t been in the Old City in a number of years, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see a whole new row of kosher restaurants right in the heart of “the Rova” on the way to the Kotel (on Tiferet Israel Rd. — don’t try and find this road in your car – it’s for pedestrians only). Having said that, if you do drive to the Old City, there is one major Jewish Quarter parking lot walking distance from all these restaurants, so if you can nab a spot, it may be worth driving, especially if you’re not a big walker.

On my way walking down to the Kotel, I took pictures of the restaurants I found. Please keep in mind that this is as of early this summer (2011) and I may have missed one or two (if I have – please comment below and add what I’ve missed).

• BBQ Meat & Grill
• Coffee Bagel
• Marzipan
• Burgers Bar
• Shwarma Bar



• Holy Bagel
• Keshet HaHurva Cafe
• Rami’s Pizza
• Menorah Cafe
• Moti’s Cafe
• Falafel place across from Rami’s pizza – don’t know the name!

Tourist & Jewish Info:
I’m combining these sections as these items are likely intertwined.

• Visiting the Kotel (Western Wall) is a must, whether you go every day, or you’ve never been, the Kotel is the closest point to the holiest of Jewish locations in the world. Jews from around the world come to the Kotel to pray, ask G-d for favors, and connect spiritually. Catching a minyan at the kotel is an experience in and of itself. Definitely try going Friday night for Kabbalat Shabbat.



• Next to the Kotel is the Western Wall tunnels, which is a great historical tour that I highly recommend. You’ll be able to learn about the First and Second Temples and the history of the Old City and how it got to how it looks today.

• The Tower of David is just inside Jaffa Gate, the museum takes you through 4,000 years of Jerusalem’s Old City history. At the top of the tower there’s a great view of the city. Additionally, every night they run a spectacular light show. Buy tickets in advance as they sell out early!
• The recently redone and refurbished Ramban shul in the heart of the Rova. Great place to catch a minyan if you don’t want to walk down to the Kotel.
• Other places to visit include:
  • Ophel Archaeological Park
  • The Burnt House
  • Wohl Museum of Archeology
  • The Cardo
  • The Ramparts Walk
  • The Arab Shuk (if it’s safe)

This post is sponsored by:

Eldan Car Rental The Best Way To See Israel
and
TravelCell International Cell Phone Rentals

Thank you to Claire Horwich (@PrinceHorwich) for this review while she was in Israel recently.

Cafe Tapuz – Nehalim Street, Bazra Moshav, Israel
Phone: 09-746-9322

Café Tapuz is located in an orange grove in Moshav Bazra (Batzra/Batsra/Basra – or however it is spelled in English) in the Sharon region of Israel (directly north of Ra’anana) [and in case you didn't know, "Tapuz" means Orange in Hebrew]. It’s a really stunning setting where you can sit inside or out, but mostly outside on the deck, where little tables are placed in-between the trees … with the smell of oranges everywhere! Tea lights were strategically placed on the wooden, rustic tables.

The menu was simple. It contained pastas, fish, and a “health” option. They also are capable of preparing a diabetic special desert. I enjoyed the sweet potato ravioli with cream, mushroom and white wine sauce, with strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Both were delicious. My husband had their specialty – a “jacket potato” that comes in s skillet covered in mushroom cream sauce and smoked salmon, with chocolate fondant for dessert. He said the main was great but his dessert was just OK (although he still finished it completely!). My father in law had the tofu stir fry, and mother in law had sesame crusted salmon on potato dauphinoise. Both very good.

Service was a little slow (which we hear is typical here), but still very nice and polite. Worth noting that it was very busy. We hear that their breakfasts and brunches are fantastic. Expect to pay approximately 60 shekels per person.

This post is sponsored by:

Eldan Car Rental The Best Way To See Israel
and
TravelCell International Cell Phone Rentals

The Jerusalem Beer Festival is celebrating its 7th year at the city’s historic train station, now a cultural center near Yemin Moshe and Katamon.

Over 100,000 liters of more than a hundred brands from all over the world will be offered, mainstream, boutique and local brewed.

Some of the Beers on hand will include:

• Chimay – Belgium
• Carlsberg – Denmark
• Goldstar – Israel
  
• Tuborg – Denmark
• Heineken – Holland
• Maccabee – Israel
• Guinness – Ireland
• Lone Tree – Israel (Gush Etzion)
• Leffe – Belgium
• Hoegaarden – Belgium
• Pauliner – Germany
• Murphy’s – Ireland
• Stella Artois – Belgium
• Weihenstephan – Germany
• Alexander – Israel
• Shapira – Israel (Bet Shemesh)
• Krombacher – Germany
• Samuel Adams – United States
• Belhaven – United Kingdom
• Shamai – Israel
• Maredsous – Belgium
• Schneider – Germany
• Lindemans – Belgium
• Dancing Camel – Israel (Tel Aviv)
• Kasteel – Belgium
• Kozel – Czech Republic
• Chang – Thailand
• Pilsner Urquell – Czech Republic
• Fuller’s – United Kingdom
• Paulaner – Germany
• St. Bernardus – Belgium
• Staropramen – Czech Republic

At the 2-day festival, the historic train station will become a huge bar with impressive structures and luxurious attractions.

Besides the large variety of fabulous beers, visitors can enjoy the perfect beer festival experience with various food stands (many kosher), accessories for purchase, an exclusive beer store, lounging areas, live beer production process demonstrations, and musical performances.

Every night on the main stage, the audience will enjoy a live show by Israel’s leading bands along with an exciting party hosted by one of the upscale Israeli DJ’s including: Mercedes Band (www.myspace.com/mercedesband) and Beit Habubot (www.myspace.com/beithabubotisrael). Following the concerts, top Israeli DJs Elad Veron and Dror Shalit will take the stage.

WHEN? August 31 – September 01, 2011 || 18:00 to 24:00 (6pm – Midnight)
WHERE? Old Train Station on Derech Hebron in Jerusalem, Israel
HOW MUCH? General Admission: 30 NIS || Soldiers, students and visitors with a Jerusalem Resident card: 25 NIS

The festival organizers recommend arriving early.

Check out all the festival details at www.JerusalemBeer.com

This post is sponsored by:

Eldan Car Rental The Best Way To See Israel
and
TravelCell International Cell Phone Rentals

Tu B’Av (ט”ו באב), known locally in Israel as the holiday of love (חג האהבה), or the “Jewish Valentine’s Day”. For more info on the background of this minor Jewish holiday, click here.

The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel is offering diners an unique experience at their Sofia restaurant with a special Tu B’Av menu and dessert. (Click on the Menu Image to enlarge it)

The cost of the meal is 300₪ for a meal for two, plus a glass of wine each.

Kosher Supervision of Sofia is Rabbanut Yerushalayim.

Their world renowned chef, Moti Buchbut, is a true genius when it comes to presentation and construction of dishes. Whether you’re married or dating, this may lead to a truly romantic evening.

• Reservations are required. Click here to make a Reservation.
• The Inbal also has special discounted rooms for Tu B’Av night – but you must request it in advance. These rates are not published.

This post is sponsored by:

Eldan Car Rental The Best Way To See Israel
and
TravelCell International Cell Phone Rentals