Israel

Took the family to Israel for 6 days and it worked better than I'd hoped. The kids were fascinated by Dead Sea — more than I expected from children who usually resist sightseeing. Food was manageable: even the pickiest eater in our group found things to eat, and Israeli breakfast spread went down we…

Three weeks is long enough to get past the tourist surface in Israel. The first week I was in Nazareth and the big sites like Western Wall. The second and third I went further and slower. The food evolution was interesting — hummus everywhere but prepared so differently by region. Tel Aviv's beach …

After a lot of research I thought I knew what to expect from Israel. Some things matched: Western Wall is as spectacular as every review says, and Tel Aviv has a genuine energy I'd read about. The hummus obsession is completely justified. What I wasn't prepared for: very intense and fascinating cul…

I wanted to love Israel more than I did. The positives exist: Dead Sea is genuinely impressive, Haifa has moments of real charm, and falafel is as good as people say. But some political sensitivities to be aware of was a persistent problem throughout the trip and dragged the experience down. I've h…

I went to Israel with modest expectations and left completely won over, largely thanks to time spent in Eilat. The city has a pace and character that travel guides undersell. Found a great spot for Israeli breakfast spread on day two and went back every day after that. Masada was the big planned ex…