A Wonderful Visit from my Parents

I forgot to include this photo for the last post. At the beginning of Passover it is traditional to burn you hametz (leavened bread). I've never actually done this before, and I don't believe people burn full loaves of bread, but usually just throw a few ceremonial pieces into the fire and get rid of the rest by other means (hopefully either donating it or hiding it away until after Passover to be used later). But on our way to the train station to go to Haifa we encountered a good handful of small bonfires just out in the open on the street.

View from our train watching the burning of hametz in an Orthodox neighborhood

A few days into the week of Passover my parents came for a fantastic visit. I had not expected them to visit me while I was here, so it was a wonderful bonus to have them come. We got to experience what it’s like to live in a Jewish city where everything during the week of Passover either shuts down or has to become kosher for Passover. Unfortunately lots of my favorite restaurants don’t bother becoming kosher for Passover (cleaning out all of their leavened bread- which in order to keep your Kosher certificate involves a very lengthy cleaning process) and just close for the week. Though we did find some incredibly delicious restaurants that were either not kosher to begin with, or did the full cleaning process. Both were good- though the verdict on the fake bread products made for Passover (made out of potato flour usually), was a little underwhelming.

Sign on our hotel- your leaved bread is not wanted here! ...and in most of Jerusalem for that matter

There is no shortage of matzah  here though, however.
Matzah as far as the eye can see in the shuk

We had a wonderful time running around Jerusalem, going to the Israel Museum, seeing the new Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower at Hadassah Hospital, the light show at the Tower of David, and enjoying the hustle and bustle at the shuk.

My parents inside the beautiful new Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower of the Hadassah Hospital

My parents and I capturing our reflection in an Anish Kapoor sculpture at the Israel Museum

Then we trekked down south in our rental car (kudos to my parents for braving the streets of Israel!) and covered ourselves in mud at the Dead Sea to reap all the benefits that you supposedly get from the minerals in the mud.

Slathered in mud at the Dead Sea

From there we headed down to Eilat, which would be our docking point to head out to Petra for the day. Petra was absolutely magnificent. It was somewhere that wasn’t necessarily on my radar of places to visit before I came to Israel, but once I got here everyone said it was such a wonderful place to go that I had to do it. It did not disappoint. The place is truly magnificent and has a very interesting history to go with it.

My parents walking in to Jordan

View overlooking Jordan before reaching Petra

In front of the Treasury in Petra

Jordan and Petra were wonderful, but returning back to Israel was also a really wonderful feeling.

Hanging out at the Red Sea in Eilat

After that we returned to Tel Aviv for a little relaxation on the beach, meeting my mom’s cousin who lives in one of the suburbs, and had an informative tour of Jaffa.

It was sad to see them go.