Galil



Probably mentioned this before, but every summer Israel pretty much shuts down camps and smaller children programs,  making vacation a must. For those who don't get out, day trips often happen instead. If not that, then camp Saba and Savta or the older kids take care of the younger ones.

Luckily, in Beit Shemesh, we have a camp that goes till almost the last week of August. Israelis claim it is rather a costly camp,  but we still have not sprung out of the dollar to shekel translations in our head. We probably should. Anyhow, this year we booked a vacation right after Pessach (if you don't do this early, things book up solid) with friends visiting from Fairlawn Nj. We decided to stay at Tzipori Village, a tzimmer in the Galil.

Tzipori is a very cute area. Loads of trees. Grass. The village cottages for guests was built 30 years ago by an Oleh from Brooklyn. His dog Robert is cute. The cottages are two floors. The main floor has one bedroom,  powder room,  another room with a jacuzzi,  kitchen space for kosher dairy cooking. The second floor or loft has a room that can sleep about 5 or 6 children. The village also we learned has what they call an upper castle and lower castle. This space is great for larger get togethers. The downside,  no food prepared so everything would have to be catered in advance (can you tell I'm thinking of a bar mitzvah?) 

Now, I'm not much of a nature girl, but my husband and I both very much want to expose our children to nature and switch off with nicer destinations to mix it up. The downside of Tzipori is that no food is included. There is a local tzarchania (grocery) but it isn't open by the time perhaps returning from a trip. The grounds have a playground (dirt ground), tether ball. A pool that's more like a lake with fish that requires reservation. The other frustration was that we discovered that some guests had an inside advantage to staying here one night vs the three the owner requires. The refund policy is also pretty steep. It's a great place to come with friends and we are very glad we did.

On the way up we stopped at Zichron Yaakov and enjoyed really cute shops there. The next day we drove to Tzfat. The area was not how we remembered it. Huge mountain and very developed. A mix of ultra orthodox,  Chabad and earthy crunchy folk. Did seem to also see non affiliated. The views were incredible. We mostly walked to Tzfat's old city and then went to the Artist Quarter. After that we went to a museum called Otzar Hastam that teaches how to write tefillin and mezuzot. Somehow I won the contest first place and Josh second. We were me'vater on key chains with our names and had them prepared for the older two kids. The museum was stretched out which made attention span hard for kids (and adults). Pros were the cost was family friendly. The building was air conditioned really well and contained for kids that wander. Most of the kevarim we thought to randomly see were locked and the kids at this age (10, 8,  3 and 1) would not care for synagogue tours.

The next morning we decided to check out local places. Started off the day with Tzipori Park followed by horse back riding (108 shekel per person, regardless of age for a 30 minute riding session). We were disappointed to find that the Kirton winery asked for over 150 shekel per person for a twenty minute tour and 4 tastes of wines that kids would not be able to enjoy (why cost wasn't adjusted, not sure). Family is now enjoying the natural pool in Tzipori village.

Dinner we drove 20 minutes to a pasta factory like restaurant called Nadav desserts. We have never seen a place like it in Beit Shemesh - -  given that many places where we live are chain restaurants. Enjoyed more pool time. Given that we are with friends,  we found a way to reserve the pool for more than just one hour a day (another downside of Tzipori Village). The kids don't seem to notice the details,  which is good and it's overall a very nature catered destination. We now know a little bit more the differences between Hostels,  Hotels and Zimmers. Although some Zimmers do offer breakfast. Imagine it varies. Anyhow. Would rate this vacation as a B- given that the Galil also didn't have as many entertainment areas. Being with our friends made it an A+. 

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