Meet the Mishpacha (Family)

I was so excited to meet Josh's extended family and had been looking forward to it for a long time. I know Josh well I think - after being together for almost nine years - but there's something to be said about meeting your partner's relatives. You not only learn more about their roots, but also more fully understand their many quirks (such as Josh's random river dancing routines).

For Josh it has been over a decade since he last saw his relatives in Israel but it was clear that time didn't matter. With everyone that we've seen it's felt like family right away, like we see them all the time. So far we've visited over 50 of them. And they are all wonderful. I'm amazed and fascinated at their lives and their stories. As most of you may know I'm an extremely nosy person and so I have been asking many many questions...

Josh with his Aunt Sari (who has so kindly let us stay in her home in Hod HaSharon - our home base - for our visit to Israel) and his Safta - grandma - Sari and Josh's Dad's mom. Safta is first generation Israeli but her family is from Poland. Sadly half of her relatives did not survive the Holocaust.

Josh's cousin Adi (Sari's son) - the one with the big smile, he's honestly one of the nicest guys I know but has a thing with smiling for the camera - and his fiance Adi. Yep, they have the same name. They have been unbelievable hosts to us. Taking us out in Tel Aviv and introducing us to their friends. Unfortunately we'll miss their wedding which is only a few weeks away.

This is a blend of the family. Josh's Mom's twin sister Yaffa in the middle of the photo, her husband Yehuda on the very left, with their three boys in the photo - David, Yoni (and his girlfriend Mo) and Daniel, plus Adi, Adi and Sari. We enjoyed two Shabbat (Friday) dinners at their place where we ate some of the best food we've had in Israel.

Yaffa - Josh's Mom's (Rachel) identical twin sister. This was something else! Not only does she look like Rachel, her voice and her mannerisms are the same. We played Wii bowling and when she got a strike she did a little victory dance that I've seen Rachel do many times. She's wonderful.

Josh's Dad Jacob joined us for the second Shabbat dinner (we've been so lucky to have Jacob with us in Israel for most of our visit). This is a photo just after one of the Shabbat prayers. Josh's cousin David - very left in the photo - was a combat soldier during his three year service in the army. Fortunately you don't hear of this too often especially from close family members.

One of our many outings with Jacob. This one's near Tel Aviv - a view of Tel Avi's skyline and beaches from the Arab quarter known as Jaffa. What a great day.

We went to Haifa (northern Israel) for a few days to visit with Rachel's older brother Zeev and his wife Gabby. They were such gracious hosts touring us around Haifa and taking us to some delicious lunch spots. This photo's from our lunch at an Arab restaurant where we ate our second favourite meal in Israel.

Zeev is the "crazy-scientist" of the family and has been a full time inventor for the past 20 years - he has upwards of 1000 patents to his name. I'm kicking myself because I forgot to take a picture of his workshop which is in the basement of his house. My jaw literally dropped when I saw it although I had no idea what most of the stuff was.

Gabby and Zeev had a big dinner at their place so that we could see more family which included Rachel's other brother Zohar, his wife Tammy and their son Ron - who I called mini Josh - as well as Gabby and Zeev's two kids Maya - who I called young Rachel - and Idan and their families.

I couldn't believe it when I saw Ron - he is a replica of Josh when he was around five years old (from the photos I've seen). Needless to say these two got along really well and Ron had a special fondness for me of course.

One of the many photos I have of Josh with his little cousins. They all loved him.

Josh with his cousins - Sari's three sons Adi, Tal and Ayal. Once again Adi is all smiles. Purdy/Kev/Steve/Pete, you boys would be proud as Josh's cousins were happy to make fun of his pink shirt on your behalf!

Sari's grandchilren - children of Ayal and Tal. Only one missing is Noam - six years old - who refused to be in the picture!

Another family get together with Jacob and Sari's Aunt Nahama, her husband Yossi their daughter and husband and grandchildren. Hadar - in the striped sweater and only 18 years old - had just been accepted to train as a fighter pilot in the Israeli airforce. This is a huge deal (and honour) as apparently there are only four women in the airforce today and something like 1 in 100,000 people get into the program. Over the next 3 years the Israeli government will invest $5 million in her training after which Hadar will serve a 9 year term in the airforce. The ironic thing is that she's afraid of flying but decided at 8 years old the only way to get over it is to fly a plane (true story). When I think about what I was doing at the age of 18 it really helps put things in perspective.

We spent last Saturday with family, at a park in a suburb called Holon. The cousins barbequed chicken kebabs, steak and chicken wings and we had a feast. There were about 20 of us and we had a blast playing cards, Matkot (a variation of ping pong/tennis) and Josh even played a game of piggy in the middle - must have been something in the humus.

Josh with this little cousin Nadav. The two were inseparable. I was starting to get a little jealous! Like most of Josh's cousins's he couldn't speak any English but somehow we communicated just fine.

Me with Sarit (Josh's cousin Tal's wonderful wife) and their oldest daughter Noah.

We've spent a lot of time with these kids (Noah, Nadav and Amit) and we wish we could bring them back to Canada with us!

Hopefully I haven't bored you with all of the family stuff but we've loved every minute and so appreciated the generosity, love and time spent with everyone. We feel spoiled and only hope that when they visit Canada we can attempt to do the same.

First Impressions from Israel

I can't lie that I was feeling a little nervous about coming to Israel. What I'd seen and heard in the news formed most of my opinions about this country: tension and war in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and bombings and conflicts Israel has with neighboring Arab countries. But I was still drawn to go. Josh's Mom and Dad were born in Israel, served in the army and then moved to Canada. Besides one uncle the majority of his family lives in Israel. I wanted to meet them and Josh wanted to re-connect since last visiting in 2000.

Even before we got on the plane from Istanbul to Tel Aviv we were questioned as to why we were travelling to Israel. Then we had a half-dozen passport checks in the Istanbul airport on our way to our gate. My nerves were rattling. But after landing in Tel Aviv things couldn't have been more smooth. I didn't see any soldiers or armed guards at the airport as expected. Passport control was a breeze. And there were no checkpoints when we were in the car on the way to Josh's aunt's. In fact, I felt completely safe and at ease.

Notice in the background our airplane companions. It was Sukkot in Israel - a very important Jewish holiday - and many Orthodox Jews were travelling there with their families.

I've noticed so many things about Israel that make it very different from anywhere I've ever been before. I wanted to share a few of them:

1. It's all about family
Here in Israel it's obvious that family is absolutely number one. And this is why I love this country. Not that North America is that much different but here it's much more pronounced. Children are so important and treasured (as they put it, they're the future, the next generation). In Israel you would never hear of kidnapping or assaults on children. It just doesn't really happen. Also, if a family member is down and out in any way, someone else within the family is always there for support. Even more so for me I realized this about Josh's family. I also had no idea how big his family is (all Israeli family seems huge to me), but I wasn't surprised to see how kind, generous and loving they are.

Josh's Aunt Yaffa and Uncle Yehuda and their family

2. Evidence of conflict is here but it's not in your face
It wasn't until Josh's Aunt Sari who we've been staying with gave us a tour of her huge apartment that I started to pick up on subtle signs that Israel can still be volatile. In addition to her three bedroom place Sari also has a 'war room', which is a secured shelter in case of an attack. Luckily this room has never been used.

On our first full day in Israel Josh and I ventured out for our first authentic shwarma. As we were sitting there enjoying our lunch I saw my first two Israeli soldiers who walked in to grab lunch. No one else noticed these two young men, probably 18 years old carrying massive, loaded, automatic machine guns. I lost my appetite right there. But as I've learned now after being here for a few weeks - this is normal. This is Israel. Everyone who turns 18 serves in the army. Two years for women and three years for men. Depending on your role you carry a weapon at all times, even when you're 'off duty'. This overtime has actually made me feel safe.

When you go to a mall in Israel you must go through armed security where they check your bags or they'll just ask you, "are you carrying a gun?" I still haven't gotten used to this one.

Here, political tensions are part of every day life. It can be in conversations, on the news but it doesn't consume their daily lives as you might expect. Two nights ago a missile fell in a field in a suburban area outside Tel Aviv. It was sent from the Gaza Strip. No one was hurt, but also no one seemed to be bothered much by this. Our family friends here were woken up by sirens but they didn't get out of bed. They went back to sleep. In Israel there are sirens in every area to alert people if a bomb or missile is coming. When you hear the siren you are warned to find shelter immediately or go into your war room.

Finally, while we were here the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was a POW by the Arabs for over five years, was liberated. This was huge news for Israel. But part of the deal is that 1,000 imprisoned Arabs will also be released. These are people who have committed mass murders against Israelis, who are now set free. This naturally created controversy but for the most part you can see that Israelis are so proud and protective of their soldiers and to save one of them was worth the thousand criminals.

3. Everything is close, yet everything is different
Josh and I can't help but ask often, "how far is it from here to Tel Aviv?" or "how long is the drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea?" The answer is pretty much guaranteed to be "everything is very close!" And it really is. Israel is smaller than Vancouver Island. We've seen a lot of the country already and that's only through 1 - 2 hour road trips.

The even more impressive thing is that the country is so diverse. You can drive an hour and a half north from Tel Aviv to Haifa, and it's lush and mountainous or drive the same amount of time South to the Dead Sea and it's desert land.

View of Tel Aviv

Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, the north

Desert landscape near the Dead Sea, south-east

4. Standard of living is unbalanced
From my understanding visiting here and talking to people, one of the main reasons Israelis decide to leave this country is because of the high cost of living. I always thought it was because of the political conflicts but I don't think this is the case. It seems impossible to keep your family afloat when an 'average' salary doesn't cover the costs of living. Your basic neccessities (food, clothing, etc.) cost about the same as Vancouver, yet the average wage is less than half. Young people are now protesting to the government telling them that things must change as it's impossible to afford Israel and more impossible to buy a home. Not an uncommon issue in Vancouver, but our problem is usually more focued on costs of real estate.

5. Lunch is the big meal of the day
Well I can't lie, for me I love every meal of the day and every meal I look forward to but in North America I'm accustomed to dinner being the bigger more social meal. Here in Israel, lunch is it. On Shabbat (Saturday's, which is like North America's Sundays) family's get together for a huge lunch, with many many courses. It's a two to four hour affair. And after that, no dinner really. This came as a bit of a surprise to Josh and I as we found ourselves pillaging through his aunt's fridge at 9 pm.

Josh's Aunt Sari and her family

Looking forward to the next post where I get to introduce you to my new, amazing, extended family!

Istanbul - Round 2, Rained Out

For our last two nights in Istanbul it felt like we were back in the middle of Fall, in Vancouver! It poured and poured.

We left Cirali and headed to a city called Antalya to catch our 5pm flight to Istanbul. Fortunately we got into Antalya nice and early and decided to try out a hamam - Turkish bath - apparently some of the best are in Kaleici (old town Antalya). After snaking through a dozen alley-size roads likely intended for bicycles and pedestrians in the torrential rain, we found Balik Pazari, a 700-year-old hamam.

A hamam is another must do in Turkey. In fact I wish we did it a few times. I'm a spa person and this is just another variation but so authentically Turkish. I won't take you step by step - it's easy to find a write up online - but we both walked out so relaxed (and a little bruised - in a good way) and cleaner than we've ever been before. Hearing the rain pouring outside made it even better in there.


After the hamam we headed to the airport, barely seeing through the windshield and avoiding some serious flooding. It was a big rainstorm. When we arrived at the entrance to the domestic terminal we were caught in a traffic jam at the gates which were stuck shut due to the rain. It was an entertaining 30 minute wait (luckily we had time) watching the Turks around us in a rage. An attendant finally arrived and he had to break the arms along five different gates so that cars could get into the terminal! It was beyond ridiculous.


Because of the rain storm our flight ended up being delayed eight hours. We didn't get to our hotel until about four in the morning. We still had our shorts and sandals on and were completely soaked (it was raining in Istanbul too). I've never been more excited when we got into our room at the Galata Antique Hotel and it was carpeted! So cozy.


We spent our last two days in Istanbul visiting the Grand Bazaar - the world's oldest market and grand it is with over 4000 shops - and shopping on Istikal Street, a popular local drag in the city.


Breakfast on the rooftop at the hotel.


Waiting for the train to the Bazaar.


Entrance to the Grand Bazaar.


Inside the Grand Bazaar.


The fanciest cowboy boots I've ever seen.





Near the end of our day our cheap umbrella broke! And the rain continued...


We stumbled on a sushi bar and Josh was like a kid in a candy store. He's clearly got a mouthful in this photo.


Finally a Nargile bar. Josh had had a bad cough for most of Turkey and wasn't able to smoke Nargile - which he was kind enough to remind me every other day. This was high on Josh's list of to-dos and fortunately we got a recommendation to a back alley spot packed to the brim with men and women all smoking their water pipes.


Our server Jimmy was an awesome host and he was happy to show us how it's done.

Thank you Turkey for an incredible three weeks and enough memories to last a lifetime. But we'll be back again soon.

Next stop: Josh's homeland, Israel.

Location:Antalya and Istanbul, Turkey

The Turkey Road Trip Continues

PATARA

After our sailing trip we had five nights left on the Turkish coast before heading back to Istanbul. We picked up our rental car and decided to head for three nights to Patara, a tiny little town known for its ruins and 18 km beach. Apparently if you Google "the best beach on the Mediterranean", Patara comes up as number one. It is pretty stunning with amazing sand dunes but not sure this one makes the top of my list. The surf and wind were pretty intense which made for one too many take-downs. But it was still very beautiful.












We enjoyed a few too many Turkish pancakes from this woman who had her own little ottoman-style cafe on the main road in town. I use the word "road" lightly as Patara is only home to about 900 people. The sweet and savory pancakes were whipped up from scratch and were super tasty - somewhere between a thin-crust pizza and crunchy crepe.


Our rental car was a lemon! Our first hiccup was a flat tire. We drove from the beach to town (five minutes) and when we got out of the car a Turkish man was laughing and pointing at us. Apparently flat tires are funny in Turkey? Luckily we had a spare which covered us for the rest of the trip. The air conditioner also leaked - more like a running tap on our feet - but hey we still got from A to B.


Our Hotel Patara Viewpoint was great. Nice pool and great views of the sea and the valley. Although our host wasn't the most colorful (Bueller, Bueller) you couldn't help but laugh at his monotone attempts at being a generous host. It gave the place a different kind of charm.



The view from our room.



The day we arrived in Patara was my birthday. Ahead of time Josh organized for fresh flowers and Turkish delight (famous sweet in Turkey) in our room. This completely surprised me! Very thoughtful.

CIRALI

We made sure to stop for a brief two night stay in Cirali - another great recommendation from the Goehrings. Cirali is a really tiny town nestled in the mountains, and on the sea - right beside Olympos home to the Greek Gods. We stayed at Anatolia Resort, which we quickly realized should have been labelled Anatolia's Farm House. There were literally a hundred roosters and goose-looking-things who were kind enough to get us up at the crack of dawn. Follow that up with the call to prayer from a mosque situated 50 meters away and we definitely had a couple of full days in Cirali! Funny, they neglected to mention all of this on their website. Made for a couple laughs and Cirali still proved to be one of our favorite stops.



Anatolia's lent out bikes to their guests. Mine was meant for an eight year old and Josh's probably even younger but they were great to take around town and explore. In the photo you can see Anatolia's on the left and the mosque on the right.


The beach in Cirali with Olympos mountain in the background. Cirali was even smaller than Patara (about 300 residents) which made for a couple quiet naps on the beach.





From this point we did about a 30 minute walk through the ruins of Olympos. Then headed back to the beach for some sun.



As per usual we adopted a cat. We were hanging on the beach and heard a cat crying. Soon enough he was cuddling with us on our towels. We named him Pringles (he loved our Pringles chips).






On our last morning we hiked a rocky mountainside above Cirali village to check out Chimaera which is a fascinating natural phenomenon - about a dozen flames burning from a mass of rock with no apparent fuel to sustain them. Apparently the flames have been venting from the earth for thousands of years.

Last stop in Turkey, Istanbul (Round 2). On the list: The Bazaar, hookah, and rain???

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Location:Patara and Cirali, Turkey