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Watching the sun go down into the sea

Yesterday evening after work, my family and I went swimming at our nearest beach. Our nearest beach is Nasholim beach. One of the most amazing beaches in the world, it has everything a sea-lover might wish for. Small and large sea coves to explore, baby fish that you can either chase between the rocks or allow to nibble on your dead skin, a huge collection of sea shells and waves that are often large enough for surfing. You can look for the hidden mermaid's chair to make a sitting wish, catch some fish or sift for ancient archeological treasure. Our favourite bay at Nasholim is just big enough for a tiring swim from to one side to the other and back again. If you'd rather do beach instead of sea - the sand is white and soft and made for lazing. I usually stay in the water as much as possible. Life in Israel can be tense, so it is nice to float aimlessly without any thoughts in the Mediterranean sea. The summer is slowly coming to an end which means that the water is finally coo...
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Orange Cake

Copyright  http://www.flickr.com/photos/copleys/ I  used to work as a kindergarten teacher in Israel as a new immigrant. Just like any kindergarten over the world we would work around some kind of subject. Sometimes we talk about the Jewish holidays but also have subjects like the seasons of the year, colors or the family. One of the major subjects of winter is...maybe you have guessed it? Israel, Jaffa...those fruit you eat in the winter? That's right...ORANGES! During the winter we celebrate oranges, anything to do with oranges and many other citrus fruit too. (Pensioners for example are addicted to grape fruit juice, here. Don't ask me why!?). And every second person in Israel is either peeling himself an orange, drinking orange juice or eating orange cake during the orange season. And of course the young'uns need to be brainwashed properly, so we talk A LOT about oranges in the kindergarten. To show their parents that we have done a good job, we send ...
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The only way to eat sweet potatoes.

We are always running around looking for "fun" things to do or exciting places to go, that one sometimes forget that you are living life right here. Right now, right here where you are, with your hair uncombed and wearing your big and comfy jeans A small gesture this week just brought this fact into sharp focus again for me. I work in a kindergarten with barely enough time to scratch my head, never mind stopping to smell the roses. Out of the blue one of my colleagues handed me a little plate and said, "Taste this." The plate was one of those plastic ones that you get to eat from if you work in a kindergarten and "this" that I had to taste was heaven. Two slices of baked sweet potato with chopped rosemary and olive oil. The sweetness of the sweet potato comes out beautifully when you bake it. Mixing it with rosemary and olive oil was like a divine rhapsody . I am sure that thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands of people make their sw...
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One of my Favorite Hang-outs in Israel, the veggie market!

One of my Favorite Hang-outs in Israel by Marina Shemesh Every decent city in Israel got a fruit and vegetable market. Our nearest one is in Hadera . You have to be a bit brave to enter a market. It used to be a favourite hangout for suicide bombers here in Israel. But the markets are usually well guarded and everyone knows that you keep your eyes peeled for anybody wearing an over- large parka, or somebody that seems out of place. That is not so easy to do. Markets are very popular and all the different population groups in Israel can be found at the markets. Here in Hadera most of the stalls belong to Kafkhazi's . Apparently it is one of the small states inside Russia that have not gained i ndependence yet. Then you get the Gruzini's , they are from Georgia. Russians from Russia or the Ukraine. Ethiopians . Tai's and Philippians who came as guest workers. Jews and Arabs and one South-African (me!). I noticed The strawberries were very cheap. Four shekels f...
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Buying a fridge

Yesterday we all went to go and buy a fridge for my mother-in-law. By "all" I mean me, my husband, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law. Quite a crowd, I agree. We went to the nearest city of Hadera because somebody's cousin's friend said that they have good deals there. I planned on a nice and quiet morning of writing but when my husband asked for the third time if I am coming, I knew I am in for a boring morning. Unmarried people do not have an idea about spousal duties. Everthing was wrong was the fridge I liked, it was too small, it is the wrong colour and the freezer part is at the bottom, not the top. Whatever, it is not my fridge. The brother-in-law had more of an idea what she likes. It has to be big so that the pots can fit inside. Israeli's like to cook and then stick everything pot and all for later when you are hungry. Then you just take out the pot and stick it on the gas. This is home cooking. You do get freshly cooked food, but not often. A...
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Israeli street food – the magnificent and humble boureka

The square shape of the bourekas tells us that they are filled with a potato filling One does not have to spend a long time in Israel to get your first introduction to a boureka. These savory stuffed pastries are everywhere You'll find them for breakfast in hotel dining halls, in countless bakeries and coffee shops, on picnics and even at restaurants that only serve bourekas. They are often eaten in Israeli homes as part of a 'light' or diary meal in the evenings. (Most households in Israel usually serve the large cooked meal at lunchtime.) More often than not, bourekas are also an integral part of the wonderful Friday or Shabbat brunch table. To be really honest however, you basically eat a boureka whenever you encounter one. They are that irresistible. If you stop to grab a quick coffee at a coffee shop, the comforting smell of the bourekas will convince you to upgrade to a 'café ve'ma afe' (coffee + pastry). Wandering through street markets, the sight of fres...
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Sarah Aaronsohn - the 100 year-old heroine of Zichron Yaakov

Wikipedia Public domain Well, actually she has been around for more than a 100 years now. Sarah was born on the fifth of January 1890 and in 1917 died from the gunshot wounds of an attempted suicide. Our common home town, Zichron Yaakov, recently held the 100-year old anniversary of her death. In the suicide note she wrote: “I no longer have the strength to suffer, and it would be better for me to kill myself than to be tortured under their bloodied hands.”
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The wild mustard flowers of Israel

The wild mustard is growing yellow and everywhere in Israel at the moment. But not the kind of mustard that you eat with ketchup on your hotdog! Wild mustard as in wild mustard plants! :) I am talking about  Sinapsis Arvensis , a tiny yellow flower that grows in masses in fields, along road sides and abandoned building sites. Up close the wild mustard flower does not look like much - a bit on the puny side actually. But just come across a field filled with mustard flowers and you will be enchanted - just as I am every spring.
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