Heading for Safed--May 9th, 2006
Heading for Safed--May 9th
We got up early the next morning, ate breakfast, and began our drive to the Galilee--heading for the home of Kabbalah and an artist colony to boot in the lovely small city of Safed. Our route took us along the coast and the Mediterranean was visible much of the way. The traffic in Tel Aviv is a pain, but once out of the city the highway speed of 80-90 kilometers/hr (50-56 miles/hr) kept us moving reasonably well. Our route passed by Netanya (a lovely seaside city that has seen its share of suicide bombings, most recently 2 years ago during Pesach) and through Haifa (the major port city in the north). Haifa is the home of the Bahai Temples and gardens--worth a visit, but not on our itinerary this trip--and is quite lovely in spots. We left the city and headed inland, finally arriving at Safed 3 1/2 hours after leaving Tel Aviv; forty minutes of the travel time was taken up in traffic in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The drive up to Safed is via a winding, well paved and marked, 2 lane road, and the views of the lush forested hills and wonderfully clean smelling air makes the trip a delight. I had booked a room at the Ruth Rimonim Hotel, one of many in the area but the one with the longest history (oldest inn in Israel that is still being used, though much expanded from its orignal size) and rumored to have the nicest ambiance. (FYI--rimonim is a Hebrew word for pomegranates.) The hotel certainly lived up to our expectations ambiance-wise with very interesting stone rooms in the main hotel area, vaulted ceilings, thick walls, lovely gardens, a nice workout space, a full range of spa services, and more than adequate sized rooms with marble bathrooms and even an electric hair dryer. The Rimonim is incredibly well situated for exploring the myriad art and sculpture galleries in Safed, as well as the many shops in the market area. It's one drawback is the food, unfortunately. We ate only 1 dinner and a breakfast there and were totally underwhelmed. The dinner was a buffet, in and of itself not a problem, but the quality and taste of most of the dishes was completely bland or non-descript; in our opinion, the food was no more than a C - and well worth passing up given other alternatives in nearby Rosh Pina. Dinner cost was high, considering the mediocrity of the food, and came in at $58 including a half bottle of wine.
The shopping is a delight in the marketplace, with locally produced paintings, sculpture, and unique handcrafts readily available. The artwork has a very Chassidic flavor, with dancing amongst the hills, joyous religious celebrations, Kabbalistic symbols, and biblical micro-calligraphy high on the creative menus and running the gamut from modestly priced to very pricey extremes. You can find unique mezzuzahs and hand-written "kosher" scrolls to go inside (about $60 for both), small-medium-large shofars or rams horns blown on the High Holidays (some with truly incredible resonance), Shabbat candlesticks made from hand-blown glass, and kiddush cups and menorahs made from silver or silver plate in traditional or modern motifs. There is even a store specializing in candles--locally made and in lots of amazing colors and designs. (These candles make great gifts to bring back for all your friends or co-workers.)
A word of caution is in order however. Israel, like many European countries, charges VAT (value added tax) on all purchases (note the operative word is ALL) that amounts to 17% of the purchase price. The VAT on non-food or gas expenses is refundable at the airport (see below for that story) but only if the purchases amount to at least $100 in one store AND if the shop is part of the national VAT refund listing. We learned the hard way that unless the store displays the "official VAT refund" logo and gives you the "official green form" accompanied by the original receipt, you WILL NOT get the refund you think you are due. Some shop owners will quote a price, but then tell you how much VAT you'll get back, and use that logic (rather persuasively I must admit) to get you to buy that "can't live without it/one of a kind" gift for Aunt Zeidi or the family back home. DON'T get fooled by this pitch unless you are prepared to make the purchase without regard to the VAT refund.
We got up early the next morning, ate breakfast, and began our drive to the Galilee--heading for the home of Kabbalah and an artist colony to boot in the lovely small city of Safed. Our route took us along the coast and the Mediterranean was visible much of the way. The traffic in Tel Aviv is a pain, but once out of the city the highway speed of 80-90 kilometers/hr (50-56 miles/hr) kept us moving reasonably well. Our route passed by Netanya (a lovely seaside city that has seen its share of suicide bombings, most recently 2 years ago during Pesach) and through Haifa (the major port city in the north). Haifa is the home of the Bahai Temples and gardens--worth a visit, but not on our itinerary this trip--and is quite lovely in spots. We left the city and headed inland, finally arriving at Safed 3 1/2 hours after leaving Tel Aviv; forty minutes of the travel time was taken up in traffic in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The drive up to Safed is via a winding, well paved and marked, 2 lane road, and the views of the lush forested hills and wonderfully clean smelling air makes the trip a delight. I had booked a room at the Ruth Rimonim Hotel, one of many in the area but the one with the longest history (oldest inn in Israel that is still being used, though much expanded from its orignal size) and rumored to have the nicest ambiance. (FYI--rimonim is a Hebrew word for pomegranates.) The hotel certainly lived up to our expectations ambiance-wise with very interesting stone rooms in the main hotel area, vaulted ceilings, thick walls, lovely gardens, a nice workout space, a full range of spa services, and more than adequate sized rooms with marble bathrooms and even an electric hair dryer. The Rimonim is incredibly well situated for exploring the myriad art and sculpture galleries in Safed, as well as the many shops in the market area. It's one drawback is the food, unfortunately. We ate only 1 dinner and a breakfast there and were totally underwhelmed. The dinner was a buffet, in and of itself not a problem, but the quality and taste of most of the dishes was completely bland or non-descript; in our opinion, the food was no more than a C - and well worth passing up given other alternatives in nearby Rosh Pina. Dinner cost was high, considering the mediocrity of the food, and came in at $58 including a half bottle of wine.
The shopping is a delight in the marketplace, with locally produced paintings, sculpture, and unique handcrafts readily available. The artwork has a very Chassidic flavor, with dancing amongst the hills, joyous religious celebrations, Kabbalistic symbols, and biblical micro-calligraphy high on the creative menus and running the gamut from modestly priced to very pricey extremes. You can find unique mezzuzahs and hand-written "kosher" scrolls to go inside (about $60 for both), small-medium-large shofars or rams horns blown on the High Holidays (some with truly incredible resonance), Shabbat candlesticks made from hand-blown glass, and kiddush cups and menorahs made from silver or silver plate in traditional or modern motifs. There is even a store specializing in candles--locally made and in lots of amazing colors and designs. (These candles make great gifts to bring back for all your friends or co-workers.)
A word of caution is in order however. Israel, like many European countries, charges VAT (value added tax) on all purchases (note the operative word is ALL) that amounts to 17% of the purchase price. The VAT on non-food or gas expenses is refundable at the airport (see below for that story) but only if the purchases amount to at least $100 in one store AND if the shop is part of the national VAT refund listing. We learned the hard way that unless the store displays the "official VAT refund" logo and gives you the "official green form" accompanied by the original receipt, you WILL NOT get the refund you think you are due. Some shop owners will quote a price, but then tell you how much VAT you'll get back, and use that logic (rather persuasively I must admit) to get you to buy that "can't live without it/one of a kind" gift for Aunt Zeidi or the family back home. DON'T get fooled by this pitch unless you are prepared to make the purchase without regard to the VAT refund.
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