Art Appreciation

In my last post I described the wonderful little zimmer in the Lower Galilee where we were lucky enough to spend last weekend. I promised more photos from our few days away and here they are!We last visited the town of Zikhron Yaakov not so very long ago, during the recent Passover holidays. However, with two boys in tow, I wasn't able to enjoy the boutique shops selling locally-made crafts, jewellery and antiques as much as I would have liked! This time my husband showed endless patience and gave me plenty of time to wander along the picturesque and historic main street, Derekh HaYayin ("Path of the Wine"), to appreciate the many beautiful items I saw there.
After a delicious lunch in a local restaurant - rather than our usual picnic - we went to meet our Glasgow-born guide at the Carmel-Mizrahi Winery, located right in the centre of the town. Zikhron Ya'akov was founded in 1882 when 100 Jewish pioneers from Romania purchased some land in the area. The difficulty of working the rocky soil and an outbreak of malaria led many of the settlers to leave before the year was up but shortly afterwards Baron Edmond James de Rothschild became the patron of the settlement and drew up plans for its residential layout and agricultural economy. He renamed the settlement in memory of his father, James (Ya'akov) Mayer de Rothschild. In 1885 Rothschild helped to establish the first winery in Israel, the Carmel Winery, which was an economic success and soon began to flourish. Today the winery remains in action and we enjoyed our tour in the cool cellars and the session in the specialist tasting room that was part of it!Our second day was spent in the ancient city of Safed, a small town located in Northern Israel, 900 meters above sea level, in the mountains of the Upper Galilee. Safed is considered one of Judaism's four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias and today is considered to be the centre of Jewish mysticism. It has also become known as Israel's art capital, my main reason for visiting there. The artists colony established in Safed's Old City is a hub of creativity. The narrow cobblestone alleys reveal some modest artists' studios together with some of Israel's leading art galleries and this time my husband began to enjoy, and even appreciate, some of the little galleries and studios that we visited. Me? I was in heaven! With plenty of time to look around and relish the nooks and crannies around me, and time to stop and appreciate the art - both indoors and out - I couldn't have asked for a better birthday getaway!