The Best of 2021 - Part II

1. Lifta  2. Tzora Forest  3. The Burma Road and Outpost 21  4. Nahal Sorek  5. The Hanut Ruins and Ein Mata  6. HaHamisha Forest and the Harel Brigade Monument  7. The Tzuba Spring and Belmont Fortress  8. Tel Tzafit  9. The Sorek Stream and Samson's Cave  10. Ein Kerem and the Beit Zayit Dam

My second review of 2021 covers my top 10 favourite places that I visited during the last year. There were actually too many places to decide on just 10 this year, so I split my top 10s into two. You will find my top 10 favourite places but also my top 10 favourite hikes. Mister Handmade in Israel and I really made the most of our limited ability to travel further afield this year and have continued getting to know the area around us, exploring the hills and lowlands around Jerusalem and beyond.

We started off the year visiting the Tzuba Spring and Belmont Fortress, the remains of a Crusader period fortress in the Jerusalem Hills. Another hike in the Jerusalem Hills, along Nahal Sorek, was one of the hardest hikes we did, though it was also an extremely beautiful one and perhaps the most satisfying. We visited Tel Tzafit, thought to be the site of the ancient Philistine city of Gath, and walked the historic Burma Road, an unpaved road built during Israel's War of Independence. The road was built in order to bypass Jordanian forces and to renew supplies of water, food and equipment to the Jewish community in Jerusalem.

We got lost in the Tzora Forest and saw beautiful spring flowers around Ein Kerem. I have driven past the remains of the Arab village of Lifta hundreds of time in the almost 27 years that I have lived in Israel but never knew the ruins were there! Hidden down below the road in a steep valley, it was wonderful to explore the old buildings and take some magical photos!

Basically, I have discovered a real passion for gentle hikes around my little country. I was once hesitant to hike without a guide but now we regularly pull on our walking boots and set off on a new route. I am loving it! I tell Mister Handmade in Israel that he should appreciate that I am happier with a flask of coffee and a sandwich in the hills, rather than an expensive restaurant or a spa.

1. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience  2. Nature 'n Nosh  3. Migdal Tsedek National Park  4. Khan Sha'ar Hagai  5. Zadok Ben-David: People I Saw but Never Met  6. "The Ball", Design Museum of Holon  7. The Hula Nature Reserve and Rosh Pina  8. Safed (or Zefat, Tsfat, Zfat, Safad, Safet, Tzfat)  9. Harrogate, Hull and London, 2021 10. Human Forms

Now, having said how much I enjoy hiking, I also love going to exhibitions and seeing new places. In 2020 I only managed to get to one indoor exhibition, POP-UP Museum TLV 2, a graffiti event in an old apartment building in central Tel Aviv. In 2021 I was able to see more, though we still go masked up, to protect myself and others at risk, and have to show our Tav Yarok (Green Pass), proving that we have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 in order to gain entry.
In 2021 I saw the wonderful "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" at Peres Park in Holon. I particularly enjoyed the virtual reality tour, where we were guided through a virtual, colourful depiction of Van Gogh's life. In June Mister Handmade in Israel and I went to see the Italian artist Ivo Bisignano's "Human Forms" exhibition in a cave at Beit Guvrin. In July I made a return visit to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art to see Zadok Ben-David's incredible installation, "People I Saw but Never Met" and was delighted by the amazing "The Ball" at the Design Museum of Holon.

But the best thing I did in 2021? I finally got on a plane and visited the UK to see my niece get married and to spend time with my dad! We had a wonderful time together.

I have blogged about all of these amazing places and more. Please click on the names above and enjoy exploring Israel (and a teeny tiny bit of the UK) with me!

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Funtastic Friday Link Party, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Sharon's Souvenirs, Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World.