Cuisine and Culture of Israel

Day One

• Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport and private transfer to your boutique hotel in Tel Aviv.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on your own, with suggestions by your host.

Day Two

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart for Jaffa, where you will discover three very different sites. First head to the serenity of St. Peter’s Church, then experience the fast and furious haggling of the treasures of the local flea market, and then discover the waterfront scene at the historic port. Stop for a sweet during your walking tour.
• Return to Tel Aviv to walk along the Rothschild Boulevard to see the famous White City (a UNESCO World Heritage). Various architects have created an outstanding ensemble of the Modern Movement in a new cultural context.
• Next, have a walking tour of Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s new, hip neighborhood where the intellectual elite lived during the early days of Israel.
• Head to Shuk haCarmel, the city’s most colorful open air market, where you will see foods on display from exotic spices to the freshest fish. Explore and shop for local ingredients, and then prepare a traditional Israeli dish with Tal, a young Tel Aviv native and passionate entrepreneur whose dream is to expose people from around the world to the experiences and flavors of her hometown.
• Dinner tonight (cost paid locally) will be at a local restaurant known for its innovative chefs who are creating new interpretations of Israeli cuisine. Enjoy a fresh, locally sourced menu.
• Overnight.

Day Three

• Breakfast and check out.
• Meet your guide and head off to the coast. First drive to Ceasarea, the magnificent port built by King Herod. Tour the Roman amphitheater, the port, hippodrome, and aqueduct. It is a magnificent archeological site which has been wonderfully restored and brought back to life.
• Continue on to Haifa, where you will ascend Mt. Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the beautiful Bahai Gardens with its impressive Shrine.
• Continue on to the Old City of Acre (Akko in Hebrew), which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Experience a Culinary Tasting Tour of the old market in Akko for lunch, a place full of colorful stalls displaying fish, oriental pastries, and array of spices.
• Arrive in Jerusalem and check in to your hotel.
• Dinner on your own tonight with suggestions from your guide.

Day Four

• Breakfast, then head out to explore the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. Go beyond the typical tourist sites and connect to yourself and to centuries of spirituality as you visit the most sacred sites to three of the world’s religious .Your guide will illustrate the rich history and deep meaning of Jerusalem to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
• Enter the Old City through the Armenian Quarter. You will wind your way through the twists and turns of the picturesque alleys and marvel at the history and culture packed into a single square mile. Next head to the Jewish Quarter, which was recontstructed when the city was unified after the Six-Day War in 1967. A special point of interest is the restored Jewish Quarter called the “Cardo.” See the excavated Roman thoroughfare and ancient marketplace lined with columns. Visit also the Hurva Synagogue.
• Enjoy a tasting tour of the market including a Kebab making workshop, led by a fourth-generation native of the Old City of Jerusalem.
• Next, head to the Western Wall, which is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people.
  Climb the rooftops for an up-close view of the Dome of the Rock, where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed began his Night Journey to Heaven, and learn why it is arguably the most important rock in the wold.
• From there continue through the Shuk to the Muslim Quarter.
• Walk to the Via Dolorosa and end with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, sacred to Christians as the location where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Your guide will show how the Bible meets archeology at this important site.
• In the evening, experience a tour of the Machane Yehuda Market, one of the country’s most beloved markets, and learn more about Israeli cuisine. You will enjoy a cooking workshop with Chef Tali Friedman, owner of the famous Atelier restaurant in the Machane Yehuda Market. Chef Tali opened the restaurant in 2009 because she wanted to create a space that would combine her love of simply food with elegance and hospitality, and that would showcase the food that is sourced from the market, which she considers the beating heart of Jerusalem.

Day Five

• Breakfast
• Head outside of Jerusalem in the morning to Tel Azeka, and view from an ancient Israelite settlement the battlefield where David fought Goliath.
• Next, enjoy a foraging tour in the Judean hills and the Ella Valley with a local chef. The ancient equivalent of a supermarket was a visit to the local fields. You will forage amidst the beautiful hills and then cook up a feast of biblical proportions with chef Nurit.
• From there, head to the Nevo winery for a visit and tasting.
• Return to Jerusalem, dinner on your own and overnight.

Day Six

• Breakfast, then depart for a visit to the Dead Sea. The scenic drive is flanked by the Judean mountains on the one side, and by the Dead Sea on the other. You will head to the beautiful Ein Gedi Reserve, where you can see waterfalls at the oasis in the desert, which is mentioned several times in the Book of Psalms, and hear the stories of King David hiding from King Saul. The combination of Ein Gedi’s abundant water and the tropical climate allow for lush vegetation.
• Next you are off to Masada for a memorable tour of the ancient hilltop fortress. Learn about the historic struggle of the Jews and its dramatic ending, which have become an important symbol for today’s Israel. Take an insider’s peek at the hidden section of Masada, home to first-century artefacts.
• Swim at one of the hotels on the shore of the Dead Sea. Cover yourself with the mineral-laden mud and enjoy the therapeutic and buoyant waters of the sea.
• Return to Jerusalem. Overnight.

Day Seven

• Breakfast, then head to the world-class Israel Museum to see its outstanding exhibits of local archeology, Jewish traditions, contemporary art, and the famous Dead Sea Scrolls.
• Next head to the Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, for a moving experience in tribute to the 6,000,000 Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust.
• From there, head to Bethlehem, separated from Jerusalem by the security barrier (also called the “fence” or “wall”), for an opportunity to understand the challenges Israel faces and the rationales behind the barrier before crossing over to the Palestinian side to learn about the effects of the conflict on their day-to-day life.
  You will be invited to gain insight into the Palestinian way of life while experiencing a meal in someone’s kitchen. You can ask questions, learn traditional dishes and cuisine, and gain an appreciation of a reality that goes much deeper than how it is portrayed in the media.
• Finally, head to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the purported site of Jesus’s birth.
• Return to Jerusalem, overnight.

Day Eight

• Breakfast and check out. Transfer to the Ben Gurion Airport for your flight.