60 Is The New 40: Embracing Adventure in Israel

If you are in reasonably good shape and have a great pair of hiking shoes and the highest quality long-distance binoculars, you are ready to explore and venture into exhilarating new adventures in Israel. With a bit of trepidation, excitement, and anticipation, this “golden girl,” yours truly, joined four young and energetic journalists from Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles on a week-long “Adventure Trip” hosted and orchestrated by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

In addition to the must-visit cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, I was eager and ready for the most amazing and memorable travel experience in Israel with the newly-created Adventure Trip in the Negev Desert, The Dead Sea, and Eilat, the most southern port on the Red Sea.

Biking along the Mediterranean promenade from Tel Aviv to Jaffa, climbing to the stunning Masada with a brilliant desert landscape and a welcoming 5AM sunrise, hiking the Ein Gedi Waterfall Park and Timna’s King Solomon’s Copper Mines, rappelling in the Negev, trying my hand at desert archery, camel trekking with Bedouins (who also served us the most aromatic tea on their hospitality carpet), catching up on reading while floating in the Dead Sea, parasailing between Israel and Jordan, as well as swimming with dolphins in the Red Sea. Adventure, indeed!

Exploring Tel Aviv, the vibrant and modern city that never sleeps, and finally culminating our journey with the integration of “old and new” in Jerusalem, the most spectacular city in the world – all kept us extremely busy from morning to very late at night, while never forgetting the wining and dining in the most popular and highly-acclaimed restaurants, bars, cafes, with visits to fresh fruit and souvenir markets as well as the street food stands in Jerusalem.

But what a fab week! And I survived! The art of living, traveling, adventure, exploration, education, history, religion, dining, and hospitality were encompassed to the max in this week of incredibly packed sights to see, experience, and enjoy. And all under the perfect guidance and support of Ofir, our professional guide and lecturer supreme, who assisted me in converging on the holy sites and exploring the constellation of the past, present, and future of astonishing archeological and adventure sites of Israel.

To be a guide in Israel is a noble and academic profession that involves the need to be familiar with the intricacies of 4,000 years of history, as well as have intense knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. To be a tour guide in Israel requires extensive training and refresher courses every few years in order to maintain the guiding license. In Ofir’s case, he holds a Master’s Degree in comparative religions, presently working on his PhD; he is fluent in several languages and is a published author. We were very fortunate to have him as our guiding light to Israel.

Staying in luxury hotels with spectacular views, spoiling spas, and award-winning restaurants, such as the David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv, the David Citadel in Jerusalem, and the Isrotel Hotels in Eilat and the Dead Sea, was a pleasant reprieve throughout our journey following the hectic and demanding daily itinerary. Each of the mentioned hotels has a number of amazing chefs who take you on an enriching and full-filling gourmet journey of locally originated flavors and creative cuisine. With over 250 wineries spread out around Israel, the chefs manage to pair their food with a perfect wine.

Forget about lunch! The lavish breakfast buffets which are included in the price of the room are so enormous in size, taste, freshness, and selection that you will not need any food for the rest of the day, that is, until you will be perfectly hungry for the fun and piquant dinners and wine in every restaurant in the hotel, in the ports by the Mediterranean, or in the city centers.

Dining at Dallal in the vicinity of the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv’s new and stunning Neve Tzedek region of old historical buildings which were remodeled to be architectural jewels, or taking a short walk to the new Tachana plaza for a cup of the best coffee or an after dinner drink, or shopping in the exquisite boutiques will give you the local flavor of the city by the Mediterranean Sea. Ready to dance and boogie all night? Grab a taxi or a Segway (yes, my friends, they have reached the Holy Land) and take a 10 minutes ride to the ancient and magical city of Jaffa.

Spending two nights in Jerusalem offered us an opportunity to dine at the David Citadel Hotel’s award winning gourmet restaurant as well as at the city’s hot, hot, hot Hahazer, which was spectacular. Book a large table since the fabulous Israeli appetizers keep coming non stop.

“Think globally, eat locally” is my motto in every country I visit. On this trip in particular my motto became, “When in Israel, eat as the locals eat.” I actually like to select local Israeli dishes such as freshly grilled fish, shipudim (which is grilled chicken skewers), steaks in pita bread, fresh salad, dozens of little samplers of humus, thina, grilled eggplant, and Israeli beer or wine, and relax with my friends by the sea in the restaurants located right on the beach or in the beautifully illuminated ports. This is as authentic and as good as it gets.

In his response to my glowing e-mail reports from Israel, my son Mark said, “Wish I were there on this trip.” “Yes, I wish so too, darling.” My next birthday present for Mark will be a pair of excellent binoculars and a pair of the highest quality hiking shoes.

For Adventure Trip to Israel and any info related to travel in Israel, please visit www.goisrael.com.

Thanks to the convenient and affordable non-stop El Al Airlinesflight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, which includes the flight connection from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the price, my trip was more relaxing and worry free. www.elal.co.il.

Our guide, Ofir Jacobson, can be reached by visiting ofirjacobson.com.

All photos by Lina Broydo.

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, not the best of ‘‘balabostas’’ her beloved beautiful Mom, Dina, was hoping for. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out.

By Lina Broydo