Israel for Beginners

Goshen is an upscale grill meat restaurant located in the "garment district" of South Tel Aviv which has the feel of an up and coming area.  The restaurant's focus is all types of meat simply grilled with seasoning.  We ordered two types of meat based on the waiter's recommendation.  The meat is ordered by weight and comes to the table on a mini-grill with potatoes that are grilled to perfection and rice. The intention is for everyone to sample the meats.  The quality of meat was very good - not outstanding - but very good.  I did enjoy the appetizers immensely - we had a trio of different types of chopped liver (chicken, eggplant and zucchini) and lollipop chicken sticks. The focaccia was excellent.  And what made me most happy were the great desserts which is often lacking in meat restaurants.  We had a trio of different flavors of creme brulee (mango, coconut and chocolate whiskey) and a duet of chocolate souffles (one was chocolate with nougat and one was peppery

The Israel Museum is currently undergoing major renovation and the museum is primarily closed. However, the museum is showing several temporary exhibitions, including Blue and White which is a one room display of original documents pertaining to the State of Israel. The documents are varied and interesting such as the original Declaration of Independence, handwritten notes of David Ben Gurion, and a page from Ilan Ramon's diary that survived that Shuttle crash. The exhibit runs through February 2009. NOTE: The audio guide explanation adds some interesting anecdotal information. However, not all the audio guide explanations have been translated into English. Therefore, if your Hebrew is workable, it is worthwhile to take the audio guide with Hebrew explanation. Israel Museum - www.imjnet.org.il - 02-670-8811

What could be better than wandering around the flea market in Jaffa and enjoying the sights and smells? On a beautiful Friday morning I ventured out to Jaffa to wander the flea market and streets. Jaffa is an interesting mix of old and new, funky artist shop, ruins, and of course, a view of the Tel Aviv shoreline. The day was capped off by an excellent brunch at Yaffo Caffe and Gelato. I had the pizza for lunch and finished off with ice cream. Both the meal and dessert were excellent. My husband had shakshuka which was not as memorable but the brownie for dessert was. The service was great and sitting by the window and people watching could not be beat! As an aside, every Wednesday morning there is a free walking tour of Jaffa that focuses on the history of the city from ancient times. Meet at the Jaffa clock tower at 9:30 AM. Yaffo Caffe - 11 Olei Zion Street (Jaffa Flea Market) - 03-518-1988 For information about the Jaffa tour go to www.tel-aviv.gov.il/English

Sotheby's Israel has an annual international auction of Israeli art and Judaica held in New York. Pieces by top name Israeli artists as well as works by up and coming artists are represented. There is generally a pre-auction exhibition in Tel Aviv in order to allow Israeli patrons to view some of the art.  This year Sotheby's displayed the pieces in Beit Kastiel, a gallery/party space attached to the famous Kastiel furniture store.  The gallery is a funky space located in gritty south Tel Aviv in an area which has a Soho feel. I was fortunate to be part of a private group tour. However, I have been told that the art exhibit is open to the general public.  The auction is generally in the winter so the artwork is displayed in Israel sometime in the fall.  One should check with Sotheby's Israel for exact dates. Sotheby's Israel - 11 Yehuda Halevi (Tel Aviv) - 03-560-1666 Beit Kastiel - Elfassi 36 Tel Aviv

One of my favorite places to go out to eat is in Jerusalem where the choice of restaurants is staggering.  My husband and I fell in love with Canela - an upscale restaurant in the center of town - and we made many special trips to Jerusalem just to eat therere.  The food, from appetizers to desserts, has always been different and outstanding.  The staff seemed to take pride in its excellent service and know-how about food and wine.  Unfortunately, the last time we went the restaurant felt tired to me.  The service was lacking (we asked several times to see a wine list and finally gave up), the bathrooms lacked towels and the staff did not manage a rowdy crowd of patrons until about three tables complained. It is unfortunate because the food was still mouth-watering.  But somehow the evening lacked the sparkle it had on previous occasions. Canela - 8 Shlomzion Street (Jerusalem) - 02-622-2293

The Children's Museum of Holon has created Dialogue in the Darkness, a great interactive experience that should not be missed by young or old. For 90 minutes a blind guide leads a group of participants (with walking sticks) in rooms that are pitch black, in order to simulate the feelings and experience of a blind person. Each room is a recreation of a different environment such as a market. The museum recently introduced a similar tour simulating deafness which is led by a deaf guide; for obvious reasons Invitation to Silence is not as powerful as Dialogue in the Darkness but still quite interesting. In both cases, the tours end in a bar-like setting where one can order refreshments using sign language in Invitation to Silence and by feel in Dialogue in the Darkness (so take along small change). In addition, at the end of each tour the guide is happy to answer all questions. Reservations are required and the minimum recommended age is nine. Children's Museum of Holon - www.