To feel the Christmas atmosphere you do not need to remove the passport from the closet • The fir trees, decorations and lights can also be seen in the country, and good local food can also be added to your trip
Holiday atmosphere. Decorations at the strudel restaurant
Photography:
Pierre Magdalani
The Christmas fir trees we are used to seeing overseas, and if you did not go abroad at this time of year, you can always see Santa Claus in one of the various TV series or movies. However, the feeling that you abroad can be felt here in Israel as well At some locations without packing a suitcase and purchasing a plane ticket.
Enough here is a small bag, a car or even a public transport, and you get the feeling that you went through duty free. In different parts of the country, Jews and Christians live side by side celebrating Chanukah and Christmas. To that end, these areas are ornate, bright, shimmering, and especially worth a visit. And if we are already there, why not eat good local food?
Shimmering in Haifa
The German Colony in Haifa during this period wears a holiday. An evening visit to the foot of the Bahá'í Gardens will introduce you to restaurants decorated with a variety of holiday decorations, and at the end of the sparkling avenue, in the square, you will see a large fir tree.
On a trip in this area you should have a camera or a charged phone, because every moment there is another element worth taking pictures. One of the most ornate restaurants that invites you to enter is "Strodel", a restaurant with modern Arab food.
In the strudel, all the pastries are baked in a local tabun, where they offer a variety of dishes, such as al-Makhshi-zucchini stuffed with minced veal, halibut kebab with tomatoes, eggplant and onion, and shoshebark. The dishes are not to be missed by the Wadi Nisnas market, the arabesque and the vine leaves and the desserts - not to mention the restaurant "strudel". The restaurant is open from morning until midnight and also offers breakfast. For details: 077-7004312.
About ten minutes walk is the Wadi Nisnas Market, where Christmas pop-up shops can be found that only open at this time of year, and colorful holiday souvenirs can be purchased.
Those interested in tasting the market foods and getting more information about the area and the holidays being celebrated can take a culinary tour with Naama Sobol, who owns the "Eating Culture" blog, which sells every stone and trail in the market, as well as all the delicacies.
On the tour you will taste falafel from the veterans in the area, Pattayar, Kataif, Ali Geffen, Maklova, Shawarma and more. System Tip: Don't Eat Before.
For details: 052-5929262 or email tarbutachila@gmail.com
If you finish your tour late and want to sleep in the area, head to the Colony Boutique Hotel in the middle of the German Colony, walking distance from everything going on at Christmas. The hotel was recently refurbished but retained details of its original design, such as windows and wooden shutters, painted tiles that adorn the floors, wooden balustrades and other unique items. Ben Gurion Boulevard 28.
For details: 04-8513344.
Christmas Market
Haifa is not the only city that wears a holiday. These days, the tall and tall Nazarene fir tree stands proudly, and the many decorations of the holiday can now be seen almost everywhere.
For the first year, Golden Crown Hotel has a festive market decorated with holiday decorations, featuring dozens of diverse food stalls offering soups, smoked meats, unique candy stands, chestnuts and more. Next to them will be art booths with handcrafted products by 15 artists from Nazareth, Haifa and Jerusalem.
The market is open and will remain open until the 15th of the month from 4:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Price: Adult NIS 40, for child NIS 25.
Address: 2015 Street, Nazareth. Phone: 04-6508000.
If you haven't tasted your appetite for the seven food stalls and the area tour, head to Chef Elias Meter's Lukanda restaurant. The restaurant will offer a special Christmas menu with dishes such as winter mutton-rich lamb on root vegetables, sirloin on truffle root and truffle, mushroom pan, celery and beets, alongside lamb filet marinated in olive oil and more.
Address: 29 Zionist Road, Nazareth. Phone: 04-6130351.
The holiday market in Mi'ili
Miilya, located near the Tarshiha Maalot, began to decorate for Christmas, lighted fir trees are placed in the doorways, and colorful decorations adorn the balconies of the houses.
As befits a Christian town, quite a few holiday-related events are expected, including Christmas Market overseas, simulating Christmas markets abroad. .
And if we are in culinary business, on the 25th, a Christmas dinner will be held at the King's Fort - Chateau de See. It is a complex with internal and external courtyards, an ancient tunnel leading to the fort, halls and archaeological site from the Roman and Crusader periods.
Transparent surfaces were carved on the floor of the restaurant, allowing diners to see the Crusader-era antiquities area.
At Christmas dinner, Chef Elian Laos will serve a special special meal for NIS 230 per person, which will include some dishes and wine. For details: 077-7295934 and on the Galilee Treasures Project website.
Another culinary option in the area is the Lebanese Christmas dinner at Elravia's restaurant, which is cooked in an open kitchen for home-cooked meals. The food is fresh, cooked on wickets, seasonal ingredients and wonderful taste. The stuffed Christmas-based Christmas menu will be served, and dishes include rice-stuffed lamb, stuffed fried cuba, chicken or meat freak soup and more. For details and reservations, call: 077-9964426.
After dinner you can visit the Al-detention, the ancient canvas house in Miyale, where the oil is extracted by the old method by means of flour, donkey and press, just as it was produced in ancient times. Now is the harvest season, and this is a good opportunity to see the olive oil production process, and finally you can even purchase bottles home.
For details and reservations: 077-2315872.
