Picture Perfect
You've been thinking about it for years, and friends and relatives
have told you that you have to go, and you can't think of a single
reason to put it off any longer — don't.
There is nothing in the world as
exciting and fulfilling as a trip to Is-
rael. You will learn more in two
weeks than you thought imaginable
and, with the proper guide, come
back better educated about Middle
East politics and Jewish history.
Of course, the trip will be a lot of
fun, too. Don't miss dining on falafel and drinking Turkish coffee
and almond juice, or buying Israeli perfume and cassettes. If you
have time, see a classical concert or check out an Israeli film.
When you return to the United States, send us a copy of your fa-
vorite photo. We would love to run it in The AppleTree!
Note to parents with young children Be sure to check out thill
month's "Parents Page," where you'll find great tips for travel-
ing with your little ones.
Travel
Tips
What To Pack
THE APPLETREE
• A camera Whether it's your
first or 50th trip to Israel, this is
the most important item to
bring. You simply cannot have
enough photos of your great ad-
venture.
4
• Small gifts for old and new
friends. No doubt you will re-
ceive invitations to a meal or for
coffee; Israelis are eager to dis-
cuss such topics as politics and
U.S.-Israel relations with visitors
from abroad. If you do go for
dinner, its nice to bring along a
small, distinctly American
such as socks bearing a famous-
name brand, or a kosher food
made here, or a box of greeting
cards or stickers.
• A good book You may nev-
er have a chance to read it
Then again, you may find your-
self sitting an extra hour aboard
your El Al airplane, famed for its
thorough (ie, lengthy) security
checks. In any case, you don't
want to end up buying a book
in Israel, as those imported from
both England and the United
o e you with
out finding
cinating spots to
visit in Israel.
One we recommend is Kids
Love Israel (Kar-Ben Copies)
by Barbara Safer. It's the per-
fect guide for families traveling
with children of all ages.
The guide includes the
phone number, location, ad-
mission fee and a brief de-
cription of many places
certain to delight you and
your children. These include:
In Jerusalem:
* The Siebenberg House,
States are expensive.
• A comfortable pair of shoes.
Israelis spend a lot of time walk-
ing. You will, too.
• A secure purse or wallet
Pickpockets throughout the
world are famous for being able
to identify tourists (translate:
easy marks) in an in-
stant Make certain
your money is in a
purse that can be
zipped and held close
to the body, or a wallet
kept in your front, not
back, pocket.
• Extra cash and cred-
it cards. Be assured:
you'll find many, many
items you cannot live
without
Don't Bother
• A lot of clothing. Is-
rael is not a formal
country. Bring com-
where you can see artifacts
(found by a couple
when they did home renova-
tions) from the past 3,000
years.
* The Cable Car Museum,
which houses a cable car
used to bring supplies to sol-
diers during the War of Inde-
pendence.
* The Magic Road, which
defies gravity; drive down-
hill, but it seems like you're
going up.
* The Havat Nokdim Ex-
perimental Farm, where chil-
dren can= bottle-feed lambs
and make pita.
In Tel Aviv:
* The Educational Center
for Games, home to more
than 1,000 board games
(many of which you can play)
* The Harry Oppenheimer
Diamond Museum, where
you'll learn how diamonds
are mined and polished.
*. The Tzapari Bird Center,-
with magnificent birds from
throughout the world.
* Safari Park, home to
1,600 animals that roam fre
fortable shirts, pants and dresses
that don't need ironing.
• Toiletries. You will find every-
thing from top-notch shampoo
to the finest perfumes in any
major Israeli
• Israeli currency. You can ex-
change dollars for shekels at al-
most any bank in Israel.
• Anything electric, unless its
essential Israel's electrical cur-
rent is compatible with Ameri-
can products only with the aid
of an adaptor. While these are
available at local travel shops,
they are not inexpensive. Learn
to do without your blow dryer
or curling iron or electric razor
for the duration of the trip.
• Food For some inexplicable
reason, some Americans seem
to believe there will be nothing
for them to eat (that is, nothing
they like) in Israel. Be assured,
Israel has plenty of food and it's
delicious. Even if you don't care
for falafel and shwarma, you'll
have little trouble finding pizza,
or a hamburger that tastes just
like the one back home.
In Haifa:
* The Dagon Grain Muse-
urn, the only grain museum
in the world.
• Packages and letters to be
mailed in Israel If it's a stranger
asking, anything could be there
from contraband to a bomb.
And if it's from people you
know: If they're really friends,
they won't ask. First of all,
postage from the United States
to Israel is affordable and letters
arrive in a matter of days. Sec-
ond, you are not a mailman;
you are going on a grand adven-
ture and you do not need to be
responsible for doing anyone's
chores along the way. Third, (._/
you will be asked time and
again, both by airline and cus-
toms officials, whether you
were given any packages or let-
ters to mail in Israel. (Their con-
cern, of course, is security). Do
you really want to lie every
time?