Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Nazareth: City of Mysteries

Lilly, with her third pair of sunglasses -.-

I broke my second pair of sunglasses in Nazareth (one screw is lost), so I was forced to buy a new pair at the Bazaar. This is how I got those fancy pink ones! Really, you cannot go out of the house during the day without sunglasses. Nazareth is a beautiful city, but the traffic is crazy...I would not dare to drive a car there. The food is amazingly delicious - I'd like to spent a week here, just eating through all the yummy restaurants!! We spent the night in an old convent (very calm place to sleep^^) - Galila had to be smuggled in. Here is an impression of our adventures in Nazareth:

HL, T. and Lilly after visiting a mosque, on our way to the Bazaar in Nazareth.

HL, bargaining at the Bazaar about buttons for a new DIY-project.

The Church of Annunciation: at this place Mary is supposed to got informed from the Angel Gabriel that she'll have God's child. It is the biggest Christian church in the Middle East.

Did you ever see an Arabic cemetery? Well, I didn't.

We found a great little restaurant at the Bazaar and stopped for a traditional lunch^^.

Israeli dishes: Falafel, pitta bread, lebone cheese (white), humus (beige), salad and more salad XDD. You drink mint leomande with it or/and water.

For dessert, there is strong black coffee and small pancakes with honey that are filled with white cheese or nuts. Super-yummy!!!

***Have a great evening, my lovelies!***
♥♥♥


Monday, July 26, 2010

Step Up, City Girl!

Summer, summer, summer!! :D (source)

Not that I have everything here in Israel that I need....I bought tons of jewellery and dresses =) (already picture the airport staff asking like "You want to open a boutique or something??!"). The only problem is getting proper shoes... (not that I currently can walk in anything else than flip flops, lol). And as much as I try to avoid the online shop of our favourite Swedish fashion house, those stunning summer shoes are on my wishlist =)). How do you like them?

No.1 Lace Peeptoe Booties (my favourites^^)♥♥♥. 40 Euro.

No.2 Soft Pink High Heels. 40 Euro.

No. 3 Cut-out Booties in Marshmallow Pink. 30 Euro.

No.4 Flower Print High Heels. 30 Euro.

Here is my mission: Writing to H&M and complaining about the fact that their size 41 is generally a little too small for average 41. I am not supposed to cut off one of my toes like the sisters from Cinderella, am I??! Lots of sun and love to you,




Sunday, July 25, 2010

Lake Kinneret: The Mount of Beatitudes

The Church on the Mount of Beatitudes, North Israel.

In the warm afternoon sun, we reached the famous Lake Kinneret (Genezareth) on our road trip through all regions of Israel. It was already a little late, so we rushed to visit a few of the many holy places along the lake (which close before 17h). At the place of this church, Jesus is said to have given the blessings from the Bible (~therefore Mount of 'Blessedness' would also fit as description). Isn't it beautiful??! Many pilgrims visit this cloister every day.

A look in the garden around the church (yaay, palm trees^^).

~An exotic blossom~.

Great view over the Lake Kinneret^^. It is the fresh water lake, which is most below the mean sea level in the world. Many events in the Bible are connected to the Kinneret!!!

Lilly at the shore of the Kinneret (I am in the middle of a monk cloister there, so swimming is forbidden, lol. And I only took the shawl of my shoulders for a second to shoot the picture).

We drove to this beach and jumped into the lake. YR complained that a fish bit him, maybe that is a lucky sign? He told me: "Lilly, you have to be careful; this is fresh water, it doesn't have much buoyancy!"- I laughed at him an explained that this is the only type of lake we have in Germany =))). [In Israel, swimming in the Dead Sea and the Red Sea is fairly comfortable, because the high salt content keeps you at the surface).

Look at our poor sweetheart Galila! I totally used this situation, catched her and washed her ears (still wet, hehe). After that she looked too miserable for my initial mission to train her in swimming a bit. Instead, she was more interested in drinking the water from the lake (out of my hands of course, spoilt dog!). She looks really like a baby German shepherd dog, does she?

***

Only a few more weeks left in Israel. I feel very happy here, but I am also looking forward to go home and see my friends and family again. Hopefully they will still recognize me (tanned as I am, haha) *-*. Love,



Saturday, July 24, 2010

Autumn Favourites at H&M 2010

Classic Grey Coat, 50 Euro.

Summer is still at its best, but H&M already provides hungry fashionistas with new inspiration for the autumn season. My favourites this year? An outfit that combines caramel, ferrari red and black together. The red blouse and the long cardigan are my most favoured picks^^. And I started to consider buying the black hat... not that I specifically like hats (aside from the small French berets I own), but I feel in the mood for some fashion experiments ... *Cough, cough*, I already apologize to my friends in advance, lol^^. Here's what I like best so far:

No.1 - Red Blouse with ruffles, 20 Euro. ♥♥♥


No.2 - Elegant Chiffon Dress, 30 Euro.

No.3 - Classical Shopper, 2o Euro.


No.4 - Pearl Hair Jewellery, 5 Euro.


No. 5 - Long Caramel Cardigan, 20 Euro. ♥♥♥

No.6 - Black Hat, 8 Euro.

Something you fancy?! Can't wait to check out the rest in the new autumn catalogue that is (hopefully) waiting for me at home in Germany. After 4 months of constant summer ... rain, fog and a cloudy sky seem nothing more than a distant memory, like something from a dream that you have nearly already forgotten about...More soon ♥. Love,



Friday, July 23, 2010

Nimrod: Castle in the Sky

The boarders to Lebanon and Syria are in sight from here! The Golan heights don't only have the most beautiful waterfalls (here), they also surprise their visitors with a castle in the sky =). Okay, but at least as close to the sky as possible! Nimrod is a famous fortress in Israel - initially build by Muslims, later taken over by the Crusaders that came to the holy land and a few hundred years later it got destroyed by a severe earthquake.

Lilly, enjoying the view over the valley below the castle. (shirt+belt noname, pants hm, necklace+earrings souvenirs, hat outdoor shop).

A hidden water cistern in the castle. We found doves and bats there! Magical, hu??!

What the earthquake left of this gigantic fortress... (walking there is only allowed on special trails).

On this day, Galila (our rescued puppy dog) was strong enough to follow us around the castle by herself. She messed with other dogs, got lost between the rocks and was too small to climb some of the huge stone stairs.

Portrait of HL, YR and Gaaalilaaa!!!

During a road stop at a small café...we smuggeled Galila in and she was patiently sleeping under the table for an hour. She is the most well-behaving puppy I ever saw! (sleepily opening an eye for me =)).

***

The Nimrod castle was the most Northern point of our road trip. That day we headed back to the South, in search of new adventures along the way =). More soon. Love,



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A Midsummer Night's Dream

This is my favourite dress from Jerusalem: over and over covered in roses, very Sleeping Beauty-like^^.♥ I found it in a small shop on Jaffa Street. The lenght is ideal!

Bracelet from H&M. Thanks to K.A.By. for taking the pictures!

We were going out that night to the beach to have drinks in a small bar. The wind is execptionally warm, like from a hair blow dryer!

The heels are a present from my dear JP. for last Christmas, they are perfect! I got the embroidered bag in Jerusalem's Old City. The black rose ring is from six, the earrings from madonna.

My favourite summer outfit =)). But then, what else can you wear, when the temperatures don't significantly drop during the night??! More soon^^. Love,



Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Banias: Under the hidden waterfalls


***Check out cute puppy dog Galila here :D***

Hi XD
After the Galilee, we headed for the Golan heights in the North of Israel. The area is rather green in comparison to the desert area I am living in.

Break from Driving: Earrings from Pik'In, Necklace from Zafed, Shirt Noname, Scarf from mam, sunglasses stolen from my sister.

This is the Jordan River, supplying the South with water. And the proof that there was -one- day during my stay here that I wore jeans!! (The night before it was cold in the mountains, so I had to).

Next stop was a beautiful nature reserve: I had no idea that there is so much water available in Israel! The Banias are a wonderful spot to wander along for a few hours and the place reminded me of Germany a lot!

*-* Amazing!! Swimming was forbidden due to strong currents.

Last point of the hiking trail was a wonderful waterfall ^-^. We carried Galila all the way with us in a bagpack (dogs were not allowed to enter, but we got a special permission).

The landscape looks like this in the Golan heights. I was impressed by all the green after I got used to live in a city where the only trees are palm trees! The next stop will bring us to an ancient fortress - stay tuned for more! Love,


The green earrings I mentioned in the last post - bought in the Druze village Pik'In. They reminded me of grapes ("Very arabic!", commented HL amused).

This wall in their living room (see last post) was decorated over and over with tons of earrings (Yay, heaven^^).