Spring break

Spring came knockin' and the annual Israeli SlowFood meeting, way up in the North of the country made for a worthy excuse to bake some cookies, pack a small bag and head out to the countryside. Thats the thing with cities. Seasons come and go, but one can never really tell, certainly not by looking at the watermelons and grapes already decorating market stands and supermarket shelves...

The countryside did not disappoint and we managed to squeeze two weeks of rustic air in less then 48 hours, including a freshly squeezed red grapefruit juice directly from the orchard and a festive spring potluck with the best of spring produce and some mighty fine alcohol. Nature came in the form of bird watching from a camouflaged trolley at Lake Hula (not so much lake as swamp) as unknowingly to them, thousands of storks and cranes were being watched by several birds of prey and eager tourists as they leisurely rested in between hours of flight from Africa to Europe.

This weekend was about soaking up a thousand shades of green and hundreds shades of pink, inhaling the aromas of fragrant herbs and blossoms as well as the stench coming in waves from a nearby cowshed or the odd muddy swamp. Lest not forget the several sneezes, bites and itches, greetings from local bugs and insects.

Its the short breaks that feel the longest and after 2 days in nature I was ready for home, my bed and city noise. Nature is rather exhausting.