Hello sweet friends,

Whats’s going on? How’s your week been?

I’ve thought about blogging so many times over the past week. I thought of hundreds of things along the way that I’d love to share with you. So many descriptions, and stories, and thoughts, and questions. Travel life is so rich in experience and emotion. These ancient cities we’ve been staying in are so full of history, and language, and culture, and architecture. As well as politics and religion. It’s difficult to know where to begin; my head feels overwhelmed, my heart feels full, and my body is tired.

Let’s spend today in Haifa where we lived for our first week here.

For a bit of history before we start, you might like to read this and this. Then I’ll show you around our apartment and take you on a bit a tour of the area we explored continuing on from last week.

This is the front gate to our apartment. On the first night we arrived it took us a little while to find it because it was on the side of the building rather than at the front on the street. At different times we found various treasures lying on the ground in front of it - a chess pawn, a ginger cat we named George, a playing card, a motorbike and various bits of rubbish. I am such a fan of that blue curly-whirly, blue gate.

We stayed on the third floor of the building which had beautiful, worn stone steps and no lift. These windows were on the landing and made the hike up and down definitely worth it.

I find booking accomodation from another country so difficult. Those little photos and descriptions on the website are going to be responsible for a big chunk of how we live overseas and how we spend our down time. Some parts of this particular apartment looked so eclectic and busy that I had my doubts, but other parts, like the kitchen, looked exactly like us. Perfect for us. Big wide windows, open shelving, jars and bottles of herbs and spices and oils, and so much space. I think we all fell in love with the kitchen at first sight.

Did I mention the windows!

The bathroom was hard to photograph but was filled with pretty shadows and light, old fixtures and indoor, leafy, green plants.

On the second day when the owner texted to ask if we’d mind watering the plants every day it felt like an honour.

The apartment had definitely been renovated at some stage over the past 10 years, but the floor tiles were all original and beautiful.

When we weren’t in the kitchen, we were spending time on the balconies watching the light wandering over the city view and the crazy drivers down below. We seriously spent hours watching the crazy traffic patterns, it seemed like the rules of the road were non existent. On one night Indi even suggested we play a drinking game where every time a car toots, you drink!

Such a big view for us farm kids who are completely surrounded by the forest at home.

Every morning Bren and I, sometimes with one of the kids, mostly alone, would head off early to explore the streets. On day three or four days in, we came across this cafe one floor up, on the edge of a food market, and returned every day after until we left.

It took me a couple of days to work out how to order a cafe latte over here, I tried a cappuccino and an Americano, before I asked a woman at a table nearby who told me she was drinking an upside down coffee. I have no idea how that works, but I’ve been ordering one ever since and they’ve been exactly what I’ve wanted.

I’ll go back to one or two coffees a week when we get home. Maybe after we get over jet lag.

This building was almost opposite our apartment and as we passed by on our way home each morning, the smells coming from the bakery at the bottom right would chase us down the street. It became a ritual for Bren to choose a selection of pastries, sweet and savoury, just out of the oven, to take home for the girls.

Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, everywhere you go in Haifa is up or down the hill. Sometimes we’d walk the streets bent over to lower our centres of gravity, and sometimes we’d take the steps. There are all these staircases around the place leading past houses and apartments and shops, and between streets. Each with its own name and street sign.

On our biggest day, my watch told me we’d climbed 51flights.

When on one of our last days there I found myself in a public toilet with no seat, and no choice but to go, I thanked Haifa for my super strong quads.

While our family do love to holiday in nature; exploring and relaxing and enjoying the serenity, we also love nothing more than to traipse through ancient city streets, eclectic markets and neighbourhoods. We spend hours and hours each day walking the streets, listening to the languages, smelling all the smells, pointing out street art to each other and looking up at the buildings - from newly built all the way to crumbling ruins.

It was great to find an area on one of our walks with the histories of the buildings on signs for us to read.

I took these photos at Jazzy’s place where her and her 24 house mates have a room for all of their clothes and shoes that they all share. What an incredible time she’s having living and loving and experimenting with ideologies. I am in awe of how open and idealistic they all are.

Which brings me to the end of today’s tour.

Right now we’re in another ancient city, exploring the sights and smells and sounds. More on that next week. For now it’s late afternoon here, it’s HOT outside but inside it’s lovely. Indi is away on a seminar, Jazzy and four friends are on their way home to us, and Bren and Pepper have been cooking up a storm for dinner.

I hope you’ll excuse any spelling or grammatical errors this weeks, my editor (mum) is fast asleep, there’s a seven hour time difference between here and there.

Sending you all so much love.

Kate x