Tomorrow is the day! The movers will arrive here at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. All of our things other than the 3 cats, the computers, and a very few other things will be loaded onto their truck, and then both they and we will head for Eilat. When we all arrive there, they will unload the truck, and we will be into our new apartment.
So, after writing this, I'll be bringing the computers and the network down, packing them up, and making the final preparations for the move. We will NOT be back online until at least Monday afternoon. When it IS back, it is supposed to be 40 times as fast as our current connection, yet we'll actually be paying LESS per month for everything -- it's all good!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Packing, packing, packing...
Our move is really taking shape now. We hired a mover who will come and take our things to Eilat on the 26th of February. That's just ONE week from tomorrow! Of course, we have been busily packing (and throwing LOTS of stuff away!) now for weeks. We still have a bit more to do, some of which, such as our computers and the dishes we use every day, have to be packed at the last minute because we'll be using them until then. We also have to attend to switching utilities and several other things before we move. However, I think we're on schedule and will be all ready in plenty of time. And, although the snow today was beautiful, we will NOT miss the miserable COLD weather!
Below is a picture of the stacks of boxes in our living room. And this is NOT all of them, either! On some of the boxes you can see where I have written by hand the word שביר (shavir), which means "breakable" or "fragile".
Snow in Tsfat!
As had been forecast, we got snow today up here in Tsfat. A small amount fell last night, but this morning it came down seriously. Then, the sun came out and quite a bit melted. But, later in the day, we got even more snow. In the late afternoon, though, the sun came out again for quite some time, and now MOST of the snow has melted. However, we may very well get some more this evening or even tomorrow.
Here are some pictures that I snapped with my iPhone (my camera is already packed away!) from various windows in the house.
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| Spool table by our front door |
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| Our palm, etrog, and little lemon trees |
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| Looking down our street |
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| Our car in our driveway |
Road hazard
Yesterday (Friday 17 February) was very windy all over northern Israel. On our way home from synagogue, we ran over something in the road just after the Karmiel East intersection. It was dark, and so I hadn't seen it at all, and I still don't know what it was. I imagine it was either something that had blown off a truck or perhaps a sign that had been blown over. Whatever it was, however, it apparently had something (nails?) in it, because, a few kilometers later, our front right tire went flat.
I called MEMSI, the Israeli equivalent of the AAA in the States. They came out quite quickly and changed the tire, putting the spare on there instead and warning us not to go over 80 kph on it. So, we continued towards home, taking it quite a bit more slowly than usual. When we were almost all the way up the hill to Tsfat, the BACK right was flat! Since we, of course, had no more spare and it was Friday night, we simply drove home from there VERY slowly. We'll have to get new tires and have someone bring them to us after Shabbat.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
We've got an apartment!
We found an apartment to rent in Eilat, and we are really quite excited. It is on the top floor (4th floor here, although it would be considered 5th in the States) of a rather new building in the best part of town (called Shakhamon). The landlord and landlady are moving out of the apartment to a townhouse not far away since she is pregnant with their second child. They are very nice people, too.
It took us a day longer than we had planned because we wasted a whole day waiting for an answer from the owner of the first apartment we wanted. Then, in the end, he decided he wanted to sell it instead!
Anyway, it is a great relief to know that we'll have a good place to live.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Making progress on our move
Yesterday evening, we finally received the first payment for our house from the buyer. The next payment will include paying off our mortgage, on the 26th of February, and, on the 1st of March, we'll receive the final payment and turn the keys over to him.
We have been busily packing for several weeks now and have made good progress on that front. I think we're well over half-way packed.
Now that we have some money, we have begun seriously hunting for an apartment to rent in Eilat. I found 10 apartments on yad2.co.il that looked interesting, and I called about several of them this evening. I've already arranged tentative times to see 3 of them next Sunday. All of these conversations were totally in Hebrew, and I felt pretty confident, too! We'll travel down there on Shabbat and back on Tuesday. Between Sunday and Monday we expect to be able to find an apartment and rent it. I took Monday and Tuesday off from Berlitz in order to make this important trip.
I'll try to take time to write another update after we return from that trip. In the mean time, wish us lots of luck. We're optimistic that we'll be able to find a nice place to live on a high floor with a wonderful view. On a clear day, we may even be able to see Saudi Arabia!
We have been busily packing for several weeks now and have made good progress on that front. I think we're well over half-way packed.
Now that we have some money, we have begun seriously hunting for an apartment to rent in Eilat. I found 10 apartments on yad2.co.il that looked interesting, and I called about several of them this evening. I've already arranged tentative times to see 3 of them next Sunday. All of these conversations were totally in Hebrew, and I felt pretty confident, too! We'll travel down there on Shabbat and back on Tuesday. Between Sunday and Monday we expect to be able to find an apartment and rent it. I took Monday and Tuesday off from Berlitz in order to make this important trip.
I'll try to take time to write another update after we return from that trip. In the mean time, wish us lots of luck. We're optimistic that we'll be able to find a nice place to live on a high floor with a wonderful view. On a clear day, we may even be able to see Saudi Arabia!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Big change coming soon
This is a personal post about David and me. Another title for it might be: "Good news and bad news".
Let's start with the bad news to get it out of the way. Due to a recent decrease in my income (one of my jobs cut the money I get from them by about 75%!), we can no longer afford to live in our beautiful, but really rather large, house. This means that we will have to sell it and buy a smaller, less expensive place. We had hoped that we would never have to move again, but we will, and quite soon.
The good news is that our house has gone up some in value (we'll get more details about this over the next week or so, hopefully) and that this gives us the opportunity to live in a climate that will be more suitable for us. Our biggest complaint about Tsfat has always been about how cold it gets here and how long it STAYS cold (that, and the wind and rain!).
Since we have to move anyway, we figured we might as well pick a place with weather we preferred. All my work in online, so that is not a factor. So, we went through a process of elimination. The coastal plain, from Shlomi in the North to Ashdod and Ashkelon down near Gaza, is significantly warmer in the winter, but it's WAY too humid in the summer, something that neither of us likes at all. The Jordan River valley, from Metulla to Beit Shean is also too humid. Jerusalem is not much warmer than Tsfat. Besides, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are both MUCH too expensive and MUCH too urban for us, as well. Be'er Sheva is dryer but still a little more humid than we like, and, besides that, neither of us is crazy about it either. Mitzpe Ramon (in the middle of the Negev) is very dry, but it's also a bit chilly in the winter, since it's at a fairly high elevation, at it, too, has little appeal to us.
Those of you familiar with Israel can now see what is left: Eilat! Eilat is mild and dry in the winter, getting very little rain at all. Of course, it's VERY hot in the summer, but it's also a very dry heat, and it does cool off at night. Besides, both of us find Eilat to be an interesting city. The geography is interesting, with the dry Eilat mountains immediately back of the city (to the west), the Arava Valley to the north, and the Red Sea on the east and south (with Aqaba, Jordan, and the mountains of Edom to the east). Eilat is also a nicely laid out city, with broad boulevards, easy parking, and very little traffic, even at the height of "the season" (we were there on the 26th of December!).
A little research on real estate prices convinces us that we should be able to get a place there with 2 or 3 bedrooms that we can afford. It won't be a villa, but it should be nice for us, and it will be cheaper to heat and cool, as well.
Of course, there's much to do to make all this happen. We must contact a realtor here and get the process of selling our house started immediately. We must also contact a realtor in Eilat to find a place there. And we have TONS of packing and cleaning to do before we can move. It will probably take at least 2 or 3 months to make all of this happen, but we're convinced that it CAN be done, and that our lives will be better at the end.
We'll miss the North, and we will especially miss our wonderful congregation, Emet V'Shalom, in Nahariya. But Israel is a small country, and we should be able to make trips to the North several times a year without much trouble at all (and without busting our budget).
So, in the end, this is mostly good news, and we're actually beginning to get excited about the possibility. I'll try to remember to keep you posted as the process moves forward.
Let's start with the bad news to get it out of the way. Due to a recent decrease in my income (one of my jobs cut the money I get from them by about 75%!), we can no longer afford to live in our beautiful, but really rather large, house. This means that we will have to sell it and buy a smaller, less expensive place. We had hoped that we would never have to move again, but we will, and quite soon.
The good news is that our house has gone up some in value (we'll get more details about this over the next week or so, hopefully) and that this gives us the opportunity to live in a climate that will be more suitable for us. Our biggest complaint about Tsfat has always been about how cold it gets here and how long it STAYS cold (that, and the wind and rain!).
Since we have to move anyway, we figured we might as well pick a place with weather we preferred. All my work in online, so that is not a factor. So, we went through a process of elimination. The coastal plain, from Shlomi in the North to Ashdod and Ashkelon down near Gaza, is significantly warmer in the winter, but it's WAY too humid in the summer, something that neither of us likes at all. The Jordan River valley, from Metulla to Beit Shean is also too humid. Jerusalem is not much warmer than Tsfat. Besides, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are both MUCH too expensive and MUCH too urban for us, as well. Be'er Sheva is dryer but still a little more humid than we like, and, besides that, neither of us is crazy about it either. Mitzpe Ramon (in the middle of the Negev) is very dry, but it's also a bit chilly in the winter, since it's at a fairly high elevation, at it, too, has little appeal to us.
Those of you familiar with Israel can now see what is left: Eilat! Eilat is mild and dry in the winter, getting very little rain at all. Of course, it's VERY hot in the summer, but it's also a very dry heat, and it does cool off at night. Besides, both of us find Eilat to be an interesting city. The geography is interesting, with the dry Eilat mountains immediately back of the city (to the west), the Arava Valley to the north, and the Red Sea on the east and south (with Aqaba, Jordan, and the mountains of Edom to the east). Eilat is also a nicely laid out city, with broad boulevards, easy parking, and very little traffic, even at the height of "the season" (we were there on the 26th of December!).
A little research on real estate prices convinces us that we should be able to get a place there with 2 or 3 bedrooms that we can afford. It won't be a villa, but it should be nice for us, and it will be cheaper to heat and cool, as well.
Of course, there's much to do to make all this happen. We must contact a realtor here and get the process of selling our house started immediately. We must also contact a realtor in Eilat to find a place there. And we have TONS of packing and cleaning to do before we can move. It will probably take at least 2 or 3 months to make all of this happen, but we're convinced that it CAN be done, and that our lives will be better at the end.
We'll miss the North, and we will especially miss our wonderful congregation, Emet V'Shalom, in Nahariya. But Israel is a small country, and we should be able to make trips to the North several times a year without much trouble at all (and without busting our budget).
So, in the end, this is mostly good news, and we're actually beginning to get excited about the possibility. I'll try to remember to keep you posted as the process moves forward.
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