Cheese Making Seminar, Rosh Pina and HaHula - Bird Migration

A CAARI Winner!

Meeting Michal Mor Melaned was a very special experience and an Israeli  success story.  Michal, speech therapist, was  vacationing in Switzerland and it happened to be a rainy day - what to do?  

It was suggested she visit a cheese making farm which peeked  her interest. The rest is history - today she is now the only Israeli cheese maker that has won a super gold in international cheese competition. 

Michal has become one of the world’s leading cheese maker (and an Israeli pride) and even a judge at the Global Cheese Guild. CAARI learned about her experience and  the cheese making process and taste some, of course. Another 'CAARI hidden gem' Experience! 

Rosh Pina, a Baron Rothschild Village 

CAARI has visited cities, towns, kibbutzim, moshavim and villages as they travel through Israel.  However, Rosh Pina  is special.  It is one of the oldest Galilee settlements and sits on the slopes of Mt. Caanan with a view of the scenic Golan Heights , Mt Hermon and the Hula Valley. 

Fifth and sixth generation of the founders, from Romania, still live in this charming village and we were privileged to have Eric give us a tour – from a delightful movie, explaining the village’s beginnings, to a tour through the cobblestone streets telling us stories of the past and the folklore of local personalities and their accomplishments.    

He also proudly showed us  the JNF Canadian Lookout dedicated to a young soldier, Nimrod Segev, who was killed in the Second Lebanon War. 

 

 HaHula Lake - A bird's paradise! 

The sun is setting and we are in one of the best places to see the bird migration.  It is still spring migratory season in Israel!  Birds fly from their winter home in Africa on to Europe and Russia for the spring and summer.   The Upper Galilee place to see these birds is the  KKL-JNF Agmon HaHula Park,  an internationally acclaimed bird watching park.

 Twice a year, over 390 species of birds pass through the area; water fowl, birds of prey and songbirds, water buffaloes and wildcats, unique flora and fauna. Over 500 million birds pass through Hula Valley each year. 

Hard hats on, we  began with a special visit to the new Visitors Center, which is still under construction.  It is a JNF Canada outstanding project, honoring former Prime Minister Harper. 

From there, we boarded the camouflaged wagon drawn by a tractor, which allows for us to get into the crane population who were coming ‘home’ for the night.  It was quite the experience! Enjoy our view of the cranes.   

And one lone stork!