Weekend in Netanya

On the first of September, 2000, myself, Beth, Whitney, and Dan took off for the weekend to Netanya, a city on the Mediterranean coast.  After our adventure in finding the place (during which Whitney nearly lost her purse, wallet, and passport... but that's another story), we found Netanya as exciting as we'd hoped.  It's a beautiful place renowned for its beaches and for its high quality of life, we found Netanya VERY welcoming.  Too welcoming sometimes, in fact...

The beach was nice, and our first night there we went swimming despite the darkness.  Only later did we discover that we were swimming in an area we weren't supposed to, and that it was actually a bit dangerous because of the jutting rocks.  Yikes.

The best part of the journey was the hostel in which we stayed.  The manager of the place was incredibly friendly and the most laid back man I've ever met.  His answer to every question was a very cheerful: "Whatever!  It is a free country, do what you like!"  Could we have an extra blanket?  "No problem!  Whatever!"  Could we use a locker to put our stuff in?  "Whatever!"  Nice place.

The restaurants were the biggest adventure up there.  As we passed, we were accosted time and again by hosts and hostesses, begging for our business.  It wasn't so bad, but the food somehow never seemed quite what the hosts promised.  Hmm.

What truly endeared us to Netanya, though, was the obvious emphasis on family life there.  On Friday evening and Saturday, there was a huge bazaar in the middle of town square, with all sorts of arts and crafts and games for children.  There was a group dance and live music... very festive and exciting -- and this seemed to happen every weekend!  Great place to bring up a family.