Itinerary for Yam L'Yam (Israel)

From Sea (Mediterranean) to Shining Sea (Kinneret)

Day 1: Our ride leaves Jerusalem at 6:00 AM, with pickups along the coastal road, arriving at Achziv Beach by 9:30 AM. After wetting our feet and filling a bottle with water from the Mediterranean, we follow Nahal Keziv eastward, have our sandwich lunch beside the stream, and then proceed up to the Montfort Fortress - from where we take in the view of just how far we've already come. We continue on through the Arab villages of Mi'elia and Tarshiha to our first night's stop in beautiful Kefar Veradim. For dinner, nearby Ma'alot has a couple of steakiyot. Overnight: Kefar Veradim B&Bs.

Day 2: After a catered Israeli breakfast, we leave Kefar Veradim and skirt the Tefen Industrial Park into Park HaSela'im, and emerge in the Druze village of Samia and the neighboring monument to fallen Druze soldiers of the IDF. We continue to historical Peki'in, peek into Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's cave, and then proceed up, up to the Druze town of Beit Jan, stopping for our sandwich lunch on the way. We exit Beit Jan to its east, into the Meiron nature reserve, from which we descend to our second night's stop in the vegetarian community of Amirim - where we'll savor a gourmet vegetarian dinner. Overnight: Amirim B&Bs.

Day 3: After a scrumptious breakfast, we ascend to Har Mitzpe Hayamim, from which (weather permitting) we are afforded a view of both where we came from (the Mediterranean) and where we're going (the Kinneret). We then descend deeply into Nahal Amud, and follow it to the column which gave it its name. We exit the ravine, and follow a road descending to the Karei Deshe Youth Hostel on the banks of the Kinneret, into which we observe the tradition of emptying the bottle of Mediterranean waters we've shlepped from the trek's start.

After refreshing showers, we feast on a farewell dinner at a noted Teveria restaurant, and "Egged" back to Jerusalem and beyond.