Shvil Israel Day 9
Starting km: 225
Finishing km: 253
Distance walked: 26km*
*I went off trail to get to my Trail Angel hosts' home tonight, which will probably work out to be about a 2km shortcut by the time I rejoin the trail tomorrow morning.
I let myself have a big sleep-in after the 40km day yesterday. 'Til 06:09, which is about an hour and a half after I've been waking up recently.
The morning's walk was almost as lovely as yesterday afternoon's. A short walk behind screened fruit (mostly banana!) plantations, then back up onto the feet of the Carmel range for some up and down bumpy walking over bare rock and boulders, paralleling the Mediterranean, always visible a couple of km to the east.
Because I'd had such monster days the previous two, I was finally in a position where I only needed to do a single (18-24km) trail section per day to be in Tell Aviv in time to meet Sarah. So I gave myself lots of long rests during the afternoon's less lovely walk through hydro corridors and low scrub.
I left the trail around kilometre 247 to detour into the town of Zikhron Ya'acov. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was just lovely! An early settlement of the Jewish diaspora returning (mostly from Romania in the late 19th century), it had nice old architecture, a very pleasant park and pedestrian street at the centre, and several big wineries on the outskirts that scented the air all around with fermenting grapes.
In Zikhron Ya'acov I stayed with the Ben Abi family, my first indoor trail angel accommodations. Noa and Ofer and their son Roi were really lovely hosts. I spent quite a while talking about what I was up to in Israel and my thoughts on the Shvil. Then some discussion of Israeli politics, as the news came on TV and showed Benjamin Netenyahu being offered the chance to form an (admittedly unlikely to survive for long) government by the President.
A yummy hot meal, and even my first two Israeli beers (a very good Helles and a decent here) were in there somewhere too.
Big thanks to the Ben Ari family for hosting both me and other Shvil walkers in their home (apparently I was the first walker of the season!)
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