Why the wariness, I asked myself, the tacit assumption that crossing this fence was tantamount to taking my life in my hands? Would they have responded the same way, had I told them I intended to spend a weekend in Benin, Brazil or Bhutan? What was it about my impending trip just an hour up the road that filled them with secret, and irrational, dread...?

When I first moved to Tel Aviv, it was the Carmel Market (“Shouk ha Carmel”) that first stole my heart. I lived a few streets away and took to walking in it daily, not so much to shop as to stare. Its smells and sounds colours and vibrancy overwhelmed it. I was soon an addict – and I still am...  

“Behold the Man – Jesus in Israeli Art” is a groundbreaking new exhibit, which opened last December to critical reviews and is drawing large crowds.  And this is no small thing, considering that, Jews and Christians have a somewhat ‘complicated’ relationship for hundreds of years...

The photos below give you a glimpse into the world of young ‘Tel Avivis’ (as they’re affectionately known) and the costumes they’ve been donning today, for the first of many a party this long weekend.  I could have spent all day out on the streets, but in just an hour or two I saw an array of astonishing get-ups...and here are some of my favourites...

I love Spring in Israel - not just the knowledge that warmer weather is on the way, but the endless colours and textures of the flowers that are bursting into bloom all across the country.  Here are a few of my favourite shots, taken over the last few years in the Galilee, the Negev, the Jerusalem Hills and Tel Aviv...

And down in the Western Negev (particularly around Kibbutzes Ruhama, Beeri and Shukeda) you can’t fail to spot them.  Delicate and graceful, in contrast to the blue and purple kalaniot that grow in the north of Israel, these desert flowers are a vivid red and turn the ordinarily green landscape into a blanket of scarlet...

The roots of the holiday can be traced back several centuries…indeed, academics argue that the original Tu BiSh’vat was an agricultural festival, celebrated to welcome spring.  However, by the beginning of the 20th Century, it took on a practical meaning whenthe Jewish National Fund began putting aside a day each year where people were encouraged to plant eucalyptus trees...  

I walked past Israel's central square yesterday - Kikar Rabin. Back in the day it had another name, but all that changed after 1995.  And suddenly, it hit me right between the eyes - this November, it will be twenty one years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's then Prime Minister...

Mention the word "cowboy" and American prairies, rolling plains and Big Sky country usually come to mind. But think again, because there's actually a landscape thousands of miles from the rugged American West, with dramatic views, cool air and unspoiled countryside. This landscape, three hours north of Tel Aviv, is where Israel's oldest cowboy ranch sits; it too has those wide open spaces, clear night skies and – as the locals boast – some of the best steaks in the country...

For many people, the term "fashion house" conjures images of stuffy Parisian socialites and a parade of underweight models donning outfits that would hang better on a shower curtain rod than on a real, live human being. But Galit Reismann, founder of TLVstyle, wants to change that. Her business connects individuals and groups to Tel Aviv's fashion scene, with an opportunity for fashion enthusiasts to meet young, up-and-coming designers in their own studios, workshops and apartments...