“What a peace, and do nothing” (Avi Koren)
A day out in Gedera combines the best of all worlds: a fascinating journey into the depths of the history of the beginning of the Zionist settlement, along with a wonderful breakfast in a boutique hotel that is a real gem, for lovers of touch – massage, and for dessert wander between galleries and shops
10:00 | Snob, were you in Gedera?
There is nothing in the appearance of the entrance to the fence that suggests that a pleasant surprise is hidden in the passage of the colony. Worse, the reception in the form of train housing, off neon signs and deserted streets does not bode well.
My advice to you is to persevere, and reach the door of Lear Sense, a boutique hotel that is fun to be swallowed up within its walls, to stop engines and ponder an entrepreneur who has decided to take action and establish a meticulous gem in the heart of a colony that is, admittedly, a student with potential. The heart aches at the wasted sight of Gedera’s main street, which inevitably treasures an extraordinary pioneering story, buildings for preservation and history that just needs to be lifted from the floor. The reality, of course, is more complex.
The magic takes place with the hidden entrance to the hotel, housed in a beautiful building that used to be a sanctuary in days gone by. A paved path leads to a hidden courtyard, with a pink rhino statue in the center. The rhinoceros is surrounded by cheap rhubarb, rose bushes in garlic, wild vegetation and soft music. In the late morning of the beginning of a sweaty week, businessmen, tourists and guests who someone had probably told them about the place even before me were sitting in the hotel restaurant Everto full.
It takes a few minutes for the eye to absorb the excesses of good taste. The chandeliers, artefacts, open kitchen, furniture and decor all indicate that someone has put a lot of thought into it. We swallowed the surprise alongside a generous, invested and very tasty brunch, and here is the place to point out that you do not have to stay in a hotel to spend a day there. A day that begins with fresh croissants baked in the open kitchen in front of the guests’ eyes, dishes full of flavor, beauty and color, a buffet with plenty of food that will keep you going until the evening, and if you want, end the day with a glass of wine on the hotel roof. Lovers of body pampering will be happy to spend the next few hours supine under the good hands of the masseurs in a variety of professional treatments that benefit with every sore muscle. Those waiting for their turn can lie in a hammam, stretch out in the nearby rooftop pool, sip something and ask themselves how a jubilant group of young Swedes came here.
Lear Sense Hotel Gedera – 08-6680088, you can order treatment packages that also include meals at the Aberto restaurant. Open on Saturday.
12:00 | And these are the histories of the pastimes
Once you have fulfilled your Zionist-hedonistic vision, you would do well to take a closer look and emerge from the hotel’s door for a fascinating foray into the Gedera Museum opposite, accompanied by a short tour of the historic buildings scattered along the entertainment street. The vigorous guide who greets us at the museum, tells with doubt seriousness and doubt in the jokes that Baron Rothschild, to say the least – did not like the pastimes due to the harsh nature of the home front who did not accept his authority, and refused to support their settlement enterprise.
She points out the interesting tour of the museum with a variety of interesting historical anecdotes, which make the story of the entertainment group, which came to the surface in 1882, almost imaginary. An hour and a half at the museum, including watching a video that even tic-tac-toe teenagers will appreciate, Which make up the historical mosaic of the settlement.
The Museum of the History of Gedera and the Biluim, 08-8593316. It is recommended to arrange in advance, and a tour can be booked that combines a tour of the museum and the historical sites on the street.
The last hut in Gedera / Photo: Michal Okon
15:00 | The Iron Master and the Sculpture Garden
At the end of the street, which overlooks the road at the foot of Gedera, is a small sign pointing in the direction of the Biluim courtyard. Until a few years ago, it was a bustling art and leisure complex renovated into a beautiful courtyard. Sweet shops, galleries and designer houses.
Of all this goodness there is nothing left but the studio of Lior Matlov-Kormes, a talented artist who sculpts in an iron net. On the walls hang flowers, birds, brightly colored portraits made of coarse iron mesh and with a sensitive hand. Peek inside and hope to meet Lior, a humorous artist, who tells the story of his journey from bridal makeup artist to artist. Do not leave Gedera without peeking into the spectacular sculpture garden of Yoma Segev, a veteran local artist, in whose yard are scattered hundreds of sculptures made of scrap and old cars he collected and dismantled.
Lior Matlov Kormes Studio – The Courtyard, Gedera. 054-6995649, Yoma Segev Sculpture Garden – Fibel 3. 08-8591079