Safed (Tzfat)

Safed, spelled at least three ways (look for future post on "Getting Lost in Israel"), is both an artists' colony and one of the four Holy Jewish cities in Israel.  It is the main home of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), of which Madonna is a famous adherent.  It's nestled in the hills of upper Galilee, kind of the Tuscany of Israel.  We went there to see the Old City, which has the remnants of a 12th century Crusaders' citadel, but also a thriving local art scene.  The shops line a long cobble-stoned alley (see photo top) that has any number of feral cats that wander about and no one seems to mind.  Benjamin was drawn into a shop (photo bottom) run by a Orthodox man originally from Montreal.