Israel, the Promised Land of the Bible, is today a modern, thriving, bustling and vibrant country. In today’s Israel, cities, towns, villages, fertile farms, green forests, sophisticated industries and well-developed commercial enterprises have replaced barren hillsides, swamps and desert wilderness.

Israel is located in the Middle East, along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt and lies at the meeting point of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. The small country of Israel is about 290 miles in length and, at its narrowest point, only about nine miles wide.

Since Israel’s birth in 1948, its population has grown fivefold. Its 6.5 million inhabitants come from various ethnic backgrounds, religious and traditional. Jews make up 77.2 per cent of the population, while non-Jewish citizens, mostly Arabs account for about 22.8 per cent. Despite enormous challenges, Israel has become a vibrant democracy, a scientific and cultural capital. Israel has persevered, defending its right to exist while maintaining a profound yearning for peace.

After checking into David International Hotel, Tel Aviv (www.intercontinental.com/telaviv), we went to dinner at Pasha ( 8 Ha’Arbaa St. 03-5617778) for authentic Turkish food. This kosher restaurant was a local favorite with a festive atmosphere. The flavor of the potato pancakes still remains in my memory.

In the past few years Israel has earned itself a name in gastronomical world. All travelers plan to eat while traveling, but a growing number of them plan to travel specifically to eat. Wine and food are two independent lovers in a culinary tango! Wine nurtures food and food in return accentuates wine, enriching its flavor.

Next morning, I experienced my first Israeli-style buffet breakfast with foods from fancy eggs, to all kinds of cheeses, several salads, pastries galore, all kinds of olives and usual breakfast foods, too. A meal like this is almost enough to satisfy you for the day, but I was on a food and wine tour, so I had to pace myself.

Tel-Aviv on the Mediterranean coast was founded in 1909 as the first modern Jewish city and is today the center of Israel’s business and cultural life.

Brunch was at Manta Ray, the quintessential beach restaurant that looks out on the gentle surf of a serenely beautiful stretch of Tel Aviv’s coast, with an unobstructed view of the ancient city of Jaffa, and it is perfectly positioned to catch the sun setting over the Mediterranean .Our mouth-watering small plates of 12 different Middle Eastern-style appetizers included Tehina, eggplant, hummus, vegetable salads and avocado salads. The Balkan bread was a big hit as well as contemporary and exotic variations. Its many varieties of fish, accompanying wines and desserts have made this restaurant a classic favorite. Even Madonna has dined here! www.mantaray.co.il

Our mid-day dining experience was at the home of Chef Erez Stern (www.erez.stern.co.il) This style of dining is popular in Israel. His comfortable living room/dining setting was homey, cozy and a delight. The citrus-spices hot punch was one of my favorite beverages of my Israeli trip and I brought home the recipe combine freshly squeezed orange juice with pulp, Kosher Kiddush (sweet) wine, sugar and whole spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, vanilla stick and cloves. Our meal of lamb was superb, however, the desserts upstaged the meal and were well-worth the calories (cinnamon cheesecake and poppy-seed Tuile, Chocolate fudge cake, milk chocolate ganach, lavender crème-brule’, strawberries and blueberries soup, lemon curd sandwich and dried fruits yogurt.

In Old Jaffa, a municipality of Tel Aviv, and a fascinating port city with old-world charm, we visited the wine-man, Shaul Evron, at Yoezer Wine Bar who educated us on the wine industry in Israel. Jewish traditions were always toasted with Kosher red sweet wine. Today Israel has mostly Boutique wineries producing fine wines for consumption in Israel at the finest restaurants such as Cordelia Restaurant. Chef Nir Zook provided us with an array of foods to tempt a Turkish Sultan, who actually did build this restaurant as his home, but never lived in it. We dined on Wolf fish with Turkish spinach, eggplant ravioli with Jerusalem artichoke cream, beef filet and Truffle gnocchi.. www.cordelia.co.il

Next morning we drove north from Tel Aviv along Mediterranean Sea to Carmelim region to Caesarea, the ancient port built by King Herod. We viewed a multi-media presentation of this Crusader City, climbed the Time Tower where I saw an amazing animated presentation of how Herod built the port, toured the Roman Theater and Roman Aqueduct. Walking through the ruins of Caesarea by the seashore, you can catch glimpses of ancient glory, fallen pillars, slabs of marble and rubble. www.caesarea.org.il

In this region we found Tishbi Winery , our first Boutique Winery. We watched a local couple fill their bottles with Tishbi wine. They also make olive oil and are planning to enter the jam and jelly market. www.tishbi.eu

Ein Hod-Artist Village was on our way to Haifa and we stopped for lunch at their Argentine restaurant Dona Rosa. What a feast was set before us of every delicious meat that we could cook on our own little table-top stove. www.dona-rosa.israel.net To walk off our meal, we had a tour of the artist village with a special stop at a home of artists, where their work was on display like a mini-museum.

Once in Haifa we dined at Aldiyar Restaurant where the menu featured kabobs, falafel, fish, steak and seafood variety, including Middle Eastern appetizers, This was our chance to see the night-time view of magnificent Baha’i’s garden complex, which dominates the cityscape.

Haifa is a city of fairly steep slopes, which reward the visitor with vistas of Mediterranean at every turn. Thanks to the Baha’is, you can see a stunning garden from the crest of the city at Mt. Carmel to the German Colony below. This is the centerpiece of Haifa, where the Shrine of Bab brilliantly gilded dome dominates as well as illuminates the city’s skyline. Haifa is the world’s center for the Baha’i faith founded in Iran in the 19th century.

We also had time to visit Carmelite Monastery and Stella Maris Church. As we walked through downtown’s narrow streets, we slipped into a falafel shop and had the treat of the day.

While continuing to tour Western Galilee, we stopped at Akko, a World Heritage site, founded 4,000 years ago and known for its well-protected harbor. Its outstanding attraction includes 12th century subterranean city, Crusader vaults and halls, which unfolds beneath the 18th and 19th century buildings you see today. Arrows point the way through vast rooms filled with ongoing construction work, huge marble columns and a myriad of archeological pieces from the past.

After walking through Akko shuk I bought a bag full of Israeli spices from Kurdi & Berit Shop, we visited Akko’s remarkable Turkish Bath-house which was built in 1781 and used until 1947. The sound-and-light show called “The Story of the last bath Attendant” is set in the beautiful bath-house itself and shouldn’t be missed. www.akko.org.il

Lunch at Uri Buri Fish and Seafood Restaurant was a gourmet delight. The chef has no menu. He just fixes a meal and serves it to his customers family style. His all-fish restaurant was quite inventive in creating remarkable delicacies. Uri, the chef’s cookbook had so many lovely pictures and his delicious recipes.

Dinner in Tiberius was at Tzel Tamar restaurant, kibbutz Ashot Yaakov. The atmosphere was family-oriented with large tables filled with young kibbutz families dining with fun and enthusiasm. The Mid-Eastern fare was now familiar and quite enjoyable in this rustic casual dining restaurant, where we were mingling with locals. I enjoyed the atmosphere as well as people watching the young crowd.

Israel’s northern region boasts beautiful countryside, forested mountains, vineyards, olive groves, kibbutzim, Arab villages and the remains of ancient cities and holy sites. On the way to Nazareth, we stopped at Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Here in the Golan Heights we found another boutique winery, Chateau Golan Winery. They welcome visitors, but tours must be booked with Shuki Shai, director at 972 466026. This winery was once headquarters of Syrian Army and is located at Moshav Eli-ad, Ramat Hagolan. While doing some wine-tasting, we experienced the thrill of a helicopter landing here with customers to purchase their wine. www.chateaugolan.com

Next on our itinerary was Nazareth, the childhood town of Jesus. The big attraction, which opened in the year 2000, reconstructs life in the Jewish rural community 2,000 years ago. Guided tours of its indoor visual aids and its outdoor replicas of buildings, crafts and artifacts are offered. They have a delightful gift shop and an authentic outdoor restaurant featuring costumed waiters in Jesus-type clothing and the foods he ate. www.nazarethvillage.com

At Mahroum Sweets-Nazareth we treated ourselves to the best sweets in Israel including every imaginable variety of halvah and baklava. Then we had a snack at Casanova restaurant of Middle Eastern appetizers (04-6081203). The Alreda Restaurant and Cafe on top of a steep hill was well worth the climb. The food was a feast of glorious dining treats. Just when we thought we had enough, the owner brought on more and it was always presented lavishly and tasted delicious. I could mention all the foreign names which won’t mean much to you, but believe me it’s a restaurant you don’t want to miss when you visit Nazareth on Albesharah St. 04-6084404

Jerusalem is known as the “City of Gold,” and encompasses many worlds: modern and ancient, Jewish and Arab, religious and secular. The walled Old City, with more than 4,000 years of history contains some of the holiest places of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and the El Aksa Mosque atop it, the Western Wall and Church of Holy Sepulcher. Outside of the Old City is the haunting memorial and museum, Yad Vashem.

Modern Jerusalem is Israel’s Capital and largest city and seat of Israel’s President, Cabinet, Parliament (the Knesset) and Supreme Court.

One of the main attractions of Old City is Ramparts Walk. This walkway atop Old City walls offers unique panoramic view of Old City. We also walked the Stations of the Cross and the Christian Quarter with the Church of Holy Sepulcher.

Next we visited Rebuilt Jewish Quarter and cardo-ruins of Main Street from Roman times and Arab Market (Shuk), where I had a few minutes to bargain for some souvenirs.

The Western Wall (Kotel) was our next stop in Old City where I was able to come to wall and put blessings for my family and friends in the nooks and crannies of this scared wall. This is the most important existing Jewish shrine

We ended the day with a visit to Yad Vashem. This National Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust victims was most memorable and grabbed at my heart.- the experience of the Holocaust - the annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazis during WWI . www.yadvashem.org

The next day we visited Shay Zeltser’s goat cheese farm in the Jerusalem Mountains. The only way to purchase his cheese is to go up the mountain to his home to buy the cheese.

Chef Moshe Basson, owner of The Eucalyptus Restaurant in Jerusalem met us in the mountains, so that we could experience herb collecting, which would later be used in special meal he made for us. This dining experience including a rice dish with a flare and opportunity to get your wishes answered as you open the pot. www.the-eucalyptus.com

After our mountain experience, we traveled 10 miles to Domaine du Castel Winery in Ramat Razel in outskirts of Jerusalem. This boutique winery strives to make high quality fine wines in Old World Traditional methods with modern technology. www.castel.com.il

We came back to Jerusalem by way of Ein Karem, where we stopped to visit picturesque village, birth place of John the Baptist, with the church of the Visitation. There was a juice stand where we enjoyed a snack of burekas, fila dough filled with spinach.

Israelis are lucky to have a large produce market in the heart of Jerusalem. What a special treat going through this area eating treats with our eyes and then finding a Persian vendor, who produced a Persian feast for us to enjoy.

From the traditional casual foods like falafel, burekas and shawarma served by vendors on the street to all the fine dining opportunities and finest selection of wines available, Israel is indeed a place to wine and dine!