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05 Lakeside picnics in the park Ramat Gan National Park

Ramat Gan National Park is the first urban park to have been established in Israel. It is located next to the city’s safari and natural history museum and offers a wide range of activities. It has a central lake with a shaded seating area and an area for sunbathing in the summertime. In the fall, a special sound and light installation is projected in the evenings, made with 272 LED luminaires and 100 dancing water jets that change colors in tune with the music. The show takes place from Sunday to Thursday between 7pm and 10pm, every hour on the hour. Recently, the park has undergone upgrade works, and new pedal boats have been brought in. It’s easily accessible, has wonderful trees, vast lawns, flower beds everywhere, and comfortable seating areas, perfect for an afternoon picnic by the lake, and for those with little kids, the park also has numerous playgrounds, a skatepark, gym equipment, a beach volley court,

The Castel Winery I Photos: Elad Brami

Ben Zaken was encouraged to keep going. In 2013, he was awarded the highest French civilian award, the “Légion d’honneur”, for his pioneering contribution to winemaking in Israel and the world, and recently, the Domaine du Castel was given a four-star ranking (the highest) by the Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book for 2025. The winery regularly organizes vineyard tours and wine tastings, which make for the most magical day trips. castel.co.il

04 The first boutique winery in the Judean Hills Domaine du Castel

Wine was being made in the Judean Hills as far back as in Biblical times. Today, they are home to dozens of wineries. The vineyards here, all part of the Mateh Yehuda district, have even earned the right to use the EU’s “appellation d’origine” label on their wine bottles, which certifies the geographic area in which the fruit was grown, and indicates the wine meets certain production requirements. Domaine du Castel was the first boutique winery to be founded in Mateh Yehuda. It was established in 1988 by Eli Ben Zaken who planted his vineyard next to his home in Ramat Raziel, thus becoming the first person to revive the region’s ancient winemaking tradition. The first wine he produced was well received, even obtaining the compliments of Sotheby’s wine department, and

mini-pitches, and more. ramat-gan.muni.il/parks

Ramat Gan National Park I Photo: Oren Alon & Ilan Spira

16 ATMOSPHERE NOVEMBER 2024