At the edge of Ma’alot, amidst a verdant valley surrounded by mountains, lays a lake.
If this minor detail does not make you leave everything and come to the Galilee to check whether we are beginning to resemble Lapland, maybe nothing will; not even the spacious lawn alongside the lake’s banks, a focal point for events and large performances – kind of a local Sakcer Park (Jerusalem) or Yarkon Park (Tel-Aviv). Here, in addition, ducks are swimming in the lake, making sure not to get too close to the family paddle boats, raw boats, canoes and kayaks, or hiding under the wooden bridges connecting between the green Hobbiton-like mounds.
If that did not capture your attention, you are probably not likely to be impressed by the large stone sculptures scattered around the premises, made by some of the world’s best stone sculptors, who come here every Passover for the Stone Sculpting Festival held at the lake. By the way, if you haven’t seen artists of such magnitude, aided by a hammer and a chisel, expose the movement hidden in the huge rock, in a matter of a few days, you have never seen creation in the making.
The lake is encompassed by a convenient pathway suitable for jogging and walking; that includes distance signs and is used by the best of the local athletes. Visitors can also find here an accessorized swimming pool for summer days, alongside a snack bar.
Besides the lake, nearby the spacious parking lot, visitors can also find here the ‘Ahla’Kerach’ (Best Ice Skating) ice skating rink, and an adjacent chef-run French bistro called Hadarale. Visitors who have not had enough yet, can become Formula 1 drivers in the compound’s ‘Northern Carting’ facility.
At the end of the day, tired yet happy and satisfied, visitors can find a place to rest their weary heads without moving the car from its convenient place in the parking lot; since the premises also comprise an accessorized night camping area, offering lighting, restrooms, picnic tables, electricity and water. After a good night’s sleep guests will open their eyes in an ideal starting point for the multitude of attractions the Western Galilee has to offer.