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Landed in Israel

16/11/2015

3 Comments

 
I just realized my post to let you know we arrived safely yesterday wasn't posted...oops.

So we arrived safely and had a nice morning in Tel Aviv walking the beaches. I see Barry posted that no one swam, but he'd gone back to the car while Molly and I bravely went in. Little fish nibbled on our feet which was a bit weird but painless. 

Six years ago when we were here I said wanted to come back and spend time in Israel. I'm so glad we have. It's our intention to explore this city, Masada and the Dead Sea, but we have chosen not to go any further. There is just too much to see here and we'd rather have a more thorough visit here than spread our time all around the country. Hopefully that'll prove to be a good choice.

Barry talked about yesterday, so I'll skip that and move on to today. We had a slow morning doing administrative stuff, then Barry and I headed out to find a grocery store that would hopefully find things we couldn't find at the market. Our first stop was a cheese shop. While the shopkeeper cut our aged Gouda, he asked where we were from. Our standard answer while travelling is "Canada, north of Toronto." He smiled and replied, "I was just there at a camp called "Timberland." For those of you who aren't from Haliburton, Timberland is a Jewish camp about 10k from our house. He spent several weeks there this summer with a group of kids. He even met our friend, Steve, who works there. He also said he liked McKeck's! What are the odds? So while we chatted, he wrung up the most expensive cheese we've ever bought - $60 for two chunks. Prices here are crazy. Thankfully it's good.

We spent a couple of hours strolling the old city's Christian Quarter, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It's a moving place to be. I had hoped the kids would be impressed by standing on the ground where Jesus was crucified, but they were both unsure of what to think. The church is full of worshippers doing doing things we aren't accustomed to, such as laying newly purchased items on an alter and praying over them, or bending down to kiss a stone on the floor. This Holy place is a lot to process.

After some tea and fresh orange juice, we walked our tired bodies home for a rest and watched a Rick Steves' episode on the Holy Land on Youtube It may seem like an odd thing to do since we're already here, but we tend to like his programs, and this one was interesting given it's political perspective. 
Picture
Old Jerusalem
Picture
a cookie break before entering the old city - we found a good bakery near the apartment
One thing I'm learning is that travel days (flights or long drives) are more exhausting than I think they should be. It seems we always need a day to recover. Perhaps it physical, but I think it's at least half mental: the packing, the prep work, the sorting, the transportation, the uncertainty...The kids don't have to make any decisions, but they feel the weariness from it most of all. Today's low key day was needed.
Tomorrow it's supposed to thunderstorm so we may only have a short day out again. Having 10 days in one place means it's ok to have rainy days.
3 Comments
Mom link
17/11/2015 06:10:52 am

Good Morning my beautiful daughter. I have been up since 5 am this morning and have spent most of the past 2 hours reading and rereading you adventures. Your details of each location, including you senses regarding how you feel, what it smells like, how it sounds, make a very vivid picture of where you are at the time. It has been a great morning travelling with you. Love Mom

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Peter
18/11/2015 08:51:16 pm

Just on the bus coming back with Jamie after his swearing in today. The Denure bus has WiFi so I can catch up on your blogs. I can appreciate the needed down time. The days will go fast though, as Linda & I know.

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Ursula
19/11/2015 01:33:07 am

We saw the swearing in photos on Facebook - looks like it was a good celebration. So glad so many could go.

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    Author - Ursula

    We are embarking on the family journey of a lifetime and I am trying to be the bravest and most adventurous version of myself as we begin. Looking forward to this journey is very exciting and rather overwhelming at the same time. We are making huge changes in our lives in hopes of enriching them.

    My blog is a personal account of this trip. I'm happy to it share with my family and friends so they can join me on this journey. 

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