Day 67: London Day 2. We awoke early and enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel and then boarded the double-decker bus for a trip to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards. However, with the weather turning bad and the traffic heavy we missed the changing of the guards and decided instead to remain on the bus for a lengthy drive and chance to see more of London. Of course, as the rain got heavy at the kids’ request we donned the plastic ponchos provided by the bus and rode on the top level. After a three hour tour, a three hour tour [thunder-clap], we exited the bus a little damp and headed for sushi at one of the sushi conveyor-belt restaurants. The kids tried many different sushi dishes and Avi had fun grabbing the different dishes as they rode quickly by on the conveyor belt. Rebeka enjoyed the sushi and tamayo while Avi and Esti preferred cooked salmon. We then continued our day with a ride on the Underground to the National Science Museum. We spent two hours at the museum and still only saw about a quarter of it. After the museum we enjoyed a light Indian dinner. With the day ended, we packed for the last time oversees and went to bed, saying a sad goodbye to London and the end of the overseas part of our trip.

Day 68: A Travel Day. With tears in our eyes, we boarded the plane and settled in for our trip back to the United States. The flight went well and we enjoyed the great service, delicious food, and entertaining movies. We arrived in Newark, NJ on time and were greeted at the airport for the first time on our trip! this time by Scott’s parents. A two hour drive and a visit to a diner for dinner later, and it was bedtime for the Shapiros.

Day “69-90.” So here’s the thing: Writing this blog has been fun and practical. It has turned out to be a great and convenient way of sharing with those friends and family members that want to know what we are doing. It has also been a great way to keep a journal for the family; as it happens, it is pretty hard to remember what we did for each day of our fantastic journey and the blog helps us with our memories. Having said all that, and as important as it was to us, we are guessing that we are at the point of our trip where you (the reader) don’t care so much about the details. So, here is the Cliff Notes version:

We stayed at Scott’s parents for about 10 days, with that visit punctuated by: a two day visit to some of Monica’s family; an overnight trip for Scott and Monica without the kids that consisted of theatre (small town), mediocre food (Italian), and a quiet night at a hotel (Mount Laurel Marriott); a party for Esti’s birthday catered with some of the best smoked fish we ever had; 18 holes of miniature golf for the kids; and a visit to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. At the end (day 78), we board a Southwest 737 and flew through Las Vegas to get back to Sacramento. We arrived home hot and tired, spent some time with Violet, and then after a quick swim our beds never felt so good. On Monday (day 81) we’ll all get in the car and drive down to Camp Ramah where Monica and the kids will spend a month. Scott will stay at camp for 10 days (punctuated by some day visits and trips), and on August 2 he will come back to Sacramento, sleep, and on August 3 he will return to the offices of Downey Brand. Or at least, he says he will!

So, that’s that. And we think this will be the last blog entry. But who knows, maybe in seven years the Shapiros will travel again; and maybe new entries will show up then. Stay tuned.

With love, Scott, Monica, Rebeka, Avi, and Esti

Israel to London

Day 63: A Day of Rest. With tired children we decided to spend the day at the pool. The kids enjoyed the swimming and spending time with friends. Most of all they enjoyed the freedom of going to the market on the kibbutz by themselves. We planned on an early dinner at the Port of Tel Aviv, but after hitting traffic, looking for parking, and deciding on a place for dinner, we did not sit down to eat until after eight. We enjoyed dinner at the same restaurant we ate at early on in our trip. The food was delicious and we spent the time reminiscing about our trip. After dinner we wandered around the port watching the many people enjoy the beautiful scenery and the fine dining. More exciting then dinner was Avi’s first ever use of sarcasm, responding to a warning about not getting too close to the warning with, “No, I’m going to jump in!” Our drive out of Tel Aviv was exciting as we passed many places we visited during our first two weeks in Israel. We arrived home late and put some very sleepy children to bed.

Day 64: A Beautiful Sunset. We set out today for a day at a water park; we promised the kids a day of water slides. Our plans quickly changed after we tried to go to two different water parks, both closed to the public, open only to private parties. Can you imagine a theme park closing for a private party? The kids being flexible and understanding agreed to a change of plans with the promise of a water park at a later date. A quick call to Ayalon Institute at Kibbutz Hill provided us with a new destination. Ayalon Institute, located in Rehovot, was the location of a secret ammunition production plant from 1946-1949. Located below the grounds of a functioning kibbutz, 45 civilians spent 8-10 hours a day producing a maximum of 40,000 bullets per day used during the War of Independence. The tour was interesting and ended in the actually factory where the bullets were made. The evening ended with a barbeque on the beach with old and new friends. We enjoyed visiting with our friends, while the kids enjoyed playing in the sand and on the beach with other children. We watched the sunset, enjoyed delicious food, and sadly said our goodbyes to our friends. Of course, our plans for an early evening did not happen.

Day 65: Goodbye to Israel and Hello to Mary Poppins. The Shapiro Family packed for the last time in Israel. The morning started with an early swim and quick meal of everything we had left over that we were not bringing back to the United States. We said goodbye to the Morgenshtern family and headed to the airport. Without difficulties we returned the car, checked in, and passed through security. Our flights to London went well; the kids busily played cards, drew pictures, and read their books. And, when we arrived at the hotel we found it to be charming, like something out of Mary Poppins. By 1:00 am we were all asleep.

Day 66: Our First of Two Days in London. We awoke and found that a 66 day trip was taking its toll on both adults and kids; fatigue was setting in! We enjoyed a slow and peaceful breakfast in the hotel, and then walked to and boarded a double-decker tour bus for a tour of London. Our tour included an orientation to London, some time at the Tower of London learning about the Crown Jewels and the history of personal armaments, a cruise on the Themes River, and a trip through the Underground. We enjoyed a traditional tourist lunch at Planet Hollywood and a dinner at a local restaurant, and managed to get the kids in bed by 9:30.

The next chapter

Day 59: “On The Road Again.” The Shapiro family packed up and say goodbye to our friends in Modi’in and headed to our next destination Kibbutz Givat Brenner. Before heading to the kibbutz we made many stops including the post office to pay the two parking tickets we received during our journey in Israel, and then for lunch and dinner with friends. We had lunch with our friend Reina and her new bridegroom Alon and then shared with some dessert as Alon showed us Macabean, his hometown. After saying a sad goodbye we headed out toward Jerusalem to have dinner with a friend of a friend. We arrived and met the family who graciously invited us into their home. We spent time visiting and talking briefly about Israel politics. The evening ended with a delightful dinner and some address exchanges.

With map in hand we headed to the kibbutz. We arrived to find a spacious apartment, even if the décor was a little outdated. The kids unpacked their clothes and anxiously awaited the arrival of the Morgenshtern family. With excitement in the air the Morgenshterrns arrived and gave us the tour of the kibbutz. The kids met the horses and played on the playground at 11:00 pm and of course at midnight we headed out for some late night ice cream-the perfect way to end a great day.

Day 60: Touring and the Beach. The kids woke early and headed to the market to buy some breakfast, which included chocolate pastries and chocolate milk in a bag – all delicious. Heading to the car, our friend Oded eagerly planned our first stop, the Chaim Weitzman Institute, where we watched an interesting video about the life of Chaim Weitzman, the first president of Israel. The tour continued with a visit to Chaim Weitzman’s house, grave, and his presidential car. Oded shared stories from when he was a child and he climbed around in the now glass-enclosed car. After our tour we loaded back into the car (ours, not the one in glass) and headed to the beach for some relaxation. The sand and water were beautiful. The kids spent their time on the boogy board riding the waves, building sand castles, and finding shells. After the beach we went to dinner at the home of Oded’s childhood friends. The evening was lovely and the kids enjoyed playing with other kids.

Day 61: A “Down” Day. After much discussion we decided to say close to the kibbutz. We swam at the pool at the Kibbutz before and after lunch. Lunch was at a local dive that had some of the best hummus of the trip (pine nuts AND almonds). After swimming the second time we headed into Rachovot with the Morgensterns and Karwins for a night of pizza and ice cream. But, even with such a relaxing day, the kids were still exhausted when they went to bed at 11:00.

Day 62: The Living Arts. The kids got a bit of needed sleep, arising around 9:00, with the exception of Esti who had Monica awake at 7:00. We then had breakfast in our room in the Kibbutz, loaded up the car, and headed to Ein Yael on the southwestern edge of Jerusalem. Ein Yael is a living history museum where kids are taught, by doing, all about the way people living thousands of years ago. We started by making pita on the style of out door oven used by the Bedouins to this day. We then made some hanging yarn ornaments and flutes made of reeds. We then advanced to the ceramics class and made some small bowls, after which we ate our picnic lunch. We ended the day by making frescos and mosaics (plus a second trip to the pita station). The kids really enjoyed the site.

After Ein Yael we headed toward the German Colony in Jerusalem to meet up with our friends the Edelsteins, proving the old rule that when traveling thousands of miles around the world you always end up going to dinner with other people who are traveling and who are from the same home town! We spent a lovely time visiting with the Edelsteins (and their daughter Ruthie who babysat for us previously), and then we all headed to dinner at a kosher Moroccan restaurant. Finishing dinner late we headed back to the Kibbutz for some rest.

Visit to Modi'in

Day 57: Leaving the Desert. The Shapiro Family packed again and got ready for the next move, but not before enjoying a morning at Ein Geti. With the weather quickly heating up we started our climb to the pools of natural spring water at the Ein Geti Nature Preserve. We spent a few hours swimming around and jumping off the rocks into the refreshing water. We highly recommend this spot for some swimming and views of beautiful waterfalls. We left the preserve, changed into dry clothes, and quickly toured the remains of an ancient synagogue in Ein Geti. The mosaic floor was largely intact and beautiful, showing clear inscriptions. We then headed down the road, parked the car, and enjoyed watching an airshow of model airplanes. The kids were amazed by the acrobatic tricks of the airplanes. With the weather really heating up (about 115 degrees) we got back into the car, ate our last meal in Ein Geti, and headed to Jerusalem. After about a 1½ hour drive we arrived at our friends’ home in Modi’in (a thriving suburb between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) for a relaxing Shabbat dinner. We shared Shabbat with friends and settled in for a quiet evening.

Day 58: Shabbat in Modi’in. We awoke to enjoy a traditional Israeli breakfast of salads, hard boiled eggs, and Jacnun. Jacnun is layer after layer of dough and oil/butter that is rolled into small cylinders and cooked all night in a pot with hard boiled eggs. It originates from the Yemenite immigrants. The breakfast was delicious! We then spent the day hanging out and socializing with our friends. As the evening approached we headed out to enjoy Mini-Israel. Mini Israel is TTT (tacky tourist trap) made up of model size replicas of Israel. We spent 2 hours walking around Mini-Israel. While it was a good review of the places and sites that we saw on our trip, we would recommend that people go to Mini-Israel with Mini-Expectations. After a quick dinner and some time at the park we settled in for another relaxing evening in Modi’in.

Some pictures from the last week:

Chagall Windows at Hadassah Hospital:


The Shapiros at "Dig for a Day" sifting through soil for treasure:


Our travels through the tunnels at Bet Guvrim:


The family on the Temple Mount (in front of the Dome of the Rock):

In Hezekiah's tunnel at the City of David:

Ruins at Masada:

Finding at old friend in the natural pools at the Ein Geti Nature Preserve:

Scott and Monica at a waterfall at Ein Geti:

The kids play with mud at the Ein Geti Spa:

Rebeka in mid-jump at the Ein Geti Nature Preserve:

A new installment

Day 52: Scott Bids Farewell to the Market. With his heart heavy, Scott and the family headed out to Makaneh Yehuda Street Market for the last time. Despite the somber occasion, the family had a great time picking fruits and vegetables for the last few days in Jerusalem, plus fresh pita, Ahi Tuna, and some nibbles. After returning to the apartment we all headed to the car and the drove toward Modi’in where we dropped Rebeka off for a sleep over. On the way we stopped at a number of parks for several hours for the kids to play. After dropping off Rebeka we headed back to Jerusalem, all showered, and then Scott and Monica headed out for a date while Ruthie babysat Avi and Esti. We ate at a local restaurant, stopped for frozen yogurt, and had a chance to be a couple again.

Day 53: A Day of Learning. Each Shapiro managed to get in some learning today. After sleeping over with her friend Ziv, Rebeka went to a day at an Israeli School. She was only able to comprehend some of what was happening (due to the language barrier) but she had a great time and made some new friends. Monica, Esti, and Avi went back to the Bloomfield Science Museum and had a chance to further explore all of the exhibits. Meanwhile, Scott went back for a half day of study at Aish Hatorah in the Old City. After study, and some more shopping in the Shuk, Scott headed back to Modi’in to pick up Rebeka. Once the whole family was together we feasted on Ahi and fresh vegetables and then headed out for some waffles with chocolate and caramel on the busy streets of Jerusalem.

Day 54: A Final Day of Touring Jerusalem. With excitement in the air, we awoke eager for our last tour day in Jerusalem. We met our tour guide Raz at the Jaffa Gate and walked through the Old City to the Church of Holy Sepulcher, the holiest church for most denominations of Christianity. We began our tour learning about the conflict of space that occurs between the eight denominations of Christianity that share the Church and consider it a holy space. Raz showed us a wooden ladder outside a window that hasn’t been moved in 150 years because no one can legitimately claim the space where it sits. We continued our tour on the roof of the Church, the home of a small village of Christian Ethiopian Monks who after building their chapel on roof of the Church decided that the real estate would be an ideal location for a village of monks. The village has been on the roof for about 50 years. We continued our tour downstairs where we saw the chapels of the remaining denominations. Some of the chapels were very ornate while others were simple. Raz showed us a room that was destroyed in a fire and left unrepaired because the different denominations cannot decide who has rights to the space. And we think we have political difficulties!

After leaving the Church we continued with the rampart’s walk, walking on the top of the Old City walls built over 400 years ago by Suleman the Magnificent. The walk continued to clarify the layout of the Old City and the different quarters. The kids found it cool to be able to see the roofs of the houses and people’s backyards. After a quick lunch of ice cream and falafel we headed to the top of the Temple Mount to tour the Islamic holy area. We all found the Dome of the Rock to be amazing; the mosaics and the tile roof are beautiful. We sat on the Temple Mount, while Raz shared many stories relating to the time of Second Temple and the use of the Temple Mount by the Muslims for the last thousand years. The kids continued to be amazed at the sheer size of the Temple Mount and with a creative imagination one can envision the layout of the Second Temple.

After a brisk walk past the Kotel (Western Wall) we arrived at David’s City within modern Jerusalem, the location of King David’s settlement nearly 3000 years ago. We began our tour watching a movie about David’s City. The kids enjoyed watching a 3D movie that covered the history of David’s City, and we enjoyed watching Esti spin her head around in an attempt to track the birds on the screen as they flew at her. After the movie we headed down many stairs to Hezekiah’s tunnel. The underground tunnel built by Hezekiah was important because it secretly brought fresh water into Jerusalem from a spring outside the City. This was important in case Jerusalem was placed under siege. In such a case the community could still get water. With much excitement and five flashlights we entered the tunnel. The space was small, pitch black, and the water was cold. We walked for about forty minutes with water midway up our legs. We were amazed at the construction of the tunnel and the ability of the craftsmen of the era. After the tunnel we passed a newly excavated site where many coins were recently found and walked part of the main road (now a tunnel) which archeologists believe will lead all the way to the Kotel.

Day 55: Leaving Jerusalem. The Shapiro family packed up, loaded up, and with great sadness left Jerusalem, the holiest city for the Jewish people and of course site to great evenings walking around Ben Yehuda Street. After picking up Raz for our last time we headed to Masada and Ein Gedi for a day in the heat. Once we reached Masada, it only took a few minutes of debating to decide that it was better to take the cable car to the top of Masada, rather than walk, in the 115 degree heat. At the park we watched a quick but informative movie about the history of Masada, boarded the cable car, and then headed up to the top. With awe and amazement we walked around the top looking at the many structures build by King Herod as his winter residence, including a castle and bath house. We listened to the heroic story of the Jews 100 years later who made Masada the place of their last stand against the Romans and who made a very tough decision when faced with the possibility of enslavement. After walking in the heat for over in hour seeing palaces, a synagogue, and many other structures, we eventually headed down. After a quick lunch at a local restaurant in Ein Gedi we spent the next few hours walking in the Ein Gedi Nature Preserve. The walk, while initially hot and dry, led us to many beautiful waterfalls and pools of water. The Shapiro family quickly changed into water clothes and enjoyed a swim in two of the natural pools. What a beautiful sight to swim while surrounded by lush greenery, waterfalls, and many desert mountains. The kids caught a frog, only to be quickly disappointed to learn that the frog had to stay at the preserve and not move to Sacramento. After the preserve we headed to the Dead Sea for a float. As Raz said, we will receive the award for the shortest swim in the Dead Sea. (We think our walk to the water lasted longer then our time in the Sea.) The kids stuck their feet in the water, complained about the pain, washed off, collected a chunk of salt, and said goodbye to the Sea. After a full day we checked in and had dinner at the Ein Gedi Youth Hostel. We were pleased with the accommodations and enjoyed the beautiful view of the Dead Sea. Laila Tov to another day in Israel.

Day 56: Ein Geti Spa. We awoke to find that the temperature in the morning was still over 100 degrees. After a nice breakfast at the Hostel we headed to the Ein Geti Spa. At the Spa we started our day with a visit to the mud baths. On recommendations of our friends the Magills, we all covered ourselves from head to toe with the mud, then washed off the mud with sulfur showers. We spent our time at the mud baths with a group of people who may have been runway models. Unfortunately, they were the runway models from the 1980s Wendy’s commercials featuring “Svimware.” (Check out youtube if you don’t know this reference.) After the mud Rebeka and Monica spent some time in the Dead Sea while Scott, Avi, and Esti headed up to the pool. Later, when Monica and Rebeka joined, the family spent the rest of the day at the pool, picnicking on pita, humus, and fruit. In the evening we headed back to the Hostel for another dinner and, due to the heat and activity, the kids were asleep by 8:30.

Day 50: Amateur Archeologists. We awoke early and were on the road by 8:15 heading to Bet Guvrim National Park where we had signed up for the “Dig for the Day.” In this program we pay for the privilege of working for archeologists uncovering the remains of the Edomites from over 2000 years ago. All kidding aside, the program is great! After some training we all climbed down into man-made caves from about 2400 years ago that extend nearly 50 feet into the ground. The caves were originally constructed as quarries for bricks, but later became where the Edomites worked making oil, wine, clothing, and other products. The five of us, along with four other families, spent nearly an hour digging in the caves, finding pottery, shards of bone, and pieces of charcoal, and loading up buckets with spoil. We then hauled the buckets above ground and ran everything through screens to see what else we may have missed. After the screening, we spent about half an hour in an unexcavated cave system where we literally crawled, shimmied, and slithered through the cave. Some spaces were so small that Scott could not fit through with his arms at his side! After this tour, we received a lecture on the work at the site, and then the kids were able to take some pottery shards with them for memories.

After the tour we wondered around the Park some more and toured some of the completely excavated cave systems. They were remarkable! We then ran back to Jerusalem for quick showers, and then drove about 80 minutes to Netanya for Shabbat dinner with friends. We had a great time, returning to Jerusalem after midnight.

Day 51: The Seventh Day. As it should be, Shabbat was a day of rest for us. We slept until 9:30, got dressed fast, and went to the Great Synagogue for services. In the tradition of German Orthodoxy, the service was sung by an operatic-style Cantor with a full men’s choir. The building was lovely, with the men sitting downstairs and the women on the balcony. While the service was not one we would go to every week, it was an experience worth having. After the service we went to the park for some quick play, and then back to the apartment. Here, Scott and Monica alternated napping (two hours apiece) while the other played with the kids. With some school work and apartment chores out of the way, and Shabbat coming to a close, we went out onto Ben Yehuda Street for some more people-watching, and then dinner at the Burger Bar. The kids tasted their first hamburgers ever, and requested that this not be their last! After dinner and some more people-watching, it was another late bed time.

Some photos long overdue

Esti at the Eilat Aquarium:



Avi at the aquarium:


Rebeka and friend Ziv:


Monica and Esti (bathing beauties):

The Ramon Crater:

At the Air Force Museum:

Flags at the Air Force Museum:

One of our strategies for not losing our kids (our cell phone number):

Ole Blue Eyes:

The family on the Mount of Olives (overlooking the Old City):

Dome of the Rock:

Family at Western Wall:

Avi and Esti with soldiers:

Room of the Last Supper:

Western Wall Tunnel:

Another entry from Jerusalem

Day 46: Divide and conquer in the Shapiro family! With Avi under the weather, Monica spent the morning comforting Avi, while Scott, Rebeka and Esti headed to David’s Citadel for a tour. Scott returned from the tour with many compliments about the girls’ behavior and Rebeka’s knowledge of the information presented. In the afternoon, with Avi feeling a bit better, we all piled into the car and headed to Mount Scopus to see Chagall’s windows at Hadassah Hospital. It was only when we arrived at the information desk that we learned we were at the wrong Hadassah Hospital! With little time to spare, we quickly piled again into the car and in record time made it to the correct hospital. We listened to an explanatory audio tape as we gazed at each magnificent piece of art. We then spent a few minutes admiring the hospital and the many services offered. Once home, Scott made a quick dinner for the kids and Monica walked to a lecture at the OU center on the Parsha of the week (the week’s Torah portion). The lecture lasted about 1 ½ hours and was very interesting. Monica then arrived home late and spent a few minutes catching up with Scott. Laila Tov to another day in Israel.

Day 47. Divide and conquer again! With Avi feeling better, Monica, Avi and Esti headed to David’s Citadel for the tour. As promised by Scott, the tour was extremely informative, using a time-line to describe the development of Jerusalem and Israel over time. During this time, Rebeka and Scott headed for another trip to Makeneh Yehuda for some shopping and schmoozing. The afternoon continued with a little play at a local park and then the evening continued with dinner with Ruthie, the daughter of synagogue friends. Ruthie also babysat, allowing Monica and Scott the ability to go out for a quiet cup of coffee at a local highly-recommended restaurant. Monica enjoyed a nice cup of cappuccino while Scott sampled a glass of hot apple cider with a shot of red wine. While you may all be questioning Scott’s choice of drink, it actually was pretty tasty and may become a new favorite for the cold Sacramento evenings. The evening ended late, but of course the kids STILL weren’t asleep upon our return. Laila Tov to another day in Israel.

Day 48: Another day to rest. Today was truly a quiet and relaxing day for the Shapiro family. The day began with a little homework. We managed not to leave the apartment until 3:00, and then walked to a park where we spent three hours on the park equipment playing and laughing. We then stopped at the local market for a few items and headed home for a quiet evening. The kids are really learning their way around Jerusalem-providing proper directions to us on how to get home from the market. Scott made a nice fish dinner at home and the evening ended with many rounds of Boggle.

Day 49: Another divide and conquer. Today Monica and the kids hailed a taxi and headed back to the Jerusalem Zoo. The zoo was amazing and is truly the nicest zoo the Shapiro family has ever visited. Unlike some other zoos, this zoo has exhibits where you can actually enter the animal’s habitat. We spent at great deal of time in the Lemur habitat watching them interact and eat. The kids enjoyed watching two month old Lemurs running around. Other highlights included the petting zoo and play area, Noah’s Ark, and of course the many other animals. After seven hours we called a taxi and headed home for dinner and an early night. Meanwhile, Scott headed into the Old City for a day of Torah Study. He joined the classes at Aish Hatorah for some intellectual stimulation. Most were very good and one was simply great, leading to a long discussion afterwards. During lunch Scott had time to take another visit to the Shuk to buy a few more gifts. After a family dinner, we all had time to walk back over to Ben Yehuda to watch the bongo drummers and do some more people watching.

Jerusalem continued

Day 43: A Birthday, Some Science, and Kabbalat Shabbat. June 12 – Avi’s 7th birthday, was especially memorable because we spent it in Jerusalem. After breakfast we piled into a cab and headed to the Bloomfield Science Museum. This is a great interactive kid’s museum with a focus on science. The kids’ favorite was a room full of a Rube Goldberg contraption in which the kids were able to place balls and crank, wind, and push them through the machine. After the Museum we headed to Ben Yehuda for a birthday lunch which included some of the best birthday apple pie ever. Following lunch we went to the apartment and did some schoolwork and relaxed for a bit, before getting ready for Shabbas. As the setting sun approached we walked to a nearby neighborhood to join friends from Camp Ramah for a fantastic Shabbas dinner with good food, great company, and wonderful conversation. The crowd of 16 made us feel like we were at home. We walked home and climbed into bed just a few minutes before midnight.

Day 44: Shabbat in Jerusalem. While we had originally intended to go to synagogue, the late night on Friday made us adjust those plans. Instead we had a leisurely breakfast of challah French toast, read, and played games. Around noon we headed out to the Old City and literally meandered around for a few hours just soaking up the ambiance. We snacked above the Western Wall, and walked some more, returning to our apartment around 6:00 for a home cooked dinner, some school work, and bed. A truly relaxing Shabbas.

Day 45: A Laid Back Day That Wasn’t So Laid Back. We awoke and the kids and Monica scrambled to prepare cards and breakfast in honor of Scott for Father’s Day. After a nice breakfast including freshly baked bagels, we discovered that Father’s Day is next week. Ah well, another excuse for fresh bagels! After breakfast we walked to the car and then drove to the Israel Museum. Unfortunately, despite information on its website indicating otherwise, the Museum’s remodel had shut down almost all of the family-oriented exhibits. We decided instead to go to the anti-museum: The Jerusalem Mall! After some lunch at the kosher food court and some shopping we headed back to the Old City to see the light show being held all around Jerusalem. We were able to see many of the sites that we previous visited (Absholom’s tomb, the Western Wall, the Davidson Center, David’s Citadel, etc) but with beautiful lighting at night. After several hours of walking the kids were beat and we got them to bed just a few minutes after 11:00.

The trip continues. . . .

Day 40: The Jerusalem Zoo and meeting old friends. The Shapiro family loaded into a cab for the first time in Jerusalem and headed to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. WOW. The zoo was amazing, our only wish was that we had more time to stay at the zoo. Upon arrival we were greeted by some very talkative monkeys, we moved on to see parrots, turtles, rhinoceros, kangaroos, penguins and many, many more animals. We took lots of pictures of the animals for our photo album. We hailed a taxi and headed home for a visit with Reina Cohen, an old friend. We enjoyed a nice quiet lunch in and spent some time hearing from Reina about her new and exciting life in Israel. Reina’s husband joined us we walked Avi to a play date with his friend from Camp Ramah. The evening ended with some shopping and a refreshing dinner of frozen yogurt and ice cream.

Day 41: A full day tour of Jerusalem. We started the day by meeting our tour guide at the Mount of Olives. It is a very big cemetery in front of the Old City where people want to be buried because, tradition says, when the Messiah comes these people will all rise up together and be the first to follow the Messiah to God. From the top of Mount of Olives you have a great view of the Old City. We then walked all of the way down toward the Old City and saw the tombs of Absholom (King David’s oldest son) and Zacharia. These tombs were carved out of the rocks that make up the hillside. We then climbed up 174 stairs to reach the Dung Gate of the Old City, stopping along the way to taste a Jerusalem Bagel covered in zatar. We then watched a movie at the Davidson Center which taught us about the Second Temple (which was destroyed in 70 AD) and then walked around the area leading up to the Second Temple. We also saw the Lev, which was the market (Heart) of the Old City at the time of the Second Temple. At the Lev we saw the piles and piles of stones that the Romans pushed down off the Temple Mount from the Second Temple to prevent us from building a Third Temple.

From the Davidson Center we went to the Western Wall (or Kotel) and placed notes containing our wishes and prayers in the cracks of the Wall. From the Wall we went to lunch and had more great salads (with Avi, of course, having falafel). From lunch we walked through the Zion Gate, stopping to get pictures of Avi and Esti with soldiers, and ended up at King David’s tomb. There was a bris of twins going on at the tomb that made it hard to get in, but it was certainly a loud ceremony. We then went upstairs to the room where the Last Supper was to have taken place. We then walked up to the next floor to a room called the Second President’s Room. This is the room where the Israeli President from 1948 to 1967 would take visitors to show them the Western Wall from a distance and explain that this is the closest Jews could get to their holiest site. Following the Second President’s Room, we walked through the Shuk (Arab market) and thought about coming back another day to make some purchases. Our day ended with a light dinner in our apartment.

Day 42: A visit to the Kenesset and Western Wall Tunnel. We found out that the Kenesset (Israeli Parliament) tours are given in English on Thursdays at noon. With the morning free, Monica, Avi, and Esti walked to the supermarket for some basics, while Scott and Rebeka hung back, organized a bit, and wrote some of this blog. A quick cab ride later, we found ourselves at the Kenesset. While some aspects of the tour were quite nice, such as the viewing and explanation of the Chagall tapestries and mosaics, overall the experience was disappointing. The tour was confined to the main hallway and the Kenesset meeting room. The guide gave the talk in a manner that suggested it was word-for-word the same day in and day out. Finally, the content of the tour was unremarkable.

Following the tour we walked the streets of Jerusalem for a bit, stopped by the apartment for lunch, and then wound our way through the Old City for the Western Wall Tunnel Tour. In contrast to the Kenesset tour, this was time well spent. For those that don’t know, the Western Wall tunnel was excavated below the current neighborhood adjacent to the Western Wall, allowing visitors to walk at the street level that would have existed at the time of the Second Temple (over 2000 years ago). The excavations were carefully done so as to explain the history of the city, allowing the visitor to descend down through the different layers and cultures that lie beneath the Old City. Some of the highlights included a topographic model that the tour guide adds to and subtracts from to explain the changes made to the topography of the Old City and the amazing stones that constitute the foundation of the Western Wall. The tour was definitely one of the high points of the trip. After the tour we spent some time in the Shuk (market), ate a light dinner, and then headed out to Ben Yehuda Street where the kids had the chance to watch break-dancing and bongo drumming.

Some photos of Eilat and Petra

Dolphin at the Dolphin Reef:

Heading to Jordan:

The water conveyance system for the ancient city of Petra:

The Treasury Building:

A huge cave complex:

The inside of one of the larger caves (note the perfectly cut rock):

From the South to the North

Day 37: Another quiet day for the Shapiro family. Rebeka spent the day playing with her friend Ziv at Ziv’s hotel, while Avi and Esti hung around our hotel. Avi spent the day in and out of the kids club and Esti spent a lot of time swimming. Scott and Monica managed to have some down time too. Ultimately, we met up with the Karwans for a late dinner, said our goodbyes for a few weeks, and headed back to the hotel for the kids to sleep and Scott and Monica to start packing.

Day 38: From the South to the North. Having perfecting our packing skills (six times in five weeks), we loaded up the car, ate a delightful breakfast in the hotel, and said goodbye to Eilat. We were sad to leave our hotel but excited to head to Jerusalem. We made some stops in the desert (which Monica considers dry and not so pretty; whereas Scott likes the desert and sees stark beauty in the dryness) before arriving in Jerusalem. We first stopped at Makhtesh Ramon, a very large crater and Israel’s version of the Grand Canyon. The kids collected different colored sands located in the crater, with the hopes of making a bottle with layers of multi-colored sand. After the crater we ate a quick lunch in the car and continued our journey on to the Israel Air Force Museum in Beersheva. We walked around the hot tarmac learning about different planes that have been instrumental in Israel’s defense. We boarded an old Boeing 707, used in Project Exodus, and watched a brief movie on the Air Force. The kids were also able to sit in some of the smaller airplanes for the great picture opportunity. We then continued our drive to Jerusalem, arriving at the apartment with minor navigational difficulties and obtained the key to our next home. It was somewhat remarkable that after five weeks in Israel we were only now coming to Jerusalem. We were pleasantly surprised to get upgraded from a one to a two bedroom apartment. The apartment turned out to be in a great location. The kids unpacked and we headed out in search of dinner. Four kebobs and three hotdogs later (not to mention the many salads Monica and Scott ate), dinner was over and so was the day. We walked back to our apartment passing many people including some dancing Chabadniks, showered, and put everyone to bed.

Day 39: Rise and shine for our first full day in Jerusalem. After some delays caused by Eldan (our car rental company) we found some long term parking, parked the car, and set out on foot to explore Jerusalem and the Machaneh Yehuda Market. The kids did great walking the many, many blocks to the market. When we arrived we stared at the many vendors selling produce, fish, cheese, olives, and everything else, all in awe. Scott’s true love is no longer the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. After a quick lunch, some wandering, and some purchases, we set out to locate flavored frozen yogurt (it is somewhat of a rarity in Israel to find the flavored kind). Success! The yogurt was delicious. With tired children, we spent the remainder of the day in the apartment relaxing. The kids decided to alphabetize the nearly 200 books located in the apartment, a good lesson for all. We had a quick dinner, played some cards, continued the laundry and at ten tucked everyone in to bed. After dinner Scott went to a nearby lecture offered by the Fuschberg Center on Conservative Jewry. While it was nice to get some mental stimulation (other than, of course, the alphabetizing), the lecture was on the trend of kosher cookbook publishing. But with a trip such as this, even this lecture topic was a pleasure.

More in Eilat

Day 33: The Shapiros split for the day. Scott had been talking about going to Petra (in Jordan) for as long as we had been planning this trip, and today was the designated day. But as this day approached we began to have second thoughts about going to Petra with the kids in light of the two hour taxi drive each way, the complications of border crossings, the 6 kilometer roundtrip hike, seeing yet another set of ruins, and the cost. At the last minute we decided that Scott would go alone, and Monica and the kids would have a down day at the hotel pool.

Scott left the hotel at 7:00 am and endured two bus rides, a border crossing, a quick tour of Acuba (Jordanian town across from Eilat) to finally arrive at Petra at noon. Petra was remarkable! Scott’s familiarity with Petra was from the final scenes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusaders. But Petra turned out to be so much more, including over 13,000 man-carved caves that supported a city of over 50,000 residents. The city also has more than 7,000 carved monuments, such as the facade of the Treasury Building featured in the film. The Treasury Building was believed to have been carved by a team of 18 craftsmen over a 22 year period. The scale of the City is remarkable, both in terms of the number of carved caves, and also in terms of the size of some of the caves. The largest that Scott entered was comparable to the Social Hall at Mosaic Law Synagogue in Sacramento, both in terms of width and height. Plus, the rooms were largely carved with perfect right angles, not as rough hewn caves. After a little more than 3 hours in the city, Scott took the return trip back, arriving at the hotel around 7:15 ending a great day. Meanwhile, Monica and the kids enjoyed all that the hotel had to offer, including lots of time at the pool and kids’ competitions sponsored by the hotel’s Kids Club. We all ended the day together watching the variety show at the hotel. The kids loved it and Monica and Rebeka followed some of it (they can both follow some of the Hebrew). Scott kept remarking that it was a lot like watching the Spanish Channel on TV! We finally all got to bed late.

Day 34: A day at the aquarium. We awoke late (yes, again at 8:00 am), ate a quick breakfast, and headed off to the Underwater Observatory Marine Park. While not a uniquely Israeli attraction, this aquarium had lots to keep us busy. We watched the sharks be fed, learned about jellyfish, and went on a glass bottom boat ride to see the fish and the coral. Actually, only the four youngest Shapiros went on the boat in light of Scott’s history with small boats. When we got to the boat he asked if the Sea was smooth or rough today. The guide said particularly rough, but that Scott could ride up top if he wanted to. Scott asked if this was supposed to help with seasickness. The guide responded that it made it easier to throw up!

Our favorite parts of the aquarium were the Oceanarium and the Observatory Tower. The Oceanarium is one of those theatres where the chairs move in coordination with the film. The film was particularly interesting and did a great job of teaching the kids about sharks. The Observatory is a tower built 300 meters out into the Sea. You can go up 100 feet for a great view of the Sea and Eilat, or down to the Sea floor to see the fish, turtles, and coral. Following the Aquarium we headed back to the hotel for some swimming, a quiet dinner in our suite, and then a magic show put on by the hotel staff. All in all, it was a nice day.

Days 35 and 36: Even those on vacation need a vacation. As the title says, we needed a vacation. Sometimes, kids just need to be kids and hang out at the pool. Plus, our friends the Karwans arrived from Moddi’in (near Tel Aviv) with their kids to hang out with us. Thus, these two days consisted of pool, water slides, food, water slides, food, pool, sun, and food. The highlight may have been the pool at the Karwan’s hotel (the Isrotel Royal Garden) which has a man-made beach complete with synthetic sand. Remarkably, even though it is synthetic, it still gets everywhere. Day 36 ended with a nice Shabbas dinner and promise of more fun the next day.

Some photos from the last week

Our friends from Hamat Gadar:

The third water walk, culvert and all:

The entire clan at the public toilets in Bet She'an:

The theatre at Bet She'an:

Avi at Avi's Restaurant:

The Shepiro Clan in the "hut" at Camel Land:

On our ride:


Our newest friends:

The desert view on the way to Eilat:

From the North to the South

Day 30: Leaving Tiberius. Although we were not originally scheduled to leave Tiberius until Sunday (today is Saturday), we decided to leave today. We were enjoying Tiberius, but didn’t want to do the entire eight hour drive to Eilat in one day, and were mindful of the warning about driving in the Negev Desert at night. So upon awaking we enjoyed some time in the pool, ate a last lunch in our room, packed the car, and said goodbye to Tiberius. We elected to take the route from the north of Israel to the south traveling along the west side of Israel, instead of the more direct route through the West Bank. The drive was largely uneventful, except the almost-two-hour traffic jam from everyone heading back to Tel Aviv from holiday in the north.

Around 8:00 pm we finally arrived at our destination for the night: Camel Land in Mamshit (the Negev Desert). We had booked a “hut” which turned out to be a 12 by 16 foot wood structure built right onto the desert floor in the tradition of the nomads and shepherds living in the desert. We were the only folks at the place, and Monica kept mumbling “red-rum, red-rum” under her breath. We were shown to our hut and found that the floor was a mat sitting directly on the sand. The hut had five “beds,” each consisting of a padded mat on a cot. Also in the hut were some pillows for sitting on the floor and some low wicker tables. Our host made us some tea with desert plants, lit a fire for us in the wadi (dry gulch) next to our hut, and left us to look at the stars. The night was beautiful, and we all went to sleep and slept great. In fact, the accommodations turned out to be among our favorite.

Day 31: “One hump or two?” We awoke to find that Camel Land was located in a beautiful valley in the desert. And, right outside our hut was a corral with 40 camels. After watching the camels eat breakfast, we ventured over the outdoor café for breakfast ourselves. Breakfast included two types of cheese, breads, hard boiled eggs, yogurts, fresh lemonade, more desert tea, olives, and some coffee for Monica. But the real treat came after breakfast when we climbed onto three camels (Scott and Avi, Monica and Esti, and Beka alone) for our camel ride. The guide took us through the desert talking about the history of the place, while also talking about desert life and life with camels. The morning ended with some relaxing time in our hut before venturing into the desert to head for Eilat.

We decided to take a very minor road leaving Camel Land toward Eilat and wound our way up and over the desert mountains. The desert is striking and stark, and we all enjoyed the sight. Most notable was the Israeli Defense Force fighter jets practicing maneuvers directly overhead with the roar of the jets. Following the minor road we joined up with Route 90 which runs all the way from Lebanon to Eilat and drove the rest of the way. We found our hotel without problem and were pleased to find a spacious two bedroom apartment overlooking the pool. The hotel itself is lovely and the only drawback is the lack of internet access. However, we made up for that by finding a local restaurant with internet access, which allowed us to publish our previous posting. Following dinner, we slept the sleep of angels.

Day 32: Swimming with the Dolphins. Following breakfast in the room, we headed out in the car for the dirty secret of travelers: someone still has to do the laundry. Because there was no washer or dryer in the hotel complex, we dropped off our laundry at a Laundromat and appreciated the convenience for this special occasion. We then headed for Dolphin Reef where we had a chance to spend the day watching the dolphins swim and swimming ourselves. The dolphins were magical, swimming and jumping solo and in pairs, looking like they were part of some wonderful choreography of nature. In between watching the dolphins, we spent time on the beach and swimming with the tropical fish. We finished up the day with dinner in a great vegetarian restaurant and a walk along the Red Sea before retiring to our apartment.

NOTE: Hello all. Sorry for the spotty postings. While our timeshare apartments have been great, we don't have easy access to internet. Here is four days of posts, which means we are only 2 days behind. More soon!

Day 26: More in the North. The Shapiro family woke to a beautiful sunny day, ate a quick breakfast in and left to meet Raz. Once together we headed to Mt. Gilboa, the location where King Saul and three of his sons were defeated by the Philistines. This was also the location where soon-to-be-King David declared that the mountain will remain barren as a curse due to the defeat of Saul. After walking around Mt. Gilboa we headed to Bet She’an to view the magnificent remains of an ancient Roman City. Be sure not to miss the picture of the Shapiro family in the communal bathroom. With the weather quickly heating up, we finished our walk, viewing the Cardo, bathhouse, and some other ruins, ate a picnic lunch and some ice cream, and then left for our next destination.

To our delight we ended the day with another water walk, or in this case a water swim. On Raz’s recommendation we had purchased a raft, which came in very handy for this water walk. We entered the refreshing water and quickly placed Esti and Avi on the edge of the raft while we towed them down this river. The water was deep, requiring us to swim much of the distance. During the swim, on two separate occasions, we came upon two culverts connecting the water on either sides of intersecting roads. The best part of the swim was going through the culverts on our tushies (maybe not one of our finer parenting moments-but we all came out unscathed and laughing). After a few minutes of relaxing in the water we headed back to the hotel for dinner and a movie in the room.

Day 27: A Quiet Day. With no schedule for the day, we all slept in – as many of you know for the Shapiro family that means we were all up by 8:00 am. After a quick breakfast and school work in the room we headed downstairs for a day at the pool. The best part of our time at the pool was the games played by the pool staff. Using what looked like old gymnastic mats floating on top of the water tied to each end of the pool, the kids ran on top of the mats until they fell off. Avi won the game running a whopping 18 laps. The games continued with having the kids stand in the middle of the pool on a round piece of wood tied to an inner tube on which the kids were asked to jump rope. Scott found much humor, imagining the dialogue between the hotel’s legal department and the recreation department as the recreation department described the Rube Goldberg nature of the floating jump rope platform. The evening continued with dinner at Avi’s Restaurant - a restaurant we located during one of our earlier walks in Tiberias. With much excitement our Avi met the owner - whose name is also Avi. The owner Avi was very nice and gave our Avi many souvenirs with Avi’s Restaurant written on them, including postcards, a key chain, and a magnet. Our restaurant service continued as our waiter walked with Scott across the street to assist Scott in getting a haircut. He later came back and checked on Scott. The evening ended with a little shopping; ugghh, the lines at the market were crazy. We did learn an Israeli technique for shopping - once you arrive at the market get in line, leave the cart on line, and then shop.

Day 28: Finally, the Alligator Farm! With much excitement we headed to Hamat Gadar-The Alligator Farm. Avi had been waiting fopr this for months. We arrived and quickly headed to the parrot show. The birds were beautiful and did some amazing stunts. We continued our visit walking around and looking at the many alligators. Before heading to the pool at Hamat Gador we spent a great deal of time at the petting zoo. The kids picked up one-day-old chicks, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Of course, the conversation as we left the petting zoo sounded something like “when we get home after we get a new dog can we also get a rabbit, turtle, guinea pig, etc.” We continued our visit at Hamat Gadar with a quick dip in the cold water pool and finished our visit with a relaxing soak in the 100 degree mineral springs pool. Other then the sulfur-like smell we all enjoyed the soak. With some time before Shavuot we headed back to the hotel to complete some school, eat some lunch and relax a bit. After a quick shower we headed to the car for a drive to Karmiel where Scott located a Masorti connected synagogue for us to spend the evening. We arrived and were warmly greeted by the Rabbi and his family. We enjoyed the service and shared in the communal meal. Scott and Monica spent the evening talking with lots of congregants while the kids played with other children. Everyone enjoyed the evening.

Day 29: Bees and Shabbas. After arriving home late everyone slept in - again in the Shapiro family that means about 8:00 am. Our plans for the day included a tour of the Honey Farm which specializes in teaching people how to make honey. We were pleasantly surprised to have the owner himself provide us our tour, which included three stations. The first station talked about the process of collecting the honey and a taste of the delicious honey, the second station talked about the bee boxes and the jobs of the worker bees and the queen bee, and in the last station the owner suited up and went into a room with many bee boxes, and picked up and showed us individual bee screens within a bee box. He spoke about the importance of wearing proper clothing when handling the bees. We enjoyed the tour and purchased some amazing bee hand lotion. With some time before Shabbas we headed back to the hotel for a quick swim, some school work, and a bite to eat. After a quick shower we headed to the village of Shorirshim. Once again Scott located this synagogue on the Masorti web page. The village began 26 years ago by a group of Zionist from California and now consist of about 70 families. We were pleased to be invited to someone’s home for Shabbat dinner. The family had a daughter age 9 and also invited were their neighbors who had a son age 9, a daughter age 7, and a younger son age 2. The kids had an amazing evening filled with game playing, rubiks cube, puzzles, and of course a long discussion about pokemon. Scott and Monica enjoyed the conversation and learned a lot about the community which is surrounded by many Arab communities. The neighbor’s son attends an Arab/Israel school which focuses on co-existence. Before we knew it, it was well after 10:00 pm and time to go. Unfortunately, we had a hard time leaving the gated community because the gate would not open when we arrived at the exit. Singing the chorus to Hotel California, we drove around the community looking for anyone who would buzz us out. With some luck and patience we found someone nice enough to let us out of the community. We arrived back very late with three sleeping children.

The Saga Continues

Day 24: Goodbye to Nilli and Rosh Pinna, Hello Upper Golan Heights. We awoke on Sunday with some sadness that we would be leaving Rosh Pinna. The food hand company had been great, and the apartment and spacious yard had allowed us to stretch out. After breakfast Raz joined us and we headed off the Hermon Stream (Banias) National Reserve. This beautiful park is located in the upper Golan Heights and the Banias River (which feeds the Jordan River) runs through it. We started by visiting a Roman Reststop where Romans could prey to their god-of-choice for a safe passage to the north. We then took about an hour and a half hike, which included some ancient flour mills, ending at one of the largest waterfalls in Israel, Following the hike we headed up to Nimrod’s Fortress National Park. This fortress was build by the Muslims to protect the road to from Israel to Damascus from the Crusaders in the 12th century. The Fort is HUGE! The complex architecture coupled with the massive size was truly impressive. In fact, historians believe it took an earthquake to finally topple the Fort.

After Nimrod’s Fortress we drove to a Druze Village where we found a restaurant off the beaten track. We ordered a “salad” platter which included hummus, falafel, babaganoush, tahini, pita, cheese, and about a half dozen other salads. At a whopping $20 it provided excellent lunch for the six of us with food to spare. After lunch we headed to a bunker and informational area at the Syrian Border where we came just a few dozen yards from the border and also learned about the acts of the local soldiers in the 1967 (Six Day) War and the 1973 (Yom Kippur) War. The former base included a coffee shop called Coffee Anon – a play on words recognizing the name of the former UN Secretary General, but also Hebrew for Coffee in the “Clouds.” Following a quick stop to see the Jordan River, we dropped of Raz and headed into Tiberius to our next address.

The Club Hotel in Tiberius is part of our timeshare chain and it turned out to be perfect for us. The room, though tight, sleeps the five of us fine. It also has a little kitchen and a beautiful pool. We look forward to making this our home for the next week.

Day 25: The Lower Golan Heights. We awoke, ate a quick breakfast in our room, and met Raz on the road. We started at the old cemetery in Tiberius which is the most important secular cemetery in Israel. Buried at the cemetery are Israel’s two most famous poets, some of the earliest settlers in the north, and most of the Israeli leadership from the 1970’s and 1980’s. We then headed to Gamla Nature Reserve where we had a chance to see about eight vultures that are protected within the reserve. After seeing the vultures we had a picnic lunch and then headed to the Bet Zayda Nature Reserve. In this Reserve we were able to walk in the river (feeding the Sea of Galilee) for about an hour. The kids had a great time. The adults enjoyed it too, though the experience was a little overwhelming in light of the more than 20 busloads of Israeli students that walked along with us. The students were singing and splashing the entire way.

After the walk we headed back to Tiberius for a walk around the Shuk (market) and then dinner at an outdoor restaurant where the kids had a chance to try (and like!) Shwarma. As usual, Scott and Monica feasted on a myriad of Israeli salads while Avi ate his beloved falafel.

Crusader Hall (underground!) at Akko:


Storage building and hotel (about 800 years old) at Akko:


Lebanon Border at Rosh Hanikra:


The cliffs at Rosh Hanikra:

Kids at the Lagoon near Rosh Hanikra:

Synogogue at Sefat:

First water hike:


Monica overlooking at the Hula Valley:

Kids in Nilli's pool:


Esti in Nilli's pool:

Old Synogogue at Rosh Pinna:

Rebeka in Zues' Temple:

Raz and the Family on a break during the hike:

Portion of Nimrod's Fortress:


Rebeka with IDF soldiers at Gamla National Reserve:

Second Water Hike:

Second Water Hike: