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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 We arrived to find a spacious apartment, even if the décor was a little outdated.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.