City of David tunnels, market, pooltime, turban, dinner with family

At 9am Avi arrived in a North Face short sleeve wicking top and his rust colored athletic capris; we had already seen these particular capris but it is Avi's first pant repeat and therefore notable I feel. We drove to the City of David and descended the steps to the entrance to the water tunnels dug 2500 years ago by Hazakiah to divert the water from the city water gate/well to a hidden internal pool safe from the effects of a potential siege. This is somewhat reminiscent of how David hides the imported Toblerone and Whole Nut bars at our house to protect them from the kids, and explains why only David refused when Avi proferred a handful of mini-flashlights to us, claiming he didn't think he needed one in spite of the total darkness in the tunnels. We meandered through the dark caves wading in water that rose at times up to our thighs, some of us let our shorts get wet while others (David) tucked their shorts into the bottom of their underwear creating a pronounced diaper-effect, that while not quite sexy was very effective at keeping dry. Livvy wore her bathing suit and rolled her t-shirt up above her tush to ensure that any onlookers would not mistake her swimsuit for panties. This is apparently very important for anyone entering the 4th grade, as mistaken panties in public are guaranteed "social suicide" per Livvy.

While still underground in complete darkness we began to hear the musical stylings of a Korean tour group who were slightly ahead of us. They sang melodically and in unison, apparently in praise of their safe return to dry land. We followed their voices in search of daylight, and eventually emerged out of the darkness to meet our serenading visitors, which not surprisingly brought the singing to a rather abrupt halt.

We then went to the Old City for some more shopping, although it was more like determined hunting, for Justin had yet to find a crystal block with holographic etchings inside of Israel to add to his impressive collection of similar international crystal holographs at home. Like a DEA canine at Miami International Airport, Justin entered each stall, circling quickly as he inspected the shelves in search of his loot. Through the Arab quarter, the Christian quarter and at last the Jewish quarter he hunted, eyes fixed forward, scanning the merchandise. A few times he found his beloved crystal but only to find that the merchant was unwilling to sell it at a fair price or that the crystal was in less than perfect condition, and so unflinchingly Justin would exit the stall and carry on stoically not knowing if he would indeed be victorious in his pursuit. When he finally found one to his liking and at his pre-set budget amount, we were all much relieved, and Justin beamed with pride for the balance of the afternoon.

We enjoyed a light lunch of falafel and hummus, before retiring to the hotel pool to escape the sun. Livvy had fun attempting to make me look like I was an ancient turban-wearing noble woman after my shower, and giggled uncontrollably when she achieved the intended effect, see pic. We had dinner with my uncle Rafi, aunt Nechama and cousins Uri, Ditti, Ayal, and Michal, who live between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv , and enjoyed the evening together.