Yesterday morning we visited Yad Vashem, the memorial to the over 6 million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. The new Children’s Memorial installation was haunting and I was glad that Chloe, Justin and Livvy each seemed to take something unique from the experience to remember. The kids spoke a lot of their great great aunt Dana who is 90 years old and a survivor of Auschwitz, and whom they love very much.
The afternoon was spent climbing the perimeter walls of the Old City and then lounging by the pool playing a game Justin and Livvy have devised that involves a large water filled balloon, a neon shoelace and a fair amount of hysterical laughter.
Today Avi picked us up at 7am in a new pair of light beige Columbia brand micro fiber cargo shorts and we drove to the desert to visit Masada. We rode the cable car up as no one felt particularly ambitious and it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit. We made good use of the cable car time by rapping about how easily I can annoy Chloe with a bottle of water, Livvy provided the authentic hand gestures, please see video. The highlight of Masada was the model that demonstrates the advanced water cistern and transportation canal system that King Herod had installed over 2000 years ago. The lowlight of Masada was Livvy understanding that we were visiting the site of a siege at the end of which all the Jews killed themselves in order to avoid being enslaved, tortured and raped by the Roman aggressors. “Nightmares Mommy, nightmares, you should know that by now.”
We then stopped at a kibbutz in En Gedi for a bite of lunch, no falafel to be seen sadly, and then onto Mineral Beach at the Dead Sea for a float in the naturally buoyant water and mud bath. This was the “highlight of the whole trip”, according to an enthusiastic Justin who wondered whether he could somehow take some Dead Sea mud home and charge his friends to come bathe in our pool and use the mud. Realizing the logistical difficulty involved he gave up on the idea albeit reluctantly.
Tomorrow we leave Jerusalem and head to Eilat. Can’t wait!
Was missing your daily Rap sessions and travel Raps Glad they are up on the blog.
ReplyDeleteyou seem rusty, Lorn, what up ?!!
Peace out.
Good dancing - love the back up dancers !!
ReplyDelete"So You Think You Can Dance" the Israeli version.
appreciate the encouragement Laura, not easy to spot talent in the holy land.
ReplyDeleteHoly Land, Shmoly Land, You've Got Talent.
ReplyDeletePlease send more Raps and include the "Purell All Stars" - what's a vacation without the Borenstein "in the back, in the back, not in the nose"
My name is David....I like my yoga..and when I'm real hot, I wear a toga.
see, can't do it without you.
maybe in the holy land, the back up dancers are called the "Purellites", what would we call them in Turkey or Greece....hmmm...must think about that.
ReplyDelete