At 8:30am Avi picked us up in rust cargo capris and his Australian Outback hat (see pic) and we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives, one of two peaks atop the city outside the ancient walls, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. We had to fight with a rather rude camel for space to sit but in the end we prevailed and were entertained by Avi’s recounting of the abridged history of the last 3 millennia in Israel complete with visual aids. We then recited the Shehechianu blessing which is traditionally recited before any new experience or special occasion and enjoyed some sweet Manichewitz wine, and then drove down to park and enter the Old City’s Jaffa gate on foot where we shared a massive street bagel and some dipping herbs that tasted like ground oregano with sesame seeds. Avi matter-of-factly pointed out the ancient gate’s clever architecture including the high ceiling window from which boiling oil or water could be poured onto aggressors while the long slits in the tall walls were used as a vantage point for attacking intruders with spears and arrows. Livvy tugged fiercely on my sleeve and demanded to know whether in fact boiling oil was poured onto enemy armies and stated that if this visit was going to be all about “gross war stuff” she would like to return to the hotel and “work on her tan”. I assured her that there would be plenty of jewelry shopping in the market once we finished with the “war stuff” and this immediately put her at ease; “Okay Mommy, just warn me before Avi gets all gross again and I can block my ears.” A very sensible solution I think.
We walked the Jewish Quarter and through the ancient Cardo which was recently restored and is being used again as a shopping district, then visited the Burn House which is a ruin from the destruction of the 2nd temple dating back to 70 B.C.E. A lunch stop of falafel and hummus, of course, and then we were on our way to the Wailing Wall a.k.a. the Western Wall, where Jews traditionally make pilgrimage and stuff pieces of paper with wishes into crevices in the 2,800 year old wall. It was a Monday and the area was full of families celebrating Bar Mitzvahs so singing and ululating emanated from every corner. Justin commented on how happy he is that he won’t be having his Bar Mitzvah at the Wall because it all seemed so “crowded and commercial.” It was hard to disagree with his refined sensibilities. We then popped into the tunnels adjacent to the Wall and had an utterly painful tour guide who took all the magic out of the otherwise astonishing underground layers beneath the Muslim Quarter of the city. The kids couldn’t stop giggling at his terrible platitudes and grandiose statements (this rock, this very rock chiseled by hand has no equal anywhere on earth and scientifically is proven to be like nothing you have ever seen before, this rock is the bedrock of civilization…). David attempted to keep himself busy with a repeat performance of his underground yoga poses, while the kids got plenty of glares from one tourist in our group who did not appreciate their horsing around. After the 4th or 5th glare I sanctioned a return glare which delighted Justin in particular and resulted in a détente.
Then it was back to the hotel for some pool time fun and then an outing to the Time Elevator, which is a poor translation for a Time Machine as there was no elevator but the experience was in fact a trip back in time. It was a trip back to the biblical days of Abraham through 3000 years of history up to the 1967 war when Jerusalem was returned to the Jewish people. All of this is projected on large screens with surround sound in an indoor moving theatre where the seats have plenty of kick and turn and thrust much like Soaring California at Disney. The narrator was none other than the Israeli actor who played Tevye in the film Fiddler on the Roof and the entire experience had me trying desperately to quiet my mind from hearing his voice singing, “Tradition, tradition, tum tum tum tum tum tum, tradition..” The ride was terrific and upon exiting Justin commented on how it “really pulled everything together for me.” Now that is success!
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