Israel Day 5 (01/09/15)

Another gray, chilly, and damp day. We started with our Israeli breakfast and then set out for the Tower of David, by the edge of the Old City. It's another "wait 10 minutes and the weather changes" day. Showers, a little sun, snain (my word for snow and rain), just snow.

The Tower of David is an important historical and archaeological site. Within its ancient guardrooms, the museum tells the 4000 year old story of the city. It focuses on the central events that took place in the different periods of Jerusalem's history and on the sanctity of the city for each of the three monotheistic faiths. (This was summarized from the brochure.) There are models of what Jerusalem looked like at various times. There is a wonderful model of the Temple which shows features that we saw on Wednesday during our tour of the Old City. And from the towers, there are great panoramic views of the city. Not a lot of captions on the photos as I tried to take photos of the signs that went with the displays.

After climbing up and down stairs and seeing the exhibits, we took the light rail back to the Market. We had hoped to revisit the falafel stand we'd gone to on Tuesday, but he was closed. The market was a madhouse -- to get around you couldn't be polite but had to push your way through. Kate asked me what I could possibly find to photograph that I hadn't on Tuesday -- the stacks of challahs waiting to be taken home for Shabbat dinner. We revisited the  Etrogman's stand to claim our free drink (another etrog lemonade) and got a funny photo of a small snowman decorated with lots of plant material.

Because of the weather (a little rain, a little snow) and the approaching erev Shabbat (candle lighting is 4:12 pm today), a number of stalls and shops were closing. We wandered along Jaffa St. towards Ben Yehuda and found a nice restaurant for lunch. Best part is that it was warm with nice heaters. Then it was back to the hotel. Tonight we'll be having Shabbat dinner at our cousins' home. Depending on the weather, cousin Nati and his wife and son will also be there. I won't be taking photos as our cousins are Orthodox and would not want me using my camera. [Cousins Dani and Nati & Rachel were there, Zamir stayed behind with grandpa. Also Nomi & Zagiv, the newlyweds were there. Ahuva made a delicious dinner. Those of us from the US attempted to explain to Zagiv about the US healthcare system -- he is now much happier about what he pays in taxes towards the Israeli healthcare system and what is covered.]

I included a photo of our "snack" -- a Jaffa orange. I should have included something to give perspective -- it's almost as big as a grapefruit and very, very juicy. Oh, and it's snowing again.


Day 5 photos