Iz-rye-ale

That is the very lovely way it is said here, "Iz-rye-el". I'm going to try to get away with making a switch myself, so forgive me.

The rest of this trip will be brisk and exciting, but it will leave very little time for reflection.  So, it's time to streamline my already sparse posts even further.  Here we go:

DAY 1

Arrive in Israel and drive north to Haifa. Go for a nice swim at the hotel and then have a great Arabic meal with Mike's extremely gracious colleague.

DAY 2

Out to Akko and back. It is HOT! It's also July 4th and the girls dress and celebrate accordingly.

DAY 3

Grab a view of the Bahai Gardens (by our hotel) before heading out of town. Drive to Jerusalem and settle in at the Harris/Oldham household. Take an afternoon hike up the Mt. Of Olives.

DAY 3

We headed into the old city on Shabbat, so photos are limited. We watched the goings on at the Western Wall, visited the Holy Sepulchre, walked the ramparts of the old wall around the old city, then visited the museum that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

DAY 4

After a stilted start - the car battery was dead, so we discovered after loading up today - we drove the road to the Dead Sea, stopping along the way for a camel ride (more like a brief sit) and a HOT peak at the Qumran Caves (that's where the Scrolls were found). The Dead Sea stings so it's not a place you linger.  We gently climbed in, then got right out, showered off and headed across the road for a hike in Ein Gedi.  A true oasis in the desert.

DAY 5

We got an early start on our 4 hour drive south through the desert, arriving at our rental in Eilat around 12:30 pm. This gifted us with an afternoon to snorkel in the Gulf of Aqaba, where the water makes the otherwise oven-like atmosphere bearable. As the fish were plentiful and in no way shy, I think it was a memorable experience for the girls.