Kingdom Paradise Safed

... the morning Darren and I took one of the dogs out of a long walk in the crazy heat, the dog nearly died - really! Its saliva became so thick and the noises coming from her were crazy but she soldiered on and made it back - it was only about 5km and Darren and I were fine, the dog was just in such bad shape! We got her back and she refused to drink so Darren hosed her down which probably helped and then we relaxed again as there is nothing to do while it is so hot ...

... Gedi namen.

Und Ein Gedi war einfach die Bombe schlechthin! Noch am Mittwoch nachmittag liefen Thomas und ich runter zum Toten Meer und namen das vielleicht seltsamste Bad unseres Lebens... Das Tote Meer hat naemlich einen gigantischen Salzgehalt, der so hoch ist, dass man in keinem Fall untergehen kann. Man treibt einfach. Wie ein Korken im Wasser. Dazu ist die Bruehe noch total oelig und zieht so komische Schlieren, wie Benzin. Riechen tut es wie ein ...

... videos. Gramps couldn't believe it, neighter could Borik, Phima, or Anuta. Shimon loved it, and Vita was just scared to believe I jumped. Shortly after tea anuta and Phima left and the making fo the sleeping arrangments began. I slept with Vita in her bedroom, Mama on the couch and Borikon the fold out. The sleep was average. I woke up in the middle of the night in dyer need of water, then b/c of heat, then just woke up at 10am with a smashing head ache to start the day.

... to-budge. She'd frowned because Daniel had made her sound so religious. I was one of the only non-Jews in Tzfat, and Daniel was one of the Jews with the most negative attitudes toward Judaism. I told Ilana, from New York, that I'm a writer, and she said I'd have to tell some stories. We went to a thin plaza tucked away into the sloping town of Tzfat. On one side, we were walled in by rounded mortar painted light-purpleish. On the other side ...

... in between. This surprised me because I was told by Amy beforehand that we were entering a very conservative, religious part of Lebanon; but it turns out that most of Lebanon is tolerant and people do not judge others heavily. Then there were the typical boys on their mopeds or in their cars driving past us a few times to catch a glimpse and wink or smile. Khiam is nowhere near what the US government wants Americans to believe a village run by ...

... walked to the park office to find out the cost & Yea! It was free! As I prepare lunch, Evette sets up camp & Rascal explored the area to make sure it was safe for his mommies. I'm thinking, "Gee, why is the best site in the park available?" Oh well, who cares? It's ours now. After lunch, we drive around & do more ...

... Gia from Israel Experts at Kibbutz Nachshon. A few of our soldiers came back to visit. It was so nice to spend a final evening together, talking about our experiences on the trip, and several of the soldiers came back to visit with us. We accomplished so much in just 8 days, just like the miracle of Hanukkah! We'll spend one last night at Kibbutz Maaleh Hahamisha-Jerusalem before leaving for the airport tomorrow.

... after us. He is studying in a Yeshiva and does guiding to supplement his income. He is the son of a hippie rabbi who moved to Israel in the 1970's. The people in the office wore traditional black clothing. Mordecai showed up with long hair and wearing a multicolored shirt. He starts off by discussing the four holy cities in Israel: Jerusalem, (fire), Sfat (wind, or spirit), Hebron (earth) and Tiberias (water). As an aside, we ...

... I sit up front for part of the way. The bus driver learned to drive back during the 6 day war, as a tank driver. It shows! We climb up to the Crusader Castle and wander through as the kids take notes and do class. We mostly observe. I learn a bunch about them right where it happened! We have a nice lunch on a Kibbutz that grows tons of bananas among other things. I wander off to explore, find the grocery store and meet the funniest old ladies. Not a lick of ...

... really interested). The road is buckled and columns are toppled over in these sections of the city. They have bath houses and lavatoriums (potty rooms...and yes, they still have the seats....and yes, I sat on one for a picture). The theater is huge! And has great acoustics. Evan sang in it and got a round of applause for the tourist group. The one bad thing about Bet She'an was that it was extremely hot and humid. It's in a valley, so that's how it goes I ...