A day underground -- digging, bullet factory

After a restful two days, we are back on our relentless (in a good way) tour with Ikey. This morning we headed to Bet Geurin for an Archeology Seminar dig. We were lucky to be out there on a day when they did not have any other groups or families even so we had Ian, the head of the organization's personal tour and attention. First we went dowQuicn into one of the caves that they are currently excavating and he gave us an overview of the area. Then we got to play amateur archeologist and dig through the ground in some of the rooms. Since we were essentially digging in an antiquity dump as they kindly put it there was instant gratification all around. We immediately found shards of pottery and bones dating back two thousand years. After some digging we went up to the surface and sifted through the dirt finding a few more small treasures. Then Ian led us through a system of caves that had not yet been excavated to give us a sense of what it's like to find them. Last he showed us pictures of some of the larger finds from the area. In the end, we were able to take shards of pottery from previous digging because our batch will need to be catalogued first (before it is given out to future tourist diggers). Overall a fun process. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and the kids were so proud to show Ikey their pottery. If you haven't done this in Israel, it's an experience not to be missed. Here's a New York Times article with a bit more about it. http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/travel/16family.html?pagewanted=2


Quick lunch and then off to the Ayalon Institute otherwise known as the bullet factory. An unbelievable story about a kibbutz that secretly produced the ammunition for the war of independence in an underground bunker practically next door to a British army camp. Really incredible and something that those of us who have been to Israel had not seen before. Then back to Jerusalem with a quick stop at the menorah at the Knesset. Kids could not wait to get back to the neighborhood -- Orly and Bram wanted to get to the playground. Bram and Ross headed to Pittuyim (a great cafe) for backgammon. In the evening, Lenore and Allen had a peaceful dinner at Selina on Emek Refaim while the five Mansbachs went off in search of Rav Chen movie theater to see Night at the Museum 2. The kids never stopped talking about seeing Ice Age 2 in Mexico so we thought we continue the tradition. An American movie in English, for sure, but always interesting to see it elsewhere. Back at the apartment it's now time to pack up. We head to the Galilee on Monday!

Climbing the Wall

No worries. The kids did not try to climb the Western Wall. But we did end Shabbat here in Jerusalem back at the Haas Promenade where our friends the Yanai's took us on Friday because we loved it so. And in the absence of a ball or frisbee (something we always have on hand for trips abroad but alas not this time) the kids invented a game which involved climbing the walls while the parents and grandparents enjoyed watching the city take on its golden glow as the sun set. Spectacular.

But first our day started with shul at Moreshet Israel, the conservative movement synagogue with Rabbi Adam Frank who Jodi knows from Atlanta. Truth be told, Jodi, Ross, Eli and Orly walked and arrived minutes before the end of the service (in time for the Ladino Ein Keiloheinu) though Lenore, Allen and Eli arrived much earlier and enjoyed the service. We all walked home then had lunch. In the afternoon, the Mansbach mishpacha went off to the public pool which is just a few doors down on Emek Refaim. It was packed with Israelis but a lot of fun.

After the evening stroll on the Haas Promenade, we headed over to Ben Yehuda Street for a quick bite and requisite tourist shopping. Bram emerged with his much anticipated chess board, Lenore with Naots, and the rest of the kids with a whole lot of t-shirts. Jodi also stopped by Turquoise and ordered an earring to replace the one she lost from there -- one of her favorites! Half the crew took a cab home the other half enjoyed another long walk through Jerusalem at night where the evening breezes are unbelievable.

Our other photo here shows the kids favorite Israeli food - schnitzel aka chicken patties!

ZOO TIME

Guest Blogger: Bram

Today we had no tour. But instead we went to the Zoo and celebrated Shavuot. Lets begin first me and my brother Eli slept very late and then had some breakfast. So then we went outside and you see
the title ZOO TIME well here it goes. So when we went outside we got two cabs for all of us to go the ZOO when we
went in it was monkey mayhem monkeys here monkeys there monkeys jumping everywhere! There where howler monkeys all kinds of monkey and I,am serious!

Replacement Blogger: Mom/Jodi
Bram worked hard on his blog posting above and intended to write more but pleaded with me to finish up for him since he is very busy here in Jerusalem. Let's see. Shavuot. Lenore, Allen and Jodi went to services at Kol Haneshama, a progressive shul here which means that it's basically egalitarian conservative to those of us in the US. It was lovely until the folks from Storahtelling acted out the giving of Mt. Sinai all in Hebrew. Fascinating but we couldn't follow much. Back at the apartment the kids all slept in and finally caught up on sleep. Then it was off to the zoo which was great fun especially the Nikki sculptures we are posting pictures of and the boardwalk/safari section. Back to the apt then Jodi, Orly and Bram went off to meet our friends from Camp Ramah, our next store neighbors up there when we spent a month. Itzik, Yael, Noga and Shachar now have a new baby sister Roni. We got to see their very crowded playground in Talpiot and then walked over to the Haas promenade which had the most wonderful view of Jerusalem I've ever seen. Just beautiful. Back at the apartment we had a Shabbat dinner, played games, read and called it a night!

Museums, markets and getting ready for Shavuot

Guest Blogger: Eli

Today was our fourth day in Israel and was exciting too. The day started out when we woke up at 8:30 to get ready for today's sights, the Israel Museum, the Market, and a drink at the King David Hotel. We jumped into Ikey's van at around 9:00 and drove off to the Israel Museum. Before we got there, Ikey talked to us about Israeli politics in Bethlehem. We pulled over halfway to the Museum, and Ikey let us see a great view of Bethlehem. After that, we drove over to the Museum. While we were there, we saw an amazing model of what Jerusalem looked like during the Second Temple Period. Next, we moved onto the Museum Garden. In the museum garden, there were many unique sculptures. The picture for today is Eli, Orly, and Bram standing in front of one of sculptures. The sculpture they were standing on spelled out the word ahava, or love in hebrew letters. Then, we moved on to see the Dead Sea Scrolls which were found by a boy who was looking for his goat near the Dead Sea. The building the scrolls were held in was shaped like the top of a jar, like the one that they found the scrolls in and had water splashing on it. It was really cool. Once we stepped inside the building, we saw artifacts and scrolls that dated back around 2000 years ago. It was amazing. Once we were done, we had lunch at the museum. It comprised of soda and sandwiches. After that, we left the museum and drove to the market. Since Shavuot started tonight, we had to get food for the weekend. Let me tell you, the market was busy. We had to squeeze through everyone and sellers were shouting out deals everywhere. I have to say though, it was busy, but there was everything you needed in about a square mile or less. There were shops selling spices, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and so much more! After we were done shopping we drove to our apartment and had dinner. Dinner was made up of bread with butter, salad, cheese, cheese blintzes, olives, radishes, and pickels. It was delicious! Next, we walked over to the King David Hotel. We each got a drinks and sat down and looked at the Old City which was illuminated. It was beautiful. Once we had our drinks, we walked back to the apartment, put together a puzzle, and went to sleep.

A Float on the Dead Sea

Guest Blogger: Orly

Yea, about the title; that was just part of our day, yet there are no pictures to prove it. The other parts include touring Masada,riding a camel, and visiting the lowest place on Earth!




I guess we'll start off with what we did first. "Taxi, taxi!" Yea, right. the "taxi" was a camel! It looked fun, so Eli, Orly, and Bram climbed on. If you think camels look tall, you should try to climb onto one! Thankfully, we got a good picture of all the kids before Bram decided that it was time for him to climb off, as you can tell by the next picture, which shows just Eli and Orly.
But on to Masada. During the hour-and-a-half drive, we reached the lowest point on Earth. We passed hundreds of large, desert hills. Finally, we reached the visitor's center below Masada, where we got tickets to ride the cable car.(No trail for us. It was already too hot!) When we reached Masada, Ikey showed us what was most of Masada, but still not all. We viewed palaces, both private and public, and storage rooms, and there was a story behind each one! We rode the cable car back down to the visitor's center and ate a great lunch. We then started out for the dead sea. After more hills, we got into our bathing suits, and got into the Dead Sea. After two hours of mud and floating, we visited the shallow fresh water pools,and sulfur springs. Then it's back to the apartment.
After an hour at our favorite playground, and then out to an Asian dinner. Then it's really to the apartment for real to go to bed. Goodnight!

You wanted a vacation? You are on a tour!

Our trip to Israel is introducing us to a whole new style of tourism. As many of you know, our past trips abroad have consisted of renting rooms at farmhouses in Italy, Spain and France where an ambitious day consists of leaving the farm around 11, one visit to a museum or park and an afternoon ice cream. Well, enter Ikey and a whole new way to travel. Ikey is our delightful Israeli tour guide who we met on Tuesday morning for the first time. And his agenda for each day is nothing but ambitious. When we explained to him that our kids are not used to this pace he said to Ross, "You wanted a vacation? But this is a tour!" So tour we do.

First stop this morning was to the Old City of Jerusalem (after we descended to the Valley of Hell where little children were sacrificed Ikey told the kids). Bram enjoyed acting like a warrior on the walls of the Old City. We then walked through the Jewish Quarter and took a first glimpse and quick visit to the Western Wall. We met up again to go through the tunnels at the Wall where we could walk along the area that has been exposed by archeologists recently. After our tunnel tour, we meandered through the Arab market and stopped for lunch at Burger Bar again! Then it was off to the Davidson Museum to see the model of the Temple and the ruins just outside. By that time we had a tired bunch of kids on our hands so we begged for a rest. A quick stop at Supersal for groceries and back home to the apartment. Before dinner we ventured out to a local playground and then for dinner at an Italian restaurant on Emek Refaim. Phew! We're exhausted!

In the land of milk and honey

We've arrived! As Orly pointed out while munching on honey nut cheerios with milk tonight as a snack, we are definitely in the land of milk and honey. It's been all good for the kids so far! They were thrilled to arrive at the departure gate in Atlanta and see Rabbi Sykes (formerly director of their summer camp) and his daugher Mira also heading to Israel for a visit. An uneventful flight during which the kids slept a good part of it and enjoyed their mini tv screens for the remainder. Jodi and Ross didn't sleep quite as well with the barking dog a few rows behind providing a surreal concert all night long. But arriving in Ben Gurion, finding our driver and getting to our apartment in Baka was a breeze. And the cool Jerusalem breeze a delight as well.

Mom and Dad (Allen and Lenore) had already arrived earlier in the day and done some grocery shopping at the very expensive neighborhood grocery store. Orly is thrilled because the cornflakes that Grandma bought are honey nut not plain. Grandma defends her purchase saying the only English on the box says Corn Flakes but Orly cleverly points out the picture of the honey and nuts! Score one for Orly. I think she's going to do just fine in this country.Tonight we attempted to keep ourselves awake with a stroll down Emek Refaim and dinner at the Burger Barn with the teeny boppers and where we ran into Rabbi Sykes and Mira again! Exciting for mom to have a kosher hamburger! I've managed to stay up until 10:30 but now must sleep. More tomorrow.