It’s a Small World

While the supporting parents shout from the balcony, our boys are dashing around outside trying to help a couple guys keep their construction sight from blowing away. It’s vicious windy out and unfortunately these guys had left several pallets of styrofoam concrete molds sitting at the national park across from us. Styrofoam pieces are flying through the air and it’s entirely impossible to keep them all contained. As they sail away they dance through a roundabout and we’ve got our jolly’s out of watching cars hit them ( the styrofoam, not the boys). Sand is flying through the air and a tree had fallen onto the highway causing a traffic jam.

The crummy weather only started mid afternoon and until that time we explored Old City, Mt of Olives, The Cardo, Mt. Zion and such like. It was Bar Mitzvah day at the Wall so we spent some time watching all the parades and celebrations. They do a lot of singing and clapping and dancing and candy throwing.

After a lunch of kebabs eaten while we perched on some concrete posts in Old City we headed over to the City of David tour we had booked. That is a really awesome place to go! In fact it’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come back to Israel. They have discovered what they believe to be King Davids palace as well as Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the pool of Siloam and all kinds of other stuff. They have found evidence of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and various other biblical characters there. Every week they find more stuff and it’s totally awesome. The tour is a couple hours long and at the end you can go through the tunnel Hezekiah dug to protect the water source during a siege. Its a narrow tunnel, you often rub on both sides and occasionally it’s so low you have to crouch. The tunnel is 583 yards long and completely black unless you bring a flashlight. And running through this zigzagging tunnel is fresh, cold water. At places as deep as your upper thighs. It’s epic! You have to wear water-shoes and have a minimum of one flashlight per two people. It was definitely the highlight of our day.

By the time we were done there the rain that had been threatening set in in earnest and the wind started kicking up. It was chilly and a bit miserable so we found a warm little cave of a restaurant in Old City to hole up in. It had Bedouin style couches, warm Arabic tea and piles of delicious food. We lingered over it all and eventually headed back across town to the car park. Old City at night is almost magical. The tourists are pretty much gone and you can see how it really looks.

Only one day left here. We really don’t know for sure what we’ll do yet, but we know whatever it is it will be interesting. We’re up against a virus and a storm so that really limits us now! No going south of Beersheva cause of flooding, no going anywhere in the West Bank or Dead Sea area cause of virus. Israel just created a “never more than 100 people at a spot” rule so that’s limiting museum exhibits. So here’s to Adventure in unexpected places… like running around on a street picking up styrofoam.