That night was a dinner at Decks, which is on the Sea of Galilee. We were so warmly welcomed.
The next morning, after a lecture by Ken Spiro, we headed to Tzfat, which is a very holy and also very arty place. We saw a glassblower at work and I bought some of her painted art.
We had a tour of the city and saw some synagogues (NOTHING like at home!!). We learned a little of the history of the city, that it is where the Kabbalah was born, and that Jewish Mysticism is NOT what Madonna practices.
We were then treated to a late lunch at The Red Khan.
From there it was onto the busses for the 3 hour drive to Jerusalem. Once there, we got checked in, then we're on our own for the evening.
Wednesday morning, we got up and had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the Aish building for the start of our lecture series in the old City.
We had lunch on our own and then returned to go to the Kotel.
There were lectures every day, and they were all inspiring.
One of our trips was to Yad Vashem, the holocaust memorial, and from there we went to an orphanage that is so much more than an orphanage. They run a day care program and an after school program for girls who can stay at home, but whose parents may not be able to provide some of the necessities. The girls made us prayer mats - laminated mats with the candle lighting blessing and blessing for children. The girls decorated them, and with my limited Hebrew and her limited English, we made a nice mat.
We got to tour the old city and we tools tour of the tunnels under the Kotel.
Saturday was Shabbos, so while there were lectures, we were also treated to a bit of a lie in and also the Third Meal on the rooftop of Abba and Pamela Claman's beautiful home overlooking the Kotel and the old city. We ate with soldiers who are all being sworn in as officers this week. I met Estie, a shy seeming and cute girl. Amazing to think that after this week, she will be in charge of a group of soldiers!!
On Monday we went to Masada and the Dead Sea. What a trip!! When they say you float, it is IMPOSSIBLE to describe, unless you actually experience it. From there we want to Eretz Bereshit, where we rode camels and had dinner at Sarah and Abraham's tent. Probably the funniest part of the night was when "Abraham's" cell phone rang!
Before we knew it, it was time for the final banquet and to say goodbye to our new friends from Minneapolis and Cleveland.
So now, I am contemplating lunch and what to do with the next seven hours.. A whole day in Jerusalem with no schedule to keep lies ahead of me!!!
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