Day 4 - Jerusalem of Gold

Today we traveled south from Nahariya to Jerusalem (about a 2 1/2 hour ride) and went straight to Yad Vashem for our scheduled visit. The new museum is an incredible educational experience taking the visitor from the early days of Hitler's rise through the difficult post-war years where life was anything but "back to normal". The students were touched by the experience and found the exhibits and personal tour a powerful reminder of our obligation to "Never Forget."

From Yad Vashem we drove to the Israel Museum where we viewed a scaled-size miniature of biblical Jerusalem so as to provide a context of where the "Old City" ends and the "New City" begins.

Also at the Israel Museum is the Shrine of the Book, the exhibit hall which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. The students enjoyed the exhibit but found the halls architecture and incredible feat of originality.

Lastly, after we got to our hotel and settled in at The King Solomon for the next three nights, we got right back up and took a 20 minute stroll to a great authentic Israeli restaurant where we had a selection of Israeli salads, filo dough appetizers, and al ha'esh ("on the grill" barbecue), topped off with some baklava desserts and fresh brewed tea.

Tomorrow we wake up early for our most rigorous day of hiking so far, when we participate in a walking tour of the old City of David. Speak to you soon...