Israel, Day #3

Day 3.

Last night we didn't get back to the hotel until 11:30ish.  We couldn't sleep.  Pills please and fell asleep around 1.  Up around 8 to pack and have breakfast. 

Today was a heavy day.  We started by visiting Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Museum.  It was nauseating and draining and heavy.  I hate the Holocaust, as we should.  Danny toured us through it, which was much better because I didn't have to read every sad detail.  Selfish I know.  The museum is different from the last time I was there (12 years ago).  There were less terrifying numbers and more personal stories.  Somehow that made it better?  Not really.  There were a lot of pictures and videos taken by German soldiers to help them remember their experiences and they seemed very distant.  They didn't take pictures of the suffering.  When those pictures appeared, I cried (like I do).  And I lost it again in the children’s' memorial (like I do).  There was also the Valley of Communities, a maze of walls covered in the names of cities where Jews used to live and lost their lives.  It was crazy how many names there were.

Lunch.  Hummus.  We went to Danny's favorite place in all of Jerusalem off of Ben Yehuda.  We mentioned Danny's name (while he parked the car) and Sammy took care of us.  There was hummus, pita, mousakka, potato things filled with meat, hummus with meat, pickles, rice and beans, and I know I am forgetting some other plate.  There was no room for a fork on the table.  Now I wish I had a picture of how stuffed the table was. 

From lunch we walked to a craft fair.  I bought a beautiful ring (I who has not carried a single coin or card with me at all since we got here...).  It is handmade and fits my fat fingers!  Then we walked to the market.  Hello, today is Friday so it is also Shabbat and the market was PACKED!  Craziness.  And hot.  Oh my.  Hello dehydration.  We didn't expect to spend so much time outside and walking so we didn't have enough water.  We met Danny at a restaurant at the end of the street and drank 4 pitchers of water.  Somehow it was 3:30 and then we drove North towards Tiberius and the Sea of Galilee.  I slept for the first hour or so while Matt and Mom talked with Danny about this that and the other.  We are staying in a very rustic cabin with a beautiful view of the Sea.  Yes we know it is actually a lake - but the Christians named it so we go with it.  Tonight we had dinner at the restaurant and stayed talking for a long time.  Matt had schnitzel for the first time.  Yum.  I had dark chocolate volcano cake.  Oh after I shared lamb, steak, chicken, and sausage with my Dad, and a salad.