We started the day on a trip to the the Olive Columns for Peace Among the Nations and Faiths.  We were shown the breat taking views of that Israel has to offer. 

It was then off to the city of David to see recent excavations and get a feel of what the city was like 2500 years ago.  We then half swam half sloshed through Hezekiah's Tunnel (aka the Shiloah Waterway) that was used to transfer fresh spring water to the city of David.  It was built 2500 years ago by two teams digging towards each other and meeting in the middle.  To this day it still flows with fresh spring water!  This was quite a relief from the day's heat as the water was ice cold.

Next came the the Old City for shopping in the Cardo and exploring the Jewish Quarter.

We started our day with a visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial dedicated to the 6 million innocent victims.

 Next came the Herzel museum and the Military Cemetery to pay respect to the fallen heroes of Israel and learn a bit about Theodore Herzel.

 Finally the biblical landscape reserve of Neot Kedumim.  Hundreds of varieties of biblical and Talmudic plants, ancient and reconstructed olive and wine presses, threshing floors, cisterns and rituals baths make this park a "Garden of Wisdom".  We were shown how Olive oil was made, how wheat was separated from the stalk and then ground into flour, and planted trees in honor of Robbie's Bar Mitzvah.

This day was truly an experience none of us will forget.

Bar Mitzvah Day!  Mazel Tov Robbie!

We left early in the morning to head to the Southern Wall in the Old City for the ceremony.  It was truly an experience and extra special.  Will and I were glad we could join in. 

After lunch at Beit Ticho (delicious), we headed back to the Old City to explore the reconstructed Jewish quarters and the Cardo again.  We then headed to the Western Wall to place our notes in the cracks so that they may better heard.  Afterward, since there was still time, we visited a few of the stations of the cross.  It was then on to see the spot closest to "Holiest of the Holies" as it is called.  A spot on the wall  that is as close as you can get to the original temple, built upon the rock that is believed to be the corner stone of the beginning.  It is now under a Mosque called the "Dome of the Rock".  A few notes were left to stick in this part of the wall.  The rest of the wall not seen outside was actually buried under hundreds of years of Arab and crusader architecture.  In those times you didn't take it down, you simply built on top of it.

 The day was started with a trip to Caesarea, the ancient city built by Herod the Great.  We were whisked away on a speed boat ride along the coastline to see the ancient ruins.  You could make out the palace of Herod, the Hippodrome, an aqueduct, and the remains of a theater that is still used today!

 Then, we headed to Tel Aviv for a little shopping excursion, since Will and I missed the Tel Aviv trip planned for later (after we came home), this was an added bonus.  We stopped at a little bazaar filled with handmade goodies ranging from Judaica to Jewelry.

Happy Fourth of July!  Even though we were in Israel, that didn't stop Will and I from going out for some blues and BBQ :-D  Will and I headed out to Mike's Place for some good ole American grub and beer.  It was quiet but fun, and the beer was good and cold.  We finished our night with a shot of American whiskey and headed back to the hotel. Since no 4th is complete without Ice Cream, we found a vendor with these funny ice cream bars called Magnum.  We couldn't help ourselves and took a photo.