We spent the majority of the day close to the Nuszen's house in the area of Gush Etzion. We began at the Gush Etzion heritage museum and movie/light show. We were the only guests at the time but it was an amazing experience.
Similar to the Friend's of Zion museum, it was a high tech walk-through museum but this specifically highlighted the recent history of Gush Etzion (the Judean hills South of Jerusalem. It was a moving experience as it told the story of brave pioneer families who sacrificed their lives just prior to the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948. This is a must visit for any tourist but I'm afraid it will be missed by most due to it's location. I hope that is not the case.
From there we made a short drive to the Deer Farm Park for the ATV & Zipline experience. Again, we were the first and only guests there at the time. Unfortunately, due to the windy conditions and cold, the zipline was closed today. But fortunately the rain held off so we braved the cold wind to take the ATV tour. And we were glad we did! We rode around the dirt trails of the Judean hills for at least an hour. Up and down through the vineyards, feeling the land, breathing the air, just incredible!
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| ATV ride in Judean Hills |
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| Objects in mirror are closer than they appear |
We saw an ancient mikvah and mile stones and got amazing pictures. But we were in for a surprise as we made our way to the "Lone Tree" that was featured in the presentation we just saw. To be in the actual spot where so many people lost their lives is truly a humbling experience.
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| Mikvah |
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| Blooms all over the hillsides |
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| The Lone Tree |
From there we ate lunch at the Gush Etzion Winery. Beautiful restaurant and delicious food and award winning wine produced right from the hills we're riding around in. And we met some fellow Texans there as well. No matter where you go, the eyes of Texas will be on you!
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| Gush Etzion Winery |
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| About the winery |
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| My latte. Mmmm |
From there we stopped at a small grocery store to pick up a few things we needed. It was quite the experience as it is open to Jews and Arabs. We got gas in front of the store and an IDF vehicle was parked there so we got out and gave them Purim gifts and cards and thanked them for their service. We drove around the area to the various bus stops where soldiers were on duty and gave them gifts and thanks. Poor hitchhikers thought they were getting a ride. Sorry y'all.
We then went to the Pina Chama ("Warm Space") which is a volunteer station for IDF soldiers to come in for a snack, meal, coffee, etc. We handed out the rest of our cards and goodie bags and visited with the volunteers who run it. Really cool place.
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| IDF soldier getting cup of coffee on a cold day |
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| IDF truck at a store |
I was hoping to visit Hebron and the Tomb of the Patriarchs but we needed to drop something off for Sam back in Elazar. While we were there we got to see the rest of Elazar up the hill. It is a beautiful area with beautiful homes but unfortunately due to ridiculous Arab claims and silly politics, some of these homes will eventually be destroyed and other homes are currently left unbuilt, one just a foundation left abandoned. Sad! We did get some beautiful pictures of our view of Gush Etzion from the top of Elazar.
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| View from top of Elzar |
We were planning to get sunset panoramic pics at the Neve Daniel lookout but because it was cold and cloudy we'll attempt it later this week. We went instead to Jerusalem to pick up Jack and Zipporah at Jack's sister's home, which is located not too far from the Old City. It is a gorgeous house which featured a green astro-turf lawn which I admit I coveted a little. We didn't stay long as she had been hosting guests all day for Purim but she was very sweet and welcoming and we could probably visit for hours if it were any other day.
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| Traffic around the Old City |
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| Outer wall near the Jaffa Gate |
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| Jaffa Gate to Old City |
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| Sunset over Jerusalem (from Jaffa Gate) |
The sun was setting so we made a quick trip to the Jaffa Gate to get some good pics. It was windy and cold so we did not stay long but just being there for a moment is still amazing. Finally back home after fighting rush hour traffic out of Jerusalem. We caught up on Facebook while Jack grilled steaks and Shannon prepared green beans, corn and mashed taters. A delicious meal with the family in their home and great conversations. We wrapped up the evening playing a game of spades which was a lot of fun even though Debbie & I lost to Steve & Jack.
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| Jack grilling steaks |
I was a little bummed about the zipline being closed, not going to Hebron or Neve Daniel (which all of those are a possibility later in the week) but learning about the history of Gush, meeting and thanking IDF soldiers, meeting Jewish people and going to their homes and spending time with them truly makes for an amazing day...one which most tourists do not get a chance to experience. Well it's almost midnight and we're headed to Galilee at 5am so time to get a nap (normal nap time at home).
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