In Florence, Visit the Basilica of Santa Croce, Spy the Duomo, and Eat Gelato

We were in Florence just for the day but it was so lovely and yet so crowded. We met up with friends doing some work here and that made it even more fun and very negotiable. They knew where to take us and where to eat though we did have a few things on our list.

The Duomo, although wonderful to look at, had a very long line to get in so we just took pictures from the outside and kept walking. Florence is a severe tourist destination.




We went and looked at the Tempio Maggiore Israelitico Synagogue but did not go in.

Italian friends from home sent us to Corona's Cafe for the truly best gelato ever. We were not disappointed and they had several vegan gelato options.

To end the afternoon, we went to the Basilica of Santa Croce and saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli...pretty amazing, really. The Basilica has a Star of David at the top. Odd.

Street Scene - Bologna

Traveling by Bus in Bologna, Italy

We're visiting Bologna, Italy, for about a week and a half. Here're some tips for when you go...
buy a bus pass. It's the best, easist, fastest way to get around. Get a bus map. But here's a hint: no one checks the pass so, take that how ever you will. There are different bus routes on the weekend, and the buses don't go into center of town because it become a wonderful walking mall. There is no need to rent a car in Bologna.

Connectedness and Technology in Israel

We set out for a three-week trip to Israel loaded with a rented local cell phone, our iPad, a rented mobile wifi device, and our trusty Garmin. This post is meant for people traveling to Israel and desiring to lead themselves around and not get (too) lost.

If you have a car GPS, load it with maps for Israel before you leave. The maps on our Garmin were fine, it's just that there can often be five ways to spell a word that is translated from the Hebrew. So, that's why we also used...an iPad.

Our iPad has 3G but we were advised to not use it while in Israel. What we did bring along was a mifi hotspot, rented from TravelCell. This little unit (shown above in the lower right corner) picks up cell towers to give you wireless connection. And cell service everywhere in Israel was perfect. While driving, we had the iPad frequently on with one of several map apps (shown to the left). This double tech effort helped to minimize getting too far off the path and we could check email and websites along the way.

Another tool we rented in advance, also from TravelCell, was a cell phone.  We got a phone that we could use to call local Israeli numbers yet also call numbers in the U.S. I don't think it was all that expensive.  TravelCell sent us the cell phone and mifi device before we left on our trip and once we returned we sent it back to them.


One more thing, a helpful app when in Israel was the Converter+ app. The sheckles-to-dollars conversion was hard for my head to figure out so this was great, especially when we were trying to figure out the cost of overnight accommodations.

The Dead Sea, Qumran and the Essenes and the Heat

We woke up early and headed in the direction of the Dead Sea. We traveled through the territories. Nothing major to report here. As we drove we saw sea level signs as we descended into the Dead Sea valley.

First stop on our way - Qumran National Park - which ties in nicely with seeing the Dead Sea scrolls exhibit at the Israel Museum. As many of the park her have, there was an interesting video on the people who lived here and wrote and hid the scrolls. They were Essenes, ascetics who were like Jewish monks. They were men (only) who studied, worked communally, took many ritual baths (of course, because it is crazy hot!), and wrote prolifically. We were roasting hot and I cannot see living there let alone thinking much about anything other than being hot. By the way, this National Park has a huge dining hall and is a popular spot on the tour bus circuit.

We then drove past our housing accommodations (the Youth Hostel) to get to a place listed in the Lonely Planet guide book as a the easiest and cleanest place to get into the Dead Sea. It was not a highlight of the trip. The water was as hot as the air (~ 40 degrees C), it stung our skin, it smelled of sulfur, and there was no easy place to spray off. Yes, we were buoyant. But we could have skipped this and been fine. See how happy we look?!

That evening we stayed at the Ein Gedi Youth Hostel. It had a great view of the eerily quiet Dead Sea. Most lakes of this size that I've ever witnessed had at least some boat activity. Not the Dead Sea. It's aptly named.

Dinner was pretty good. Yes, there were loads of young people on Birthright trips but some people our age were staying so don't stress about being a non-youth in a youth hostel. The princes of anything else are out-of-sight. For instance, a night here at the hostel cost ~ $150 USD. Oh and again, the same single bed, bunk bed sleeping arrangements as in the Field School housing.

Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Start your trip to Israel off with a long visit to the Israel Museum. This is advice we did not take from the Lonely Plant guide and should have. We've been here almost two weeks. Dear traveler: go to this museum first. It is fantastic! We barely scratched the surface of all the offerings but here you will set the historical context of all that has gone on in the land of Israel .

We saw the King Herod exhibit, a recommendation from our rabbi back home, and it was incredible. What this person accomplished in his short time as king, rebuilding the Temple (the 2nd Temple), Caesarea, Masada, Herodonia, Jericho, is mind-boggling and sets up all that one sees within Israel.

Suriname

The life-cycle of a Jew section was also quite interesting, from birth to marriage to death and all the ritual involved from around the world, the Diaspora is diverse! Makes me want to go to the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv.

Cochin India

There are several relocated and rebuilt (or maybe reproduced) synagogues from around the world. One from Suriname looks a lot like the synagogue in Barbados with a sand floor and wooden Torah arc. Cochin India allowed women to learn Hebrew and the walls were colorfully painted. Eastern Europe representation was only photographs. In a black room. It was quite moving. But pictures are all that remain and what was interesting for me to see were that the synagogues looked like log cabin chalets...and they were all destroyed.

There was a Dead Sea Scroll exhibit and a full scale model of the Second Temple.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

After the Israel Museum we were hungry and we went in search of more falafel on our way to see the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We saw pilgrims kissing stone blocks and praying along the way of the Stations of the Cross. We saw a small group of American women making a video along the Stations of the Cross for the folks back home. It seemed odd that such a holy place is wedged into such a small area in crowded Old Jerusalem.

In shopping in Old Jerusalem, we found more Hebrew pants, some for daughter and some for son. A great and tremendously full day.

Sorek (Stalactite) Cave Near Bet Shemesh

More time in the dark...this time in an incredible, natural cave system and now part of the Israeli National Parks - Sorek Cave or Stalactite Cave, was not only beautiful, it was very close to our rental house in Moshav Aviezer. It's way up the hill from the road, keep driving, it's worth the trip. No flash photos but the path is lit. Here are pictures: