Israel has a whole new definition for hot!

We are having a marvelous time. Last night, we had dinner with a family who has been friends with the Grabers for 40 years. They have 4 children (all adults) and they all came as well as their children. It was a big, NOISY gathering. I felt right at home. Everybody was talking and laughing all at once. It was just like the Conrad family. These people have not seen David for 15 years and of course, none of them had met me or Avi. It was great to be there and get to know everybody.

Today, we left Herzliya and began our tour of northern Israel. We first went to the old town of Caesarea where King Herod built the amazingly modern port about the time Jesus was born. We then traveled on to Acre (spoken Awk-o), the old Crusader fortress from the 12th century. These ruins were completely under ground before they were discovered and it is absolutely amazing how well preserved everything is. From there, we went to view some pool grottos from the Mediterranean Sea by a kibbutz. They have made a business out of selling tickets to these grottos and you have to take a cable car to see them. It is one of those awe-inspiring natural wonders of the Sea. Our day ended with a trip to Tzfat, an ancient Jewish village where some of the most noted Rabbis have lived. It has become a center for all kinds of Jewish art. We visited some very old synagogues and I had to wear a prayer shawl to enter. By that time, my internal body temperature was about 200 degrees, so wearing a shawl did not improve my disposition at that point! You get the picture. It was so so so so hot and humid. I was drenched with sweat the entire day. We ended the day at a lovely place called Villa Galilee and will spend the night here. It is simply beautiful.

Tomorrow will be another full day. We are touring with a man Reyla told us about named Itay. He is a walking encyclopedia and has been a wonderful tour guide for us. We will continue our tour in the morning with a raft ride down the Jordan River and hiking in the Dan wilderness. I hope I don't die of heat stroke. We will end the day in Jerusalem. I cannot express how amazing it is to see these places you have heard about your entire life. There are orthodox Jews everywhere and to be kosher and wear kippas is the normal thing here, not the unusual. Even in a modern hotel restaurant, milk is not served with meat and everybody gets it. I can see why you might want to live here if you were an observant Jew.