June 4 - resting near Jerusalem

This was a low-key day. We slept late, and then headed out of town to a pool at a kibbutz.

Kibbutz Shoresh is about 20 minutes west of Jerusalem, on the road to Tel Aviv. 

We pretty much had the pool to ourselves. 

in the pool at Kibbutz Shoresh

playing 5 crowns by the pool - note the great view over a valley and to distant hills

They were setting up for a wedding that evening - they have quite a view from the chupah!

lawn at Shoresh

We played paddleball on the lawn till they set up for a wedding reception. Israeli style means couches on the lawn near the food tables. 

After a few hours, we drove down the road another 10 minutes to the tank museum at Latrun. It is a memorial to everyone who served in tank units in Israel's many wars. They were setting up that day for a swearing-in ceremony of more tank soldiers. 

We started by watching the movie about the history of the memorial and the tank corps. There were several interviews with senior ranking tank commanders, and their daughters who also joined the tank corp. There is a wall of names, with the name of every tank soldier who has fallen in Israel's wars, and the film showed some scenes of relatives speaking of their lost sons and husbands. It was pretty moving. 

For Josh, though, the musuem was all about the chance to climb on the tanks. 

Here he is on the first tank the Israeli's made - the Merkava I.

When other countries stopped selling tanks to tehe Israelis, the Israelis made their own. This is the first model of their Merkava tank. 

Wow did Josh really like climbing on the tanks and handling their guns. I think this was his favorite part of the trip so far. 

Ted liked the tank museum a lot too - he was able to identiy many of the tanks by name, or at least country of origin. 

Josh was unimpressed by this little tank from 1948, but I asked him to pose next to it to demonstrate its tininess. 

Ted was explaining that this was a lame little tank...

Ted and a Sherman tank

Most of the signs are in English and Hebrew. Some had just the hebrew, but I could confirm that yes, the tank names were the ones Ted had guessed. 

Many of the placards had explanations of how the Israelis captured certain tanks from their enemies, and then modified the tanks. 

Josh on a more modern Merkava

Josh operating controls of a mobile artillery piece

he could turn dials and the crank and other moving parts.

It was hard to get Josh and Ted away from the tanks, but Sam was napping in the car, so we did have to leave eventually.

Here's a link to a web site that has a tour with historical info about Latrun and the various tanks on display:
http://www.davidpride.com/Israeli_Armor/IL_Armor_04_344.htm

Babette's waffles

Back in Jerusalem, we went to dinner around the corner from our hotel, at a place famed to be the best waffles in Israel. Apparently, it's called Babette's Waffles. We didn't see the name of the front, but the waffles and topping were indeed delicious and special, so it's worth finding it. It's a blue facade with red shutters. 

 The sign above the window says Waffles and hot chocolate in Hebrew and French. 

Babette's waffles is on Shamai, on the corner of Shamai and a pedestrian street Yoel Salomon. 

Shamai runs parallel to the pedestrian mall on Ben Yehuda. This is a great neighborhood for a stroll. 

After dinner that night, Ted and I strolled down Jaffa road, which is closed to cars, but has light rail running down the middle. When we got close to the Jaffa gate, we saw that they had lit up the light-cupola for the Festival of Light a day early, so we got to see it lit up. It was gaudy, but pretty cool. 

This dome structure is just outside the Jaffa gate, across from the Mamila mall.

These decorative street lights were in the Old City, just inside the Jaffa gate.