It's is like getting to see the whole country (if the country were built by Polly Pocket)

Today the five of us went ot a smallish park not far from here called mini Israel. I was a little hesitant when I suggested it. I was not sure Channah was old enough to enjoy it, and I was not sure we were not too jaded to think it was neat.

I should not have worried. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought that it would be. The models were really neat and all of us enjoyed. We got rather wet running from two downpours, but as the rain is really needed here right now I think we can over look that. Besides, needing to hang out inside for a bit meant that Channah and Jason got ice cream.

I did not bother taking a lot of pictures. Frankly, that is what the douvenier book we bought was for (which we are now going to use as a tour book to choose other fun places to go)... besides, I will get up close and personal pictures if/when I go to the real thing. But I did catch a few things that I found interesting or amusing, and for those I bothered to pull out the camera. Sorry folks. No family/people pictures here. Just random stuff.

Best line of the day came from Channah. She asked what something was and we explained that it was a mosque and it was where Aravim davened. Ok, so it might be a little off but it was age appropriate. As we went through the park and saw more and more and more and more mosques, she says to Jason "Why are there so many mosques (pronounced moss-kes) in Israel?" I am wondering the same thing shorty...

We started our day with the biggest, creepiest Mickey Mouse I have ever seen. Seriously, Israeli's seem to have some sort of passion for weird Disney recreations. There were a whole bunch of other random creatures out there as well, but Mickey was the only one that I came even clsoe to recognizing.



Kever Rachel before it was fortified. It was so cute and little.


The Churva shul in the old city. Used to be the best way to tell a pre 1948 map from a post 1948 map was to look for the shul. If it was whole, it was pre 1948. After the war only the arch remained of the vaulted roof. They recently started rebuilding it and it is amazing to watch the progress. This is a model of the shul before any reconstruction.


I figured this is the closest I will ever get to actaully seeing anything on the temple mount, so I should grab a few pictures while I could.



Next up, the coke factory. It is just outside of B'nai B'rak and we have been told that the tour is actually a lot of fun (if rather kitchy) and something we should do at some point. But wait! What's this?


What is with the dead guy by the Coke Truck?!?! What? Did he sell coke to the wrong person?

We also go to see the port in Chaifa where our stuff got off the boat (and likely got sea sick beign told it had to go all the way to Turkey and back- but that is a whole other story!)



See that half sized red crate on the truck? I think that one was ours.


finally, the best view I have ever had of the men's side of the mechitzah at the kotel. Other than the fact that the people are a little too lined up (it is never anywhere near that orderly when we are there... of course, maybe it is just us) the whole thing looked just a little bit too frighteningly realistic. It did not help that the domb really was right on top and the whole thing was laid out geographically!

Oh, did I mention that some of the models had moving people? Cool? Yes. Creepy? Well, also yes! One even had a little flag the rose over a Tzahal officer enlitment ceremony!