Another busy fascinating day in the Holy Land.
We were woken at 06h30!! A tasty healthy Israeli breakfast of olives, cheeses, yogurts of varied and Mediterranean types with salads and other foods. there were also pastries and eggs, but I kept well away from those.
We had a breakfast briefing by Gerald Steinberg, a political specialist. he highlighted Israel's difficulties in the world forums, especially in the current unstable middle eastern climate. It was scary to hear both the pessimistic and the optimistic points of view.
We left the hotel to visit the Yitzchak Rabin Centre and Museum. It was extremely interesting and very heart wrenching. There were many aspects that struck us as fascinating. This is a visit well worth doing.
After the museum visit, we spent almost two hours in the Carmel market in Tel Aviv. The craft market was taking place at the same time. Ingrid's friend Lynn, who had just flown on from visiting the USA, surprised us in the market. Because we had been to the market twice already, we found a small coffee shop called Coffee Lab. It turned out that they manufactured their own coffee and distributed it to the surrounding shops. We spent an enjoyable hour there. The fact that they had free internet was an added bonus.
We then drove for an hour to the Leo Beack school in Haifa. At this KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Programme) school spends considerable time and effort assimilating very young Ethiopean jews to a stage where they can enter grade one as regular little Israelis. Another interesting visit.
We left the school for an hour and a half drive to Sefad to the Canaan Spa. Here we had dinner with a young Israeli soldier. The soldier at our table was 21 years old, a staff sergeant in hos platoon and still a young man. He told us many stories of his life as a soldier in the Israeli army. Another very interesting evening over a good meal.
After dinner, we sat in the hotel's lounge drinking fragrant fruit tea. The ambiance and friendship is wonderful.
It's late. we're tired. So far a most enjoyable, educational and fascinating tour.
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