The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west and Jordan to the east. The shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land (1,385 feet below sea level) and is 8.6 times more salty than the ocean- 33.7% salinity, which is why it is called the Dead Sea... nothing could possibly live in the water!

The Boy's were very excited this morning and could not wait to head out to the airport

I hope Grandma brought some warm weather from Arizona . I have to say Israel is a lot chillier than I expected ! Although I will probably regret wishing for this. I am sure the hot desert temps are coming soon...

The boy's had fun helping her unpack... Easter egg dye,Kraft Mac & Cheese , Tillamook Cheddar , Mission Tortillas ,SEASON SALT,tons of books for the kids ,Magazines (I am going to enjoy those) and all kind's of American snack foods - It may not seen like a big deal TO YOU ! But it is to us (I am pretty sure I was about to overdose on hummus and pita)

Ahhhh, the Comforts of Home . There was even a sheet cake pan in her suit case for Eric's Birthday cake : )

Eric and I threw a Dinner Party friday night. Dinner turned out OK. I served Mexican food (my usual) Two minor thing's went wrong
1. There are no lime's in Israel ,not even lime juice
2. The Tortilla's tasted like they had been on a container ship for three month's

Still, many of my guest's told me it was the best Mexican food they've had in Israel ! I relize this may not be a complement : )

Wendi's dessert however was a culinary masterpiece...Her desserts in general are amazing . She is a Engineer like the boy's , I am convinced she uses her Engineering skills in the kitchen !

The next morning we all meet for lunch and spent the day at the beach in Netanya .We have such a great group of friend's here . I think of all the things we will miss from Israel, it will probably be the friendships we have made

Before the guests arrived ,While cooking...Eric and I had a playful argument over who's home town has the best Mexican food. I won of course, I am from San Diego ,that beats Phoenix any day of the week

Building the Great Pyramids of Giza

Just by the Israel - Lebanon border (which is closed) are the caves and white cliffs of Rosh HaNikra. It is a beautiful place by the Mediterranean Sea.The caves have been carved out of the rock by rain and the sea. You have to take a cable car down . The waves were unusally big so we could not go all the way into the grotto's

Inside one of the grotto (normally the sea is calm and these grottos show of it's deep azure color, not today)

The Lebanese Border ,The boy's (Eric and me too) are getting a cool geography lesson

I picked up one of those huge laminated map's of the world so the boy's can get familiar with the all the countries along the Eurafrican Mediterranean sea . Caden still can't belive how close we are to Iraq !

There seems to be no end to these here , wow ...we are learning alot about the ancient world !!! Even the little museum located near our house has an obscene amount of treasures and they don't even charge admission ! If I spend enough time here I am pretty sure I will get some kind of a degree : )
http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/Default_eng.aspx

Saturday we visited Bet She'an , It is one of the most ancient sites in Israel: it was first settled 5-6 thousand years ago . Bet Shean was once controlled by the Egyptians, from the time of Pharaoh Tutmose III (15th Century BCE) The city is mentioned in several Egyptian texts and many times in the Bible (in the 11th Century BCE, In the famous battle of the Israelites against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, the dead bodies of King Saul and his son Jonathan were hung on the walls)

A church group from Washington taking advantage of the acoustics, performed a couple christian rock songs

The Swimming pool is part of the the huge bathhouse (built during the Roman rule). Complete with massage rooms and a gym, including a caldarium , a large latrine, rows of evenly spaced stone toilet seats along its walls, and drainage channels beneath them (this ancient spa inspired a post on my other blog )http://theglamlounge.blogspot.com/




The sauna

Main Street

The city was destroyed in 749 A.D. by an earthquake

On the top of Tel Bet She'an ( a view of Jordan)

This fun holiday came as a Huge Surprise ! I had never heard of It before moving here...
Purim is a holiday that recounts the saving of the Jews from a massacre during the Persian period (539-330 BCE). The holiday is celebrated with wild abandon and with the giving of gifts to friends. According to the book of Esther the Jewish people are commanded to eat, drink and be merry. A person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between good and evil, opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is. A person certainly should not become so drunk that he might violate other commandments or get seriously ill. Eric and I did not partake... but, it was tempting : )

The kids , however had a great time... dressing up in costumes at school and bringing candy and presents to each other everyday of the week , during the first seven days in Adar (March) there is no school work given just carnivals and parades ! The kid's are only allowed to have fun !

...Is what I hear every night before my boys go to bed . It means goodnight mom, you have to admit it sounds sweet .

Mason horsing around : )

The tunnel to the spring

(this tunnel was hewn in the 19th century BCE )

Just like Southern California

In Haifa we have beautiful beaches , but some how I convinced Eric we needed to drive an hour to Tel Aviv : ) It was a gorgeous day ... when the sun went down we walked along the boardwalk to the ancient port city Jaffa

Friday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week , it's the start of the weekend but the kid's still have school : ) After Eric and I get them off to school ...we have been going out to breakfast. It is always an experience ! The food in Israel is different than what we are use to. I don't think there is a single item on a menu anywhere here that doesn't come with huge a salad, you can also count on lot's of little tapas and a bread basket with every meal (I have been served olives with my coffee before) besides the olives and coffee, I am liking my my food options

The town where Jesus grew up . We went to the Church of the Annunciation ,where according to the bible the Angel Gabriel told Mary she was going to have a son , The church is built over what is believed to be Mary's house . We also visited Joseph's work shop .

Mary's House

Ruins of the first century village of Nazareth