PTR: 6-5-4-3-2-1 !!! NY-CANADA-NY June 2012/ Organizing the FE gifts! - 7 June

[jlawall]

Wow, I'm not sure if I'll ever get there....thx for sharing!!

Well about a week ago we managed to get all of us out on a family daytrip, to go hiking near the Dead Sea. We only left our house around 11 am, due to a morning math lesson and some last minute supermarket shopping for picnic supplies. The drive from our house takes us basically in an Eastern direction, skirting around Jerusalem, past Jericho, and on to the Dead Sea. It took us one hour to get to the Northern tip of the Dead Sea, and another 1/2 hour to get to the Ein Gedi reserve where we wanted to hike. Ein Gedi means "Wild Goat Spring". It is the name of a kibbutz/communal settlement on the edge of the Dead Sea, and of a national park there. There are two main trails, and we decided to do Wadi Arugot. On this schematic map, it's the trail on the left side of the map.

Because we didn't get an early start, we knew we'd only get up part of the trail, but that was ok! It starts to get dark at around 4pm in this season at the Dead Sea - there is no light pollution and as soon as the sun dips behind the mountains, it is DARK! Here's another view (from the Internet) to show you where we were. It is as if you were hovering in a helicopter over the Dead Sea and looking at Ein Gedi:

It was very, very hazy and dusty that day. This is how it really looked as we set out on our hike

About 10 minutes in,
you have the option of a "wet trail" or a "dry trail".
The kids did "wet", of course!

Don't worry, that jumping kid isn't one of mine!
The trail continues onward and upward....

We made it about 2/3 of the way to the end of the trail. Made me want to come again and start early enough to do the whole thing! On the way down we saw some local residents:

Cute! The bottom one is called a Boulder Bunny in Hebrew, and is a distant relative of the elephant! Maybe someone here knows the name in English?
Afterwards, it was time for refilling our water bottles and ice cream for some. Then a quick dip in the Dead Sea for 4 of us, while the other two chilled out. I finally got to my son's pictures : here is a typical scene of bathers in at the Dead Sea, and the rocks on it's shore.

By 5:30 it was pitch dark. And we headed home. Even though we live here, we really don't get out to do these kind of hikes enough. Like living in NY and not visiting the Empire State Building!
Hope you enjoyed this detour!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

Headed to NYC!!!!! very excited we have not been on magic since sept 2008!
Other ships yes but not the magic.... updates to follow.. i hope.!

Have a GREAT time!
We'll follow the DIS this week! Hoping some of our friends from Halifax and Saint John will write that they've seen "you"!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

Wow, I'm not sure if I'll ever get there....thx for sharing!!

My pleasure - I love sharing photos from here, it really is a beautiful country! I also think I just never got out into nature enough when I lived in the States. Here, it's just part of life! Glad you enjoyed!

 

[taximom00]

You are certainly welcome here, maybe we can help you deal with your LONG wait all the way until JULY for your cruise! Seriously, welcome! I promise to write a TR when we return!
The wonderful FE organizer for our group did an annoted deck plans with all the staterooms labeled. It really does help! Isn't it funny how rooms are grouped? Do you think they have a DIS filter and put all of us together on purpose?! On our little end of the 2nd floor hallway there are 5 cabins in our FE group!
Candy and light-up bracelets sounds good. My teens are quite in favor of candy.
Here's a funny thing about the name Nadav. When I was a teenager I was a daycamp counselor and one of the little boys was named Nadav. I loved that name (and the kid - maybe that's why I loved the name!). Who'd have known that I'd marry an Israeli and live in Israel and get to name one of my own kids Nadav! Originally I thought we might nickname him Davi, but that never happened. He's everything else but - Nadavi, Nad, Nads, etc!
Keep pluggin' on your FE stuff, it is definitely more of a project than I ever had imagined but absolutely worth it, such huge fun already and we're not even on the boat yet!

Isn't that true about kids you love and then the name! I teach Kindergarten and there are names I love just because of the kid!

I'm looking forward to your post trip report! Particularly Halifax which we have decided to do on our own....still not sure on our route/details so I'm hoping others will pave the way! Are you on the cruise that leaves next week??

BTW, where I live in Boston we have tons of Israelis who come to school/work for a year or two and then return to Israel. Wouldn't it be funny if you knew some of our friends here?!!

 

[taximom00]

Headed to NYC!!!!! very excited we have not been on magic since sept 2008!
Other ships yes but not the magic.... updates to follow.. i hope.!

Can't wait to hear all about the cruise! We leave on July 8!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

TaxiMom, do you live in Brookline??? I know there are a ton of Israeli's there - my neice and nephew go to Devotion School and there are many Israeli kids in their classes.

I'll surely write a TR. For now I keep telling myself "GET OFF THE DIS AND FINISH PACKING!!!!!!"

 

[taximom00]

TaxiMom, do you live in Brookline??? I know there are a ton of Israeli's there - my neice and nephew go to Devotion School and there are many Israeli kids in their classes.

I'll surely write a TR. For now I keep telling myself "GET OFF THE DIS AND FINISH PACKING!!!!!!"

That's me I had a feeling you would know it....I will PM you now!

 

[lulubella1609]

My husbands mom and grandparents live in Brooklyn. His dad and other grandparents live in Israel. I've never been though so I like seeing all the pictures.

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

My husbands mom and grandparents live in Brooklyn. His dad and other grandparents live in Israel. I've never been though so I like seeing all the pictures.

Glad you enjoyed them! It's a beautiful picture. Too bad DCL isn't sailing from Haifa!

 

[steelfish535]

Have a WONDERFUL time on your cruise. We'll be sailing out of NYC on September 2nd, so we have a LONG time to wait. I can't wait to read all about it!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

OK Folks, this is it!
I've still got suitcases open all over my living room and a ton to do to "close the house" for a few weeks vacation, even though we do have friends staying here and DH's brother and mother in and out as well....
I still need to go to work for a few hours,
And DS has an acrobatics performance this evening, BEFORE we fly.
SO off I go to face my day! You can't get ME down 'cause I'm sailing DCL in THREE days!
It's been a blast writing this PTR,
See you on a TR when I get back!

 

[nhgirl]

You will love Canada in June. We live in NH and the temperatures here have been very nice. May have been too hot in July or August. This week is expected to be in the mid 70's to low 80's. Just rained yesterday and they don't expect any more for several days. Good choice.

 

[jedijill]

Safe travels and have a great trip! Can't wait to hear all about it.

Jill in CO

 

[disneyholic family]

so how was the cruise????
i hope you had a stupendous time!!!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

Stupendous it was!!
Just arrived home yesterday, and with kids in the States still hope to have time to get a TR up and rolling.
Here's a link to the first of many posts in my brand-spanking-new TR!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2954385

Come on over, friends!