Just A Fun Day

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Today was a very fun day. It started with a beautiful sunrise. The weather has really been wonderful since we got here. After breakfast, we drove to the Tisch Family Zoological Park in the hills of Yerushalayim. Yes, that's right...we came all the way to Israel and visited the zoo. The whole group is really a bunch of nature lovers, and we couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit the zoo. We even infected our guide with our excitement. It was the first time he had ever had a group that wanted to see the zoo, and he enjoyed wandering around the zoo just as much as we did.

We started with a train ride all the way to the top of the hill on which the zoo sat, and then we slowly walked back down toward the exit, stopping often for pictures of the animals. The zoo here is just amazing. They work hard at creating habitats for the animals that will make them happy and mimic their environment. They want them to be happy, protected, and able to breed naturally. There is a wonderful variety of species to view, and you are able to get really close to the animals without disturbing them through the clever use of glass panels and other viewing opportunities.

They have several bird aviaries, and instead of seeing these magnificent birds in cages, you are able to walk inside the aviary and see them up close, with nothing between you and the birds. In one aviary, there were only owls. As it was daytime, the owls were all asleep, but we were still able to see them as they slept in open nesting boxes that were shaded from the morning sunlight. The next aviary contained birds of prey, and they were several varieties of eagles, falcons, and vultures in that one. A few of them flew directly over our heads and landed on perches just above us. There was another aviary dedicated just to tropical birds, and the final aviary was dedicated just to lories. Lories are small brightly colored birds from Austrailia. They are very social birds and like humans quite a lot. In fact, in the lory aviary, we were allowed to feed the birds. We were each given a cup of nectar, which was actually a kind of fruit puree. We held out the cup to the birds, and they would drink out of the cups. They are so comfortable around humans, that they actually landed on our hands and arms and sat there to drink the nectar. Needless to say, we really enjoyed getting to feed the lories.

The zoo had all the usual animals that you find in your average zoo, but they had one feature that is particular to them. They have one entire section devoted to Biblical animals. There is a vast open enclosure where animals that existed during Biblical times are allowed to live in their natural environment in their normal herd or family environment. There were gazelles, ibexes, oryxes, zebras, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, and elephants just to name a few. Giraffes in Israel are different in color then ones we are used to seeing in our zoos. There are lighter and more brownish than the African giraffe that we usually see in our zoos. Also, the elephants that existed in Israel during Biblical times were hunted to extinction, but the elephants that they have in the zoo are closely related to the elephants that use to exist here. They are a smaller breed of elephant and almost black in color rather than the large grey variety we are familiar with that come from Africa.

The zoo also has a wonderful conservation program in place. They are working hard to ensure the continuation of the native species of Israel. They are working with other nature conservation programs to breed and reintroduce to the wild a number of species that are on the verge of extinction, and also working with the goverment to make sure that laws are enacted to protect the wildlife.

I could take up a whole blog just telling you about our trip to the zoo because there was just so much to see and do there, but I won't. It is enough to say that we had a really wonderful time, and would have been happy to just spend the whole day there. As it was, we spent half the day there just seeing as much as we could. We ended our trip to the zoo with an ice cream break and visit to the gift shop. One word about Israeli ice cream...it is the best ice cream on the planet. No, seriously, it is just sooo good. It makes the ice cream in the States taste like water. If I could bring some home to share with everyone I would, but apart from the fact that it would melt, I am afraid the temptation of the ice cream itself would be overwhelming, and it would be eaten before I ever get home.

After the zoo, we drove to the Ammindav Forest. It is also on the hills around Yerushalayim, and is part of a project by the Jewish National Fund to restore and preserve the forests of Israel. While in the forest, we got to participate in the ongoing tree planting project. To date, the Jewish National Fund has planted more than 250 million trees as part of its reforestation project. The group planted 8 trees in total, and all those participating in the tree planting were allowed to pick the type of tree that they planted. All of the trees planted were native species to Israel. I planted an almond tree as did several of the others. Some terebinth trees were planted as well. Even our guide got involved and planted a tree, making a 9th addition to the forest. Our guide has turned out to be as much of nature lover as the rest of us, and has really enjoyed the nature things we have done like the walk we did in Galilee and the zoo and tree planting here in Yerushalayim.

After planting our trees, we were all feeling a bit hungry; so, it was off to lunch. The guide took us to the local mall for lunch. Malls in Israel are not like malls in the States. For one thing, they are much smaller. Also, security is much more obvious here. Because of the history of the country, they are very cautious. They aim to prevent terrorism as much as crime. So security and police are always present at markets and malls as a preventative measure. I know some would find this disturbing, but I didn't. Actually, I have never felt safer. The government and the people really care about protecting the country, its citizens, and vistors, and this care is obvious everywhere you go. There is a level of patriotism and devotion to country here that is very rare now days. People here are passionate and vocal here about what they believe, and they are not afraid to express themselves. It can be very entertaining to watch.

After lunch, we were off to a shofar workshop. A shofar is ritual instrument used as part of Jewish worship. It is traditionally made of horn. The craftsmen at that shofar work shop explained to us the process for selecting the and preparing the horn. The animals which supply the horn are a food source, and the horn is taken only after the animal no longer needs it. Once it arrives at the workshop, it must be trimmed, and the solid end hollowed out and cleaned. Then the craftsmen begins the process of shaping the cone, which forms the mouthpiece of the instrument. Once the cone has been shaped to give the best quality sound, then the shofar may be polished or left in its natural state depending on the preference of the buyer. It may also be sent on to another workshop for silver decoration if that is asked for. It was really interesting learning all this. I am familiar with the shofar and know how to use one, but I had no idea of the work that it took to produce such an instrument.

After dinner tonight, several of us decided to make one last visit to the Kotel. It is our last night in Yerushalayim, and it seemed fitting to spend the evening there. Tomorrow we must say goodbye to the City, and it is not a farewell which I am looking forward to. As we walked to through the Jewish Quarter towards the Kotel, I saw a sign advertising the rent of an apartment in that area, and I have to admit, the temptation to call and see about moving in was very high.

After the Kotel, it was time to return to the hotel and finish packing. Tomorrow we move on to the Dead Sea.

Shalom Alechem

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