So, we've got a lot of driving today, but first, a walk. We left the hotel and drove a few minutes to the Skaftafell National Park. Again, entry and hiking in the park is free, but not parking. So, I paid the parking fee and we found a trail that wasn't too long. We headed out towards the Skaftafellsjökull glacier. By the way, if you haven't figured it out by now, a little Icelandic: Jökull (pronounced 'Yokutl') means glacier. Foss means falls. Anyway, back to the story. We walked along the path towards Skaftafellsjökull, each at their own pace. So Gilat and I were quite a way ahead, then kids were not too far behind, and the grandparents were a little slower. After about a half hour walk we came to the tip of the glacier, ... read more

We got up early, planning to leave the hotel by 8. We made it out at ten after, which I think is pretty good! We drove out of Reykjavik towards Thingvellir national park with wonderful sunny weather. Now, one thing to remember about Thingvellir national park (and some other attractions in Iceland) is that the entrance is free. Great. Parking, however, is not! Thingvellir national park is very interesting. First, it's where two tectonic plates meet (namely the European and American), leaving a large rift between them with lots of cracks and fissures. So there's loads of geological activity going on there. Cliffs, narrow gulleys, long, narrow lakes and more. We walked around a bit, Gilat, the kids and I took a longer walk to Silfra lake, where you can go scuba diving in the frigid ... read more

So, time for another blog post. Overdue, in fact. I know, I haven't posted anything in a long time, but that's because we haven't traveled anywhere lately. Ok, so, Saturday the weather was fantastic and we decided to take advantage and go down to the Dead Sea for the day. We packed up with food and snacks, piled into the car and headed out. I took the family to a location on the Dead Sea coast that very few people know about. I'll keep it that way for now, since it's so pristine and I'd like it to stay that way for as long as possible. I only know of the place because I was there a few weeks ago on another hike. Anyway, we parked, loaded our backpacks and went walking. We entered a small ... read more

It took us a long time to get organized this morning, maybe because we're getting tired, maybe the temperatures. And we thought it was cold yesterday...today was even colder, and more overcast, even a bit foggy. We even got a few snowflakes in the morning. We eventually made it out and took the Metro to the Abesses station in Monmartre. We walked up Rue Abesses, down Rue Lepic with its seafood shops that the kids loved, to the Moulin Rouge. It seems like so long ago that we were here for a show! Doesn't look very different than at night besides the crowds. We went on and into the Monmartre cemetary. The cemetary is very different from what we are used to in Israel. It's filled with family tombs. They have maps you can borrow with ... read more

We did a lot of walking today. After breakfast we took the metro (a very good system, once you figure it out) to the Latin quarter. A 10 minute walk across the Seine to the best nearby station, then a train to a central hub station, and a metro from there to our destination. All in one ticket. Anyway, we got out of the Metro system at Saint Germain des Pres and walked towards the Saint Sulpice church. We went inside to warm up and enjoy the ambiance. There was a sculpture there of Joan of Arc, so I told her story as best as I remember it. Tamar also really liked the full-size organ there. We continued from there down Rue Ferou. I mention this because the right wall of the alley is covered in ... read more