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Our new apartments—we are in the same complex of apartments, but in different buildings (LaDonna and Eva and my daughters are at one apartment and the rest of us are at the other)—are about a 20 minute drive to the city center. This area is home to a large Orthodox Jewish community, which has been…

While planning this trip, Bradley and I decided to make sure we were in Jerusalem every Shabbat, to make going to church easier. So today, we trekked back up north, to the cooler temperatures and crowded streets of Jerusalem. The scenery on the way north is severe but gorgeous. The Negev Desert is very dry,…

Our last evening in Eilat was beautiful. We read the Book of Ruth (discussing gleaning and marriage customs and city gates), I taught Hebs how to cook French toast on a stovetop, and a few of us drove down to Dekel Beach at sunset to wander around on the shoreline. Although it was still 95…

Today we chose to visit “One of the World’s Most Beautiful Parks”, Timna Park, about 30 minutes north of Eilat. For many people, the draw of Timna is the amazing desert landscapes, including hoodoos, dry river beds, massive sandstone cliffs, and even two cute little arches. For us, being spoiled Utah natives, the main draws…

We knew from the start of planning this trip with five children (at the time, we were expecting to go when they were two years younger) that we would have to bake downtime into our agenda, or we would burn out completely within the first week. We decided that we would just have to plan…

Today we split up—Eva, LaDonna, Gee, and Em went back to the aquarium (our tickets were good for three days), while Bradley, Zee, Hebs, Yum, and I went back to Coral Beach. The two places are right next to each other, which was very convenient. Zee and Hebs were on a roll this morning—something something…

Today we went to Coral Beach Nature Reserve to play in the Red Sea. Coral Beach is part of the Israeli National Park system, and we bought annual passes (because we are going to a ton of places covered by it). It was a great choice—very nice beach, with the coral roped off and protected,…

Today started slow–I think we are all exhausted!–and that was okay. We lazed around, listening to music (my children mock my taste in music, but tough beans. If I’m the one cooking, I’m the one choosing the music). French toast is fast becoming our staple breakfast–it tastes good to everyone, and it’s easy to make…

We are all together at this apartment–it is quite beautiful and modern and comfortable. Gee in particular is in love with the balcony. The views coming down the road to Eilat were incredible. And the first sight of the Red Sea…WOW. What a contrast. Google translate strikes again. I managed to make the pancakes without…

Journeying from Jerusalem to the hot desert resort of Eilat, on the Red Sea. I’m so excited! Our first order of business was to get the giant rental van out of the little tiny courtyard parking of our place in Jerusalem. It only took about 15 minutes, which was a real relief—the courtyard parking lot…