Parks and sea creatures

July 23, 2010
Tonight starts the beginning of shabbat again, where everything shuts down. i was toying with the idea of going to Haifa but it is their weekend so there was no room to stay overnight and I was afraid to be stuck there with no transportation. I am also pretty indifferent about going as I have seen enough ruins and old building for a while. Michele and Diane were headed to Tel Aviv for another beach day but my sunburn, that I obtained from too much snorkeling in Eilat, is still very red and sore so time in the sun wasn't very appealing either. I decided instead to do some more museums. I took a bus to the Israel museum to see the Dead Sea scrolls but the girl at the desk told me if I could, I should come back Monday because most of the museum has been shut down for 3 years for renovations and is reopening on monday. I decided that was a splendid plan so I went to the Science museum down the road instead. There I learned about the water system in Israel which is intense. They don't have many water sources here so much of the water is sent from the Galilee through pipelines down to the south. Needless to say the Galilee's water levels have dropped dramatically in the last few years.
There was also an exhibition on the ocean which was fascinating. Again I marvel at God's creation and His radical imagination. We can't dream or imagine what He has in store for us in heaven!
After I was finished there, I decided to walk around the parks and gardens. I was in the area of the Knesset (government) and court house so they have many nice gardens with plants donated from all over the world. It was very beautiful but what impressed me most was all the families that were there enjoying time together. They were biking and picnicing, strolling and playing games. Kids were climbing trees and splashing in the water. Again I noticed how involved the fathers are with their children. It is a beautiful thing, but it made me miss my family.
I decided to catch a bus at around 4 pm because I am never sure when they stop running for Sabbath. It did give me time to organize my pictures and catch up on this blog before the girls returned from their day on the beach!