The Final Day

 Well folks... we did it! Two weeks late, but this is it: The Final Blog post!
Thank you so much for tagging along. 

Our last day was spent at only one location: The Israel Museum 

There was so much to see it was almost overwhelming. As I mentioned a few posts ago, the Dead Sea scrolls are not kept at Qumran, but here at the museum! Some of the scrolls are replicas, but I was fortunate enough to see a few original manuscripts as well as some extracts from the Aleppo Codex. Unfortunately, one is not permitted to take photographs inside the "Shrine of the Book" which is the section where the scrolls are kept.

The museum also has a scale model which is a reconstruction of the old city of Jerusalem. This was very useful for mentally placing everything I had seen. My favourite part of the museum however, were the exhibitions through Biblical history. I was able to view artefacts from the time of the Philistines, Cananites, Babylonians and Romans' time in Israel. That is-- understanding the culture of those who came before the Israelites and those who came after. So often when reading the Bible, the Hittites, Jebusites and all the other "ites" become just long names on a page. It was very interesting to learn a little about them as people groups through what has been left behind. 

Our final hours were spent in the airport where my sister and I made some final fun memories by closely examining the souvenir tables. The picture below is a grateful nod to what was Sarah's overall favourite meal. She did complain though that Israel is in urgent need of more pasta-based dishes...

This being a relatively short overseas journey, there are so many more places I would have loved to see. I am particularly saddened that I did not have the opportunity to visit the Holocaust centre. I suppose in theory I shall add this to the list of places to visit if I ever have the opportunity to visit again. It was truly an amazing experience and I am so grateful that I was able to create such special memories with my family. There is a small chance I will add a few more blog posts to elaborate on specific places or experiences, but for now I think this will be all. 

Bonus story: Flight Disasters and Reunions

My dearest father (who also has access to this blog-- Hi Dad! *waves*) very nearly caused us to miss our flight home. For some context: My Dad is very big on the idea of waiting to board at the last minute in the hopes of being bumped up to first class. While this is a lovely idea it has so far never become a reality. Our connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Cape Town was scheduled to leave at around 2am. We had landed at 10:30pm and were understandably all thoroughly exhausted. After attempting to rest of some very uncomfortable airport seats, we checked the notice board and saw that our flight had started boarding. The problem was that while boarding usually takes around 40 minutes, the sign changed within 20 minutes to say "last call". The short of it is: we ran from one end of the airport to the other at two in the morning. It was not a good start to the day. 

Upon landing in Cape Town however, I had a much more pleasant experience. While waiting in the line for passport control, I recognised the woman a few places behind me as my grade nine English teacher! I had not seen her for six years as she had immigrated at the time. What was perhaps most delightful was that she recognised me as soon as I asked if she had taught grade nine English at PHS and said that I was a student of hers. Whenever past teachers hear that I myself am studying B.Ed they get terribly excited and it just about melts my heart.

 

Sibling things at the Airport

Children's Pull toys at the museum

Outside the building where the Dead Sea scrolls are kept

Marble Pedestal ,2 AD

Scale Model of the Temple and Old City