Yummy breakfast juice made from tamarind. Tamarind is fruit tree that is indigenous to Africa and Asia. It’s a brown, pod-like fruit that contains sweet, tangy pulp used in cuisines around the world.

On our last day, we had a “free day” to explore and see anything we missed or wanted to see more of. Our first stop was First Station, an old Jerusalem station that saw its first train arrive in 1892. It was neglected for many years after its closure and reconstruction and preservation began in 2013. It’s now a fun entertainment venue for tourists and locals with something for everyone.

The front of First Station

Looking over those yummy drinks

Kristi only wants limonana! She thought it might be the last one but, spoiler alert, there will be one more at lunch. Jerry’s is peanut butter (not very Jewish, Jerry!)

We scouted out Planet Jerusalem, the local movie theater, so we could plan the day with movie and lunch. Everything this day was in walking distance from our hotel. You do have to go through metal detectors and have your things searched to enter here.

Walking back to that windmill. A windmill would be high on the list of things we did not expect to see in Jerusalem.

The windmill is in the neighborhood called Yemin Moshe in honor of Moses Montefiore who helped develop this neighborhood as an answer to overcrowding inside Jerusalem’s Old City. It was built from 1892-1894. It is gorgeous now and considered an upscale neighborhood surrounded by gardens and with a panoramic view of the Old City walls.

One of the gates

Lots of stairs and levels and beautiful flowers and trees

People’s doorways and porches and patios were beautifully kept but we didn’t take pictures of people’s homes directly

That would be little Moses Kitty, Moshe if you’re Hebrew

6th Prime Minister of Israel, 1977-1983.

We had some time before the movie we wanted to see started, so we visited this museum. We didn’t get there in time for the last English tour, so we took a Hebrew tour but wore earpieces with translation to English. Our guide spoke Hebrew to our group though and so we did miss some of the information. It was interesting to be on a tour where we did not recognize but one word in Hebrew – Shalom.

The tour included many films and audio visual displays and all of those had an English translation in our earpiece. And all signs throughout are in English and Hebrew.

On our way back to the theater, following some Muslim girls who just got out of school.

This theater seems a funny site in Jerusalem – we saw the movie Golda which was a biographical drama about Golda Meir (the 4th Prime Minister of Israel) and played by Helen Mirren and in English. It was quite a historical political learning day for us in Jerusalem!

One last limonana and a yummy BLT and A – avocado – that’s what has always been missing!

Cute little Jerusalem Kitty

One last pic of Dan Panorama Hotel Kitty and goodbye to our hotel where we picked up our luggage and boarded the bus

We truly do! So much more than we even imagined we could.

Umbrella Project on Yoel Moshe Solomon Street in the Nechalat Shiva neighborhood. It was the 3rd neighborhood built outside the Old City of Jerusalem walls in the 1860’s.

Our last meal together before the airport at this very nice kosher Italian restaurant. We ate our first dairy dinner, the rest of the trip we had meat dinners. It’s only one or the other when you are eating kosher!

Kosher Italian basically meant cheese, cheese and more cheese with some cheese on top and on the side.

Beautiful courtyard with live music

The last kitty of Israel. We don’t know where we were so we don’t know what to name him. We were on a long walk from the restaurant to our bus. I think we’ll call him Shalom Kitty as we wish Jerusalem Shalom. Shalom is a traditional Jewish greeting or farewell that means peace.

Singing with our driver on the way to the airport.

Back on the plane – they like to feed you and get you to sleep! This was our kosher meat dinner before bed. It was about 1:45 am Israel time but 6:45 pm Florida time.

What day is it? What time is it? Where are we? It’s 8:08 am in Israel and 1:08 am in Florida. We’re over halfway home.

Our last kosher meal – dairy breakfast. 11:11 am Israel, 4:11 am Florida time.