August 9th

Saturday we took it easy and slept in. It was refreshing. We had reservations for late afternoon to try and go to the Haifa gardens again (this time I wore a skirt so I wouldn't get kicked out). When we got into the gardens they told us, the tour will end about a mile or so down the hill and you will need to find your own way back to your car. Hmmm. Sounds like a fun walk in the hot afternoon sun will be in our future. We took a stroll through the garden (actually we just walked down 1,000 steps to the end of the garden. We weren't supposed to stop unless the guide did which was only 2x to talk a little about the garden). It was a nice garden, but we didn't feel we saw anything that we couldn't see from the observation point that didn't require a tour. Oh well. The most memorable part was the hike up the hill. We literally had sweat running down our faces (sorry, that's too gross!). There was a taxi, but we opted to save our 15 shekels and get icecream at the top of the hill. It was a great incentive for us. We made it back to our car and drove down the main street looking for an open shop. We found a spot (although it was marked no parking) where at least 10 other Israelis had parked and decided to follow suit. It was shabbat so there weren't any meter maids out :-) We shared a delicious chocolate crepe and a small scoop of cookies and cream ice cream. Perfect! The ice cream is a little disappointing here, but the crepe more than made up for it. It was quite a day.

Monday I finally met my "virtual" friend who is also an expat here, but has been on home leave for most of the summer. We have only exchanged emails, but hit it off right away and we have been anxious to meet. Anyway, while in the states my mom put together a care package (an entire suitcase full of necessities). We met up with her last night and she delivered the suitcase. It was like having my birthday only a month early! Even Tillamook cheese survived the journey. It was so enjoyable finally meeting each other. Their five year old daughter is adorable and she stole Ken's heart. They were out on the balcony and she had Ken wish upon a star (it was obvious he wasn't going to get back in the house without saying those magic words "starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight..." It was cute. We are excited to have another connection here in town :-)