Life in a northern town

I find myself now in Tiberias (Tveriyah for those in the nu), in the lobby of the Prima Galil Hotel. Interesting journey today.

Step 1, send Julie and the girls out to the shuk in Jerusalem to pick up "breakfast" (fruit, bourekas and bamba).

Step 2, walk to the car rental place (find it by accident) and rent a car. Note to you world travelers: carry your passport with you. I didn't. They don't like that. But I rented the car (Class G, not the original class F, because I wanted a trunk, not a tiny car with a hatchback. I also got a peppier engine (I have ALWAYS wanted to say a "peppier engine." Having said it, I realize my life's goal was a lie)). And I paid to remove the deductible. If I could have paid a surcharge to have people stop using the metric system, I would have paid it. I had a quarter tank of gas at the start, and no sense of how far I was going, or how far that would get me. Miles RULE! Kilos stink.

Step 2.5 -- find my way back to my brother-in-law's house. Pure luck. Pick up wife, kids and our extra guest for the trip and try to figure out how to go. Remember, we canceled the trip to Netanya so instead of driving west and then north, we went east to the Dead Sea, then north on rte 90, following the Jordan border. The boards are terribly marked and with constant construction, the trip is fraught with uncertainty. We also had to stop at a checkpoint and I was nervous. I know I pose no threat to anyone, but do THEY know that?

Step 3 -- stop at Gan Garoo, the Australian animal preserve (and by that, I don't mean jelly) near Beit She'an. We stumbled into it as the signage is poor. We paid way too much and got to romp in the 100+ degree (FAHRENHEIT, that's right, not "Celci-anything") heat with lazy and bored kangaroos. The giftshop was also pretty beat, so we left after an hour. Back towards the north we went.

Step 4 -- try to find the hotel once we reach Tiberias. The GPS was worthless (which is ok, since it isn't ours), the maps were useless, and the people at the front desk (who barely spoke English) couldn't direct us either. We found the hotel totally by accident. The "valet" parked my car so I have to go find it so we can go out to dinner. The younger girls tried out the pool, and Maddie discovered the television. We have made contact with tomorrow's tour people and we will head to Tzfat at first light or 9AM, which ever is later.