I got up early this morning and had a good exercise routine.
After breakfast, we decided to drive up to check out Ein N'tafim, which we had not been to before. A dirt road that branches off of highway 12 just beyond the checkpoint goes to the observation point. Unfortunately for us, the road became quite rough and uneven only a short way in, and I decided it would be wiser NOT to try to drive on it. We might have made it in but then gotten stuck when we tried to come back out (uphill). When the weather is cooler, I'll return, park the car before the rough area, and walk in, since it's not a great distance.
So, after our first plan didn't work out, we decided to drive the short loop once again. For some reason, it's always an interesting drive, I guess mostly because of all the diverse beauty of the desert.
We had planned to eat out today and have a good lunch, but we didn't realize how early the restaurants closed. In fact, perhaps some of them weren't even open today at all. In any case, we ended up eating at home.
We had originally planned to drive up north again and spend Yom Kippur with Congregation Emet V'Shalom. I had taken today and the day after Yom Kippur as vacation days from Berlitz to make this possible. But as we thought about it, we decided it would just be too much. I think the biggest problem would be the irregular eating -- if I eat a big meal late in the evening (as the break-fast after Yom Kippur must of necessity be), I tend not to sleep very well. This could have spelled disaster when I tried to drive home for 6 hours the next day.
This evening, we went for a walk and took two very long pauses sitting on different park benches in the green strip. It was nice to watch all the people out, some on their way to Kol Nidrei prayers, and many more out with their kids who were riding bicycles and some scooters. Bike riding on the empty streets (empty of motor traffic, that is!) is one of the BIG Yom Kippur traditions here in Israel!
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