Our first stop off the bus was in the city of Jaffa. We strolled around the ancient port city and bargained in the colorful markets for trinkets and souvenirs. For lunch, we picnicked on the lawn near the old watchtower with a view of the Mediterranean Sea.
From there, we traveled to the house that belonged to Mier Dizengoff, the first mayor of Israel. His residence, now a museum, is where the State of Israel was declared. It was a proud moment hearing Ben Gurion announce the formation of the Jewish state.
After, we went to a definitively different museum. This one was dedicated to appreciating the blind. For more than one hour, we were immersed into darkness. We experienced what it was like to visit a park, sail on a boat and order at a restaurant as a blind person. It was eye-opening (pun intended)to meet our guide at the end, who was blind himself. We were amazed at how he deftly navigated us through the dark labyrinth, calling our names and finding us as we fumbled our way around in the dark.
We then helped our tour guides out by giving them a lift back to Jerusalem, our final stop.
We're now hunkered down at the King Solomon hotel, and are about to say goodnight to the students so we can start early again tomorrow.
