We started the day off at Latrun the Israeli Tank Museum & Memorial. There you can see the evolution in the tanks used by the Israelis and try to get a feeling of what is was and is like to be part of a tank unit. The museum also showcases a wide variety of tanks they have conquered and a memorial to those who have fallen during each of the Israeli conflicts. Kobi told us just a few stories of those soldiers.
Our next stop was a drive to a tell for an archeological dig. It was a site from the Maccabee time over 2,200 years ago. We arrived and were greeted by our guide. We learned about how people of that time lived. Why they were in caves and what we were to expect. Shortly after, we entered the caves to find a dimly light and cool temperatures for the dig. Traversing stairs and large empty rooms we found our way to the bottom of a ~6 room cave with a 40+ foot high ceiling ready to dig. We received instructions on how to dig. One bucket for important finds and one for dirt. We were given a pick and shove,l and we were on our way. After digging, we headed back up to the surface with our buckets of dirt to sift to see if we had found any treasures we may have missed in the darkness of the cave. Last, we took a tour of a much larger and interconnected cave system. What a fun and messy afternoon.
We then drove to Sderot to the best hummus possibly in the world. It was amazing! This town is incredible. They are situated on the West part of Israel next to Gaza. We are told they have only 15 seconds from the time the sirens sound to get into a bunker to be safe from rockets flying into their town. After lunch, Kobi took us the Police station were they keep some of those rockets that come across the border. It was pretty scary seeing all those rockets that had landed in Israel and a stark reminder that the conflict is very real. We then headed to the most Western point in the city to stand on a mound of dirt just yards from Gaza and to our backs the town of Sderot. Leaving the town for home we saw a piece of art built out of rockets that have fallen in the town.
