Team America

The prescience of America is worthy of note.
We spent a balmy evening at the American Colony, the hang out of Diplomats, Journalists and NGO workers and regular haunt of Mr Blair. It was until very recently owned by a British woman. It was lovely, but pretty Western (including the prices which we failed to realise were in dollars until after we'd eaten!).
We visited the Israel museum in West Jerusalem. This includes the Shrine of the Book where some of the Dead Sea scrolls can be seen. There is also a scale model of Jerusalem from the era of the second temple and a fantastic modern art trail in the gardens. The museum is beautiful. The guide was excellent. She did chide Ben for referring to the Hebrew bible as the old testament though. The funding was largely from American friends.
Last night we let our hair down in West Jerusalem, smoked shisha, drank Goldstar beer and downed Arak. The streets around Jaffa Street thronged with young jewish Americans on their wholly funded trip to Israel that they are entitled to courtesy of the US government and rich American Jews. About 160,000 come each year for a couple of weeks. The idea is to promote the Holy land in the face of increasing Arab and dwindling Jewish populations.