Israel's Tank Museum

The Sunday before Thanksgiving we visited the Tank Museum.  It is located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, so we thought it would be a pretty easy trip.  We forgot that Sam suffers from carsickness too.  So, we had to change his clothes, only to discover the back-up outfit in the car was a long outgrown romper.  So, into Liam's back-up clothes (which were shorts and a jersey from summer) went Sam.  Oh well.  At least it was a warm day!  Both boys now have updated, seasonally appropriate back-up clothing in the car.

We enjoyed looking at the tanks and even getting to climb onto some of them.  Liam had a ball and was very interested in the differences between the tanks made in America versus other countries.  He really liked being able to see inside one of the tanks, which they had cut in half and encased in plastic.

There was one poignant moment during our visit.  As we were walking down the row of armored vehicles that Israel had captured from other countries, I found myself having to explain the concept of enemies to Liam since he could read the names of countries on the signs.  And as you probably know, Liam is very keen on geography.  He can tell you all 50 states and find them all on a map, and he knows LOTS of countries, which continent they are on, etc.  He got very concerned about Israel seeming to have so many countries they were "not friends with" (tanks from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, etc.).  He remarked that he hoped all countries could make-up and be friends again.  Don't you just love the kindness and hopefulness of children?

 On top of an Israeli made tank, the Merkava

 Peeking inside a tank