Trip to Kotel, Migdal David/David's Citadel

The other morning, when Rafi got up, I asked him what he wanted to do that day.

 "I want to go on a trip to the Kotel" he tells me.

To be honest, I wasn't in the mood to go to the kotel at first. But then I thought about it- why not? It would  be good to get out, have some fresh air, etc... And since Chanuka was coming, and on Chanuka we're celebrating the rededication of the Bais Hamikdash, I figured why not take a trip.

But only if the kids were willing to make it into a learning experience. I told the kids about the notes that people write and stick in the walls of the Kotel with their bakashos to Hashem. I asked Rafi what he wanted to ask Hashem for. He told me Moshiach, money, and to be healthy and strong, and peace.
I wrote out his requests on a piece of paper in Hebrew for him to copy onto another note. He wanted to know why specifically in Hebrew, so I told him about how Hebrew is Hashem's special language, that's the language we daven in, and that's the language that the Torah is in. I used this opportunity to practice some of the Hebrew words he knew, as well as teaching him more.
Midway through he decided he'd rather write in English (he's not used to writing much in Hebrew, and was upset that his letters weren't coming out perfectly), so I then wrote the rest of the note in English for him to copy.
He then signed it with his name.

Once the preparations were made, we went to wait for the bus.




Rafi wanted to try his hand at using the digital camera. I must say- this picture he took is terrific!

Then, of course, Moishy needed his turn as well. I think this is a great photo for a 3 year old!

While waiting for the bus to arrive, the boys were excited to spot some wild edibles starting to grow nearby. The immediately identified mallow and started picking it.

We took the train to the old city of Jerusalem, and took a break outside the old city walls, where I told the boys the story of Chanuka, and about how the Helenists brought Avoda Zara into the Bais Hamikdash and that Jews weren't allowed to do mitzvos, and that Matisyahu and his five sons were really upset and decided to fight off the whole Greek army, and Hashem helped them win, and then they made the Bais Hamikdash nice again, etc...

 

When we got into the old city, I had a surprise for the boys.
About a month ago, the boys were building tents in the house out of blankets and chairs. Well, this time they were attempting to make a castle, with turrets, only we didn't have enough chairs to make the castle exactly like Rafi wanted. Rafi was very disappointed and frustrated.
I told Rafi that one day I'd bring him to a real castle, and he was so excited about that, that he forgot about being miserable.
And of course, he'd forgotten about my promise.
But I didn't.
As we neared Migdal David/David's Citadel, I let the boys know that I'd be taking them to the real castle in Yerushalayim!
It was my first time ever in Migdal David, so it was fun for me too.

They thought the fact that there was a moat around the castle was really cool. They kept on asking where the drawbridge and portcullis would have been.

When we climbed partway up the inside of Migdal David, my kids got a look of incredulity on their faces- "Mommy! You never told us there was a pyramid inside the castle!"

The view was amazing! All the way to Har HaZeisim.

I pointed out the Dome of the Rock to my kids, told them that that was where the Bais Hamikdash used to be, and that now the Arabs built a mosque (where Arabs daven- is how I explained it to them) on that spot. They wanted to know if we could go there. I sadly had to tell then that Arabs don't let Jews there. They wanted to know why. I wasn't able to get into an explanation then, because the place was mostly filled with Arabs...
And honestly, I don't know how to explain to my kids why there is such hostility between Muslims and Jews... Fortunately, they didn't press the issue...

My kids loved looking at the pictures they had along the walls, pointing out what you're able to see in the distance. They loved being able to spot the stuff in the pictures.

They also loved the scale model of Migdal David. I asked them to show me their favorite part of the castle for this picture. They both chose the tower.

And then, of course, my battery died, so I don't have a picture of the boys tucking the note that they wrote into the kotel.

But they did.

It was a fun trip. And all thanks to Rafi requesting to go to the Kotel.

I have to say though- even after the trip to Migdal David, I still am not quite sure what it was/who used it, or its history... I found the explanations and exhibits there to be woefully inadequate, so I wasn't able to teach my kids most of the history behind Migdal David. Oh well...

Do you usually plan trips a day or two (or even more) in advance, or do you usually go on trips spontaneously?

How would you explain to your kids about why we're not allowed into the dome of the rock, and why we're not even allowed to pray on har habayis?

Anyone know the real story about the history of Migdal David?