Monday morning, we started with breakfast and then after getting ready, most of us took a taxi into the city nearby (it was maybe a 10 minute ride). Nicole and I wanted to visit the synagogue and we all wanted to do some shopping and exploring.
The synagogue and Jewish museum were opening late for some reason so we wandered around the neighborhood until it opened. The neighborhood was super colorful and we got a few things before a snack break. We sat along the water and got to watch the bridge open and close for boats. We had heard about it but assumed it was a drawbridge like we have at home. Instead the whole bridge floats and it opens and closes horizontally, which was wild to see.
Eventually, Nicole and I got to go to the Synagogue and Jewish museum. The temple was completed in 1732. It is the oldest surviving one in this hemisphere. The floor is completely covered with sand. The inside is not super ornate but I still beautiful. The museum guide explained to us that the sand was for 3 reasons: 1) to remind us of being in the desert and escaping Egypt. 2) to remind us of the quote from Genesis: I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. 3) To remind us of when Jews went underground after the Spanish Inquisition and put sand on the floor to muffle footsteps. The museum was small but had a lot of great artifacts and history.
After the museum, we met the girls back at the resort and spent the afternoon by the pool and beach. One of the landscapers was cutting down coconuts and opened them for us to drink from.
For dinner, we went back to the Italian place and the food was better than what I ordered the first night. We had caprese, tomato soup, and linguine bolognese. After dinner, we hung around and listened to the music before going to bed.
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