Sunrise over the Dead Sea with the mountains of Jordan on the other side.
A little later in the morning, you can begin to see the terrain.
This is the Judean desert on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea.
Planted palms at the foot of Masada. We saw hundreds of planted date palms on the way back from Masada.
Masada: the people ascending the snake path look like little ants.
The excavated ruins atop Masada.
The excavated synagogue on top of Masada. Many ceremonies are held here nowadays including Bar and Bat Mitzvahs (coming of age ceremony) and military ceremonies for the Israeli army.
Shore of the Dead Sea (in Hebrew it is translated as the Salt Sea), lowest point on earth, 400 meters below sea level.
The Dead Sea has so much salt in it, that it is impossible to sink and you can read a newspaper while floating with no effort at all. The large group you see in the center is one of the youth trips for Americans 19-26 who have never been to Israel before. Since they are university students this is one of the busiest times for these trips and they were everywhere we went. It’s great for the kids but difficult to be around.
Oasis of Ein Gedi, natural springs about 15 miles from Masada
Caves above the oasis are similar to the caves that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in and not far from where they were found.
Ibex that are native to Ein Gedi. In Hebrew they are called Yael which is also the name of my younger daughter though she is definitely better looking.
Mosaic from ancient synagogue discovered at Ein Gedi Kibbutz next door to the park. It was discovered when they were digging a new field and has been excavated and studied. The mosaic was in surprisingly good condition considering it is from the 3rd-6th century CE
Upon our return to Jerusalem we saw evidence of the devastation from the 3 day snowstorm of a couple of weeks ago. There are lots of trees that had to be cut down and debris everywhere. This is Sachar Park, a large park close to the Knesset (Parliament building) and the Israel Museum.
Friday morning we left Jerusalem at 4 am to travel south the Masada. Of course it was dark the whole way there, and the reason we wanted to do that was to have sunrise at Masada. I had an injury in October and am not completely steady on the feet so I opted not to climb the mountain but have been there many times before so I stayed with the bus, chatted with the driver (an 8th generation Jerusalemite) and did some sunrise drawings. A bit about Masada: In 72-3 CE, almost 1000 Jewish rebels sought refuge atop Masada, a mountain in the desert south of Jerusalem that Herod had developed for himself complete with two palaces, baths, etc. The Temple had been destroyed in 70 CE and this was a kind of last stand against Rome. The rebels were besieged by the Romans though they were able to hold out for two years while the Romans built a giant ramp to access the top (on the west side). When the rebels realized they were going to be defeated, the chose mass suicide rather than submit to Roman death or enslavement. Terri provided the photographs of the ruins on top of the mountain.
After she came back down (cable car down and a 45 minute hike up) we traveled to the Dead Sea for a dip and to Ein Gedi, an oasis nearby that has a National Park preserve alongside the Kibbutz which grows dates. Ein Gedi is a spring fed oasis with gorges and waterfalls, ibex, and interesting plants and trees including Acacias and something called the Sodom Apple (poisonous if eaten). This would have been a complete enough day as is but we returned to Jerusalem to prepare for Shabbat which will give us a much needed rest. After Shabbat we will be leaving Jerusalem for the coast and the north for more adventures.
Poetry Without Words 