Masada, Dead Sea, and Jerusalem

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Geo: 31.7738, 35.2252

We left the ship docked in Haifa, Israel early for an overnight trip. The first leg was a three-and-a-half hour drive to Masada. We stopped once along the way for a rest stop at a gas station/convenience store. The drive took us due east out of Haifa, then south through the West Bank along the dry Jordan River and the banks of the Dead Sea. The highway is used by both Israelis and Palestinians even though it is in Palestine. We had to stay on the main road since the Palestinians did not allow any Israelis to leave it and go into occupied areas. Our Israeli guide would have been arrested for going there although the tourists on the bus would have been allowed—not welcomed, just not arrested. I don't know if the Bedouin bus driver was allowed to enter Palestine. We passed Nazareth and Jericho on the road, but didn't stop. There is so much to see here and just two days to see as much as we can. We chose the overnight trip to maximize the time we have and take full advantage of it. The sights are a long way from the coast necessitating long bus rides.

At Masada, we took the cable car the top of the site and walked around with our guide, Zibet. She explained the story of King Herod the Great who built the palace between 37 and 31 B.C., but never lived there, and she explained about the Jews who defended their palace from the long Roman siege in 73 AD until they could hold out no longer. At that time, they decided they would rather die than be subjects of Rome. The men made a suicide pact which included each one killing his own wife and children. Next, they had a lottery where the one from ten chosen by lot had to murder the other nine and then fall on his own sword. Pot shards used for the lottery where each man inscribed his own name were found at the site so historians know the names of the people involved. Only two women and five children survived to tell the story.

The site was busy with many tourists and local school groups. We saw two school groups that were quite interesting. One group was just teen-aged girls dressed very conservatively. All had on skirts that were at least knee length. Some, but not all, of the girls had their heads wrapped in scarves. The teacher was in an ankle length dress with hair covered. A different group was mixed gender teenagers with a youngish male teacher. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts and looked much like American teens. The teacher carried an automatic rifle. It must have been quite heavy as he kept hoisting it up and repositioning the strap on his shoulder. Another man walking along somewhat with that group had a pistol in a holster on his hip. I am not sure if he was with the group or just happened to be there at the same time.

After leaving Masada, we made a short drive to the Crowne Plaza Hotel Resort on the Dead Sea at Ein Bokek for a kosher buffet lunch and free time to take a dip in the healing water. We walked out into the sea through a rock pathway and floated for just a minute. The water felt somewhat thick and slimy and not particularly pleasant. My skin felt odd, dry yet smooth, after showering off the sea water. We saw some people coated in Dead Sea mud, but did not see anywhere to get it until after we were dressed. We were ready to go before most of the others so we had time for a drink in the lobby before getting back in the bus to leave. There are only twelve on this tour and everyone has been prompt so far. The bus has seats for nineteen which leaves us lots of room to spread out and be comfortable.

Next, we retraced part of our path up along the highway by the Dead Sea then west to Jerusalem. We checked in at the American Colony Hotel just outside the Old City. All along the drive, Zibet pointed out historical sites. I can't remember them all already. She explained that when she talks she will use the phrase "tradition says" when talking about the ancient stories since so many of them have been passed down through many generations but not completely verifiable in any accepted modern way.

Dinner in the hotel was another buffet with lots of options—not kosher this time. After dinner, we got back in the bus to go to the Western Wall. We entered the Old City through the Dung Gate and walked past the archaeological excavations of the City of David and the Davidson Center that we will visit tomorrow. Entering the Western Wall area, we had to go through security and put bags on the x-ray machine conveyor belt for inspection. There were two lines—one labeled men and one labeled women—however, Zibet said that it didn't matter here if we were in the correct line. When we got to the Western Wall, we did have to go to the separate male and female sections to get up close. The women's section was much smaller than the men's section although it seemed like there were just as many women as men praying.

One of the places that Zibet pointed out, and that we could see from a short distance, was the Garden of Gethsemane. This tour originally included going into the Garden and also going into Bethlehem, but we will not be taken there after all. There has been recent terrorist activity in both places so Seabourn canceled those parts of the tour. They won't take any chances even though the possibility of problems is tiny.

Our hotel room is amazing. We have one of the penthouse suites (just on the second floor) which is huge with a lovely balcony overlooking a garden, a separate sitting nook, and a giant bathroom. I would love to stay here longer.

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Photos

View from the Top of Masada
The sky was hazy the entire time we were in Israel. Explanations for it varied, but it seemed most likely that it was caused by sand kicked up from a typhoon passing by on the south in Yemen.

Teacher with Students on a Field Trip
The man wearing a black t-shirt and army green pants and carrying a significant weapon seemed to be the teacher for a group of teens on a field trip.

Wailing Wall
The men's section is to the left and the much smaller women's section is on the right.