Blogs from South District, Israel, Middle East - page 23

We had a break from our workshops today, and took a trip down to Ein Gedi, a preserve in the desert near the Dead Sea. Although the area is only about 40 miles from Jerusalem, the drive took us about 3 hours because of having to go around the West Bank instead of taking the direct route. We took a hike through one of the wadis to a waterfall, where we had a chance to get in the water. Although the foliage was not as lush as on our hike in the Golan, the scenery was still spectacular, with mountains rising high over the sides of the wadi. After hiking out, we had lunch near the Dead Sea before coming back to Jerusalem.... read more

The Rock of the Middle East. 2000 or so years ago a group of people fled to the desert rock of Masada, to get away from the Romans. The Roman emperor who built it as his leisure time palace made sure the supplies were filled in the event of an attack, and the little group managed to hold out for quite a while. Eventually the outcome was inevitable, and when the Romans finally managed to conquer the place, they found only dead bodies, all of them with the throat cut open. This is history in its true meaning. Some people make the trail all the way up there by foot, just like they had to do 2000 years ago. The cable car ride up there is magnificent. At the time when the palace was in use ... read more