Welcome to Israel!

Welcome to Israel!

The last few days have been absolutely amazing.  Israel is a country so rich in history and with such a ruggedly beautiful landscape that I feel like I could happily stay here for months!  We have only been here two nights but have already done so much. 
We arrived in Jerusalem by bus from Eilat at about 9pm on Saturday, and were delighted by the abundance of Jews bustling about in their Jewish garb.  Our hostel was located in the Old City, and in the morning we were able to climb up on the roof top and see the city spread out below- as well as the Mt. of Olives!  As enticing as it was to stay and explore all the sites of the city, we decided to rent a car for one week and explore the rest of Israel before coming back and spending time in Jerusalem.  We walked across Jerusalem to the Hertz rental location (beautiful weather and orderly street traffic) and then we were off!

We drove to the Dead Sea coast and spent several hours exploring and hiking at Quman, the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  We were able to hike up into the craggy mountains quite a ways! There were no other people hiking, and the silence was incredible.  Just the two of us up on the vast landscapes.. it was awe inspiring to say the least.

Hiking up above Qumran

After Quman we continued to lazily make our way along the Dead Sea coast, exploring side roads and points of interest as the mood struck.  We did have to go through a few security check points complete with several heavily armed guards, but had no trouble and didn’t even have to come to a complete stop before we were waived through.

We weighed a few options for lodging and dinner before deciding to indulge in a nice hotel that came with a glorious dinner and breakfast buffet and was right on the beach.  It was nice staying in such comparative luxury with our very own bathroom and real towels!  We stayed up late playing Rummy, which Nick continues to dominate me in (though I hate to admit it!). 

We woke up to a disappointingly overcast and chilly day, but went down to the beach anyways determined to float in the Dead Sea.  Nick was successful in doing so but it was simply too cold for me to handle, so after he had experienced it we went inside to the heated Dead Sea Pool in the hotel, and had great fun floating about it the water.  The feeling is so unreal!  You can just lay flat on your back and float like a boat.  You can even “stand” up straight and float that way like a bouy.  We finally left our luxurious hotel and drove on to our next destination- Massada.

At Masada

Massada is on the Dead Sea Coast, and if you haven’t heard of it (as we hadn’t) it’s worth reading up on!  A fortress high up on a plateau , it is covered in ruins from a great palace King Herod built and is the site of the Jew’s final stronghold against the Romans where they committed mass suicide when defeat (and therefore a future of slavery) became imminent.  The views from the plateau were incredible, and the ruins were just as wonderful.  We rode up in a cable car since the hiking path was closed due to the “severe weather” (it was drizzling).

We are now driving away from Masada and are on our way to Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee.  It is dark, and Nick is listening to his book on tape while I write.  I am tired, and will post this tonight or tomorrow, depending upon when we get access to the internet.