Dad took the snake trail and I took the cable car, but we both ended up atop the massive ruins of Masada. Herod the Great built two fortified palaces here around 37 BC.
However, these incredible ruins are probably more well known as the site of the first Jewish-Roman War. The Jewish defenders chose to die rather than surrender. So, even today Israeli soldiers demonstrate courage by chanting “Masada Shall not Fall Again”. Another swim in the Dead Sea this afternoon. We will definitely sleep well tonight. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
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Our little group of thirteen along with our driver and guide—Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Orthodox Jew and sceptics. Somehow on a “Jesus” boat sailing on the Sea of Galilee we find common ground. Together with a group of Nigerian Christians we learn to dance the Hava Nagila (Let Us Rejoice)—an Israeli folk song traditionally sung at Jewish celebrations. Our attempt is mostly clumsy, but we embrace it. Back on the bus we stop where Jesus is said to have preached the sermon on the mount. The church is touristy and crowded, but on a path behind the church I find a quiet spot that catches my imagination: Blessed are the merciful...Blessed are the pure of heart...Blessed are the peacemakers... Tonight in Palestine we celebrate peace. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. Akko—Romans, Ottomans, Crusaders, Mamelukes, Byzantines, and British....on and on it goes....layer upon layer of cities. We head below today’s functioning Ottoman/Israel layer to the excavated underground city of the crusaders. The knights templar tunnel takes us to the port from the castle. We can feel the mystery of the journey. Not even archeologist can agree on its purpose. Another fascinating day in Israel. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Israel—this is where it all comes to life. We visit Jaffa and think of Jonah and the whale or the healing of Tabitha. We walk on a 10 km aqueduct in Caesarea built by King Herod. We group with pilgrims near the cave on Mount Caramel where Elijah hid away. The next seven days are going to be a real treat for all of our imaginations.
You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Today we crossed the complicated border from Jordan to Israel. The city of Tel Aviv is very modern. Tons of interesting Street Art, entertaining markets, and beautiful beaches. Except that the signs are in Hebrew you might think you are in Toronto in the summer time.
Loving the sunshine. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Coldish water. A+ Boat. Friendly crew. Fabulous snorkelling. And we could see four countries at the same time: Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia😄 Sitting on our comfy benches in the back of our 4x4 we held on very, very tight. As we fish-tailed through the sand dunes we were stunned by the incredible beauty of the Arabian Desert.
Have you ever rolled down a sand dune? It makes you a little dizzy, and you get really sandy, but it is so much fun. Climbing the rock arches was a little more challenging, but Ray and some of my new friends helped me get all the way up to the top! After a busy day we said goodnight to a sky full of stars to head off to our goat hair tents. I don’t think I would make a very good Bedouin but I definitely had a great night’s sleep curled up under a pile of warm blankets. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. With the first call to prayer of the day still ringing in our ears we headed off to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World (2007). Over 2000 years ago the Nabataean Arabs carved enormous temples and tombs into the sandstone cliffs to create what we know as Petra.
To beat the crowds we quickly made our way through the Siq with sandstone formations on both sides. As we came into an opening everyone was awestruck. It was bigger, red-er, and fancier than we had imagined. This first structure is called the treasury and is one of over 800 monuments in Petra. Almost 28,000 Fitbit steps later we still haven’t seen it all, but we are going to take a little break and go back tonight. Apparently they light it up with candles. I’m very excited. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. P.S. Did you know Indiana Jones Temple of Doom was filmed here? |
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Ray & Diane
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