Masada & the Dead Sea

On Monday morning we took the bus to Masada.  For people who aren't used to riding the public buses, our ride to Masada was quite an experience!  We were the last ones to get on at the central bus station and the bus was already full so we had to stand in the aisle along with about ten other people!  After about forty minutes of sitting in the aisle enough people had gotten off that we could sit in seats! lol We truly had a real Israeli travel experience that morning! :D

It's not out of the ordinary to see the Israeli soldiers carrying their M-16's with them everywhere.  In case there would be a surprise attack from one of Israel's neighboring countries, everyone is prepared and ready to take action.

You'll even see teenagers in civilian clothing with a machine gun slung over their shoulder!

 

 The view of the Dead Sea from the bus on the way to Masada.

Once we arrived we took the cable car to the top of Masada.  Masada is a rugged fortress overlooking the Dead Sea.  It's a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army in 73 CE.  It was built as a palace complex, by Herod the Great, King of Judea.  The camps, fortification, and ramp that are around the monument show the most complete Roman siege works surviving to this day.
 

The visitors center at the foot of the mountain has lots of artifacts on display that archaeologists have discovered there at Masada.

From the top you can see remains of the Roman camps.  There are eight of these squares visible from the fortress.  The line you see in front of the square is the remains of the Roman circumvention wall they built around Masada.
 

The ramp the Roman's built up to the western side is still there and can be climbed by foot.  This is where the siege ended.  At the top of the ramp was the siege tower, and in it was the battering ram which the Romans used to assault the casement wall.  The rebels had built a wall of earth and wood, so the battering ram was ineffective against it.  The Romans thought it would be easier to destroy this wall by fire so Silva ordered his soldiers to hurl burning torches at it.  When night fell it was obvious that the situation was hopeless for the Jews and the Romans would break through at dawn.  Eleazar Ben Ya'ir assembled his followers and called for a mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families at Masada.  The Romans were shocked at the sight that met them when they broke through the next day.
 





We hiked down the 700 steps along the 2 km path to the bottom.

 



We met up with this Arab dude along the way down ;P

It was pretty hot with the sun beating down so dad wrapped a shirt around his head to keep from getting burnt since he forgot to pack a hat!

 



 

After Masada we rode the bus back to En Gedi where we went floating in the Dead Sea!

 

 



The Dead Sea's surface and shores are 1,388 ft below sea level, making it the earth's lowest elevation on land. It is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. It's 9.6 times as salty as the ocean!  Because the water is so salty it makes for an environment in which nothing can live.  This is why it is called the "Dead" Sea.  Because of the salt density it is impossible to sink!  You just lay back in the water and float without even trying!  It's important not to put your head underwater or get any splashed in your eyes because the salt will burn!

 

salt on the rocks...

We rode the bus back to Jerusalem and this time we had seats! :D
In the evening we went down to the Old City and got to walk on the Via Dolorosa!



 The Via Dolorosa is a street in the Old City of Jerusalem. 

Tradition says this is the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion.

Walking through the Arab shuck there are all kinds of shops and stands. 
I thought this was a neat way to display a pomegranate...

 



...a pyramid made out of spices!

 



We also went back down to the Western Wall...

 



Any male that is not Jewish is required to wear a "Kippah" when they go near the wall.

 

On Tuesday morning we left on the three hour bus ride to Tiberius where we would be spending the next three days.  Posts coming soon!

 

~Kaitlyn

 

Class of 2013 - Israel Trip - Day #1

This summer I graduated from High School and as a graduation present my parents told me I could chose any where in the world to visit.  I couldn't decide, there were so many suggestions coming from everyone in my family!  I finally chose Israel.  At first we were going to take the whole family and go but then we decided that just Dad, Joshua, and I would make the 7,000 mile journey to the Holy Land.  I'm so thankful that daddy works for the airlines and we have flight benefits to make it all possible!  We left Saturday night out of Philadelphia on the 10 hour flight and arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon in Israel!  We took the bus from the airport to Jerusalem and on the walk from the central bus station to the hostel we passed a wedding party going through the market...

 

 This is where we stayed during our time in Jerusalem, Abraham's Youth Hostel

 On Sunday evening walked down to the Machane Yehuda Market.

 We bought some dried apricots to snack on---we got a better deal than the ones in the above picture though :P 1/2 kilo. for 10 shekels!  (3.4 shekels is equivalent to 1 U.S. dollar)

 We also got Falafels for dinner which are Israel's national snack. 
A Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas or fava beans.  It is a traditional Arab food, usually served in a pita.  The falafel balls are stuffed in the pita bread pocket and topped with salads, pickled vegetables, and hot sauces then drizzled with tahini-based sauces.

Bread being carried through the market...

 

 We also walked down to the old city to the Wailing Wall on the first day.

There is a divider between the ladies and the men at the wall. 

The wall is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple's courtyard.

 

Check back soon for a post about our adventures to Masada and the Dead Sea!

 

~Kaitlyn

 

Visitors from Indiana & An African Wedding Experience

Thursday before we left for Israel Daddy got a call from some former Amish in Indiana.  We met these friends while we were in Jasper, Texas last year.  They were coming to Lancaster County to visit some of their family and friends so we invited them to come spend Friday night at our house.

 

Susan and I & Emma and Lillia

 

 Joy and Mary

 

 Two families came to visit; Ike and Mary & Samuel and Hannah

 

 Samuel and Jonas decided that they were going to learn to unicycle and in the short time they were here they learned!

 

 Samuel decided to try the giraffe unicycle too

 

 Samuel, Jonas, and Joshua

 

 A total of fourteen came to visit...

Isaac and Mary came with five of their fourteen children, Emma, Samuel, Mary, Levi, and Elisabeth.

Samuel and Hannah and their three children, Suzie, Levi, and Elisabeth and Susan and Jonas, who live with Samuel and Hannah.

 

They left on Saturday morning to visit some of their family and friends in the area.

Daddy, Mommy, Joshua, Benjamin, and I left within the hour for a wedding in New Jersey!

 

 Faith's family, originally from Kenya, has gone to our church for years.
She married Thompson who is from Zimbabwe in a beautiful ceremony along a scenic river in New Jersey.

 

 Thompson & Faith with Faith's family

 

Joseph and Moses, two of Faith's brothers, with the couple.

 

Before Benjamin was born Faith's family moved so Sister Catherine had never gotten to see him.  Sister Catherine is such a sweet lady, she and mom have been good friends for years. Sometimes in church she would turn around and just take David when he was a baby and hold him during the service then give him back at the end!

 

We left the wedding and Mommy dropped us off at the airport to catch the

 9:30 p.m. flight to Tel Aviv, Israel!  The next posts will be about our trip :)

 

~Kaitlyn