End of Week 2 (click on picture to see them)

Friends, we have been going full blast this week.  We made a three day trip to the Negev and Dead Sea.  It was one of those 7 am to 7 pm weeks.  We would get back to the room and take a shower (very needed), eat supper and then do a few thing before going to bed.  Each day we see approx. 7 sites with lectures at each site.  Take for instance Thursday:  We ate breakfast at 6 am and left the youth hostel by 7.  We drove to Masada and then walked up the Roman siege ramp. It took about 45 minutes of uphill trudging to get to the top.  Once there we had lectures at the various structures on the top.  
 







This Stronghold was used by David during his run from Saul.  Psalm 18:1 "The Lord is my sharp crag, my metsudah (stronghold), my place of escape.  My God is my rock, I take refuge in Him."  Metsudah in Hebrew is Mesada. He has this in mind when speaking of God being his secure place.  Masada is best known as the fortress where the Jewish second revolt was squashed by the Roman general Silva.  
 
The view of the Dead Sea is amazing to the East from Masada.

From the top we (the brave or probably foolish) walked down the sake path on the eastern side of Masada.  Beth rode the gondola down from the top (the wise move).  

 


Below there was a McDonalds to reward the adventurers. The last picture is of the birds, who like french fries. And our college kids loved to feed them.





This was all before Lunch, McDonalds was a snack.  Beth and I had Ice Cream cones.We stopped for lunch at the Dead Sea and we all went swimming while the hot dogs were being cooked.  It was an unusual feeling compared to the Atlantic Ocean.  You can stand up in 30 feet of water.  You bob on the surface.  Your skin fells like it is coated with baby oil. Because of all the salt and minerals any cut burns and even some of your body orifices burn.  You can see the wonderful blue of the Dead Sea.

 After our swim we ate lunch and then loaded on the bus for a short trip to the only spring along the Dead Sea, En Gedi.  When the Roman General Silva besieged Masada he had water transported from En Gedi every day.  David spent some of his time in hiding from Saul at En Gedi.  


It is about a mile hike up into the mountains to the spring of En Gedi.  There is a spring followed by a series of waterfalls and streams down to the Dead Sea.

I will post more on Thursday's Adventure on a following blog.