2015 Gap Year #6

We've spent the last 10 nights in the wonderful city of Jerusalem and also rented a car for a day and drove to the Dead Sea, Masada and En Gedi. It's been a very rich experience learning about history and culture and just soaking it all in. We are now in Mt Carmel on the North West coast where we are doing a study tour for the next 2 weeks, which will take us around most of the North of Israel. 

Flying over the Greek Islands on the way to Jerusalem

First of many trips into the Old City via the Jaffa Gate

The possible Garden of Gethsemane with very old olive trees and Jerusalem walls in the background

From the top of the Mount of Olives looking down on the Jewish graves, Kidron Valley, and the Temple Mount

Looking back up to the Mount of Olives from the Kidron valley with the tombs of Absalom, James and Zechariah

Spent a lot of time at the Western Wall just taking it in

View from our apartment in a shopping district 10min walk to the Old City

The Garden Tomb which is a possible sight of Jesus death and burial

You get used to the machine guns (we like playing machine gun spotto)

View from the Citadel of David (Herod's Palace) over Jerusalem and up to the Mount of Olives

The Ramparts walk along the formidable city walls

Inside the Citadel of David before the Light Spectacular show - beamed onto the fortress walls

The very sobering Yad va-Shem holocaust Museum

Excavations in the Old City of David where his palace once stood (still lots to uncover)

Entering Hezekiah's tunnel which diverts water from the Gihon spring down to the Pool of Siloam. This amazing 533m long water filled tunnel was dug by Hezekiah in the 8th century BC when Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrians (2 Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32)

Nancy getting ready to get wet in Hezekiah's tunnel

Bonnie somewhere along that 533m, water got up to the top of our legs

The Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man

Circumnavigation of the Old City took us just over an hour

The Damascus Gate in the Muslim Quarter

Taking in some tunes with the Sounds of the Old City Music Festival

Another view of the Western Wall from the bridge on the way up to the Temple Mount

The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount - sacred sight to both Jews and Muslims

The Golden Gate where the Jews are expecting the Messiah to enter (so the Muslims had it blocked it up)

The long hair just had to go!!!

A 1:50 scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum

Stone slab (stela) with the earliest reference to House of David, discovered at Tel Dan in 1993, now in Israel Museum

Ossuary of the high priest Joseph Caiaphas in the Israel Museum

Big sale on Ben and Jerry's provided good incentive to get journals up to date

Hired a car and drove to the Dead Sea, the West Bank wall

The rugged mountains on the Dead Sea facing the Children of Israel as they entered the Promise Land

Masada, decided on the healthy, adventurous, low cost option of hiking up the snake path rather than the touristy gondola

The walk up the Snake path (took 45 min)

View out to the Dead Sea on the walk up to Masada

Would hate to do this walk in the middle of summer

View over the West side of Masada where the Romans built their siege ramp

One of the massive cisterns built on the top of Masada

The Roman Siege Ramp built by Jewish slaves taken from Jerusalem

Herod's Palace built on Masada where he got away for his holidays and garden parties

Great view from Herod's Palace down to the Dead Sea

En Gedi where David hid from Saul and springs still flow down to the Dead Sea

Cooling off at En Gedi

David's Waterfall and could almost imagine him sitting under it

Ibex at En Gedi

Clear waters of En Gedi

Great drive back along the Dead Sea coast (unfortunately a hazy day)

Skin regeneration and exfoliation with Dead Sea mud

Bobbing in the Dead Sea and unable to sink - 8 times more salty than seawater (Jordan on the other side)