Hi all,
I have had a great time here in Israel! My team and I are embracing our inner tourist so naturally we are enjoying the sights and sounds made specifically for visitors. Just to keep you updated, we are staying in a Jerusalem hostel. The place is very nice plus they serve breakfast every morning. I am enjoying the friendly hospitality.
On day one, after a brief forty minute rest stop following the 12 hour flight time, we went to the Israel Museum. The entire team was feeling the full effect of jet lag, Every single one of us just wanted to sleep at that point. My favorite part would have to be the museum artifacts. I never realized that living in New York city and visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art would prepare me for every other museum visit around the world. I found myself wondering why I had seen the artwork and then it hit me BAM it is the same art from The Met. That was kind of cool to experience. Afterwards, the team headed back to the hostel in taxis, of course. I ended up showering and going straight to bed.
On day two, we enjoyed an extremely hot day facing the Judean Desert terrain. We visited the Masada Fortress built by Herod the Great, the oasis of En Gedi, and the Dead sea. To begin, we trekked across the Judean desert through parts of the West Bank. The weather was nice and hot. The Masada Fortress was built by Herod and eventually used by the Israelites fleeing from the approaching Romans. My favorite part was the cisterns that were built to house fresh water from the four to five days of rain fall. These were fancy little caves for water. We also saw some impressive bath houses that were preserved with its original colors. Next, was the En Gedi oasis. This was an amazing oasis that was believed to be the spot where Solomon wrote Songs of Solomon! It is also where David sought refuge as he fled from Saul. My favorite part would have to be the view of the dead sea from the oasis and the big waterfall. Lastly, we went to the Dead Sea. As the lowest part of the earth, the dead sea was truly magnificent. My favorite part was definitely the floating. I literally walked a couple feet picked up my feet and began to float. Floating on the water was so much fun! I want to do it again. Also, the mudding was pretty cool. Now, I have baby soft skin to go along with my newly formed leg muscles.
On day three, we visited the Old city of Jerusalem. It was nice to understand the layout of the old city in the time of David. The architecture of the present day was built on top of the ruins of the old city. My favorite part was seeing an actual pomegranate tree. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to walk the underground tunnel up to the Pool of Siloam which I must accomplish at some point. The Temple Mount was quite spectacular. It was the remnants of the Second Temple rebuilt by Herod the Great! We walked under the streets in an underground sewage system to come up and discover the ruins of the once grand Temple built by Herod the Great. The city was burned out of Roman rage, which is why there is no temple today.
One of the things I have noticed in Jerusalem are the variety of plants, the amount of cats, and the recycling bins. For such a small area, I have see a ton of recycling bins and nearly spotless streets. So far, this is only Jerusalem so we will have to see what the next part of the country is like. Each time we venture into Palestinian controlled areas, I have noticed a lot more trash in the streets. It is interesting to see the sharp contrast.
That's all folks. Thanks for reading! I will upload photos pronto.
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