Judean Desert

Remember how I said it's been hot this week in Jerusalem? 

I take it all back. We went to the Judean Desert in the West Bank today and that is the hottest I've ever been in my entire life. Except for maybe last year when we went. The heat on top of Masada is what I would imagine hell would feel like. 

We set out early this morning for a tour around the desert and started with Masada. Masada is a giant desert mountain with the ruins of King Herod's palace on too. When the Romans took over Jerusalem, 950 Jews fled here for refuge and eventually committed suicide instead of being captured. I posted many pictures on my Dead Sea day post last year but here's just a few from today:

Tabor teaching in the ancient synagogue

Ruins of the Roman camp below

Dr. Tabor and I at the top of Masada. Clearly he was thrilled to take a picture...

We left from the blazing hot top of Masada and headed to the Dead Sea for a couple of hours. This is such a cool experience and we had so much fun on the beach. 

Our group in the water

We left the Dead Sea and headed to Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Dr. Tabor pretended to be a dead Esscene and raise from the dead when the Messiah (Butch) came. 

The gift shop at Qumran was fantastic so we spent a good amount of time there shopping before heading back to the city.  This was a picture of what our shoes did to our feet after a day of touring the desert. 

We finished the day with a fantastic dinner with Dr. Tabor at a restaurant around the corner from our hotel. This is really one of my favorite days of the entire trip because we learn so much and get to do so many cool things. 

Kevin Doing Nothing:

2 classes and an alum of the Levine Program on the beach at the Dead Sea!