The Dead Sea Day

Guess what that is????

You got it! The Dead Sea!!! But that's just a teaser because before we visit the Dead Sea, we have another stop to make first.

Masada. 

This is the most famous tourist stop in Israel according to Dr. Tabor. Masada is the location where Herod built one of his incredible palaces and where the Jews fled when Jerusalem was destroyed. Now every time we told people in Jerusalem that we were going to Masada, the first thing they said was Masada is hot. I always thought, yeah yeah it's hot here all the time. Boy did I underestimate them. It is HOT AS HELL out there. I don't know what I expected considering we were in the middle of the desert but it was so hot!!!

This is basically what remains of the ancient palace. Considering how old this place is and the fact that it's in the middle of the desert, it was very impressive. There were bath houses with steam rooms and a synagogue. When the Jews fled here, the Romans were coming to kill them and trapped them in Masada so their only option was to be taken by the Romans or commit suicide to avoid that horrible death. They cast lots and chose 10 men who killed all 950 people who lived there and then killed each other. Very depressing but Masada carries a heavy energy and that would be why.

The view from the top was incredible but you had to take this super creepy cable car to the top because it was so high up. Masada is actually at sea level so you can see how far down the valley and Dead Sea are. 

Walking around with Dr. Tabor is like being with a local celebrity because people are always stopping him to introduce themselves. It's really an honor to be with him and see how people react. 

Cable car ride...ahhhhh!!!

I actually had a man come up to me today at Masada and read the Hebrew on my shirt and asked me if I was a Levine Scholar. Made my day! It makes me believe that my shirt actually says what I asked for it to say!

 View from Herod's veranda at the top of Masada

After spending about an hour and a half or so at Masada, we were all hot and really ready to go to the Dead Sea. The best thing in the world right then was the idea of going swimming. Little did we know it wasn't going to be as refreshing as we thought it was...

The beach was really cool and very much like our beaches but their water source was the Dead Sea. So when people here want to spend the day at the beach it's actually the Dead Sea which I thought was awesome. There were public changing areas which were kind of awkward but when in rome... The sand was probably 3000 degrees so I was thrilled to have shoes on. As I approached the water, I saw everyone just floating like they were sitting on inner tubes. It was the strangest site. 

Floating in the Dead Sea was unreal. You literally cannot sink even if you try to go underwater. You start walking into the water and all of a sudden your feet come out from under you and you're floating. There is no effort involved. Some of us swam out farther to where you can't touch the bottom but you can put your feet down so you feel like you're just levitating in the water. Also, the high concentration of salt and minerals makes your skin feel incredible. At first, it's like shaving your legs and getting in the ocean because it stings but eventually you get used to it and your skin is instantly exfoliated. It's so hard to describe but should definitely be on everyone's bucket list.

Now remember when I said the water wasn't exactly refreshing? It was hot. Kind of like taking a hot bath in the middle of the desert hot. So you're sweating from the hike at Masada and think that the water would really help cool you off but it's hotter than bath water. Definitely weird...

Then there's the whole mud thing...

Yes, I covered my body in "healing mud" at the Dead Sea. This is part of the tradition of coming here. You slather up and rinse off in the sea and apparently it's healing. I don't know about the whole healing thing but I'm going to choose to believe and see what happens. Also, it's not really as ridiculous as it looks because most people on the beach are also covered in mud. It was so much fun!

After the Dead Sea and lunch, we headed to En Gedi, a natural spring in the desert where David hid from Saul in the caves when Saul was trying to kill him. The waterfalls were gorgeous and although we were exhausted, the caves at the top were incredible. Apparently if you come in the fall or spring, animals like the ibex come up and you can pet them. We didn't see any but they were smart because again it was HOT AS HELL!

Waterfall #1

Waterfall #2

Dr. Z breaking the rules and upsetting children...

Something I love very much about Dr. Tabor, the man leading our trip, is that when we get to places of biblical significance, he stops to read passages out of the Bible to the group. It really helps bring the stories into context and helps me better understand what the Bible is saying. Here he is reading

 I Samuel 24 about David hiding from Saul in En Gedi. It really makes the experience so much more real for me. 

The last stop of the day was at Qumran, the location that most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. By this point we were all pretty beat but it was still a cool place. The people who inhabited the caves where the scrolls were found were Essenes, apocalyptic Jews who lived radical lifestyles according to the rules laid out in the Torah. It was really neat to see the place where such historical items were found.

A holy rainbow at Qumran maybe???

The caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran

Once again I am totally exhausted and the dig starts back up tomorrow but I wouldn't trade my experiences today for anything. The Dead Sea blew my mind and I learned so much. I definitely think everyone should swim in the Dead Sea at least once in their lifetime. I wish we could do more cool things like this tomorrow but it's back to reality! Diggin up them holes...

Shukulan: arabic for chocolate, which I bought at the store on the way home tonight for Cait and me!

The Last Days

Shalom from the top of the Mount of Olives!

We had a jam packed day today and that was out first stop. The view was incredible and there was even a camel and a "Jesus taxi." 

Jesus Taxi

We were taking the path down the mount in reverse of the path that Jesus would have taken up the mount on his last days. It was a gorgeous walk in the morning and we passed many biblical sites along the way. One of which being the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Now if you want to feel close to Jesus, this is the place to go. It's indescribable because you can really feel His presence and see where He spent his sacred time. It's hard to go into detail because each person experiences it differently but I personally could feel the weight of the ground I was standing on. I will just post pictures of the ground and the church because it is too hard to describe.

We saw several tombs again today before heading to the city if David. It was a really pretty place but the main reason we were there was to go through Hezekiah's tunnel. King Hezekiah built this ancient water way in the bedrock for the city and you can still walk through it today. Now I wasn't sure what I was getting into and vastly underestimated what it was. When we entered the underground tunnel, we couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. We decided that ignoring the "flashlights are required sign was a really bad idea. Nonetheless we proceeded through the tunnel by shouting directions at each other like "Ouch! Duck!" when the celings got low or when the walls got narrower. The walls touched my shoulders on both sides!

Heading into the tunnel!

There's the water!

So tight! (Crazy eyes again...)

We made it through the tunnel which was quite an experience to say the least and ended up at the Pool of Siloam. That was also a place that felt very close to Christ. All that was left were ancient stairs that led into the pool but it was a place that Jesus spent his time and even healed people. Very cool to say the least. 

The final part of our day was spent seeing a few more famous Jesus places. We went to the room where the last supper is believed to have taken place. 

We also saw the area of the ancient wall that was believed to be the place where Pontius Pilate gave his judgement on Jesus and the area that would have been the jail that Jesus was beaten in. It's hard to see that now because all that is left are steps that lead to nowhere but if it was able to be excavated, more stairs and the barracks could be uncovered. 

At the end of the day, we visited our favorite Armenian potter an shopped some more before stopping in for a quick second at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There was a service going on so we weren't able to stay long but I will be going back soon! 

Needless to say we had a very busy day but it is now Shabbot, the holy day, so the city is very quiet. Tomorrow is the trip to the Dead Sea and I cannot wait! I will most definitely be blogging about that!

Mikvah: Hebrew word for a baptismal pool

Shalom Shabbot!

Where the Rooster Crows

Hello! I wanted to greet you the same way we are greeted every morning as we exit the Zion gate. 

With the kitty greeting committee!

Our dig site with the shades. 

Melumadima

Before I start on today, I wanted to post this picture from yesterday because I love it so much. We found a street vendor who made us Charlotte shirts with Levine  Scholars written in Hebrew underneath. We surprised everyone and wore them to the lecture. Dr. Tabor immediately read the Hebrew and taught us how to say it. Melumadima is the word they use for Levine Scholars which literally means those who learn. We love our shirts!  

Anyway, this morning was the same as all of the others on the dig. I had to walk someone with sun stroke back to the hotel about an hour after we started so I got a wonderful breakfast with real eggs and chocolate pudding. It was to die for. But then I had the walk back to the dig which wasn't so fun for the third time that day..

I had a couple of cool finds today. My first was...

ANOTHER COIN!!

They're saying I have magnet fingers now and I don't know about all that but I did find another copper coin while shiving today. 

Then I found this...

Any guesses to what this is??

Well you're probably wrong cause it took us a while to figure out what it is. It's a tooth! A giant tooth! The experts seemed to think it belongs to a camel because it was so big. 

Then there was a much appreciated

Popsicle break! It's probably the best thing I've ever eaten at that moment at the dig. 

After the dig, which was the hottest day so far, Dr. Zablotsky and I walked up the street to St. Peter's church. We decided to go here because an Armenian man told us a great story about it and we wanted to see it for ourselves. 

So does anyone know the significance of the rooster being on the sign? In relation to the Bible? There's a pretty famous Bible story about a rooster during the time of Jesus...

Peter and the rooster

This church is believed to be on the spot where Peter denied Jesus three times. When the Armenian man told us this, we knew we wanted to go. The inside of the church was incredible. When you first go in, it looks like an incredibly ornate Catholic Church. 

As we moved through the church, it became incredibly more interesting. It turns out that the church was built on an excavated house that is believed to be the place where Jesus was held before he was taken before Caphiasis in his last days. 

Peter mourning his denial of Jesus. 

We ventured deeper into the old prison and saw areas with crosses and places where people pray now because they feel close to Christ at this place. 

Description of the prison

A place for prayer

Crosses etched in the prison.

Outside of the church was equally as impressive as the inside. There was an entire excavated area including stairs that  Jesus would have had to walk down in order to go to Lazarus' house at the end of the day because he never spent a night in Jerusalem. Seeing and walking in an area where Jesus most likely walked was incredible. 

Stairs Jesus probably walked 

The path and areas on the way to Lazarus' place. 

The church was really incredible and worth taking the time and shekels to go see. It was the closest I felt to an area where Jesus really did spend his time on the trip yet. On a lighter note, the souvenir shop sold rooster T-shirts that I thought were really hilarious. 

Plus the views from the church were incredible. 

That's all for today! Here's the Arabic word I learned today:

Issa: Jesus 

Very appropriate considering where I visited today 

P.S. Here's a real life pomegranate tree! With pomegranates on it!