The View from Masada

What was most spectacular about Masada was the view you got from the top. It really was incredible how far you could see. You could see the Dead Sea and on the other side is Jordan - so I guess you could say we could see all the way to Jordan!

We climbed down some stairs so that we could see the ruins of one of King Herod's palace and there was such a good view from there!

The Fortress at Masada

I was pretty thankful that Josh told us a bit about Masada before we went, otherwise I would have absolutely no clue why there was a ruin of an old fortress on top of a mountain in the middle of an Israeli desert. The story goes that the Roman Army surrounded the fortress

and because of that, everyone in the fortress commited suicide. It is for sure a very weird story. When you arrive there, you take a cable car up to the top of the mountain. Really, from the bottom you can't see how large the site was. It was really, really big, and it makes sense it was home to 1,000 people.

And you can see the remains of the town hall buildings, the synagogue and the store rooms. It was really interesting, although it was really warm up on the mountain! On our way back down, we grabbed some falafel ( again!) at the food court and a seat in the sun.

Driving in the Desert

On Wednesday, we decided to go to Masada and the Dead Sea, which was probably the destination furthest away from where we stayed. For a while, we drove through just through the desert! We had to snap a photo of our tiny little car againt the amazing landscape. The Fiat 500 was just, so so terrible, but it did get us everywhere in one piece!

A snap with King David

The Armenians believe that the Last Supper happened in one church, but most people go to this other place, the Cenacle, which is where they believe the last supper happened, just outside the city walls. So, off we went. And it was much closer than we thought! While we were there, we also saw this statue of King David, so we had to snap a picture for my brother-in-law David! Our day in Jerusalem was long, but we did get enough time to wander through the outdoor mall on the way home!

The Via de la Rosa

The Via de la Rosa is a path of pilgrimage for many Christians that visit Jerusalem, because it is the path that Jesus took while he carried his cross. It starts near the Muslim Quarter, and it heads to the Church of the Sepluchure in the Christian Quarter. There are 13 such stations along the way. It was very important for us to walk that way, although it seemed quite touristy with shops on either side the whole way there. The shops are in these tiny little alley ways, much like they were sometimes in Asia, these little tiny market stalls.

Atop the Austrian Hospice

Neither Steph nor Josh believed me that there was a building called the Austrian Hospice, but there it was right on the map. I had read that there was a great view from the top of it. It was right on the edge of the Muslim Quarter, so I asked some policemen where it was. Turns out, you pushed this buzzer, and climbed some stairs, and there was this beautiful building, decked out like it was in Vienna. Sure enough, it used to be a place for pilgrims from Austria, but now it has a chapel, and a lovely cake shop, and this beautiful, beautiful view.

Dominating the Sky Line: The Dome of the Rock

Definitely one of the coolest places we visited was the Dome of the Rock. It really does dominate the skyline in Jerusalem, you can see it from all of the rooftops! I had read online that you could visit it, even though some people think you really can't go up and visit it. Lately, there have been a lot of issues with access to it being blocked off by Jews and Muslims alike, and it has caused a lot of tensions. It definitely isn't a place that you visit on Birthright trips, so I was super

excited that Josh, Steph and I could go. It is only open for a few hours in the morning, and then later in the affternoon for just one hour. One lady told us that Jews aren't allowed up there, and we saw some signs saying that they shouldn't, but what the security was really worried

about was anyone praying or showing religious symbols up there, because along with the Dome of the Rock, there is the Al-Aqsa mosque, which is the third holiest place in Islam. We waited for a while for the line to open, and then quite a long time to get through security. Then, you have to walk up this wooden walkway which goes over the Western Wall.

I had wondered what that walkway was for, it really does cut right across it. Steph and I were very respectful and covered our heads. It was such a beautiful, beautiful site. The Dome of the Rock is up this set of stairs, all alone on this big platform. And it is huge, and beautiful and so wonderful! I really enjoyed visiting it! After the one hour was up, some policemen came to escort us out, through the Muslim Quarter. A lot of the shops which I know are there usually were shut, but we did manage to get some amazing Israeli orange juice!