Dead Sea and Massada

Our first day in Israel was spent touring Masada and taking a dip in the Dead Sea. Massada is an interesting place, a former palace and fortification overlooking the Dead Sea. In about 74 AD a group of Jewish Zealots expelled from Jerusalem carried out a mass suicide rather than be taken as slaves by the Romans. Masada is on top of a high rock plateau so we took a cable car to the top. Here we are next to the oldest working synagogue in Israel. (left) It's on top of the Masada plateau and therefore only accessible via the cable car. Apparently people still have bar mitzvahs there.

In the photo below you can sort of see the Dead Sea in the background while we were at Masada.

The Dead Sea was amazing! We had heard of the buoyancy properties but didn't think it would be too remarkable--we were wrong! Jacob said it best--not only can you float easily, it's impossible NOT to float. It made for a difficult time trying to wash all the mud off--we couldn't keep our shoulders underwater long enough! (Below: Jacob floating, whether he wanted to or not. Right: my feet.)

Apparently the water and the mud have curative properties. So we covered ourselves in the mud, and had a great time doing it. Who knows if it was salubrious--it was definitely fun!

During our trip to and from the Dead Sea the tour guide pointed out one of the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Apparently the entrance to the cave had been covered up, so it wasn't until an actual search for the Scrolls was done that they were discovered.